Tell The Damn Story, ep 402: Weird By Nature Exploring the Value of Uniqueness in the Writing World

Tell The Damn Story, ep 402: Weird By Nature Exploring the Value of Uniqueness in the Writing World

From Tell The Damn Story by Alex Simmons & Chris Ryan

February 15, 2026 · 37 min · Season 10 · Episode 402

About this episode

Alex and Chris explore the value of embracing weirdness in writing and creativity.

On this episode of Tell The Damn Story, Alex and Chris dive headfirst into an age-old creative conundrum: do writers need permission to be weird? With their signature blend of humor and insight, they explore what “weird” even means in the world of writers, artists, and storytellers, and why embracing it might just be the secret key to unlocking your most authentic work. Drawing from personal anecdotes—think fourth graders dreaming up purple cows and aliens for a suffragette play—and classic literary examples, from Animal Farm to Kafka’s cockroach, Alex Simmonss and Chris Ryan remind us that the creative’s job is to challenge the norm, shift perspectives, and offer new ways of seeing the world, even if that means making people uncomfortable. Get ready for a candid, thought-provoking conversation that just might change how you think about creativity, permission, and the beauty of being a little weird. Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Then, please leave them in the Comments Section. Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.com And follow us on ... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.TellTheDamnStory.com www.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube.com/…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Ryan

Topics covered

  • creativity
  • uniqueness
  • writing
  • storytelling

Keywords

  • permission
  • authenticity
  • literary examples
  • personal anecdotes

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Tell The Damn Story, Weird By Nature Exploring the Value of Uniqueness in the Writing World, Animal Farm

More episodes of Tell The Damn Story

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tell The Damn Story podcast page.