About Odd Directions

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Odd Directions is a home for fiction that refuses the obvious path

Founded by Tobias Malm, Odd Directions began as a literary community on Reddit, where it grew into a gathering of more than 30,000 readers and writers drawn to strange, unsettling, and unconventional stories. From the beginning, the aim was simple: to create a space for fiction that explores the unfamiliar, the liminal, and the quietly disturbing.

This Substack is the next step in that journey.

Here, Odd Directions is run by a curated group of authors, publishing short fiction, excerpts, and occasional reflections on writing, art, and storytelling. The focus is on quality, atmosphere, and voice rather than volume. Stories may lean toward horror, weird fiction, speculative fiction, psychological unease, or something that resists easy categorization altogether.

Odd Directions values literary ambition over genre boundaries, mood and ideas over gimmicks, and stories that linger long after the last sentence.

The Substack is not an open slush pile, but it is open to new voices. Writers who feel aligned with the spirit of Odd Directions are welcome to reach out. If you’re interested in contributing, collaborating, or learning more, contact us at:

contact@odddirections.xyz

Whether you’re here to read, write, or simply wander a bit off course, welcome.