30-Degree Shift
Reality is a mass of reasons; I’m just here to map the gravity. 30-Degree Shift is a weekly publication of essays exploring the structural irony of the world through a neurodivergent lens. Whether it’s special relativity, the craft of fiction, or the sensory weight of a blue-buttercream cake, I’m looking for how light bends around our baggage.
TL;DR - My brain is a messy equation and I’m trying to solve it on the chalkboard in front of class.
Subscribe on substack for weekly essays every Wednesday at 11:11am.
30-Degree Shift is a weekly column by William T. Torgerson
Show and Tell
Awe is non-transmissible, but we keep trying anyway.
The Cell Phone
At first I was excited about the wedding of my DND friends. Then I realized my ex would be at their wedding.
It’s Loud, But Not Loud Enough
After a blackout, every thought had room to breathe.
What I Learned by Staring at a Dog Dick for Five Hours
I almost didn’t ask for help.
That would have been a mistake.
When Did Compromise Become Dangerous?
An exploration in of the evolution of a word brings insight into how ideas are born.
Passion Isn’t About Success
Passion isn’t about success.
It’s about whether you love the work even when it doesn’t matter.
Most of us don’t realize the difference until much later. Some never do.
Why Is It So Hard to Listen to the Voice in Your Head?
I almost lost my thumb the other day.
The worst part? I knew it was going to happen.
This is an exploration of the anatomy of a single choice.
Burn Your Art (Somtimes)
I finished my first real creative work at 100 issues.
Then it dissolved in soda.
Years later, I burned a novel on purpose.
This is about the difference, and how the prominence effect can provide a frame.
Life Isn’t Short
Nearly half my life is gone and I barely remember it.
Not because something happened—but because I wasn’t driving.
Four Hit Points and Fourteen Months
The die landed on four—exactly the health I had left.
Fourteen months of play collapsed into a single moment.
I took the shot. The monster went down.
“Roll health.”
I failed. My character lost consciousness.
At the exact same moment, my computer crashed.
You can’t pay for that kind of synergy.
Even still, it wouldn’t have been as powerful without everything that came before.
My Personal Delta
A common theme you’ll hear from me is self-awareness. Not that I’m an expert in the practice, but it seems pretty obvious that until you can recognize something when it occurs, you’re doomed to continue suffering through it. This has a myriad of comorbidities, such as the humility to admit when you’re wrong and the strength to persevere through it.
It’s hard. And that’s coming from someone who feels they have it on the easier end of the spectrum.
This is a memory about my first step into self-awareness.
Seeds Lost in Velvet
The cake smells like skinny-dipping on a cool summer night.
Understanding Doesn't Solve Anything
Perspective isn’t just an opinion; it’s the gravity that forms our reality. From special relativity to a horse named Side-Salad, I’m exploring why “everyone having their reasons” is the most painful truth in the world, and how leveraging the mass of a character's baggage allows us to see the light.
The 30 Degree Shift
We replaced a zero-turn mower with a manual push mower. It’s harder, slower, and objectively worse.
So why does everyone suddenly want to use it?