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
Looking for the Deli Cup
The trick to good worldbuilding isn't adding more detail. It's finding the one detail that makes someone say, "Huh. Hah!”
Missing the Garden for the Peas
I walk through my garden every morning to inspect my plants. It’s been a while since I stepped back.
Pick Up the Cone
A small moment with a cone has evolved into something to live by.
Show and Tell
Awe is non-transmissible, but we keep trying anyway.
When Did Compromise Become Dangerous?
An exploration in of the evolution of a word brings insight into how ideas are born.
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.
Seeds Lost in Velvet
The cake smells like skinny-dipping on a cool summer night.
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?