I’m Not Weird, I’m Just Quiet

by J.F. Wiegand

There’s something you need to know about Colin Quigley—something he wished everyone knew—he’s just quiet, there’s nothing actually wrong with him. He’s not weird, he’s not creepy, and he doesn’t have a medical condition. Colin simply doesn’t talk much. In fact, his talk-capacity is only three-hundred and thirteen words. Once he reaches that limit, things get ugly. He becomes tired, grumpy, and eventually shuts down completely. Luckily, Colin has discovered a few tricks to keep his talk-capacity under control. He sits by himself on the bus, rushes through meals to avoid excessive conversation, and fakes the occasional case of laryngitis. All things considered though, Colin has a nice, quiet life. That is, until his loud, obnoxious cousin Reagan comes to live with him. Reagan rips through the Quigley family like a talking-jackhammer. With his talk-capacity depleted and his energy level crumbling, Colin devises a plan to restore quiet to his house. But to carry out his plan, Colin Quigley will have to do something he’s never done before—he’ll have to out-talk a talker.

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2017

About the author

J.F. Wiegand is a software developer, author, and the creator of WordCounters.com, a resource for writers. His books include Pilgrimage of an AI Girl, Teleportation Battle, The Forgotten Earth, I’m Not Weird, I’m Just Quiet, and The Curmudgeon and the Wormhole. In his free time, he likes hiking, biking, and making homemade beverages. He lives in Mount Airy, MD with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[John Krause · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much tension or conflict. I.e., not much of a story. I didn't finish. I couldn't grasp what the main conflict was or what the stakes were for the main character. The main character lets us know, over and over and over, that he is introverted, quiet, doesn't like to talk, etc. After the first couple of times being told, and seeing him in action, I get it. He's quiet. I don't need to be told a dozen times.