Writing Otaku

Um, O-What-U? Oh Taco?

Otaku is my new favorite noun, and it isn’t even from English. I’ve yet to discover an equivalent word in our language. It’s powerful, it’s fundamental, and it even sounds beautiful.

The legendary science-fiction author William Gibson used the word otaku to mean “passionate obsessive”. If you have a profound passion for something, and you can’t imagine doing anything else except devoting your life to the full expression of this passion, then you have discovered what you are otaku about.

I am writing otaku. I may also be word otaku, information otaku, and language otaku, but you get the point. I am passionate about bringing words to life. Whether it’s a web site, letter, story, brochure, book, or a grocery list, I am writing otaku. Give me a pen and a pad of paper and all will be right with the world. Just check on me to make sure I eat regular meals.

Otaku was once a negative term that meant you were obsessive about something to the point of ignoring all the other people who occupy this Earth with you. If you’ve ever gotten so wrapped up in something you love doing that the rest of the world melts away, you may realize that this isn’t the worst thing someone can say about you. The world is realizing that celebrating a deep passion for something should be our aim. To be otaku is to find your purpose in this world.

The great theologian Frederich Buechner referred to your true vocation in life as where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need. If you work in a cubicle and hate your job with the Boring Widget Company making a trivial product that a zillion other companies make but no one really needs, you probably haven’t found your true vocation. Don’t feel bad; you have a lot of company.

Two otaku working together – even if they love different things – is a powerful combination. My mission is to help people tell the world what they are otaku about. Not surprisingly, most people I work with are otaku about things other than writing. That’s why I love my work. I get to hear about what people love to do and then help them find the best ways to keep doing it successfully.

Now here’s the real question. What are you otaku about?