Category — Introduction

(and all other visitors too!)

If you got here by way of one of our words at The Big Word Project, all this worked! Welcome!

I started this blog because I make my living and my life as a writer. I eat, sleep, breathe, and think writing during most of my waking moments and many of my non-waking ones.

I’m looking to expand the content of this blog as time in our freelance workdays permits, but until then, stay a while, read the posts, and subscribe to our blog. More importantly, leave a comment! Say hi, ask a question, say something witty, say something not witty, or do whatever gets your muse perked up.

For starters, I suggest reading my Some of my other beliefs post along with the page on my main site called Writing Otaku to give you some introduction. Or, just start reading and don’t worry about it.

Glad you made it!

I published a set of beliefs and statements on my web site that define much about who I am and what I believe about my work. Feel free to read the My Philosophy or Feel Good About Hiring Me sections.

I’m including a few more here. Maybe these are like the deleted scenes bonus section!

• Having a child has made me a better writer and designer. My son makes me pay attention to every little thing, and then name it 42 times. He’s wise beyond his years, too.
• Coffee makes the world a better place. Fair trade coffee makes it even better.
• The optimal temperature for writing and designing is about 74 degrees Fahrenheit. A slight northerly breeze helps.

People ask me how I manage working from home and being a stay-at-home parent. It’s not easy. I don’t really have a typical workday. The list below is more the good life stuff that flows in and through my work projects. Remembering them keeps me feeling good about how the chaos is working out these days.

• I walk to work, which consists of approximately eight steps. My carbon footprint is low. My web site is carbon neutral thanks to offsets.
• I take breaks by reading to my son and taking him out for a walk.
• I make an ongoing game out of trying to recycle everything in the house.
• I listen to Garrison Keillor every day and try to pass on a bit of his goodness to others.
• I don’t have a personal trainer.
• I can recite Dr. Seuss’s ABCs book by memory.
• I’m on pace to memorize a half-dozen Sandra Boynton books by year’s end. She may now be the torch-bearer for the Seussian tradition.

What are the little things that seep into your day that make you feel better about it?

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?