his black shirt cries while his shoes get cold

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on three new books:

  1. Do You Want Kids With That?, which is a collection of stories about being a stepparent.
  2. The Untitled Poker Book, which is my effort to write a Big Deal or Positively Fifth Street or Diary of a Mad Poker Player.
  3. The Untitled Work Of Fiction which is still in the larval stage . . . but I get excited whenever I look at my notes.

All of these books will be published by Monolith Press, and will have audio versions just like Just A Geek: Teh Audio Book. I am flirting with releasing electronic versions, as well.
I’m working with my good friend and Dancing Barefoot editor, Andrew, on these projects, and as I go through old blog entries for material and talk with him, it reminds me how much fun I had with that book, and how wonderful the sense of community around WWdN and The Soapbox was back then. I’m thrilled that I earn a little bit of a living from writing now, and I’m continually shocked that so many people read my lame website, but in many ways, I miss the old days when I felt like whatever I wrote here didn’t matter as much. It was so so sad to read the hopeful optimism I had with Just A Geek, but so cool to relive old Star Trek conventions, moments with Anne and the kids, the Avon walk and marathon, and track the ups and downs of the last couple of years in my life.
I sent Andrew a ton of material for Do You Want Kids With That? on Monday (my first official self-imposed deadline, and I hit it! Yes!) and while he reviews it, I can get to work on the other projects when I’m not writing for Games Of Our Lives, which is up to 32 columns! Can you believe that?
I was unsure about working on several projects in parallel. I didn’t think I’d be able to maintain creative focus or momentum on several different projects, but Andrew reminded me that Isaac Asimov always worked on several different projects at once, so if he got blocked on one of them, he could just switch to a different one and keep on working. I’m no Isaac Asimov, but I’m a huge fan and admirer of his work, and if it worked for him . . . well, maybe it will work for me, too.
So as I buckle down and seriously get to work on these new projects, I’m making Yet Another Change to WWdN: I have several friends who write for Weblogs, Inc., and we’ve been talking about me contributing to their poker blog, Card Squad. I know that not everyone who reads WWdN enjoys or cares about poker, so I talked with Jason Calcanis about moving all of my poker content over there: trip reports, SNG reports, observations on the game, reviews, interviews with bloggers and professionals, etc . . . and he thought it was a swell idea.
So. Starting right now, with a few exceptions, I’m moving most of my poker blogging over to Card Squad. I’ll still post major announcements here, but just about everything else will go over there. My Boobies over there is Controversy at the Bike.
Oh! Before I go: while I was writing this, I got e-mail from Dan at PokerStars, and I’ve got the green light on a charity poker tournament to support the Red Cross! More details will come later, just as soon as I get time and date worked out. (That’s one of those major announcements which will probably get cross-posted here and at Card Squad.)

Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

60 thoughts on “his black shirt cries while his shoes get cold”

  1. I’m First? Second? Shweet.
    “Do You Want Kids With That?” is a brilliant title.
    And you are a posting machine lately. Shane lit a fire?
    Keep us posted about the tourney…

  4. Sounds good,Wil.Keep-up the good work!I will need to put you on my,to read list…along with the other 20 or 30 books I`m reading off & on.

  5. i only found this site the other day! but i love it already..wesley was the only reason i watched star trek when i was younger and was so upset wen you left..i remember always wanting to b ashley judd too!! so if ur movin all ur stuff over to card squad does that mean this is gonna close or what??
    saffiebabes

  6. No, the only content that’s moving is the stuff that is probably only of interest to poker players and gamblers. The rest of the stuff is staying here.
    Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll stick around, and maybe check out my books (which are not about Star Trek, contrary to what you may have heard . . . if you heard anything at all.)

  8. Aww … crap. I actually really enjoyed your poker posts interspersed with the rest of your posts.
    Maybe I’ll add Card Squad to my aggregator, just to keep up with your posts. Maybe I won’t …

  9. That RSS feed is for the whole site. If they create one for Wil’s posts, I’ll be happy to subscribe to that. Otherwise, thanks but no thanks.
    I saw they have feeds for various subcategories, but not for specific posters…

  11. I don’t think you can filter based on author, unless someone wants to write a Greasemonkey script to do that, which shouldn’t be too tough if you know what you’re doing (I do not, so don’t ask me to do it!)
    However, you may want to give it a try for a week or so. The other bloggers there write some interesting and fun stuff, which you may enjoy.

  12. Hey where’s “script for my sitcom” on that list? You could make the “Would You Like Kids with That” into a hit. The networks are in a sitcom draught and you’ve said yourself that you’re a type A control freak. Tell me you wouldn’t want to put some of this gold into your own characters.
    I’ve got some screenwriting books that I’ve already cried through. “Screenwriter” by Syd Fields has launched a successful career or two (Ed Bernero leaps to mind). I’ve got at least two other book recs and an avoid-at-all-costs advisory if you’re interested. You can do it, Uncle Willie!

  13. Speaking of changes to the site, can you bring back a search function? It is a bitch trying to find anything in the archives now. If there is a way to search and I’m just missing it, please help a dork out and give me a clue!

  14. Hey Wil.
    Good luck with all three projects, and congrats on the self-imposed deadline. I’m working to one myself at the moment and I know how tough it is to put aside those pressing needs (frustrating computer games) when you just know you *gotta* write.
    Hope it all goes well.
    MJE

  16. But… but… but I won’t get to nod and smile at you anymore. *L*
    As weird as it sounds, having more than one project running at a time works really well for me. I can puzzle over the “problem child” while letting it follow on another project.

  17. Hey Wil!
    Been reading the blog for a few years now and I love it. I just wanted to say THANKS for moving the poker stuff to another site.
    I 100% KNOW and RESPECT that this is your blog and you can write about what you want but I for one really missed the crap out of the ‘day in the life’ posts that I think you do so well.
    I was always hoping for poker posts about why it’s so special and that a layperson could understand (and there were some of those like when that teenage kid met you and wanted to be a pro poker player one day and all that)…but I am glad that you are moving the posts…
    …so just a comment from a fan of your blog, for what it’s worth!
    See ya!
    David

  18. I’m one of those that never got into the poker stuff, it was like reading another language! No offence, but I’m pleased it’s going to another site. I look forward to following the further adventures of Wil Wheaton, the non-poker-writing-blogger. Or at least on here! Keep it up, I’ve been a fan for quite a few years now.

  19. *channels Lazlo Hollyfeld* “Then I am both happy and sad for you.”
    Wil-
    I’m pleased that you have found an outlet for yet another of your creative sides. I am not pleased that it became necessary for you to ‘reword’ your voice. I remember you mentioning doing something like this a little while ago but nothing ever came of it. Now, I guess something has :(.
    It’s ironic isn’t it that we crave attention in the infancy of our creative process and when we get it, we almost always have to work around it.
    For those who were wondering, it looks like as long as Wil posts within 30 day periods, there are links to his specific posts on the right side of the page he linked. “Card Squad BLOGGERS” (he’s last on the list with (1) post) *massive hint for Wil to post at least every 30 days!*
    I was also curious if anything came of the onslaught of acting attention that came your way a couple of weeks ago after your ‘hippie movement’ out in the backyard. Will we be seeing/hearing you in anything soon?
    As always, good luck with your newest venture and I look forward to your new publishings. I’m still polishing my poker ‘face’ but I think I had beginner’s luck. Since finishing 2nd in the play money SNG a few nights ago, I have not cracked the final table since :(. Maybe some day I’ll actually catch you when you’re there and I can get my ass handed to me by a pretty cool guy.
    Kathy

  20. Hey Wil,
    Your projects sound super cool. I know they will be great because you’re such a great writer. I LOVED Just A Geek & Dancing Barefoot! I’m sure you can handle 3 projects at once you seem like a really motivated guy. Good luck and can’t wait!
    On the topic of the poker posts. I’m sad they are leaving. I don’t think I ever understood a word that they said (ok so maybe I understood it sometimes…) but you are just such a great writer that I could get into them anyway. I could tell when you were super excited or bummed and that just made it so interesting to read cause we got to see your emotions. even if they were about poker. I used to love poker when I was like 14 but I never understood it to the point of strategy. maybe thats why I enjoy reading poker posts with language I can’t understand ( although I am determined to learn so I can understand.) I guess when I’m procrasting a paper or something I get to searching around that other site for your posts. anywhoo, this is really long. Keep up all your good work. YOU ROCK!
    -Cara

  21. You are so amazing to be doing THREE books at once! I’m having a hard time working my jobs plus school, and not to mention raising my 6 year old daughter… These things are fairly straight-forward. But three books at once…. Mind-boggling!
    Poker…. Hmmm…. I’m sorry you feel like you need to move anything around. It’s YOUR blog. You should be able to have it how you want. But I know how it is.
    THANK you for bringing back Monolith Press! *hugs* Will you be selling said book, with an option of getting them signed? I don’t think I could handle having a Wil Wheaton book unsigned.
    AND finally. Well done on the poker charity tourney. You are one of the most unselfish people I have ever “known”.

  22. Okay, I have been reading this blog since the changeover from Where’s My Burrito. In that time I have felt compelled to post on only a handful of occasions. This is one of those occasions.
    Wil, it

  23. I’m hoping you put a link to Card Squad somewhere on your web page, otherwise the brain dead such as me will forget where to find it, and some of us are kinda learning a bit about the game through your posts about it.
    I mean, c’mon! Now I know what pocket queens are, and I didn’t before! I now know ust enough to sneer at the guys on TV 🙂

  24. I’m glad to hear that PokerStars is on board with the charity tournament. I hope I’m employed by the time it happens, so I can contribute something. The checks from ComputorEdge for my articles are nice, but they aren’t enough to pay all the bills.
    Congrats on the poker posting opportunity. The poker posts never bothered me; in fact they awakened in me a latent interest in Hold ‘Em that I never knew was there. But I can understand the decision to compartmentalize.
    Stace

  25. Woo! Glad the author is in high gear, or at least you seem to be. I just got a copy of Dancing Barefoot yesterday through interlibrary loan. I haven’t begun to read it yet, but I can’t wait. I just have to finish reading this biography of Depeche Mode I’m working on. But I know how the author thing feels. I’m not yet published, but I’m working on my longest work of fiction, and it’s taking over my mind.
    You are just so awesome!

  26. Delight! That’s it. Ok, not at the loss of the poker posts. The bug’s bitten me, too, and you really had a great way to bring to life even to a noob-ile like me. Alas, I’ll have to wait for the book. Oh, darn? I think not. More bound printed matter from you is undoubtedly a good, good, thing. Cheers! (just raised my beer 🙂 )
    I am thrilled, & a little envious, that you’re writing a lot. Your writing has grown up some, even since the first two; you do have a unique ability to give stories a charm and soul of their own, even the short snippets we get here on your blog. The extra time and crafting that goes into print, well, it promises to be delicious.
    Have I gushed enough? Ok, I’ll raise the beer one more time, and just say, “Yay!”

  27. You know, I’ve been stuck on one project for the last few months, perhaps starting another is a good way to get me out of the rut… thanks for the good idea!
    I just wanted to say that you’re multitasking abilities are amazing and I wish you the best of luck on all your projects. I look forward to reading them all!

  28. “Do You Want Kids With That?” Interesting title and concept. Only I prefer a version that assumes you have the right to say, “No – I don’t want the kids that I HAVE!” (Just kidding. Mostly.)

  29. Wow, it sounds exciting! I look forward to reading more about your upcoming projects.
    As for doing several things at once… gosh, I think that’s the only way I’ve survived grad school.
    Well, that and beating on people with swords- er, I mean doing martial arts… (;

  30. Long time reader, been enjoying the poker posts (even got me to start entering local tourneys and read books on the subject!) but I’ll read them wherever they are.
    I just got finished with Dancing Barefoot, and I’m looking to get a copy of JAG – look forward to reading what you’ve got coming in the future. Keep up all the awesome work – especially at the Onion! Cracks. Me. Up!!!
    Eric in PDX

  32. OH MAN I’M EXCITED.
    ahaha I’m a dork. But I’ll probably even read the poker book even though the extent of my poker career is gambling sticks of gum on the school bus.

  33. I loved “..Barefoot” and “..Geek” so I can’t wait until you finish these new ones (HURRY!!!)
    🙂
    I’m also really glad that the poker thing is progressing too.
    Now when will we see you at the Acme?
    😮
    🙂

  34. Oh my goodness… Three books at once? Wow, aren’t you the productive little monkey! :o) I have a friend that’s writing a fiction book right now. Like I told him, I like writing, I just don’t get around to it much. I get all these great ideas, but I never seem to get them down. Which kinda sucks because I’ve got all this stuff in my head, and its crowding out my motor skills. :oP
    I can’t wait til the books are done! I loved Just a Geek. I haven’t gotten my hands on Dancing Barefoot yet, but once I get myself one of them fancy jobs I keep hearin’ about (*sigh*) I’ll be sure to get a copy. :o) Have fun writing!

  35. In Case I Forget:Happy (Belated?) Birthday to Nolan!May he never burn up all your brain cells! (The reason why people never can figure out teens is because when WE were teens, we couldn’t figure many things out for ourselves [Until it was painfully obvious!])

  36. Working on multiple projects is not the only way to keep on track….going for a walk helps clear up problems as well (just bring something to record any breakthroughs you might have).

  37. I loved “..Barefoot” and “..Geek” so I can’t wait until you finish these new ones (HURRY!!!)
    🙂
    I’m also really glad that the poker thing is progressing too.
    Now when will we see you at the Acme?
    😮
    🙂

  38. I loved “..Barefoot” and “..Geek” so I can’t wait until you finish these new ones (HURRY!!!)
    🙂
    I’m also really glad that the poker thing is progressing too.
    Now when will we see you at the Acme?
    😮
    🙂

  39. I loved “..Barefoot” and “..Geek” so I can’t wait until you finish these new ones (HURRY!!!)
    🙂
    I’m also really glad that the poker thing is progressing too.
    Now when will we see you at the Acme?
    😮
    🙂

  40. I often feel the same way about my personal writings, the “why would anyone care or be affected by my words” feeling. But even on my meager livejournal (compared to this blog), I’ll get comments from people who like how I illustrated an emotion or how I wrote something no-holds-barred and people say they could never write that.
    I’m glad I keep seeing that Just a Geek is available in audio because I’ve been thinking about buying some audio books. Reading all day sometimes leaves me little time at night to read for leisure!
    Keep up the creativity!

  41. Hey Wil. I don’t comment often, but I wanted to thank you for working on that charity tourney for the Red Cross. I’ve been working/volunteering with the Red Cross here in South FL for about 5 years now, and I managed shelters during last year’s massive hurricane season, but I can’t imagine what the folks in LA/MA/AL are going through right now… its wonderful that you’re being proactive about supporting their efforts to do what they can to help. Keep us posted.
    On a lighter note, I totally added CardSquad to my list of daily reads. I enjoy everything you write, so keep channeling Asimov and we’ll keep reading what you put out. 🙂
    Best, Jess.

  42. Wil, would it be possible for you to at least link to stuff you post on other blogs?
    While I’m not a hard core poker geek, I do enjoy your poker stories and I’m sure I’d miss them if they were on another site.

  43. Wil, I’m so excited to hear you’re working on so much all at once! You can bet I’ll purchase every single thing you put out since I loved your first two books. I’m a multitasker and as much as I gripe about it, I love having something going on all the time. Just mailed the ms. off for Sun Signs for Writers, the one that lists you in the section “Who’s Who Among Famous Leo Writers”!
    Good luck with everything, though I know you don’t need it. You rock, as always.

  44. Mixed feelings about the poker moving – I understand it, and will add CardSquad to favorites – but I feel sad too that you feel the need to self-censor. Do what you gotta’ do.
    Great news on the tournament. Looking forward to seeing the details. Are you going to pimp it up with Iggy, Pauly, etc.? The more the merrier – and the more bucks to the good cause.
    I took 63rd out of 6000 in a freeroll on Stars last weekend – and I’ll save you the beat story. 😉

  45. Speaking as one who has two step kids (14 and 11, so the “pod people” stage is already in full swing), I can say that I will buy “Do You Want Kids With That?” as soon as it comes out. I’m sure much of what you say will hit home, and would be what I would say if I didn’t write so…um…ungood.

  46. I WANT Do You Want Kids With That?,
    In fact I WANT five copies, NOW!.
    One for me, one for my wife and three for my step children.
    I WANT them for

  47. Another book? I still can’t find the other two. Yes I know I can buy on Amazon but I can’t stand not being able to actually hold the book in my hand and check it out. A few books that I bought on Amazon I had to send back because of binding issues or the book was in terrible condition. You know how frustrating it is to be excited about having something only to find that I have to send it back.
    Besides call me a bookstore geek. Whenever I find a bookstore (not Barnes & Noble or Borders) I have to go in and smell the books and touch them. Something about the printed works that calls to me sense of Nostalgia. To the geeks the printing press I salute you!!
    So now I’ve got another book added to my reading list. Sheesh.
    (Good job Wil keep it up. These days whenever people hear me talking about Wil Wheaton – they look at me an say “the kid on Star Trek?” and I smile and go “no the guy who writes books and blogs.” I love the look of What?!?)
    Good job indeed

  49. I loved your other two books and I really enjoy reading your blog. (Poker posts and all)
    I’m excited to see you publish another book or two. Good luck with all your projects. You know what they say about an idle mind…
    Are you going to do autographed copies of your new books when they come out? Please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top? 🙂

Comments are closed.

Related Posts

Recent Posts