one of the the happiest days of my life

Today is one of the happiest days of my life, because The Happiest Days of Our Lives officially goes on sale, starting . . . now. (Well, actually, starting about 96 hours ago, but you only knew that if you follow me on Twitter. Soft launch FTW!)

I love everything about this book. I loved writing the stories in
it. I loved working with Andrew to put them together into something that is more than just a collection of blog entries. I loved working with Sean to design and create the cover. I loved working with Russ to shake the cobwebs off of Monolith Press and restore power to this fully-operational battle station. I love the excitement I feel
right now, as I get ready to share it with anyone who wants to read it. I love the way it reminds me so much of how I felt when Dancing Barefoot was first published.

But what I love the most is
taking back control of my work and releasing it, marketing it, and
publishing it myself. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
is going to live or die based entirely on my efforts to promote it (first note to everyone: It’s not
a Star Trek book), which can be a little overwhelming if I think about
it too much, so instead of thinking about that, I’ve been thinking
about the path I’ve walked to get here, starting six and a half years ago, when I created Where’s My Burrito? at Geocities. As I wrote in Just A Geek,

My life as a husband and stepfather was very rewarding, but a desire to regain the success I’d enjoyed as a child and teenager pulled at me constantly. It kept me awake at night, and was a constant distraction. Like the Not Me ghost from Family Circus, Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn’t A Mistake slept between my wife and me in our bed, and ate with us at every meal. When I could have been playing with my stepkids, Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn’t A Mistake and I would sit and stare vacantly at the TV, wondering what could have been.

The weekend after the Hooters Incident (as it came to be known), my wife was out of town and Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn’t A Mistake and I found ourselves in front of my computer. I surfed the Internet, played Diablo II, created WinAmp playlists . . . I did everything I could to get that Hooters waitress out of my mind.

Yes, that’s how badly it hurt me: I was actively trying to get a Hooters waitress out of my mind. While my wife was out of town.

Somewhere in that day, while I was battling the forces of polygonal evil on Battle.Net, Prove To Everyone tapped me on the shoulder, and said, "Dude. You should make a website, and let the world know that you are still alive, and still acting."

I paused the game and looked back at him. I had wanted a presence on the Web for a long time, but I didn’t have the skills to build a website. I’d been given the names of several designers, but wanted to do the whole thing myself, for better or for worse.

"Oh my god. That’s a fantastic idea! Maybe we’ll even get noticed by Hollywood again!"

"Just make sure you make the website edgy." He said.

"If you were real, I’d cock-punch you for that." I said.

I quit the game, and went to Yahoo! Geocities where I created an account called “tvswilwheaton.” (Get it? "TV’s Wil Wheaton!" Because I’m still on TV, except I’m not.) Because I had absolutely no idea how to write HTML, and I knew nothing about tables, CSS, RSS feeds, or the W3C, I spent the next few hours clumsily learning my way around the Yahoo! Pagebuilder. I used their WYSIWYG editor to Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn’t A Mistake — ahem — “design” my very first webpage. The result was incredibly lame, but it was mine. I named it “Where’s My Burrito?” after one of my favorite episodes of The Simpsons.

When it was done, Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn’t A Mistake and I shared a high-five. I was proud of what I’d created and I posted a link to it in a small Wil Wheaton online fan club and wondered if anyone would care.

Boy, did they care! I had over 700 visitors in a couple weeks, without being listed in a single search engine. The response excited me, and I started updating the site quite frequently, by hand-coding “news updates” into the main page.

I soon traded those news updates for this thing called a blog. I liked writing the blog so much, I eventually started my own website where I could update the blog more regularly. Just like Where’s My Burrito? it was lame, but it was mine. On the advice of my friend Loren, I moved the blog to the front page, and eventually made it the centerpiece of the entire site. Neither of us knew it at the time, but with that advice, Loren dropped a pebble into a pond, and the ripples it created have been incredible.

As I write this post today, on a day very much like the one I started writing the manuscript for Just A Geek, which lead to Dancing Barefoot, which lead to writing for the AV Club, which lead to writing for TV Squad, which lead to writing the Star Trek Manga, which lead to . . . well, everything else that I love about my work now, the whole thing feels kind of surreal. When I started that silly little page at Geocities six years ago, I had no idea that it would lead me down the path I walk today. If you’d asked me back then what I thought I’d be doing in six years, my answer would have included something about acting, even though I was having serious doubts in the dark of night about my ability to support my family while trying to be a full-time actor.

I never expected that I’d become a full-time writer, but today, I can’t imagine doing anything different with my life. In fact, as long as I get to keep doing voice acting, I don’t really care if I’m ever on camera again. Telling stories about the things that unite us and celebrating all things geek seems to be my purpose in life. I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile that matters to people, if your comments and e-mails are any indication, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. They say that making a living doing what you love is how you know you’re living the dream. If that’s true, I don’t ever want to wake up.

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71 thoughts on “one of the the happiest days of my life”

  1. Got to love PayPal, Wil. A few clicks and the long awaited Third book is on it’s way to me. Sincerely hope you have a successful launch. Good luck Wil,
    Mark

  2. Congrats on the book! I’ll be adding it to my collection. Your writings on raising the boys have been some of the most touching things ever written – the love shines through.
    And, just for Prove to Everyone….I found this link this morning:
    http://tv.msn.com/tv/galleryfeature/greatestgeeks?photoidx=14
    Wesley was my favorite fictional geek-boy, but Wil has grown into an incredible man, father, and role model. Thanks for becoming a writer, you’ve made the world a better place.

  3. Wil, Wil, Wil. I’m so disappointed. Having paypal as the only payment option means I will not be purchasing your book today. Hopefully in the future there will be other, less sucky ways to pay.

  4. Wil,
    I started reading your blog about 5 years ago because of Star Trek. I actually did not hate Wesley, which I think is because I really started getting into Star Trek when I was in junior high and he was the easiest character for me to relate to. (Plus how cool would it be to be a kid on the bridge of the Enterprise? Seriously, so jealous.)
    The point is, I originally came here because of your work on Star Trek, but I soon realized that you were so much more than that. Your writing is really phenomenal and through your blog you’ve shown us that you’re a regular dude with a family, and bills, and ups and downs just like the rest of us. Well, a regular dude with a wealth of talent that likes to get his geek on.
    So congratulations on the book and all your other successes along the way. It’s been a great 5 years for me and I can’t wait to see what you’ll have acheived in another 5 years.
    -Tristan

  5. Hey Wil!
    Have you read about the International Bloggers’ Day for Burma on the 4th of October? It’s an amazing effort by bloggers around the world for an important cause. If you’re intersted, here’s the website: http://www2.free-burma.org/index.php. My blog- shannonsilver.blogspot.com will be participating.

  6. Hi Wil – you’re all over the MSM this week:
    1) did you see that Wesley Crusher has been named one of TV’s Greatest Geeks? One quote: “when it comes to “Trek” geeks, Wesley Crusher takes the warp core.” http://tv.msn.com/tv/galleryfeature/greatestgeeks?photoidx=14
    2) It was great to see your bio info – and a plug for the new book, and the blog – in the “Star Trek” booklet included with last week’s Entertainment Weekly.

  7. Wil,
    You may have answered this question in another blog entry, or perhaps the book itself (which I haven’t read yet), but I was wondering – is the title of your new book any sort of reference to the Pink Floyd song with the same title?
    J. D.

  8. wil…right now, im watching your segment on the new TNG DVD set! so far, good stuff! TNG, out of all the series, had a profound impact on my life. Thank you!
    PS – “The First Duty” was on G4 last night…in a word – awesome!

  9. Am buying it now. Looking forward to it.
    Congrats on finding your place in life. If only everyone was so lucky… I am still trying to make that happen, and I have to tell you that in “Just geek” when you talk about not being to old to make a drastic change in your life, it helped kick me into making that change myself… just knowing someone else did it too, and successfully at that.
    thanks again!

  11. The Happiest Days of Our Lives makes me happiest

    Im an avid reader. I wrap my meaty palms around anything I can get, often times pulling books mindlessly off the shelf just to be sure that Im still reading, which in turn is the best way to continue writing. However, unlike an upcoming…

  17. I just read Warren Ellis’ blurb about your new book at the Monolith website, and it clicked for me why I keep coming back to your blog, and buying your books – because you write so well about joy. So much of what you write about are the simple everyday pleasures of life, which I have been slowly allowing myself to discover over the last several years. I especially appreciate some comment you wrote in some post sometime about how great your life is being married with children. I’m getting married soon, and even though my honey is the best guy ever, I still worry a little … and then I remember what you said about how great your life is NOW, and I know I’ll have that too. (It also helps that I had a great English teacher in high school who assured us that “These are not the best days of your lives. Trust me, it gets better.”)
    Good luck with everything! I hope “Happiest” sells a bazillion copies. I’m waiting for the autographed copies to come out before I buy my copy. Ummm … how much will those cost, by the way?

  18. Congratulations on the new book. I’m glad you found your happy place being a writer. I’ve been popping into your website since you started and I know your writing career has been an intense labor of love. I just hope to see you acting too. I think your a very gifted person. Best Wishes!!!

  20. Hi Wil.
    Although, I only started reading your blogs a few months ago, I have to say that it is a sheer joy to have your presence on the web. I grew up watching you in SBM, and STNG. Your blogs are refreshing and a great escape from life’s drudgery of serving time in a cubicle. I don’t spend too much time gaming, and am at a loss as to the difference between Guitar Hero, and any other game these days. Going back to school for my BA has nixed all that fun. However, I still find a good laugh or a smile when I get to read about your musings, etc. Keep up the great work. There was no way that this was a mistake or a wrong turn down life’s path for you. Trust me, I sit in a cubicle “chained” to the desktop for 8-12 hours a day. I know a wrong turn down that path if anyone does.
    -Erin

  21. Is there any other way to order? I absolutely will not use PayPal, even if it means never getting a copy. Once burned, twice shy, as they say… Can I mail a check (or money order) to Monolith Press or something?
    I really want an autographed copy, though, so I may hold out for the hardcover (provided I can get one any way other than PayPal…)

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