I have written for, and been published by, some fancy publications, including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, Salon, and … well, at least two more that I can remember turning in, but not who I turned them in to (being middle aged is GREAT! Why did I come in here, again?)
It always felt like a significant accomplishment, even if the editorial hand from the mainstream publications was heavier than it needed to be. For instance, Wall Street Journal. When I wrote about choosing kindness online in a world where that seemed to be less and less common, I included a passage about my fear that Elon Musk would turn Twitter into exactly what he turned it into. The editors cut it because they knew it was true and they know who their audience is. Still, I got to tell the world how important Noah Grey is to all bloggers, so I accepted the compromise.
Each of these essays took time and effort, and with my eyes wide open and a full understanding of the deal, I wrote them without being paid. The point was to put my ideas into the world as widely as possible, and I was willing to do that while I made my living elsewhere.
But I always wanted to be paid the professional rate for something I wrote and delivered for publication, and today that has finally happened!
I have an essay in this month’s Uncanny Magazine, called Being A Brief History of It’s Storytime With Wil Wheaton! I requested payment in a paper check, so I can frame it.
Here’s an excerpt:
I have never been S-tier in anything, but I feel as close as I ever have, during this incredible run. People stop me on the street, in stores and restaurants, because they recognize my voice. They all tell me they love my narration. A lot of them tell me they will listen to anything I narrate. For the first time, ever, I feel respected and recognized in my field. I feel worthy and special. I feel confident and creatively satisfied. I feel like I earned it, that it belongs to me in a way my acting career never did. After nearly thirty years of being told by other people what I want to do, and what I am allowed to do, I finally know what I want to do with my artistic and creative life, until I choose to retire. I just have to find a way to do it without asking for permission.
In early 2024, one of my oldest friends, Christopher Scott, who I have known since I was fourteen, tells me that he finally sold his first story, “The Hidden Heart of Brass Attending,” to a magazine called On Spec (which, like too many indie publications, sadly no longer exists). He isn’t a full-time writer, but he has always been a great writer, a storyteller like me, and I had been waiting for this day for almost forty years. I go to the publication’s website and buy his issue. While I wait for it to arrive, I have this thought that maybe it would be cool to commemorate his achievement, and celebrate him, with a small gift. It had come up more than once that he liked my narrations, so I thought it would be cool to narrate this for him. No music, nothing fancy, no director. Just me and a microphone, doing a fun thing for my friend.
I sat down to narrate, and right before I hit record, a voice in my head said, “Hey! Stop for a second. You know all those people who tell you that they’ll listen to anything you narrate? What if you tested that? What if you started a weekly audiobook podcast where you narrate short stories like this one? You could ask LeVar if it’s okay to step into the space he is leaving!” For the uninitiated, LeVar had a podcast for years called LeVar Burton Reads, that I loved. Coincidentally, he was ending that series around the time I started to think about mine.
This is such a big deal for me, a real level up moment. It’s just a couple hundred bucks, but it feels like one of the biggest and most significant checks I will ever receive.
I would love for you to read this. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I also recorded it for this month’s Uncanny Podcast, if you would like to hear it in my voice.
As always, thank you for all your support and enthusiasm over the years. I’m so happy you’re here.
Hi. I’m Wil. I write this blog, Sometimes I’m on TV. I host It’s Storytime With Wil Wheaton, and co-host the official Stuart Fails to Save the Universe podcast. If you’d like to get my posts delivered to your email, here’s the thingy:
Until next time, take care of yourselves, and take care of each other. Never forget that you are enough, you are worthy, and you matter.
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I don’t knowhow you do it, but when my students are being especially squirelly and I’m getting a little frustrated and worn down, one of your posts pops up in my in-box and it brightens my day. Thanks, dude.
I miss Wesley ! it’s to bad there is not a Traveler show Wesley and Data”s kids. maybe a Warehouse 13th or Librarians set in STAR TRACK Universe
🙂 Huge, huge congratulations to you… and thank you, always.
Hidden Heart of the Brass Attending made me pull the car over to the side of the road because I couldn’t focus on driving AND that incredible story. SO damn good. I’m not a big podcast person but I absolutely love Storytime. You created something very very special and I can’t wait to see/hear what’s next!!!
Huge congratulations and always so thankful for all the work you do. I’m glad you’ve had chances to interact with people who appreciate that, because im pretty sure there are a lot of us tucked away all around the world and I hope you know how grateful we are to you! You create really wonderful and fun things and it takes a really cool person to do that. Hope you continue to enjoy whatever your journey brings 🙂
You know, with Uncanny’s run of winning Hugo’s, there’s an excellent chance you can get a nomination next year….
Congratulations Will! 😎
Wil, I had the pleasure of meeting you at LA WorldCon and hearing you speak about narrating books and doing ‘It’s Storytime’. You seem happy and energetic and I am grateful you share yourself with the world. You’re going to make me an ongoing podcast listener yet! 😉
You’ve been S-tier in my eyes since I was a single-digit-aged girl watching TNG, but I’m so thrilled for you that you finally get to feel close to S-tier for yourself. Thank you for all that you do!
I’m so glad for the day I decided to subscribe on Patreon, knowing I wouldn’t understand a single word of what you were saying since I don’t know English, but I just wanted to be there with you and support you in your dream, a dream that is turning into a reality.
And yeah, you’ve got such a gorgeous and very relaxing voice; I listen to you when I’m dealing with anxiety or when I’m having a dark day to calm down and actually get some sleep, plus I’m picking up a little bit more English each time until the moment comes when I can tick off another dream: grabbing a meet and greet at a WheatCon and actually getting to chat with you.
I totally get what it’s like to do something just for the simple fact that you love it and it makes you feel good—you gotta do that. Besides, you’re not the only one who frames the things that make them proud.
꧁ ༺💜We love you💜༻ ꧂
I have proselytized wide and far, spreading the word of Storytime. I know you narrated Scalzi’s books, and I have an insane parasocial fantasy that you, Scalzi, Aisha Tyler, Jim Wright, and David Gerrold all hang out and wonder why I haven’t shown up yet.
Meanwhile, in my non-fantasy world, I don’t listen to audio books in general (my commute is under 10 minutes), but I have every one of the Storytime episodes lined up in my podcaster.
This is why many of us greet each other with a Vulcan salute and the phrase, “Live Long and Prosper”. Because, quite often, we need to live long to gather all the things we want to have prosper in our lives.
Of course, it’s the journey itself that matters, not the goal. Prospering more and better as we go, and even changing our definition of “prosper” along the way.
I had a long, secure and happy career as an engineer, and I never understood how family, friends and acquaintances in the arts and in entertainment kept persevering in the midst of apparent career chaos. I didn’t understand, that is, until my own career abruptly ended half a decade sooner than planned.
I suddenly felt bereft of “prospering”. I had to cobble together random bits and pieces to fill the void. A few small part-time side-gigs and a bunch of volunteering. Anything to fill the void.
And wouldn’t you know it, somewhere along the way I surrendered my identity as “being” an engineer, and replaced it with a diverse set of new ways to prosper. I love my gigs, my volunteering, and I love my life! And it doesn’t bother me even a little bit to have to find a new side-gigs whenever one ends. It’s just the journey I’m on.
I’m finding kinship with my artistic friends on their own chaotic journeys.
So glad to see this arrive in your journey. What you wrote feels like a “forward-looking retrospective”, in that you have this now, and are not nearly done yet.
Ever onward!
I love this so much for you, Wil! It was so very apparent, when you talked about it at Worldcon, how much joy it brings you.
Anything you write, narrate, or appear in, I’m there. Love everything you do, and I’m so happy for you in your latest achievement. Congratulations!!
You weren’t paid by THE WALL STREET JOURNAL?
Anything you write, narrate, or appear in, I’m there. Love everything you do, and I’m so happy for you in your latest achievement. Congratulations!!
Congratulations!
I can’t wait to check out Storytime. I think I have most of the books you have read on Audible. Your voice and the familiar stories got me through the end-of-life and deaths of both my parents. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible talent! 😊
Wil – I am so excited to read about your upcoming plans to produce a (? Live? 😉 scary) telecast of one of the stories. I am thrilled to see your confidence and belief in your creative abilities continue to grow towards where your fans already know should be. I can totally visualize you being an “actor’s director”, à la Frakes, leading your trusted collaborators as you together create a really wonderful “thing” to share with us.
Equally importantly, creating art that brings YOU joy and fills that part of you that needs to craft narrative and to build worlds to share – you already do it so well in your lovely writing, and I can’t wait to see you and your friends bring it to life for us.
Let us know if it needs a Kickstarter or a new Patreon tier – many of us would be glad to step up our support to fund that new project, I am sure.
Please keep sharing all the fun extras – codas ( yes, many of us listen to the end to get our new San Fernando Valley facts and cheer the entire team working with you), author interviews, “places everyone” (fascinating how you all analyze and find the threads to pull into the voice performances).
I know you hope for more dialogue and engagement back from us on the stories, which is a little out of my personal comfort zone, but please know that you are sparking quiet reflection and bringing new perspectives, ideas, and awareness to an entirely new an area of fiction for some of us.
Looking forward to many more years of new stories!
I’m so excited to read about your journey and finding your joy! I grew up watching your shows and movies and found I related to you a lot, so somehow reading about your successes and overcoming hardship has always inspired me to keep going and never give up.
I’m lucky that I’ve kind of always known what I wanted to do with my life, even if I so far haven’t ‘made it’. And yet despite my love of creative writing, a few years back I tried voice acting, and found I had a talent and a love for it, too! (Again, still haven’t ‘made it,’ but that doesn’t change how much I’ve loved trying it out 🙂 )
I look forward to more narrations by you! And congrats on your newest publication! 😀
I’m so glad for you!
It’s true! As a family, we listen to anything you narrate. You make even the worst of traffic jams on long road trips, a delight. “Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir” kept my husband from cussing out every driver on the road and made me laugh so hard, I almost peed my pants. Well, In all honesty, that’s not too hard to do these days.We’re so glad you’ve decided to write, again.
This is a spectacular idea. I genuinely appreciate the work that you do. Mr. Wheaton, you have become a fantastic ambassador of the great nerds of our generation. I recognize and identify with the very real struggles within your scope of experience. I’ve always wanted to be able to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for so many years. However, each time I think that there may be a long enough pause for me to get a word in, you go and do something even more incredible. TLDR: most sincere gratitude, sir.
Congratulations on your new endeavor, I’m sure you will be very successful and something to look forward to from your many fans.
Of course, we always hope to see you acting again. 😀
I’m so proud of you 🩶The way you keep creating and acquiring new ways to tell your stories is inspiring.
Wil Wheaton, you are a rock star! No, I take that back, you are a pole star, someone the nerds and bookish people of the world can look to when they feel lost. Your honesty about your struggles makes those of us who have also struggled or continue to struggle feel seen, and your delight and appreciation for having found your people and community makes people like me (and you) feel seen. (As an aside, I too, finally know what it feels like when, at long, long last (30+ years in my case) you find a team to bring your creative vision to the world and it is g-l-o-ri-ous!)
I can’t wait to listen to your narrations of John Scalzi and more!
Kathy Q