Good for you to let it go.

So, did you bathe the dog too?

Hey Wil, screw them and live your life.

I'm going to go get a copy of your book.

It's a beautiful day in Ohio...I'm not an author, I'm not rich...I don't have any title...but I've got dogs...friends...and a car that gets me around (most of the time) and I tell you what...it's not raining

Fuckin' A dood. Fuckin' A.

I know how you feel, I have a hard time letting that stuff go. I want to write Entertainment
Weak-ly and bitch, as soon as I can find their stupid address. Have you looked them up online? There's a few not so positive items. Its called a "rag" by more than one listing. Don't worry, the people who read and get you ARE the cool people. (find and post their address so we can innundate them with letters) ;)

Very cool.

Take Anne and the kids out tonight and enjoy YOUR LIFE and don't worry about the media morons.

hang in there dude! [_]

This is why I read your blog and not EW.

Wil, you're an incredibly talented guy in all kinds of ways--thanks for sharing your talent, and your life, with us Real People!

Oh, and apology accepted. I personally didn't need one, but accepted anyway, since you were gracious enough to offer it.

p.s. Anne, you SO rock--you're the kind of woman who gives the rest of us a good name!

Take care, all!

Syd

Good to hear you've gotten through this. You know what's important, and a lot of people will never learn. Plus the eye twitch thing sucks.

Apology not necessary.

There's always the critic out there that fails to mention you in a review, or sums up your 6 weeks of memorization, blocking, character studies, choreography, costuming, anxiety, and performance in a single word: adequate.

Water off a ducks back, otherwise you find yourself believing what they say.

Screw 'em. Enjoy what you do, enjoy the people that tell you they enjoy what you do.

Hell, I can be honest. I never really got into ST:TNG, but you're way cooler than I ever thought you would be. I enjoy what you're doing now.

Congrats!

Thanks, Wil. For the apology to us, tho' it's not needed. We will forgive you well nigh anything. It's just so awesome for us Real People to get to have a glimpse into your life. Unfiltered and honest. We love you and don't ever forget it!
Now go wash the dogs. :)

Way2Go. We all need a good dose of Let It Go. There's too little time in our lives as it is to waste on others who don't deserve a second of it.

ah, The sweet sweet feeling of letting go and falling into a shimmering place free of... Entertainment Weekly.

I'm glad you found peace again, Wil. But don't worry about being "a fool." We love you because you're a real person, and real people get hurt. You handled things beautifully.

Amy

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Wil. There will always be some petty jerks out there that will make you feel horrible, if you let them.

I love this sentence: "The world is filled with jerks, and probability just says that sooner or later I'm going to run into one of them."
Absolutely.

I love reading your site. You have a great writing style, and stories that everyone (actors, non-actors, parents, geeks...) can relate to. Keep your chin up. Your fans love you and always will. I'm really looking forward to finally getting my hands on a copy of Just A Geek. :o) *hugs*

Way to go Wil... your book is one of the best I've read in a long time.

Keep up the good work and ignore the critics :^)

That's the Wil we know. Glad to have you back to your usual charming self! The Goddess of Justice and Vengeance is proud of you, as are your other posse members. I need to head over to the store page and buy me a "Wil's Posse" t-shirt. I wonder how many people around here will recognize it.

Hugs,
Aylaleia - Goddess of Justice and Vengeance

Hey Wil, No apology needed. I love reading YOUR site and YOUR books and I'm pretty sure that's how most of us Real People feel. Rock on.

Wil, we, the Real People, will keep reading your blog whether or not The Media ever get it. Keep writing. We'll be here.

Thanks for the post. Thanks for the love.

Back at ya man!

And my oh my how I "heart" your family. Anne, you totally rock.

Good For you,
Because the people at Entertainment weekly are NOT the cool kids, they are the want-a-be cool kids, the ones who all ways just hovered around looking for scraps and taking whatever the cool kids would give them, thats why they can strike out and be so mean, that is all they know, because its what was done to them.

I'm gonna let you in on a secret... you think the mainstream media is the 'cool kid'? Nope. YOU are the 'cool kid'. Come on, do you think we would read your books and check out your blog if we thought you sucked? How many times have people commented that they want you to do a book signing in their city? How many AWESOME authors have recognized your writing ability? And I guess getting your picture with porn stars doesn't hurt the ego, either. :)-

You don't do drugs, you don't smoke (cigars don't count), you're not an alcoholic, you've never been to prison (at least, that I know of), you have a family, you have friends, you're able to do something you love... Dude! YOU ARE COOL!!!

:,)

It's a Kodak moment...

Good for you, Wil. Don't let it get to you.

Neil (Gaimain) said (in the Penguicon panel "Blogs as Fiction") that one's faith in the thoroughness and truth in media survives right up to the point that you see something that you've been closely involved with reported on. Having been through that myself, it's astonishing how completely assanine the things people will write. And I only experienced ignorance and sloppy journalism; it sounds like you had somebody who was deliberately trying to pump themselves up by dumping on you. Whew!

The Real People will stand by, and continue to read. Please continue to write; you are always are an inspiration.

standing by...

Craig STeffen

As usual, you rock.

Great attitude Wil! It bothers me a little that some people will read EW and judge the book by that insipid bit but perhaps it's for the best that people who read EW are NOT going to buy your book.

Well spoken, Wil. I've said it before in one of the million e-mails you probably would have answered if you had a roomful of clones: your website, your writing, and the way you live your life in general are inspirational to me.

Welcome back.

Stace

Atta boy, Wil! The biggest irony would be if you found out who drew that charicature of you, then use him to illustrate your next book!

Well, I suppose you could release your own sex tape to Main Stream Media™.

Sorry.

I have always enjoyed your site, and your writing in general. Fortunately, most of us Real People can spot that type of pseudo-journalism that is EW a mile away. Those type of writers always seem to me to be the ones trying to hard too impress the Cool Kids, simply by pissing on someone else.

I raise this glass of Guiness to you, sir. Keep up the good work.

It's better to be a has-been, then a never-was.
-Jackie Coogan

How annoying is it that we have to keep learning the same lessons over and over again, in slightly different ways, every three weeks?

Smiling in sympathy...

Good on ya Wil.

Letting things go is a very tough lesson to learn. :)

Wil, like many others who said earlier, chin up. Your book sales is an indication of what the truth is. Your blog readership stats show that we are still here for you regardless of what some idiot said. Hold your head high, Wil and keep on writing the way you do. You have maintained your integrity in all that you do way better than some idiot person that shoots hurtful arrows at everyone. Otherwise, I wouldn't be reading your blog everyday.

Okay, now go wash the dogs and clean up the car. ;^)

I feel with you... I find it just as hard to get over when someone doesn't like me, and sometimes I try to impress the wrong people. I know how hard it is, and how much harder it must be for you, considering that you have made yourself vulnerable in front of so many people by being honest, and because it is on such a large scale.
But it takes A LOT of guts to do that, to stand up for yourself and be yourself, and this whole post has been an inspiration to me once again.
You can be lucky to have such a wise, supportive wife who helps you to become a better human being, and you have been given a great gift for being able to view yourself in such an honest light!
Thanks for that post, Wil!

Next thing you should publish is "Wil Wheaton's Chicken Soup for the Soul". ;)

Darn it! I can't even type my name right. :^P

About the eyelid twitching...it's most likely due to stress. My eyelid twitched for over a week before I realized it was stress induced. Perhaps the twitching will end since you have identified what was eating at you. :^)

Trust us Uncle Willy - some of us ARE cool kids and we read your blog NOT Entertainment Weakly.

I love my life - crazy mixed up thing that it is. There's nothing better than knowing who you are and having family/friends/dogs&cats that will always love and support you. You've got a blessed life!

Keep up the great writing Wil!

Hey will,

I have always believed that if someone has a problem with me, it is their problem, not mine. Sometimes they can be cruel because of their problem, but if I make it my problem, then I am now the one with the problem and it is my fault.

I think it is way cool that you are able to just let go and not make other people's problems yours. Who cares what other people who don't really matter think. Just focus on those who you really do care about (your family, friends, and of course "Real People"). Don't worry about impressing anyone. You don't have to because you are already totally cool. I think that those who really matter in your life would agree. Anyone who wouldn't agree, well, that's their problem isn't it.

This whole EW thing has reminded me I haven't got round to the buying the book yet, so I've just ordered it from Messrs Amazon.
No such thing as bad publicity...

Honesty is a good thing. So is letting go.

I'm glad EW won't get the best of you in the end.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

I'm sorry, but one of us has to break this to you.

"I used to be an actor" is six words. If it was in your book six times, then that's 36 not 48.

Much *LOVE* Man,Much *LOVE*!

Yes, good for you and all of that. Now to the real point of my message....I spent about 30 seconds trying to figure out what a "jackasssays" was. I kept thinking, man, do I need to brush up on my cursing or what? I've never heard anyone called a jackasssays before! Then I got it (the typo), and really felt like a jackasssays.

Don't care what others think, its so much more fun that way. I appreciate the lessons and writings you share with us. (your readers)

Sometimes what you create won't interest all the people you've created it for. Sometimes what you create just isn't very good. Sometimes it's both.

Either you suck it up and get back on the horse, or you don't.

Was writing the book worthwhile? Did you enjoy it? Did you get paid? Did what you invested result in a reasonable payoff?

And, in the final analysis, do any of these questions matter to anyone but you?

I'm really glad to read this post. I'm happy for what Anne said, but even happier that you understood, and are letting go.

Go you! You've touched so many people, and that's not something anyone - even the (questionably) Cool Kids - can take away.

All the best to you and yours.

Wil, that was deep. I hope you really mean it. If you tend to slide and feel disappointment again with the EW shithead or the "Industry", just reread what you wrote because it's very inspiring.

Even if you feel you don't care to hear it right now, I want to say one thing. I don't understand why you are not noticed much more by the industry? I (and many others obviously) think you are extremely talented, interesting, entertaining, and, of course, good looking. Personally, (*exasperated sigh*) I can't comprehend Hollywood standards. So many of these "Hollywood types" are so awful. And here you are....with real talent.

You have a wonderful life, it seems, we're all glad for you that you aren't letting any career disappointments get you down. Screw the media, do it for us :) You truly are an inspiration.

You just let it go and I just one-click ordered your book on Amazon. Sorry it took me so long.

Very nicely said Wil. And your wife is one
smart cookie.
I am the happy owner Of Just a Geek.
I can't wait to read it.

*smiles*

Perspective is everything. Glad to hear yours is back in a better place now.

Wil, you rock. Your words (in blog and JAG) remind me to spend a moment thinking about how I can be a better person and appreciate what I have. When I get overwhelmed by annoying work stuff (which has been happening too much lately), your posts are a breath of fresh air and I felt the same as I read JAG.

"Yeah, the truth is important to me, but just like I can't please everyone"
Okay. So you can't please everyone. But you please a whole bunch of people who've been here reading your website, or we wouldn't be here.

"I was so worried about impressing The Cool Kids, I forgot who I am, and why I do this."
Except, we are the cool kids! After all, who decides what's cool? Generally that's decided by a majority of people. Hey! We're people! Geeky people! And that's cool!

Oh, and I know about the whole left-eye-twitching thing. Happens to me a lot when I'm streesed. Chances are now that you've let it go, the eye twitch will stop too.

Wil,
You must be a real Pink Floyd fan. This is the second time I've seen you use arcane Pink Floyd lyrics as the title for your posts. Way cool.

And way stupid Entertainment Weekly. You rock.

I'm glad to hear you're over it, Wil. Life's too short.

I'm curious to know how many people ended up writing Ent.Weekly about the review. I know I told them off on your behalf. Any idea?

Someone wise once told me, "Always know where the reviews are, but never read them. The publicity is good, but the heartache isn't."

When you see, them, though, it really is hard to let go...and even when you let go, it still pops into your head. That's when you gotta remember that for every person who snorts and thinks it's funny there are two that snort and say "I gotta check this out." You can get rich!

I subscribed to EW once. It was for a Publisher's Clearing House thing or something where the deal was for three subscriptions.

I read it a few times. It struck me as being the "David Spade's Hollywood Minute" of magazines. You know, it's tough to base a weekly magazine on a 1-minute recurring SNL sketch, but somehow they managed.

When my subscription lapsed, I didn't even notice.

Hey Wil, as a technical writer and aspiring novelist, I know exactly what it's like to have some uneducated dunderhead slam your work based on reading nothing more than the executive summary/cover letter. It sucks. It hurts. It produces anger and self-doubt, the most corrosive forces we humans are ever exposed to (not counting acid, of course.) I don't blame you for hoping the industry would notice your efforts and give you some kind of validation. Hell, I'd like that too. It's pretty disheartening to have my latest short story rejected by every publisher in the civilized world. But that doesn't mean my story sucks or that I suck, and the real joy was in creating the story (although I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that byline...)

For whatever it's worth, I bought your book, I liked your book, I got the point you were making, and I think it's pretty damn cool that you've gone beyond being Wesley/Gordy to being a blogger and comic.

Awesome! You are not letting the critics get you down.

I looooovee YEEeeeEwww

"I know that it's risky to be totally honest, because some people view that as weakness, and attack." - Wil on his writing.

"putting the "weak" in weekly" - Wil on EW's writing.

Wil, there is always an element of fat, sweaty duplicity in everything you write whether you see it or not. Paging through this blog and parts of JAG, you write admissions of not being totally honest with yourself or your readers.

I totally agree with Anne. You do waste energy fearing negative truths in a dream state of denial and perpetuating feelings of rejection filled with candycane lies and butterscotch half truths. Your tendancy is to take your candyland audience with you and make enemies out of those who feel they must deny your cake at times in order to keep you grounded in the here and now.

You must confront it. I, like many others, have been reading since the beginning here, waiting for you to go through the real confrontation with this demon of yours.

I'm still waiting. For your sake, Wil, not mine. It was one of the first things I saw through when I got here. It was a winter sun to my dark adapted eyes, cold and blinding. Make no mistake...a treuce with this demon will change you forever.

I leave here after the latest high on the rollercoaster with a familiar "we'll see" feeling in my gut. You can go ahead and hate like hell that I've said all that. But, I hate like hell that it keeps needing to be said.

I'm glad for you that you let it go, Wil. Is it OK if we don't?

letters@ew.com

Very cool, Uncle Wil.

I just finished your book, and I review it as a great book !!! I don't normally read books, unless they are tech manuals or something on computers, but I thought your book might be fun to read because I liked your acting from TNG, and I am also a geek.

Please don't worry so much about what others think.

You have more people that like you ( yea I know, we don't realy know you, but we feel we do) than most people meet in there entire life. Be thankfull for the love and fuck the rest.

Wil - you rock.

I'm going to get my copy of Just A Geek and hopefully Dancing Barefoot in just 25 days at Linucon.

And I'll probably giggle like an idiot. :)

Wil,

I've read your blog for many months now, I picked up a copy of 'Dancing Barefoot' a few months ago, read it, loved it, related to it, but I have never commented here. But I have finally decided too after this entry. You are one of the most remarkable people I have ever come across. You inspire me. I hope to someday be atleast half the man you are. I idolize you. I love your writing, your style, and just how brutally honest and down to earth you are. There is just so much you have accomplished in your life that I can only dream to do someday. You have a beautiful wife and family, you've written and published two books. You lead a remarkable life. Ok, I'm going to stop before I sound like a raving fan boi (probably too late, huh?) I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of 'Just A Geek'. If it is anything like 'Dancing Barefoot' I will love it.

Thanks Wil.

-cory

Outfuckingstanding Wil! You hit it on the head!

Echoes dude, Echoes...

I've heard of you, Wil. I've heard of your book and bought "Dancing Barefoot" and am going to buy this one when I get the money. Up until you mentioned it, I'd never even heard of EW. That alone must tell you something, if only that you're worth sticking one's head out of the sand for. :)

And isn't it true that only something like 6% of Americans read books? Book readers by default aren't mainstream...they're the elite. And writers are their gods. Thou Art God, y'know. :)

Way to go, Wil.

Ya know, while I think I'd heard of Entertainment weekly (it's on grocery checkouts with Enquirer and that lot, no?), I seek out and read your work.

I think that it's important to really /feel/ the anger and hurt - for a while. But then you need to shrug it off and move on.

I would /love/ to see what you would do as a producer/director. You would make fascinating, atypical films.

You frickin' rock, man.

Wil,

I swear that you have to be an INFP or ENFP -

http://typelogic.com/enfp.html

I am an INFP (http://typelogic.com/infp.html), but you seem more extraverted so that's why I think you might be an ENFP.

I'm sure that you've taken these personality tests before. In case you haven't, click the link below to find out if I'm close -

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

Nice blog entry, BTW. Glad that you're able to "Let It Go" -- for some reason, I have the song from The Full Monty stuck in my head with the same title. That's a different sort of letting go. *smile*

Best wishes,
Linda

Developing thick skin is one of the hardest things to do

"You do waste energy fearing negative truths in a dream state of denial and perpetuating feelings of rejection filled with candycane lies and butterscotch half truths. Your tendancy is to take your candyland audience with you and make enemies out of those who feel they must deny your cake at times in order to keep you grounded in the here and now."--Y.K.W.

Jeez, man. Go have dessert; your blood sugar is way too low. If you really think that a snarky one-liner from a magazine's book critic is meant as some sort of therapeutic service to the target, you need to get out more.

Screw the rest, hon... You are the best and we all love you. My friends have a saying that kinda fits here... "Apologizes and explinations are not needed with friends and not wanted by enemies."

You know, there are assholes out there, but I agree with you, don't let them get to you. You are a talented writer, and the media chooses what they think people want to see, and they are wrong. That why tv sucks!

You are inspirational, and talented and lucky. Forget those jerks. I love your website and enjoy peeking into your life, and you have a great one!

I'm so glad to hear you're going to let this go. I haven't read your books yet (keeping my fingers crossed for Friday), but from what I've read here, you're a great writer. Don't listen to the dicks who obviously don't know what they're talking about.

A good attitude, Wil.

As a (successful-in-a-smallish-way) writer myself, I know how hard it can be to read reviews that dismiss the work...especially when one puts one's heart and soul into it.

I'm a pretty recent convert to your 'blog, Wil, and I made a point of running out and buying your book last night, *specifically because of the nasty notice in EW*.

In related news: I elected not to send in my subscription renewal to EW.

---

I got home last night at about 9:30. I read "Just A Geek" until 10:30.

Hot damn, Wil: good stuff. Thanks!

-E

Big Hugs for Big Willie.

From everything I've read on your website. I wish you were my neighbor and my friend. Until you become either, I'm a big fanboy.

You are a great person. Wish you all the best.

Hey Wil
I don't know if you will read my post or not,but I just had to comment on you and your book.I recently bought your book,I've been reading your blog for a few months now.I am a Real Person and I enjoy your writing and your book was GREAT!So keep up the great work man,and keep your spirits up also.

I don't know you, but I feel I know your work very well. It speaks to me on many levels, and what it says, as best as I can articulate, is this:

We don't need special effects. We don't need larger-than-life heroes and heroins, villains and minions. We don't need end-of-the-world catastrophes and Olympian gods and Keanu Reeves' ubiquitous "Whoa!".

Each of these things, every fictional device that has been employed throughout the history of storytelling, is nothing more than a wrench, a way to turn our screws, press our buttons and twist our cerebral cortices into absorbing what the storyteller wants us to taste/feel/hear/grok on a level that is, hopefully, a close-enough approximation of what the author/composer/artist felt. These are ways of conveying truth through ideas, feelings through scenarios and analogy, and flavor through unimportant substance.

Your work accomplishes this without device, or subterfuge, or trickery, or fabrication. It, and you, meet this very elusive goal of all art by telling the truth.

This is a gift beyond value, and those that cannot see it and realize its significance are to be pitied.

And maybe sterilized.

You wrote something that made me sit back and think. It was a simple line "Well, right now I need to examine my life, and I need to be totally honest with myself."

So much is beginning to happen in my life again and the pain (I have rheumatoid arthritis) is growing worse again. I was beginning to think I didn't have the courage to fight it again and try and *live* a good life. *I* need to do just what you said you were doing. Somehow, it made a difference.

I'm glad you let it go Wil. You need to keep plugging away at life too, damn the critics, and boy, are there a lot out there (including ourselves).

"I used some linux tools to grep my manuscript last night," sounds so much like something I would say to someone and then have to spend the next hour explaining what a shell, perl, linux, computers and electricity was... lol

All in all; your fans love you Wil. And those who haven't taken the time to know you can go "piss up a rope." You've seen shit like this before, people who try and judge you without ever knowing what it's like to be you; or what it's like to be a geek! All of us geeks are born with thick skin, but sometimes it's thicker than others.

Keep up the good writing and we'll all keep up the reading! :D

Wil stories like the one you just told us about is why we are here. Glad you understand that trying to "fit in" with them is pointless... with us your a perfect fit all the time.

Someday they will be knocking on your door and then you can decide if you wanna open it or not... either way we will be on the other side with you.

Keep being the cat we love and keep loving what you do.

Keeme

That was a really great post, Wil. Thanks for putting things in perspective. I had a similar experience recently, and your post made me feel better, as nerdy as that sounds. Even the geeks who are proud to be different let the "cool kids" make them feel inferior sometimes. It's tough to let it go sometimes, but you and all of us readers know the truth - you're an awesome writer. I can't wait to read Just A Geek.

Sarah

Wil,

Something about trying to impress the cool kids...how many of us waste time with that? Man have I wasted so many precious moments over the years. Thanks for pointing that out. I just started reading your blog and I'm sure glad I did. And I will run right out and spend sum student loan money on your book! Hey a grad student's gotta have SOME fun.

E.
P.S. Yes, it is indeed a beautiful day in Ohio! Being in the moment - it's a good thing.

I somehow I feel I am in some small way partly responsible for all of this.

I'm sorry.

That's the way Wil, don't let some no-nothing asshole ruin your day or your week man. No apology needed good sir, you reacted as any of us would. And that's the point, we are all the same here. We're all regular guys and girls here, and your writings reflect our lives and our stories in a way that the jerk from EW could never comprehend, and that's why we all think that you rock dude!

S

Will, This is my first visit to your site. I discovered you through the 'Best of Blogs' book and was very moved by your entry in August 2002 where you describe the continual pain of rejection faced by a professional actor. I am a high school theatre teacher who will be reading an excerpt from that blog to my classes tomorrow. It appears from the current entry that you are facing the same sort of rejection as a writer. Try not to let it get you down. You have a gift and obviously have a large and loyal following. Your following has just grown by one. Thanks for your inspiration. Keep up the wonderful work!

you wouldn't have been human if you hadn't been upset by the callous pan by EW...at least you wouldn't have been you...you couldn't have been honest about your life in your book if you had written the kind of book the pinhead who wrote the review was looking for...i think you came out of your funk right on schedule...but i knew you would...because now you understand what's really important...something that reviewer would probably have a hard time grasping.

Whenever a little mud is slung your way, think of your blog's legion of fans and their admiration surrouding you like armor.

And EW (what an appropriate acronym) can kiss our collective stanky behind-ends. Even my dentist stopped carrying that rag in his waiting room.

Wil - I read your books and enjoyed them. I never once felt like you were whinning. I related to your stories and appreciated your honest examination. Thank you. You are an inspiration to me (and, I'm sure, to many others).

Daniel from Portland, OR

For all it's worth, I just read a rather positive review of your book a free computer magazine here in Montreal, Qc.

I haven't picked it up yet but I've been checking your blog for over a year now (since your apperance on TechTV (nb. burn G4!))

Keep it up, you do yourself good.

Paul

No apology necessary, Wil. But remember to do something nice for Anne from all of us on the Posse, OK?

Do you still have the energy to read all of these comments? Man, when I first started reading your blogs there was nowhere near the amount of interest and now there is so much i can get through it all!

Well done Anne! she picked a winning horse and knows how to keep it running huh? Good girl, keep our Uncle Willy focused on what he does best and there will always be a reason for me and countless others to keep turning on this computer and get inspired enough to keep going when life kicks you in the nuts.

You have no idea how much we all have in common with you and finally we have a universal friend who is pitting himself out there so much so that we dont have to risk that part ourselves.

For that I tip my hat to you sir. Keep it coming

Caroline
London

"If you really think that a snarky one-liner from a magazine's book critic is meant as some sort of therapeutic service to the target, you need to get out more."

I wasn't referring to the magazine when I wrote that. Don't be upset with yourself for not getting what I meant. You weren't meant to get it. It's not even on your radar.

Can I just say that YKW is a pretentious ass?

Of course you can. I expect you all to say so.

Thanks for today's story, Wil. I, too, need to put some things behind me that have been getting me down for quite some time now. Your courage to write about your feelings is inspiring.

So, keep up the good work -- you're having a positive influence on what appears to be a large number of people. And, hey, by the time the next Presidential election rolls around, you'll be eligible to run (it's been a long time since I was in civics class, but I think you have to be 35). How'd that be for a career change! :-)

Wil, no apology is necessary. Your blog is a place for you to get out the thoughts you're having at any particular time. You had a right to be angry about the magazine. And you did the very mature thing in listening to your wife, realizing that you'd been angry long enough, and trying to push it out of your head.

Of course you were hoping for some major and mainstream notice. Anyone who publishes a book has those hopes, no matter how much they'll try and temper them with realistic expectations. There is no shame in having that hope.

Just know that most of us who have read your book got what you were saying.

A few comments:

I didn't feel disrespected by your blog entry about how the EW thing hurt you. I feel *respected* that you would be willing to share that pain with me (and the rest of us WWdN readers) instead of letting Prove to Everyone gloss over it.

If you were to continue letting it bring you down, to the point where it affected your home life, then the disrespect would have been to your family. And Anne nipped that in the bud, didn't she?

There is *nothing wrong* with wanting the mainstream media to notice, and like, your books. You may have written them for yourself, and for Anne, and maybe even a little bit for us Real People, but O'Reilly published it so they could *sell it*, as in, get people to *pay money* for it. The more attention The Media gives your book, the more copies are likely to be sold, and the more money you and O'Reilly make, and the more books by Wil Wheaton are likely to be published. Now who doesn't want that?? (Besides some pea-brain at EW.) Just because EW trashed your book doesn't mean that you have struck out forever with The Media. That's one of the great things about books; they don't have an expiration date. They can take off at any time, with a smidgen of luck and a lot of good word of mouth. I don't think you will have any trouble with the latter, and the former will just have to come when it comes.

One last thing: that is one wise woman that you are married to (like I need to tell you that). If you are ever foolish enough to let her get away, I will track you down and slap you into the nearest wormhole.

Now, let it go and get back to your writing, buster.

""Whiner of the Week"
"In his blog-cum-memoir Just a Geek, the former Star Trek, TNG cast member, now 32, fills 260 pages endlessly lamenting, "I used to be an actor when I was a kid.""

The guy is an idiot. No, I haven't read the book yet. But I read the web site and that's NOT NOT NOT you at all.

Did a google search for "fantastic", "funny", "well written" (paired with "Just a Geek" "Review") and saw a lot of good reviews.

Way to go!

:-D

How I love what you just posted! Biggest dose of integrity I've gotten all day. (week?)

You can't be lucky all the time, but when you are it sure facilitates the moments of clarity, huh? :)

All the best!

Lest you forget who you are again: You're one of the good guys.

E.

You should never be discouraged by critics- especially those writing for an entertainment magazine rather than a literary one. But even literary critics can be unfair and dishonest. I can't tell you how often I have come across misquoted or plain incorrect information in reviews or text analysis because the critic never bothered to read the primary source at all.
As Joseph Campbell said: "Follow your bliss!" You can't go wrong. :-)
And wear your "panning" with pride- you're in good literary company there- James Joyce comes to mind right now: ULYSSES was banned in the USA for years. See? It could be worse.
Best of luck to you! I enjoy the website and look forward to reading the books.
VZ

Feelin' the love in the room.
No apology needed here my angry brotha'.

Fuck them anyway. Fuck them in their stupid asses.

/jayandsilentbobmoment

Seriously, a good number of us have been reading your blog for a couple years now...and anything EW says isn't worth shit compared to the awesomeness that has gone down here. You're better than them, you're better than the mainstream, and you deserve what you've got so far, and what you'll have in the future.

You don't need to apoligize Wil.

Just be true to who you are and the rest will fall into place. I promise.

Good for you Wil!
You are the better man for it

You are a Fortunate one. To have all that you do, AND to know it and appreciate it. Your wife is a wonderful compliment to keep you balanced and on the right track. Such a lucky man.

that's the way! Don't let the bastards get you down. Besides, the fucknut who founded EW is just jealous that you get a much larger audience at your website then he does at his. Fuck Jeff Jarvis. He's just a prick anyway.

Wil,

"Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness." John Wayne. Apology accepted 'though I was not offended.

I just put my 97 year old mother in bed, my cat is on the front porch watching the raccoons eat table scraps, I am glued to the Weather Channel hoping Hurricane Ivan will go away. Say a prayer for us. Please.

Freeman :)

Here’s your chance to be an internet psychic. Okay? Ready? I’m thinking of the total number of times that Entertainment Fucking Weekly has dictated what books I read. Are you receiving my number? I think you are. And if you’re worried about how many people have been influenced by a review in EW, you have to ask yourself if you really care that people who let EW control their reading list may not read your book. These people are not your audience. Which, I guess is the conclusion that you came to, but you didn’t use the word fuck enough. That is what I am here for.

So, ya know, fuck EW.

Love ya, kool guy. :)

Wil,

Once again you've reached into my throat and grabbed my heart. As someone very much like you in every regard minus the two boys and the celebrity star-trek-standbyme thingie, you have allowed me to remember who is important and who we want to make happy in life.

Real People are what it is all about. Real People who don't drive H2s or stay up all night watching Wife Swap or some other garbage that only pollutes our minds. Real People who want nothing more than to be happy and to make the people around us happy as well. Yeah, it sounds like an R.E.M. song, and that kind of sucks too (Green was their last good album IMHO), but it really is the case. Because when you get down to it, if you keep those people around you happy, and they let you know their happy, then that makes you feel better than you've ever felt before. So once again, thank you for making me smile once again, and for remembering the meaning of life.

Rock on Wil Wheaton, and fuq the glitter man.

-cw

Wil, you are a gentleman and scholar. And a damn fine writer. You don't owe anyone an apology but it was very sweet of you to do so, anyway.

A fan from the beginning,
Tracey

Real People, eh? Like Byron Allen and Peter Billingsly? There's something to make you feel better. What the hell ever happened to him?

P.S. My copy of JAG is on it's way from Amazon at this very moment. w00t!

Hurray for you, Wil! And no need to apologize. I think we're all just happy to hear that you got out of that blah mood.

Anne...*Standing Ovation* You totally ROCK!!!

Hey Wil, don't ever let the bastards get you down. You need EW like a fish needs a bicycle.

Wow, Wil - that is very well put. Even your journal posts are well written!

I'd probably still be sulking, lol.

*SNIFF*
no, really
*SNIFF*
I should let out all that negative energy, and I'll go get your book.
But if anyone is looking for EW's address, to complain, just use superpages.com and look in LA, CA ;)

I've always been a fan, and now more than ever. Screw those dirty rotten scoundrels who read 1 paragraph and claim they read the whole book. These are the same people who would say the earth is a square if someone gave them enough money and gave them an old science book.

Love the blog!

9/13/2004

Dear Wil,
People who think they know everything will always try to put you down. It's good to let it go. I found your web site by accident. It was a happy accident. One of my happiest pictures from my childhood was sitting and watching ST:TNG with my dad. I was always happy to see you on there. I could relate to you, being a kid too. Now, I am a mom. The wonderful thing is that your a parent too, so the stories your share I understand. Your an amazing writer! I read "Just A Geek" in one sitting. I will be getting "Dancing Barefoot" soon enough.

P.S. I love ThinkGeek

Many Good Wishes,
Angi Dudas

I'm glad you've let it go. I'm very annoyed though - I've been reading EW since issue #1 and have always enjoyed it. I've never seen them this unfair! Add me to the list of people who sent a letter. Their email address, btw, is ew_letters@ew.com. Fax number is 212-467-1223. Street address is 1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Happy writing!

As strange as this may sound, there was something in this blog that parallels with what goes on in my household every day. It's about the dogs. All my two girlie doggies hear is "do you want to GO..." and they go nuts in a similar way as when you said "take the girls". That was cool.

Thanks for letting us into your head. The journey has been an interesting adventure. We, the "common man" have a tendency to put the actors and athletes of our country on a high pedestal and think that they have it all. It's comforting to know in an odd sort of way, that you're just like everyone else on the planet struggling to make it through another day.
hang in there!

I'm curious. When Dancing Barefoot was published you were shocked by how many copies you sold and then O'Reilly picks it and Just A Geek up and your expectations change so drastically? Don't get me wrong, I love your writing and picked up both books in the first few days. But I don't get how your expectations would have changed so much. Think of it this way, listen to most 'mainstream radio' and what you hear is crap. It just shows that you're not for everyone, what's for everyone sucks! :-)

This is why we read your blog, this is why we buy your books.

I'm so happy for you!! It's great when you can finally release such negativity. I was a huge fan of yours from ST:TNG. :) I just found your blog last week, and I'm so happy that I did. I'll going to pick up a copy of your new book next week. I know that I'll love it - I can already tell that you are a great writer. You are very talented - don't listen to those people at EW.
"There is no stimulus like that which comes from the consciousness of knowing that others believe in us" - Orison Sweet Marden

Will, you said it brother! You're way too classy a guy and way too good a writer to get caught up with that nonsense. As for that two-bit reviewer: you know what they say, those who can, write. Those who can't write... become critics. Keep being you!
-Chris

Good for you Wil. Who needs to be liked by those people anyway? They weren't really that cool in high school, and they aren't much better now. It takes the better man to forgive and forget. I enjoy reading your website everyday. I don't need Entertainment Weekly to tell me if your book is good, I already know it's going to be. Can't wait to pick up my copy.

It really comes down to this:

You are a f-ing great author, man, in both your blog and your books. You are a great author because you let it all hang out and show us how you're feeling, what you're thinking, and you aren't afraid of letting us see the real you. I think that you're the kind of person that could just have a seat with your fans and kick back a brew, and it would be like we already knew who you are because you are an author without fear. You have a gift for writing, and I hope you never ever lose sight of that.

Face it: You're just good people. You know it. We know it. Done.

Good to hear that your not leting the man keep you down Wil!

I don't think you owe anyone an apology. That book is your baby - it's a little piece of yourself - and why wouldn't you want everyone (mainstream media or not) to like it? I think it's probably harder because you wrote the book about yourself and not some fictional character. So they slam the book, it's personal. It's like it's you they're slamming.

If it were me, I would have taken EW's remarks very personally, so I certainly can't fault you for doing it. I hope it helps to take the edge off the sting though, that so many of your readers are behind you. And that so many of us really were touched by your book.

I think when someone writes so honestly about their feelings and about their personal journey, it's really low to insult them for it. I didn't think the book was whiny - and I really respect your courage for putting yourself out there.

Maggie

Hey Will.

You're always cool in my book! Screw EW. What do they know anyway?

Good for you. You shouldn't care what some stupid person writes about you, because there will always be pepole that love you.

Okay, at the risk of disembowelment, I actually like EW, and I'm not going to cancel my subscription...anyone still here? Anyone?

Take a moment and think about the sheer number of people who do read the magazine...Okay, done?
That's a lot of people. People who may not have heard about JAG. I'll bet there are more than a few readers who decided to check JAG out. It was publicity in a widely read magazine! Granted it was snarky, snooty and sarcastic publicity, but publicity in a widely read magazine!!

By the way, I thought about buying the book on eBay or Amazon and saving a few bucks. But, I was in Borders and saw it. I paid (gulp) Full Cover Price...I never pay full cover price. I had to have it. I felt like Madame Medusa, but instead of the devil's eye it was "I've got to have Wil Wheaton's book." Sadly, I read it too quickly. I will have to go back and savor it.

Also, Anne is amazingly insightful. You are a lucky man there Mr. Wheaton. I'm glad you are making your peace.

You rock, Wil! You are very blessed with Anne, the kids, the dogs, your whole life! I'm glad you can move past this. You deserve better then those jerks anyway. The only opinion that matters to you, should be that of yourself, your wife, your kids, and your dogs. Of course, you know all of us here have wonderful opinions of you, your work, and your books. Your rock, Wil! So, smile, and rock on! :) We love ya man!

Wil,

I haven't read your book yet, but this blog was amazing. Truely the best writing I have read in the short time I have been visiting WWdN. I look forward to reading your book. I trust it has some of the same honest, real writing you have expressed today. (I just took a time out from writing to give my 9 year old son a big hug and kiss goodnight)

I hope to someday shake your hand.

Remember this. Someday you will be back on the top of the heap; stay real.

I take that back. You are on top. You have the love and support of a loving wife, good kids, dogs, family etc. You have everything that is important in life. You are probably the envy of many rich and currently popular actors.

So, when you make it big in the world's eyes, Stay Real.

Cheers,
Val

Damn it Wil! I love this blog entry....I've been trying to let things go for years and I understand how difficult "letting it go" is; try letting go of abusive siblings....sometimes death seems to be the only way of separating me from that misery (that's not a cry for help). I've had to put there behinds in the past and move on with my behind. Peace be with you!
Taylor

Hey Wil

It is the people that matter, the media often forget that. We ordered 5 of your books for people on our Xmas list, and you can thank EW for that. I wrote them a letter, cancelled my subscription and went to Amazon and ordered the books. Why not spend the money on your book, instead of a Rag Mag. I told them the same thing.

Keep it up Wil, the people who care about you, are the only ones that matter.

My brother, it is SO cool that you are who you are. It is even cooler that I got to meet you and your wonderful wife and see the kind of awesome people you are in person. For that reason alone I feel blessed and you should realize that you touch people in many ways. Whether it be in your writing, at conventions (where I met you and Anne in Tulsa) or just on the street. You are a shining spirit Mr. Wheaton and you shouldn't let some rag-writing, non-entity dictate your feelings. You TOUCH people my friend. The hundreds and hundreds of reponses and replies should prove that to you. People LOVE you and they LOVE you for WHO YOU ARE, not what some idiot writes in some rag for his paltry paycheck. You touch people and you speak to them on their wavelength and believe me, that ain't easy to do. For that alone, you should be proud.

You family loves you Wil. Your kids love you. Your wife loves you. Your fans love you.

And WE LOVE YOU!

You keep true to your heart and keep on doing that thing that you do. I am honored to be along for the ride and am happy to keep on truckin' with you for as long as you'll have me.

Thank you Wil and take care.

:) *Hugs* We Love You Too. :)

My left eye began to twitch. It's been doing that for about a week, and I really wish it would stop.

...
LOR?!?!

Hey Wil,

Don't worry about what some jackass says in the magazine. Your a great writer. Your great because you are honest. Anybody who has read your stuff before knows this. I loved both the books and the blog. Keep up the great work.

Everyone has one, but for some strange reason some people keep trying to wear their's on top. Don't know if it's a fashion statement or if they can't bend far enough to insert their head the other way, or what.

The only reviewers who you have even a decent shot of knowing they've consumed the entire thing is a movie reviewer. With books and games, you can forget it. Captain Conundrum there obviously skimmed chapter 1, and then maybe opened a few other pages and then put it down and wrote that comma-choked piece of dreck.

There are many things you may or may not be, but a former ANYTHING is not one of them. You are what you are - a geek in training, a husband, a father, an actor, and a writer.

And since mangled Latin seems to be coming back into style, I'll join in with a resounding:

Non-Illegitimi Carborundum!

Wil:

This afternoon I took a break to hit the treadmill in the gym that is located in my building. Next to the treadmill was an abandoned copy of Entertainment Weekly. As my 30 minute walk was coming to an end, I arrived at the book review section and saw the "review" about which you recently wrote. When I read your earlier "rat fucked" blog entry, I assumed that you had merely quoted from the "review." But, in fact, I was surprised to see that you had reprinted it in its entirety.

The "review" is simply mean-spirited and wrong. I bought your book and read it several weeks ago. [And afterward, as is my custom, I sold it back to Powells, which is one of the benefits of working in downtown Portland--and which is what one does with books bought at Powells.] Just a Geek is obviously not 200+ pages of whinning. It's a candid self-examination. It's well-written. It's often funny. And for those of us who just happen to like a little Star Trek now and then, it offers some interesting tid-bits.

So, anyway, I do not see that the "review" offered anything worthwhile to the magazine, to the world, to Hollywood, to blogkind . . . . It was just nasty. High school nasty. Stick in the eye nasty.

Your efforts deserved better. And I think you are owed an apology.

i have little interest in making you feel better, but.....

i love star trek, i never bought your book, i read your blog cuz i like your taste in topics, etc........

.....i think u totally nailed it in your italicized text. some people need to tear others down. would u feel better if they hadn't written ANYTHING about u in e.w.?? you will probably never be a world famous blogger and probably never live down your childhood acting career.....move on.....sounds to me like, as a "real person" you are on the right track. write what has meaning for you now to the people who want to read it....there is no point (to me) in having the ambition to be liked by either the media or the people who structure their lives by what the media reports....

you are cool, not a nerd. and in the world you move within, you know it and they know it.

You know what? You're awesome.

The reason why I keep coming back is because practically every time I do, I learn something new. So what if it's about a flop and I don't really care what a flop is, it's still knowledge, right? :)

Thanks, Teach!

I'm a bit late replying to this episode, but here is my story: many years ago, I put all of my energy and creative powers into making a product that I thought would be appreciated by its audience, and would make people happy. Once it was released, it got great reviews and bad reviews, and everything in between. A mentor told me at the time that you read the bad reviews so that next time when you create something, you can knowingly piss those people off instead of doing it by mistake.

On the other hand, the one person I really wanted to comment on my project, the one whose opinion I valued most, took me by surprise. He reviewed it in a very public way, and instead of criticizing it, he simply took a few hundred words to insult and ridicule me. That tirade hurt me a lot more than I was prepared for, and (you might be able to tell) I still have issues with it. But my mentor told me the thing that got me through it: the people who have nothing to say will speak the loudest, but they also bring the most attention to you and your work. Plus you don't have to actually listen to them once you identify them.

So I would say you should be angry (done), dwell on it (done), and then plan to send your next book straight to EW for a preview and some easy press. If you didn't get upset by their foolish review, you wouldn't be human. If you don't learn from the experience, you wouldn't be smart.

In examining your life, as the wise man does, being sensitive to the judgments of others may reveal to you that you are not yet done defining yourself.

When we know who we are with a rock solid sureness, then we are defined and know what the truth is about humility.

Humility is an attribute that let's us know exactly where we fit in the scheme of things. Not too high, and definitely not too low.

When self-serving arrogance pushes us up out of our natural position, then hopefully the true balance in all things will step in and push us back down. Karma, eh?

When self-pity pushes us down in self-esteem out of our natural position, then the true balance in all things hopefully will step in and nudge us back to where we belong.

Keeping open to these voices is the hard part.

Wil, you rock as a writer. Don't let some two-bit corporate gossip rag make you live your life in fear, for "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived" (from the movie Strictly Ballroom).

Besides which, you know what they say about publicity...it doesn't matter what they say about you, as long as they spell your name right.

If I ever run into the guy that wrote that quote, I'll make sure and kick him in the balls for you. In the meantime, rock rock on!

Is 'Jerkass' a real word?

Rock on Ordinary People, rock on!

Will,

Don't go listen to what ew has to say cause about 90% of the time their reviews are biased anyway. I've sold over 6 copies of your book at my store and i tell people this this a great book about hollywood life but is really a book about what its like to be a human with flaws......
You touch thousands of lives everyday with your blog dont let what ew say get you down cause wht matters most is that we know that your a great writer and a terrific actor...keep up the good work and dont let this bother you.

Wow, I entered something earlier and I cannot believe the response after me. Do you realize the power you have? Not only in words, but in people. I know that most of us are going to complain to EW about that arse that wrote about you. Now if your power can be focus to something positive like taking that fuck's job... I knew that you were widely popular but this is amazing. Never worry about other people. You are very well liked, whether it be some crazy fan that writes you constantly like a school girl in love or your bestfriend that is always there for you. You are an excellent writer, and already have a fan-base that is always eager for something new by you. You already have more then some of us dare to dream of. Enjoy it, and screw the world if they don't agree. *hugs*

Hi Wil,

I'm glad to read that you got over things. Man, did you invent the words "self-reflexion" ? As many people said before me, you have fans among "real" people. And, even better, they are all over this plannet ! Jeez, that must be so f-king cool ! I have read posting from australia, england etc. And i'm this simple dutch guy from holland :)
O yeah, thanks for the apology that was never needed imho.

Take care dude, keep writing, keep staying yourself and keep on rocking \m/

Leon

"Mainstream" is such a transient thing. Better you aim for your own goal. Satisfy yourself. That in itself has the germ of true longevity, of greatness, and of being human.

Ever notice how the cool kids you went to school with now have 3 failed relationships, 12 children (one called "Bubba" who doesn't talk much, but has a predeliction for quite shocking violence), lives in a 2 bedroom rented apartment and still uses the same slang you were starting to think a bit stupid when you were 16? Notice how the nerds all have attractive partners, still like to talk about the cool AD&D marathon when they were 15, and really enjoy their kids?

REALITY CHECK!

You know, I'm glad you made some realizations, and Good luck with that, but did you really have closure?

That all sounded really good, and it was heartfelt and well written of course, but it really doesn't change anything does it?

No, I don't think you should harp on it. And by all means don't get whiney. But if you still have feelings, don't bottle them up!

Put them to good use somewhere! Be creative! Make something physical that represents that negative energy those bastards gave you, but show you took that energy and put it into something positive!

THEN, have real closure. If I'm wrong, it's general advice from a stranger, let it apply where it may. As a fan, I simply wish only to give something constructive and practical, because I too am not afraid to be honest - no matter how unpleasant the truth may be.

Best of luck Wil! Try not to set your expectation so high next time, and keep a positive attitude. :-)

Good for you Wil!

Your wife sounds too cool for words!
You are a very sensitive guy Wil, which is very cool -- but remember to protect yourself from pricks like that:)
Take care Wil :)

ChrisL

Well done.

Lis in Aus :)

Hell yeah, Wil. I was hoping you would realize that it just doesn't matter. Stupid EW rag. Like I want to hear any more about the Hilton sisters? Ugh.

Wil:

You aren't remembered for doing what is expected of you.

Atul
Bangalore, India

I'm a lurker for a few months now and never commented before. But now I'm going to.

I was outraged by the stuff they said about you, so I'm one of many (I hope) that mailed "EWWWWWWWW". May that garbage come back to him in threefold. *nods*

Anyway, your wife is very wise. Buy her some roses. XD

Love, Lisette.

Vitamin B helps with eye twitches ..

sounds like you have a cool family :) My first week of visiting here .. I shall return.

I would say you have the support of many and that is good to know. Be comforted that his review has made up my mind to go out and buy the book. And if you every happend to be in Sydney, Australia, I will get you to sign it to prove it. You are right to write for the Real People. Just don't forget that one of those people is yourself. You have chosen a path to write about the things that matter to you and in this crazy world we all need to be reminded of what is real. Some of us like myself have it a little bit tougher than some, but somehow we have maitained a prespective of what is important. And it is people like yourself that have the courage to put yourself out there on the line that give the rest of us hope. And that is an important thing. Thanks!

Hey wil,
You know, I have NEVER read Entertainment Weekly but, I check your site everyday to see if you wrote some touching moment about your wife and kids.....that should tell you something about the kind of image you are projecting...and it's not a endless lamenter! Who's to say that the hack that wrote the review isn't CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING about everything that comes his way. Plus...those of us who write and don't get published who KILL for someone to say nasty things about our PUBLISHED book!! :-)

George W. Bush...

Told me to put this thing here.

I am you and what I see is me

Thank you, Wil. You inspire, you entertain, and are wonderfully real. We all appreciate it. Please don't forget that again!

It takes a strong man to be able to rise above what the popular media think of them. Considering the state of media right now.. like you said, more interested in Paris Hilton and all. They're there for sensationalism. And they're not worth it. Well done :)

Just remember Wil no matter what anyone says, any day you can get up and enjoy the day and your love ones, it is a good day!! There are far, far to many people who take those simple things for granted and only realize what they have missed once its gone.

Ordinary Man Says:

Entertainment Weak-ly is still lame.

What a friggin' geek. You grepped your manuscript to prove a point? OMFGWTFBBQ. I can't believe someone would do that. That's too friggin' nerdy. I can't stand it.

You're so totally my hero. :D

Dude! It's a *tabloid*! That's what they *do*! Consider the sourse, man--consider the source.

I like how both you and your wife use the word "totally" in completely different situtations. It's like you're some magic 80's couple or something.

Preview my post, man--preview my post.

Hi Wil and all!

Well, just my 20 agoroth. I really enjoyed reading this entry. It was funny, entertaining and touching. I'm glad WW has moved on after the Entertainment Weekly critique.

Generally, as a fellow writer, I recently came to think that a writer should first and foremost write things he'd like to read or see written, and only later direct them to the public at large. If you have a book that you enjoy, chances are that many people you'll care about will enjoy it as well. On the other hand, we can see many books that are written directly for public consumption (from mass-produced teen books to computer books series covering most popular technologies). These books rarely have any substantial value, and most people with half-a-mind don't like them.

As for the apology - I don't think it's necessary. It's OK to feel bad about a bad review. It's perfectly human to do so.

I can't remember the last time I have read an Entertainment Weekly. I can tell you this much though, your website is set at my homepage and I know that I am not the only one, so what does that tell you?

Silly rabbit. You'll always have us.

It's funny that you feel like you need to apologize to anyone at all.

We all act like jerks sometimes. My wife and I just celebrated the birth of our 5th child. He's a week old today. Everytime I act like a jerk I think about my wife and children. What kind of example have I set for them. Do they think I'm a jerk? Am I still their hero? What's important is that you respect those you love. Admitting you're a jerk is one way to show that respect.

Thanks for opening your life to us and letting us get close. You only let those you love this close. I'm sure you love your fans and we love you too.

Now fuggedaboutit and move on!

Right on, Wil. I read this post before the other so I expected the Entertainment Weekly post to be a serious criticism of your book. When I read the blurb I just laughed. That blurb wasn't about your book--that was some anonymous nobody attacking a somebody because attacks have entertainment value--like David Spade on the "Hollywood Minute." Ignore it--it just means you're big time. :)

Glad to hear you got that trash-fest of a magazine out of your mind. Everyone here knows you rock. *That's* the important thing. :-D

I'm glad you write about your dogs. I miss having a dog.

Hi Wil,

I've never understood why there are so many jerks in this world just out to hurt people. I've been reading your book and think it's great! I always thought I wanted to be an actor and thought it was all glamourous and cool. Your book showed me the true side of Hollywood and how hard it is to make it. Your personal life seems to parallel mine in so many ways. I also want to say how brave it is of you to publish your personal life for everyone to read. I have journals of my life I've kept since I was 13 (19 years worth) that I would like to blog, but do not have the guts.

Thanks for being an inspiration. And the hell with all those jerks who say otherwise. They definetly DO NOT get it.

Wil -

Hey, listen, you're only human. If you told us you didn't care about stuff that people wrote, we'd know you were lying and mock you mercilessly because of it - 'cause that's what family does.

Anyone would have been at least a little hurt and annoyed. No sense pretending (to yourself, your family or your readers) otherwise. I think the best thing is to give yourself some time to acknowledge the fact that it bothered you, vent about it, exorcise it, and then move on. Which is what you're doing.

Well done.

How quickly things are forgotten. September 11th came and went and Wil took notice of it by complaining about be called a whiner and his dogs.

It's a shame.

Easy there Jim. People deal in different ways. I live in DC and 9/11 was and is all around me. I was really grateful that it wasn't here too.

Well, Jim, it's not any one persons responsibility to remember (or chose not to remember) 9/11 in a way that's acceptable to you, or any other person. Since I highly doubt you spent that entire day with him, I fail to see how you can say with any authority that Wil didn't "take notice" of it. I would imagine this blog represents only a small portion of his life in full.

As a writer (potential author) myself, I often stare at the keys wondering if what I'm writing has a purpose.

The passage you wrote in italics is exactly what I needed to see to keep going. Thank you for the inspiration.

I think it is human nature to long for, even strive for, recognition and respect for one's accomplishments from those who have not yet given it. I don't consider that urge mutually incompatible with appreciating support from those who have always, or often, supported our efforts. I also didn't see your hope that something good might come out of E.W. and disappointment that they were true to form as disrespectful or dismissive of those individuals who have enjoyed your work and do offer your their support in your professional and personal life.

Frankly, I do think that writer behaved unprofessionally, and perhaps the magazine (or more correctly, whichever editor should have caught it) erred by printing an inappropriate review - not so much in content ("I didn't like it") but in form and language. Pointing out the unprofessional nature of the review does not make you a jerkass - I am confident that if it were no more lauding (but less vicious in language and tone) you would not have dwelled as long, nor felt the level of outrage you expressed earlier.

You're a reasonable, caring, and thoughtful guy - not Job nor the Lamb of God. You should not be expected by some in the media to take on the sins of the world, yet clearly some (like that reviewer) try to put you in that position. It isn't whining to recognize that is wrong, and I think the fact that you've resurfaced after hitting the depths of "WTF?!?' and have chosen to not put any more energy into that black hole shows a lot more of your personal character than that stupid review. I think we all (I know I have) have had our moments of pissing in the wind - I, for one, relate...no apology was necessary. The hallmark of your blog, the reason why I read it, is the genuineness - you were genuinely hurt by the review, and you expressed that hurt clearly and concisely...what other could I, or any other regular reader, have expected of you?

You know who you are. Anne and your kids know who you are. You already know that is what's really important - so (put in the most delicate way possible, of course) ... Fuck 'em.
[good gawd damn I'm wordy]

Post 187 I believe....

Yeah Wil just let it go. They got mentioned in two of your blog entries...you shouldn't talk about them anymore.

Bryan

grep -i "I used to be an actor" manuscript.txt | wc -l > /dev/null

:)

Hey Wil,
I'm not one to give you advice on letting things go because I am one to hold grudges against people who have verbally abused me in my life. I was abused for 7 years and forgetting these people took me a long time. Did I forgive them. Not necessarily but I don't have to see them anymore and I am a stong and intelligent and beautiful person and screw those who don't like me.
Good lesson learned here. Let it go.
Shrug it off.
Walk away.
You have all the love and support you need from us.

As a member of the mainstream media, I apologize for the fact that a number of us have our heads firmly planted up our gluteus maximus. Some of us have read your book, and certainly do not share the views of the Entertainment Weekly character assassin that seems to have cracked your shell. Kudos to you for this blog this morning. That took guts, and a fair portion of wisdom. Recognize that while some of us may conveniently edit out the fact that you are human, holding you to a higher standard than that to which we hold ourselves, you are wise to recognize the gift of this audience you have captivated through something as simple as this blog. There is a fundamental shift occuring in what we all define as mainstream media. Guys like you are pioneers. How many web people do you think use RSS to follow your headlines above those of Reuters? Not insignificant. Any wonder that so many of us in the mainstream media even are turning to blogs for our own digital soap box? It is, perhaps, the most unequivocably authentic form of news, current events, and shaping of public opinion based on what counts: a system of trust building and barn raising. You do both just fine. Listen to your wife. She's a pretty smart gal.

It's hard as hell to let things go sometimes - I'm personally unable to let go of certain things family members did at different points in my life.

Still, there's no reason to keep them. They clog up the works. And who needs more clutter? It's like compiling the source for lynx but requiring X-Free86 as a dependency. I think you're a good enough Geek to debug your own code... ;-)

You're much much more than "just an actor" or "just a geek". Every human is. They, and you, need to remember that. Any creator of the universe would not spend time creating so many individuals without purpose - that'a a lot extra work and do you think any creator of the universe would put that much extra work into something pointless? "I don't think so Tim."

I personally see the creator of the universe - male, female, Christian, Pagan, etc. - as the ultimate Geek. I mean how many other beings get to hack their own universe! ;-)

FWIW - I'm a bad guy here and haven't read your books yet. Sorry. I keep getting bogged down in stuff to do and my wife keeps me from going to the bookstore otherwise I tend to spend too much money there. *grin*

Sorry, much rambling. The coffee here at work has hit.

Last night on Family Guy, Peter ran out of toilet paper, so he used an issue of Entertainment Weakly. As a WWDN fan, I applauded.

Havent gotten the book yet. Need to.
I will say this though. The entry was a good one, and...Im not sure if 'inspired' is the right word Im looking for, but it did hit a chord.
Thanks :)

For YKW or anybody else who needs a sounding board for his/her obsession with Wil Wheaton, I suggest going to the Refugee Camp forum at chatter.monkeylaw.net. The poor site needs the traffic anyway, and you can make impotent pronouncements about how superior you are to Wil Wheaton to your heart's content. No need to derail this comments page further, and you might get some of the attention for which you're starving.

Sorry Wil.

Sorry, I meant .org, not .net.

Screw EW, Wil. Like they count, anyway. Who needs EW when you have the greatest praise of all - Regular Folks. That's what we are, and that's the fanbase you've acquired. Know what? Forget acquired. Let's try a better word... Earned.

I finished JAG not long after my comment the other day. Now I'm SURE the EW ass didn't read it, because his review was most certainly NOT the way I was left feeling when I finished it.

So, like I said. Screw EW. They just don't know.

But we do... WIL WHEATON ROCKS! \m/

I've been around since the geocities site and I'm still here. I like that you post when you're angry, before you've had a chance to rehash and analyze what you think you really feel. It's that sort of emotion that keeps me here, which can include whining but who doesn't. I long lost the desire to put anything more than jibberish on my blog - it's a talent just to be still readable and entertaining after all this time.

Oh and I'm kind of poor and planning my wedding so I really hadn't gotten a book yet - you can thank EW's bad press for a sale.

And when you have a signing in the Bay Area, I will be in line to have you sign both books and how inspiring you are.

There is nothing unique that I can add to these sentiments above, yet I feel compelled to comment anyway.

Thank you, Wil. For doing all of this for us.

I don't read "Entertainment Weekly". I don't care about Paris Hilton. I'm not much of a poker fan either but I still read your site daily and I have read both of your books. I appreciate your insight, your honesty, your humor and most of all I appreciate the fact that you share something real with all of us. That takes guts. Take a lesson from Riley and go play in the mud. The media can all go to hell. Come up to the Bay Area and sign a few books.

Hey Wil, That was SOOO cool. I totally get what you say. Me and the man get that schmoopy too. You know why we love you right? Cause you are a Real Person. No apology needed here... You reacted out of your initial feeling - hurt, frustration and disappointment - and that's part of what makes you Real. Real People - we're awesome because we're human, we make mistakes. We react and overreact. We err and we apologize and we move on....

And here comes in my inner language geek - ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM - Don't let the bastards grind you down.

F*** "Entertainment" Weekly. It is a lousy rag, and their website won't let you look at any article in the print edition, all that comes up is a prompt to subscribe to get access to the online edition. Some 20-ish editor probably decided to rip the book. He then went back to watch an episode of "Trading Spouses"

Kudos.

That is all.

hey wil, good on you for letting it go! it can be wicked difficult sometimes, but you did it. your book really is incredible, i was totally inspired!

take care
rach

It was brave of you to write your story and share it with the world. Please keep writing, I'll keep reading.

Wil,
I rarely write comments in blogs but felt I had to let you know that I enjoy reading your blog immensely. We are the same age and have similar family circumstances. It's fun to hear your stories. Screw EW. It's a rag. Everyone knows it. I've had it on my list to buy your book for some time now. Tonight I will. I'm sure I'll enjoy it being the geek I am. Anyway just my 2 cents. Take care.

Wow, this obsessing must be an entertainer/creative person thing. Even though we KNOW in our heads this stuff doesn't matter, that idiots abound with nothing better to do than tear other people down, it really affects us. In the gut.

And we also think that if someone is correctly informed, such as reading the book, that they will come to similar conclusions. That must be a geek thing. We think if a program doesn't work, it just means it is missing needed code. But some people have some nasty operating systems. No matter what info you put into them, they twist it.

Anyway, I'm learning lots from your experience with this entertainment rag blurb. And your day of being so hard on yourself during the Radio interview. (which was a great interview!) And reading everyone's great comments on this site. Calling it the "Wheaton Experience."

Thank you, everyone, for all your kind comments and support. I'm sure this isn't the last time something like this will happen to me, but when it comes around again, I can come back here and review the lesson.

fat free milk: that g.w. movie was great!

Your books made me laugh they made me cry (yes, I teared up at Shatner's apology) and drove my boyfriend crazy, because I wouldn't stop reading snippets to him.

His parents, he and I had a two hour conversation about you over dinner one night. We were sitting there, drinking our Beamish pints and talking about how great it is that you've made a wonderful life for yourself and how cool it is that you have touched so many lives (mine included).

So, we (your fans) love you and we're glad you were able to let it go.

Remember- To the readers of this blog, you *are* one of the "Cool Kids".

Also- I teach intro-level college Astronomy to about 200 students per year. Your experience reminds me of the first time I got my student evaluations back. Man, students (usually only the most upset ones) will write some cruel things in their evaluations, and those things hurt the first time. But- as you said in your blog entry- you have to remember for whom it is you are doing this thing. If we taught our classes the way the students want us to, there would be no effort on their part and everyone would get an A (since every student seems to feel they deserve it, no matter how few classes they attend or how little work they put in).

I constantly have to keep in mind that there is a reason that I am the teacher and they are the students, even if I don't always feel the most qualified to be doing what I am doing. In your case- there is a reason this reviewer is only a reviewer and you are the author.

Also, keep in mind that if you've done a thing correctly, you usually piss off half the people involved. Getting pissed off is usually someone's outward reaction to an inward disappointment or struggle with something they don't understand. Most semesters that I teach, some of my evaluations say that I am "the best teacher they ever had" and some say something like "worst teacher I've ever had, and I should know what makes a good teacher since I've been going to school for years." I call that a job well done. Well done to you too.

Wil,

I am so glad that you *get* just how lucky you are to have Anne. She allowed your ride on the pitty pot (we all need one every now & then) - but....she gives you a reality check when it gets to an unhealthy point. What balance you two have!

Let it go Louie, let it go.

Be careful what you wish for Uncle Willy - the 'mainstream recognition' you desire is going to happen sooner or later and you might end up eating those words!

All the best,
Michelle

Wow! Excellent post...love it that you turned the non-event that EW tried to make out of their "review" and learned from it. I love your relationship with your wife, you guys rock! Oh, and my dogs wanted to tell your dogs hello. What I don't get tho, is why do dogs sniff butt as a form of hello? Why not bark in their face? Hmmm...

Wilma....

You inspire me every day, you have done since i saw you in a movie, i was 11 years old and hopelessly bessotted with you....

No two bit piece of crap reporter fool who is just jealous of your talent, heart, mind, life, and fan base should ever make you fel like you have disrespected us!

Who doesnt want acknowledgement from the industry, its natural since you have been a part of it most of your life! Its not a sin, and how can you say you forgot who you are. You put your life on a plate in front of us every day sweetie!

We respect you, we adore you, and we love you.

You do inspire us, you make us think about things we wouldnt in every day life, hell i want the kind of relationship in my life that you have with Anne, you are what i look up to.

I have two copies of your book, both first editions and one signed which i ordered and got shipped. I am planning to fly out to just to meet you however i can next year... It isnt about that signature, it isnt about me getting fangirly and starstruck... its about meeting my HERO! someone who through being you made me a better person!

You had me in tears at the thought of you beating yourself up about this...

I wanted to boycott that magazine and tell them what pieces of shit they are... but you know what... i would have had to register and that would have made me low, i would have felt i was betraying something sacred...

i feel so strongly as do so many... Dont think who you are now is any reflection of what they said...

You are wonderful.

Lots of love

Andrea xx

You don't owe me an apology. You probably owe your beloved a "thanks for putting up with me", though. And then you'll owe us details (assuming they're blog-safe). ;)

remember what is said about "the best revenge" other than "served cold": living well.

I hate the eyelid twitch myself. Drives me batty.

I hate the need for self-examination, but as a bipolar, I can't get better, manage my downs better, without it. Consequently, I do know myself pretty well and fairly honestly, and generally only get blindsides by new stuff. I have a 10 yr old (also bipolar) to set me straight, and a husband who loves me for some unknown reason...and HIS middle name is Wesley.

Growth is good. So is your column.

Big hugs to you Wil. Glad you're feeling better about it all.

You know something? Real People are better than Cool Kids. It took me years and years of trying to impress the Cool Kids myself to figure that out, so I know exactly the places you've been coming from. You try and try, and you get nothing for it, and then one day you say "Hey, wait a minute. Those aren't Cool Kids. That's Entertainment Weekly."

I'd rather be in with the Real People any day.

Now that entry reminds me why you've been my favorite celebrity type since I was in little wee people school when I was 5. And I still think you kick ass. Imagine that. I've thought you kicked ass longer than I've thought anyone else did, except my Mom, and she rules the world.

I know I didn't comment when you first announced the tripe EW wrote, but I agreed with what basically everyone else said, and what you just now said.
I feel like our places are being switched saying this, me being the adult and you the teenager (and a apologize for thinking that way)....but this entry is just proof of how mature you are and how well you can take criticism after you've thought about it. I feel all proud of you.

By the way, the gooey love between you and Anne is just adorable.

The one thing that pops into my mind is-an episode of "Murphy Brown". It's about the only zinger I recall of that show. . .

Murphy is lamenting a bad review she got from "TV Guide", until finally her co-host Jim exclaims "For God's sake Murphy-you got a bad review from a magazine whose readers are challenged by crossword clues like 'Cat on a Hot Tin BLANK".

That's about what the EW thing is worth.

Wil, Saw you in Vegas, never thought a thing about Wesley or Wil, you were just under the radar. But, was totally impressed with your reading from your books, bought two, told you I was furious about a teenager being treated like you were.....Anyway, love your book, laughed, cried, read it outloud (parts of it anyway) to my high school class in Austin, Texas.....I am on a panel at the Lin Con in Austin in October...hope to see you there. Keep up the great work. They are the fools for taking your book for surface info.....it was so deep and introspective....very meaningful and touching. I feel lucky to have stumbled on such gems. Denise

Wil, I know you probably don't read this far down with so many comments, but I'll post anyway.

Apology accepted. But ... we all do it. Every time we do something impressive, we think, "This is it. This time, it'll be different. This time, they'll see. They'll understand." And time and again we're mistaken. And we kick ourselves every time for thinking that and for wanting their acceptance at all. And actually, it makes me feel good that someone as successful as you would still feel that vulnerable at times. Glad I'm not alone. And here's hope we both grow out of it. Lots of love.

You, sir, fucking rock. \m/

That is all.

Wil,
There's only one person that you write for--yourself. Those that "get it" will read your stuff and enjoy it for the shared vision of what you wrote.
Then there are those who have nothing better to do than to sneer at truth and beauty because they either can't create their own, or are so jealous of those who can they have to try to bring the creators down to their perceived level.
Be true to yourself, and the honesty of what you write. Writing for anyone else is a hollow pursuit (unless it pays REALLY REALLY well--then it's still hollow, but profitable).
And always remember, there's a REASON why the magazine's initials are EW. :)
S

"You're totally right."

Important words for any husband to learn and use frequently. :)

Wil,
I don't think you owe us an apology. Just keep doing what you do - that's why so many of us beleive in you.

I was sooo THERE with you and Anne and Ferris and Riley. Loved the romp in the park - so well described!!

Great blog.

NOW, let's ALL resolve to let go of one stupid hurting remark that we took on and owned as part of us this week.

THINK of it, WRAP it up, and PUT it inside an imaginary box. GIVE IT THE BOOT and don't think about it again.

Grab hold of your blessings. THINK about who you are - what you believe in - what you do have - and find one good thing someone told you today. PUT it on a pedestal, SHINE a light on it, and OWN it. DWELL on this for a while.

Ahhhhhhh. Better.

This comment is late but: I've seen more than a few people I know read this entry and nod slowly, knowing exactly what was going through your head. This is something a whole lot of people have to deal with.

The advice to just "let it all roll off you" is well and fine, but such observations are only the start of wisdom in dealing with issues like this - not the end of it. That's because there is always context, and context puts a unique spin on everything, every day. If it was really so easy to just clear your mind and shrug everything off, ignore the world no matter what it did to you, then hey: there wouldn't be such a thing as zen retreats for people to go to just to master the difficult task of truly emptying the mind from the world. The truth is we're wired up, in both biology and sociology, to care about these things. We're wired up to listen to criticism - people who are entirely devoid of feeling over negative feedback are closer to sociopathy than "toughness".

The upshot is that this is a real battle for your headspace - a true war. Never mistake that. There's a terribly tricky balance; sure, you have to pay attention to criticisms and warnings that are valid, but at the same time, you have to take human behavior into account always: Bruce Lee once said, in response to the criticism he recieved over his martial art style being impure "He who runs with the ball is always chased by many", or a quotation to that effect.

We love you, Will. ^_^

Wil, I'm not an enemy or a troll. What I'm about to say may make me come across like that, but I own both of your books, subscribe to your RSS feed, and generally tell other people about you in terms of: "Yeah, he's really become a hell of a good writer. You should check out his site."

That having been said ... dude, get your head out of your ass.

I'm sorry to be that harsh. But you need to realize some of the treasures that you have, that other people would desperately love to have in their life.

You have a gorgeous wife who appreciates your smarts, who has ethics and morals, who is socially conscious and can express herself well. There are those out there who are passing the decades without having had a relationship last more than a month, and who find themselves desperately lonely as they go through life.

You have stepchildren who think very well of you, who want to emulate you in many respects, and who enjoy spending time with you. Yeah, they have problems, I'm sure, but they sound like incredibly smart, special, funny, interesting kids. Do you know how rare that is? I held my cousin's toddler on my shoulder and felt him sigh and fall asleep, and realized that I want to be a father so badly ... and it's going to be a very long time off for me before that ever happens.

You have a wonderful talent writing publishing contract with O'Reilly, and fans who love what you write, and who hang on every word that you write. This commenter being one of them. Again, do you know how rare that is? Once we geeks have labeled someone as unreedemable, they rarely do a 180-degree turn as a culture and then accept someone as wonderfully cool. You made the turn.

You had a chance to majorly impact popular culture not once but twice ("Stand By Me" and Next Gen).

You are relatively in shape (unlike this commentator, who is roughly 130 pounds over his healthy weight), and you have no chronic conditions (fortunately, like this commentator).

In short, you have a wife that loves you, children who respect you, a growing writing career, and a small but devoted cult following amidst hard-to-convince connosieurs of writing.

And yet you evidently have been devoting a considerable amount of your emotional and mental life this past week to a few words spoken by an idiot, full of sound and fury, SIGNIFYING NOTHING.

Wil, I love what you write, and I respect you, but I have to say again:

Dude, get your head out of your ass. And LOOK AROUND with new eyes.

Wil - I am glad to see that you have finally filed EW under "G" - for Garbage. Take heart in the fact that so many of us geeks and non-geeks love and respect you and your work. I have both books, and enjoyed them immensely. In fact, in comparing them to Tim Allen's books and Ellen de Generes' book, I enjoyed yours so much more! Keep up the good work, cuz we need you buddy!

You know, Wil, how lucky you are to be married to Anne? Good.

As much as I would love to spend some time hangin' with you, I *really* want to hang with your wife. She is wise and wonderful and caring and a straight shooter -- sounds a lot like my wife. In fact, here's a toast to those women who love us geeks and put up with us and support us and teach us, and laugh at our stupid jokes, and help us to get beyond ourselves and reach new levels of realization.

I just finished the book today...after a three-hour-read-straight-thru session. I must say that i absolutely LOVED it. I heart "Just A Geek"!!!!!!!

Wil, your book made me cry, laugh out loud, and just feel good to know what you went through as a human being...maybe even as one of those "Real People" you were talking about.

I hope you don't ever take something like this to heart again and always remember what a great job you did on this. And what an impact it has on one person (me) and everyone else who has read it.

Great Job! Keep going!
Thank you!

-becky

Dont you just love dogs ... :)
no matter how sad I am or turned down, all I need is my dog.
Those drooopy eyes and forever loveble howls.

Give EW the boot and move on, am happy that you took that path.

And man you have it made, with a wife that loves you that much, nothing in the 'verse can stop you. :)

enjoy.

Try to remember that "we" are the cool kids not them.

This is probably not getting noticed this late in the thread either, but Wil, the reason why the Mainstream Media doesn't notice your book is that you yourself seem to ignore it. There is not nearly enough stories about you promoting your book on this website. I think there are even fewer than there are on "Dancing Barefoot". Having a big shot niche publisher does not liberate you from promoting the book like hell yourself. In order to be noticed you need to be friends with the mainstream media. Get their email adresses, set up a priviliged press mailing list. Well, the works. It's never personal. It's all about getting through the noise. And, there is no such thing as bad press. That EW piece did sell more books than the nonexisting CNN story. And the people who read the book will certainly not agree with EW.
Have fun. Cheers, Oliver.

Wil, You hit the nail on the head there. You've a great life. Obviously that reporter felt the need to take you down.
My guess is that jealousy somewhere is at play. You have done what all the movie/tv people want: act for a few years then move on to writing or directing or something. Granted, you did all this by the time most of them get their first job.
Truthfully, the family is more important than some rag that only gossip mongers read.
Really enjoying your book! You have inspired me and your website is a must read.
Best regards.

ps. We all know who you, but nobody knows who that hack is. Poetic justice, no? ;)

Listen to your wife and listen to the odds:
1-number of stupid reporters who hate your book
50,000-number of monkeys that love you and your book.

All in all, you kinda win.

ah, wil -- i don't read your blog for a bit, and come back to this frelling entertainment weekly crap.

glad you let it go -- glad your wife helped you do that -- glad you remembered what's really important.

you wrote what was true. you know it, we know it. that's what matters. what lazy so-called reviewers say -- that does not matter.

peace -- rie

(and btw -- i'm the reader who often uses your blog entries on your writing process to instruct my college fresh-people in my writing classes. they adore you.)

Hugs! Good for you to see the truth. You are impacting lives. I hope that I will read your book someday. I can not really afford them yet. I want to read them so bad that I have been dreaming about searching for them in book stores.

Someday I will read it and I am sure I will be inspired because your blog inspires me. Thank you Wil!

Beth

Holy crap on toast, that's a lot of comments.

As a fellow writer, I was exceedingly disheartened when I found out that Paris Hilton's book is the same number of pages as mine... but where I only sold 37 copies in six months (I am never, EVER using this publisher again -- their idea of marketing is trying to sell you a book they publish called "How to market your book", and all their books cost $20, even mine, which I hadn't planned to charge more than $12.95 for) Paris's book will certainly sell at least 37,000 copies.

*sigh*

Pfft. All I know is, I've never picked up a copy of Entertainment Weekly in my life (well, except for an LOTR special, but y'know, that was exceptional circumstances). I did, however, buy your book to read on my hols, and ended up reading it in an entire sitting about an hour after I'd ripped apart the Amazon packaging.

Any recommendations on holiday reading greatly appreciated now...

I just found your blog, Wil. I love it.

Good for you for putting the Entertainment Weekly thing behind you. I never read that stuff anyway. Don't let the bastards get you down.

It's perfectly healthy and normal to enjoy pubic recognition. Even Real People would have to admit they'd almost swap a paycheck for a hearty pat on the back from Someone Who Is More Important.

This may be redundant, but they say the media doesn't report on all the houses that didn't burn. In the case of JAG, if they can't find something snarky to write, they're in danger of not only a non-story (in their cynical world view), but they'd be dancing in the realm of not coming across as Witty Writers. Heaven forbid they would tackle anything over 1,000 words. The fact that you wrote 84,000 means you are, Wil, 84 times the writer they are.

As so many here have written, I adore your book and your blog and your personality. Perhaps WebTalk Radio is not Mainstream Media, but we have loyal listeners and I'm editing your interview (and transcribing it for an article) at this moment and we'll get the world out to a million or so more Real People. Tune in Saturday at WebTalkRadio.com.

Thanks for the reminder of what is important.

I've been doing a lot of writing lately myself and there are always those fantasies of being a best-selling author, get the adoration of millions, and have the critics fall all over themselves at how wonderful I write.

Thing is, thinking like that will alter what and how you write. To be true to your art and those who really care you have to put aside the aspirations for the grand outcomes and put to paper what matters. A story with heart and soul crafted out of love for writing, not love for attention, is the true goal.

You're such a grown up! you're also a success in any of the ways that matter. You've earned my respect, and I don't think many of your fans feel disrespected by you. We get annoyed at idiots who cancel Futurama or hate on the things we like - no reason that you shouldn't be upset when it's your own work getting trashed by idiots. Their opinions unfortunatly carry some weight, and that sucks.

Thank you Wil, for this post (sorry for being a bit late...!) - and for all your weblog, since this is the first time I comment on it!! I love your lively reports, your accuracy and humor and your wonderful honesty which is so rare among people!
You are true to yourself and a really good writer! So don't let yourself ever be discouraged by anyone! You know, "the media" could disregard you today and celebrate you tomorrow...there's nothing to it! You are SO RIGHT realizing the good life you have and be thankful for it! A lot of "celebrities" don't have something like this. So don't be sad anymore....your time will come!!
All the best and lots of greetings!
Elli

It's Entertainment Weekly, dude. That's just a hair more respectable than National Enquirer, and that's not saying much. No-talent journalists, unhappy with their station in life, will be the first to poke fun at someone who is honest about himself and how he feels about his life, while THEY'VE been busy covering those same feelings up their whole miserable lives.

In short, fuck'em.

I just bought your book. I'm home from Barnes and Noble and the attached Starbucks, and as the warmy goodness of the Mocha Valencia begins to fade, I settle down to begin reading. Given what I've seen from casually reading your website, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, AND I'm sure it will make me a more regular visitor here.

Take care,

John

Well Wil I'm glad that your "over it" and I have a piece of news -- my local book store -- the one that brought in copies of your books after I ordered it -- I was in there the other day and only 2 copies of DB remained so a possiblity of random people picking out your book just because it was there on the shelf and reading it -- That can be your good thought for a day -- your a sell out in an Edmonton local bookstore of JAG and I'm sure by next weekend the last two copies of DB will be gone as well.(I'm sure of it as I will be buying them to give to friends)

Genessa

Wil~
No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. Everyone (who isn't a sociopath, that is) has feelings, and they're fragile. It's tough to grow a thick skin.
Regarding your books.... I have both, which you signed (thanks to Dawn for getting the JAG sig for me!); they are on a special shelf in my room... with just a few other books that were either signed by the authors or one, which is from London. In other words: You mean so much to the people who read and love your work. Nothing that anyone can say can bring you down in our eyes.
I sent EW a nasty letter; being as negative as it is, I highly doubt that it will be printed... but from the likes of it around here... I would LOVE to see the face of the "writer" (I will NOT use journalist here) who wrote that skanky blurb's face when he gets a load of letters saying how wrong he was.
Anne kicks ass! You already know how lucky you are, no need to reiterate. Sure, you may not be HOLLYWOODS ideal guy, but to us, you are just fine. And to your family, you are just PERFECT.
You have given us so much, and we hope we have given you a little back, in return.
Okay. I am gonna put myself in a diabetic coma with all this sap, so I will stop.
Chin up, Unca Wil. You have friends here.

Heh, it'd be very interesting to see how many people have bought JAG just because of the EW review. I just have... I mean, you used grep to demonstrate that the book doesn't suck. What more does anyone need to know?

That was incredibly sweet and touching, and it made me cry. Even the comments (which I've never read before) are making me tear up.

You're right, what matters is not what (people who think they are) media bigshots think, but what your family (especially your family) and the people who have come to respect and care about you think. And those people are not going to change what they think because of one bad review in a second-rate magazine.

Do what you do, and do it well, and know that there are many, many people who get it and appreciate it. Disregard the rest.

Wil,

You rock. I was never much into Trek, only watched TNG on occassion, and heard all the Wesley jokes you can imagine. But after my husband introduced me to your blog, you've become someone I really admire. I've yet to read your books, but hope to do so soon. Thanks for sharing your life with us.

Fuck Entertainment weekly...their only job is to pick and pan....to ridiculously praise and drool over their favorites...and to point and laugh at the rest.
Your wife is right...and you are right, too...it does suck...but it's little people who hurt (compensation for not being big enough to stand up to anyone prouder and stronger).
And, just on a side note..There are precious few actors and actresses who have been in the spotlight who are as thankful for their success and as grateful to their fans and who brought them to success as you. It is a rare individual that can see what has been given him..be thankful for what life has brought him...and still seem so approachable and personable..and human.
Plus there is none cooler than the man who is proud to be a geek :) (I say this with bias because I, too, "heart" my geek...he is MJ and he can be seen as starmonkey on buzznet and heard on minepage.blogspot.com....-end shameless plug-)
Keep up the good work...AND LISTEN TO ANNE! she knows what she's talking about!
take care...

> "You're still dwelling on that stupid Entertainment Weekly thing," she said. Not a question.

[max] who seriously takes EW, anyway. forget them. they are probably a bunch of wannabe actors who didnt make far passed auditions ..

Someone in these comments said that John Wayne had once said "Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness." Is that true?? Man, he must have been quite a jackass!
But back on the point, you are wonderful, Wil! Genuine and sweet. And I love your blog, and wish you all the best!