expose your mess (video)
I'll admit it. I resent other writers who can write something start to finish without needing any input. For me, after bathing in the unknown (aka: my last video), I need to have others look at it. I need to listen for when they laugh or sigh or gasp or hold their breath. And then, I can better understand what the hell I’m writing. That’s when I find out that my story I thought was about all the crazy bus routes in Portland is really about one lonely man’s longing to connect with another person. Or how my Darth Vader story is really a story about the challenges of step parenting. Or how there are already enough think pieces about Bojack Horseman. Or how maybe I shouldn’t have filmed my most recent video while on the toilet...
the I-don't-know-ness (video)
So I'm trying out non-animated videos with the notion that I might be able to create more than two a year when I'm not crudely drawing every single frame... But, unfortunately, we now have to rely on my real-world, crudely-drawn face... And my crudely drawn face is here to tell you that bathing in the I-don't-know-ness of a creative project is really valuable...
a multi-creative in the attic (video)
I've always struggled with being monogamous when it comes to my creative outlets. I've been writing for most of my adult life, but I also dabble with YouTube videos and making apps and making music (sort of) and various other activities. I used to focus on the downsides to working on so many different pursuits (and there are plenty of downsides!), but this video is about me accepting (and maybe kinda sorta embracing) this quality. (I also do about 12 seconds of research and find out that there's already a name for this quality. But since I don't like the name, I made up a new name…)
a note about anti-racism
I don't usually talk about current events in this venue, but I've woken up to this need to get more educated and engaged when it comes to dealing with racism…
Writing a Novel When You're Too Busy to Write a Novel (video)
In a blog post about my forthcoming novel, I claimed that I'd pull together a video about writing the novel. Well, here it is. It's under five minutes, but it still required 1060 bad drawings, some background music that I created on my iPad, and one video of me sitting on the toilet. Oy!
a story about mistakenly writing (and publishing) a novel as a way to take a break from writing another novel
I recently got news that my book (my second novel!) is going to be published by Red Hen Press. I’m totally excited to work with such a great press—I've been following them for a long time, and most recently I loved reading Sugar Land by Tammy Lynne Stoner. But this isn't about me awkwardly showing off about my book and this press, at least not yet. Today I want to look at the process of actually writing a book in the middle of a busy life with family, a day job, side projects, whining, and chronic pain. When a book goes out in the world and you're holding it (or its digital equivalent) in your hands, it's easy to think that writing the book was just this one coherent thing the author had to do, but writing a book is chaotic and confusing and has to somehow fit inside a busy, messy life. And I enjoy (for some reason) analyzing how to jam a writing process into this life. I don't have a magic formula, but I have a process (sorta), and thought it would be fun(ish) to talk about it.
Announcing Neurotic Stix Pro
...Today (or maybe yesterday) I'm releasing Neurotic Stix Pro, which is a fully-fleshed-out app that lets you write your own captions on animated stickers. You just don't know what it's like to apologize to someone properly until you've tried to apologize with a poorly-drawn-poorly-animated sticker using your own pathetic words! You can send them from the included Messages sticker pack, or even share them from the app to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email or however you prefer to apologize to people. The neurotic possibilities are endless! 😱🌪
Darth Vader and the Lemon
A short story of mine (Darth Vader and the Lemon) was just published in Carve Magazine. It’s a story about the complexities of step-parenting, and it’s full of bad metaphors about Star Wars. The oldest draft of this story that I can find on my computer goes all the way back to May of 2009. That’s more than 10 years ago! In those first few years...
How I Use Tech to Write (video)
For the past few years, I've wanted to make a video about my writing process when I'm working on a book-sized project. My process is a zig-zaggy combination of scribbling and typing and listening. I particularly love writing on an iPad because you have a few different ways to interact with it (stylus + keyboard + voice + weeping under the desk), and I also find it a less distracting tool than an old-school computer. The problem with my first few fAiLeD attempts at making this video was that I overly focused on exactly what tech and which apps I used... It's just too easy to get caught up in buying the trendy app of the month with the hopes that it'll save you from the difficulty of writing. (Nothing will save you. Writing sucks!) And my main goal was really to focus on how and why I use the tools that I use. (But I also didn't want to totally ignore the apps that I find valuable, because they are lovingly built and they are fabulous to use.) So... hopefully this short video gives you a feel for my approach without getting too lost in the technical weeds...
Writing Through Pain (video)
It's time for my yearly visit to the online surface — where I pop my head up, look around, and when I don't get enough likes (or I get too many likes), I go back into my hole until next year. This time I'd like to share with you a video I made about how I write alongside chronic pain...
Say the Thing: A pretty dumb text-to-speech app
Hi! I mistakenly made an app amidst all my problems. It's free. If you use an iPad or iPhone for writing and you like having the computer read what you write, then grab this app. Learn more about my app and my problems with this blog post...
Breath of the Wild Game Review (video)
I don't know about you but in the middle of all the heavy stuff going on in the world, I've needed to make a little time and space just to escape. I'm reading and watching more fantasy and sci-fi. But my obsession this month is all about a video game: Breath of the Wild. I haven't been a gamer in about 30 years (!!!) but I got hooked into this world. So much so that I now have trouble telling anecdotes in real life without mentioning my exploration in the land of Hyrule. To rationalize all the time that I've wasted this month, I made a video about my obsession with this game...
Get your free neurotic stickers while supplies last!
OK. That part about the limited supply is a lie. But the free part is true. For now. Let me sum up: I just released an app called Neurotic Stix for iPhones and iPads. This app contains over 25 twitchy, animated, neurotic stickers to express how you feel when you're not feeling so good about yourself. Right now, they're free! Click "Read on" to find out more... at least you'll stop thinking about the dumpster fire of this US election cycle for five seconds.
S3-38: Very much our space (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we conclude the Beyond Coupled season. We talk through what we learned. And we share an exciting update about Ben...
S3-37: The beautiful messiness (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we dig a little more into the nature of their relationship. Some things we can immediately identify with, and some things we have to talk through...
S3-36: Defining the relationship (podcast)
In this podcast episode, Nikki, Ben, and Stevan start to define their relationship now that everything is out in the open. If you're just tuning in, be sure to go back to episode 31 for the beginning of the season: "It was a good marriage, but..."
S3-35: They go to therapy (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we go with Nikki, Ben, and Stevan to therapy. This is the first therapy session with all of them at the table together. Find out what happens!......
on making a video about chronic pain
Hey! Were you thinking just now that you want to hear even MORE about my chronic pain?! Actually, this time it's more about how I made the video about my pain…
S3-34: An upended fishbowl (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we finally check in with Ben (the husband!) to find out how he learned about his wife's affair, and how he began processing it. Whew. Heavy stuff....
S3-33: Preparing the ground (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we listen to Stevan and Nikki talk about their continuing affair. At this point, the affair is still a secret, but Nikki is preparing to tell her husband. I don't know about you, but I'm already starting to get chest pains...