...eeeeee!
Sep. 15th, 2004 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bzarcherI just got monstrous unexpected geek points.
I don't know how many of you guys read www.wilwheaton.net, but he posted recently that Entertainment Weekly really trashed his new book (which is VERY good), and since I'd seen the article and read the book, I decided to write them a letter, and I copied Wil from work today.
From: Wagner, Matt (SCI TW)
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:02 AM
To: 'wil@wilwheaton.net'
Subject: Copying a letter
Hi, Wil.
I sent this letter to Entertainment Weekly. Thought I'd send you a copy, too.
To the Editors,
I will admit that I am not a normal EW reader. You're something I tend to pick up at the doctor's office, and rarely beyond that. However, I did pick up the issue for the week of September 10th while in a waiting room. I was very disappointed to find an extremely negative review there of a book that I happened to have with me at the time. It was Wil Wheaton's Just A Geek. I am a fan of Mr. Wheaton's writing and his blog, and have been a somewhat regular reader for the past year and a half. Like many of his fans, we were very excited that he has been published by O'Reilly, and that his often touching and very personal stories might find a larger audience.
With that said, and my bias admitted, I must wonder if your reviewer actually read more than the first chapter of the book, if that, or if they merely dismissed it as a has-been book by a has-been actor and accordingly wrote a negligent piece. It's certainly clear that they did not go very far into the work. I tried to re-read Mr. Wheaton's book to see if anything in the review matched the book I had read during my flight, but I was unable to see where the two could possibly have matched up. This was not just a book about his acting career, or even being in Star Trek at all. No lament, merely reflection. This was a man looking at his life, and letting us share his journeys as he went from getting some once in a lifetime experiences to achieving some of the greatest titles of all: A good husband, and a loving father. It's being honest, and written to the reader as an equal rather than a lecture, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I realize that this will likely not change anyone at EW's opinion, or is likely to be published. (To be honest, let's face it, you'll probably use this for a dart board. At best.) However, I felt that I should respond back to what I felt was an extremely ignorant and borderline libelous piece in your publication, and one that does a disservice to Mr. Wheaton, his family, and those who have gotten the benefit of his work both on stage and in print.
Sincerely,
Matt Wagner
Dublin, Ohio
-----------
I figure that I'm about as likely to hear back from them (or for you to get anything like an apology) as I am for you to drive across the country and show up here and say thanks. That said, if you do, my roomie and I make a pretty good cookout, and there's a nice pub down the block. Also, I should mention that my girlfriend would ask me to please take hair and fingernail clippings from you that she can keep in proper reliquary. (Catholic upbringing…)
Anyhow. Good luck, and I'm really sorry you got ganked on. I still don't know what book they read, but it wasn't yours.
Now, here's what I really didn't expect...
From: Wil Wheaton [mailto:wil@wilwheaton.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 7:39 AM
To: Wagner, Matt (SCI TW)
Subject: Re: Copying a letter
Hey Matt,
Thank you for writing such an eloquent letter!
I'm *really* happy that you enjoyed Just A Geek, and read WWdN. That's awesome.
Thanks for your support!
Wil
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Huh. So this is what it's like to be a fangirl. How gender-swappy.
But seriously, if you haven't read the book, it's a very good read for geek and non-geek, and personally I think his blog is very interesting, because a lot of it is about a guy trying to work in a profession, keep his home life good, raise his kids right, and play some poker now and then, and it's very cool.
I don't know how many of you guys read www.wilwheaton.net, but he posted recently that Entertainment Weekly really trashed his new book (which is VERY good), and since I'd seen the article and read the book, I decided to write them a letter, and I copied Wil from work today.
From: Wagner, Matt (SCI TW)
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:02 AM
To: 'wil@wilwheaton.net'
Subject: Copying a letter
Hi, Wil.
I sent this letter to Entertainment Weekly. Thought I'd send you a copy, too.
To the Editors,
I will admit that I am not a normal EW reader. You're something I tend to pick up at the doctor's office, and rarely beyond that. However, I did pick up the issue for the week of September 10th while in a waiting room. I was very disappointed to find an extremely negative review there of a book that I happened to have with me at the time. It was Wil Wheaton's Just A Geek. I am a fan of Mr. Wheaton's writing and his blog, and have been a somewhat regular reader for the past year and a half. Like many of his fans, we were very excited that he has been published by O'Reilly, and that his often touching and very personal stories might find a larger audience.
With that said, and my bias admitted, I must wonder if your reviewer actually read more than the first chapter of the book, if that, or if they merely dismissed it as a has-been book by a has-been actor and accordingly wrote a negligent piece. It's certainly clear that they did not go very far into the work. I tried to re-read Mr. Wheaton's book to see if anything in the review matched the book I had read during my flight, but I was unable to see where the two could possibly have matched up. This was not just a book about his acting career, or even being in Star Trek at all. No lament, merely reflection. This was a man looking at his life, and letting us share his journeys as he went from getting some once in a lifetime experiences to achieving some of the greatest titles of all: A good husband, and a loving father. It's being honest, and written to the reader as an equal rather than a lecture, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I realize that this will likely not change anyone at EW's opinion, or is likely to be published. (To be honest, let's face it, you'll probably use this for a dart board. At best.) However, I felt that I should respond back to what I felt was an extremely ignorant and borderline libelous piece in your publication, and one that does a disservice to Mr. Wheaton, his family, and those who have gotten the benefit of his work both on stage and in print.
Sincerely,
Matt Wagner
Dublin, Ohio
-----------
I figure that I'm about as likely to hear back from them (or for you to get anything like an apology) as I am for you to drive across the country and show up here and say thanks. That said, if you do, my roomie and I make a pretty good cookout, and there's a nice pub down the block. Also, I should mention that my girlfriend would ask me to please take hair and fingernail clippings from you that she can keep in proper reliquary. (Catholic upbringing…)
Anyhow. Good luck, and I'm really sorry you got ganked on. I still don't know what book they read, but it wasn't yours.
Now, here's what I really didn't expect...
From: Wil Wheaton [mailto:wil@wilwheaton.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 7:39 AM
To: Wagner, Matt (SCI TW)
Subject: Re: Copying a letter
Hey Matt,
Thank you for writing such an eloquent letter!
I'm *really* happy that you enjoyed Just A Geek, and read WWdN. That's awesome.
Thanks for your support!
Wil
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Huh. So this is what it's like to be a fangirl. How gender-swappy.
But seriously, if you haven't read the book, it's a very good read for geek and non-geek, and personally I think his blog is very interesting, because a lot of it is about a guy trying to work in a profession, keep his home life good, raise his kids right, and play some poker now and then, and it's very cool.
