The 5 Year Engagement
Image via Wikipedia
Not only did Kevin Haggerty have some fun interviewing me recently; he also opened my eyes to an upcoming film with a unique marketing plan. The 5 Year Engagement is using transmedia, a new form of storytelling that is changing the way we absorb stories and consume culture.
Okay, full disclosure: The movie stars a certain actress named Emily Blunt who I may or may not have mentioned a couple times*. But I’m not here to blather and blush and blubber and gush. There’s plenty of time to do that later**.
The fictional couple in The 5 Year Engagement (co-starring Jason Segel) even has a wedding blog that is building towards the big event. Some of this stuff is really clever.
I’ve been wondering how this approach impacts marketing and how writers can use this kind of creativity in the 21st century. It just happens that my friend Ellie–whose superskills include cooking and being awesome–has been delving into the world of transmedia like no one I know. I asked her for some thoughts on this emerging area.
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Ellie’s thoughts:
I had lots of misconceptions about transmedia when I first learned heard about it (it’s much more than putting a wig, makeup, and heels on your book). Transmedia is not to be confused with multimedia or cross media, it’s not simply combining media. It’s creating an experience. Henry Jenkins, MIT media studies professor says, “coordinated use of storytelling across platforms can make the characters more compelling,” and Stephen Dinehart says, “ ”true” transmedia is designed in preproduction with the intent of immersion.”
Transmedia evokes all your senses, immerses you in the story. Examples: Read more »
At Least 3 Things You’ve Never Heard Me Talk About
January, January, what have you wrought?
I’ve been a busy boy these past few weeks, but all that hard work is soon going to pay off. The fun part’s coming when I get to tell yous what’s been in the works.
Kevin looks like a guy you can trust. Until he asks about Nick Cannon.
One of the revelations will be a complete overhaul of my web presence which brings me to the way it all got started–blogging.
Kevin Haggerty invited me to talk about my life as a writer, professor, and pop culturista. Although he may have outed me in at least one area. No, I’m not gay* in case you were wondering
There are even a couple new wrinkles for those of you who know me all too well. At the very least you can discover which Muppet I would spend the day with and how I really feel about Flo from the Progressive commercials.
So click on over to Kevin’s site The Isle of Man to read the interview sure to sweep the nation like a Hoover.
*Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
What Inspires You?
I’ve been underground lately, and for good reasons. More on that in the near future. In the meantime, I have a special weekend planned and want to take you with me.
Well, I can’t take ALL of you, just a piece. Specifically, an inspirational piece.
See, I’m going to Gettysburg this weekend for a unique time of reflection and writing. I’ve wanted to go stay in a house in the middle of nowhere for a long time but never did it. I finally buckled down a couple months back and researched possible towns to stay in. I’ve been to Gettysburg before, but as soon as I thought of it I knew I had my winner.
Then I set about checking out bed and breakfast type establishments. I’ve never stayed in one of those. I found one that actually doesn’t serve breakfast. This was actually a key attraction for me. Instead, they have a stocked kitchen and you just do your own thing. EXCELLENT if you know anything about my life and sleep patterns.
It’s also major off season. This means A) The rates are cheap and B) There’s no one staying there.
I literally get the entire house to myself because the proprietors (who are very nice) stay offsite nearby.
All this to talk about inspiration. I recently asked the Twitter world what music they use to get in the creative mood. A lot of the responses were movie soundtracks. I get that. Ellie Soderstrom and her husband Mike are all about the Tron soundtrack, so I’ve been playing that one recently.
I listen to a lot of rock, and that won’t change, but I’m open to new ideas! So I’d like to know, What Music Inspires You?
With a Name Like Smucker, It’s Gotta Be Good
I’ve been looking forward to this one. Shawn Smucker (follow him on Twitter) is one of the good guys, a fellow author, Pennsylvanian, and Choose Your Own Adventure enthusiast.
He’s also just released his latest book, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. We had some fun back and forth earlier this week and made the world a better place. Here’s a sampling.
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1. Let’s start with the basics. What are 3 of your favorite movies.
I am a huge movie fan, so it’s tough to narrow it to three. I do love Michael Mann films, and Heat is right at the top of my list. I love the retelling of myths and fairy tales: Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind. I have a love/mostly hate relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio, but The Departed was fantastic.
2. Tell us about your immediate family.
My wife is awesome. She puts up with my utter lack of concern regarding money or the future, which takes a special kind of person. She has gone with me to Jacksonville, Florida, then to England, then Virginia, and even a few dark and depressing months living in my parent’s basement after my painting business went to pot in 2009. She believes in me, which is really more than I can ask for or deserve.
We have four kids, ages 8, 7, 3 and 2. I spend most of my parenting life either laughing hysterically at the things they say or weeping at how much what I say sounds like my parents.
3. We’re both Pennsylvanians, but you rock the East side and I’m a SouthWestie. What’s the best thing about living in Eastern PA?
Eastern PA is awesome because I’m a Steelers fan and I get to make fun of my many Eagles-fan relatives. Their petty boasting is always hushed when I hold up six fingers (not on one hand).
4. Okay, let’s talk writing. I like how you pull writing lessons from different movies. Which of those movie breakdowns is your personal favorite?
I need to start doing this more often. My personal favorite is “Five Writing Lessons I Learned From Dumb and Dumber,” if only because it includes the classic line, “We got no food, no jobs…our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!”
5. We share a love for Choose Your Own Adventure books, and you even used that concept for a sweet blog series that your readers were able to complete. So here are two options for you.
a. You can have a time machine to jump all around the past for 100 years, but the day you return to your current life you’ll die or…
b. You live a healthy life from now on until the age of 100, but the time machine goes to someone else.
What do you choose? Read more »
8 Lessons from Chicago
A couple weeks ago I took a quick 24 hour trip to Chicago for a marketing seminar hosted by by my wonderful agency, MacGregor Literary. Here are some things I learned that weekend.
1. I still don’t know what creme brulee is, even after eating it. But it’s good.
2. Marketing is knowing where your audience is and standing in front of them.
3. At a ritzy hotel restaurant, seasonal fruit means two slivers of strawberry.
4. [Attributed to Carolyn See] The secret to a writer’s life is to write 1000 words a day and send a note of appreciation to someone. Read more »
Work At Home (In the Nude)
I love seeing what questions people ask the internet. Google auto complete has given me marvelous blog fodder in the past, but you can find great questions in other places too.
Yahoo Answers contains some real doozies, but I found a simple one today from a young girl who wanted to know:
“What do writers wear/look like?”
Apparently her school was doing something about a reality town and she was to dress as a writer. As a professional writer, I suppose I’m qualified to answer this query. Sure, we look a lot different in public than when we’re at home crafting brilliant prose. *snicker* Read more »
Are You Prepared to be Freshly Pressed?
A little while back I was fortunate to be Freshly Pressed for a second time by the good story wranglers at WordPress (here’s the first). As I reacted to this development I realized how much more I was prepared the second time around. Whether you’ve been Pressed before or are waiting for that first time, you can make the experience even more beneficial by capitalizing on that wonderful publicity. All you need is a little foresight and planning.
In just a few simple steps, anyone can be ready to really maximize the impact of thousands of readers showing up from the WordPress home page. So I’m going to give you a few key steps to take for when your number gets called. The list builds from beginner to veteran, so a couple of these might be familiar to you if you’ve already been Pressed in the past.
1. Figure out what Freshly Pressed is
Capture a screen shot when you get Pressed
I didn’t have any idea what was happening when my post first got selected. I suddenly had dozens of comments out of nowhere. In case you don’t know about FP, here’s the official WordPress breakdown.
2. Celebrate!
Make excited noises. I mean, don’t go all Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. Or do. Unless you’re at work. Then again you might work at home. So go nuts.
3. Stat gaze
It’s pretty cool to watch those view counts soaring when you’re used to 40 views a day!
4. Tell people
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But then you get past that initial cool stuff. Here’s the strategy part. Read more »
Sucking Readers In?
Image via Wikipedia
I listen to a lot of audio books. Might as well since I easily top 20,000 miles a year in the car. A good book performer can make a decent book good and good book great, but one recent work I heard was unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. In fact, the publishing world is trying a few different things lately to grab the attention of a distraction-filled world.
The interesting book I discovered is called The Chopin Manuscript by Jeffrey Deaver. I had never read his stuff before but knew the name. He’s well known and respected enough to have been tasked with writing the newest James Bond novel, Carte Blanche, which released earlier this summer.
The interesting thing about The Chopin Manuscript is that the book was written along with 14 other noted authors. Deaver created the characters and set the plot in motion before handing off to the waiting group of collaborators, each of whom took a chapter. Eventually the book wound its way back to Deaver who finished the story off. Pretty good stuff from a group of people who recognize that novels should be, well, novel. I enjoyed the story, especially as it was read by Alfred Molina who’s a gifted actor. My only complaint is the lack of an afterword by Deaver. If ever a book deserved some discussion regarding the creative process this was it. Read more »
Five Years Ago
It’s certainly a major anniversary weekend as we prepare to look back at the attacks of 9/11 from a decade out. For today, however, I’m remembering a man who made a major impact in my life.
He died 5 years ago today and is more responsible for me being a writer than anyone else in my life. I wish I could still pick up the phone and call him. He’d get a kick out of the good stuff happening this summer for my writing career.
Many of you have never read the tribute I wrote for him last year. I hope you’ll check out:
A Happy Announcement
Image by secretagent007 via Flickr
Many of you know that I’ve been hitting it hard on the writing side of things. In addition to this site I’ve also been getting after some freelance opportunities. Most of all, I’ve been developing a book idea that first hit me in the brain (a fitting metaphor as you’ll see in a moment) last summer.
I’ve also gone to my first two writer’s conferences this year. In June I spent a week at Wheaton College for 5 days of sessions, networking, and the best food I’ve ever had in what is technically called a cafeteria. Gourmet I say! During that week I met a lot of editors, agents, and authors and was excited by the interest they showed in my work.
If you have no idea what a writer’s conference is like, take a look at how I compared the process to hitting on strangers. Enough happened during that week to write a chapter about, but basically I came home knowing people wanted to see my work. I set out about the task of writing a book proposal and some sample chapters in between more travel and a full summer teaching load.
So far, the work has paid off.
That’s why I’m super excited to tell you that I now have an agent! Her name is Amanda Luedeke and she’s with MacGregor Literary. In my opinion, Amanda and MacGregor are the best fit for the type of stuff I do which, as many of you know, can include some weirdification. To celebrate our phone call, I hopped in my car and went to Barnes & Noble where I bought my favorite drink (caramel frappucino) and allowed myself to stare at the shelf where my own book might one day be. M-O-O, M-O-P, M-O-R… Then I drove home and wrote until 2 a.m. Read more »
Teen Madness!
What a week. Thanks to everyone who checked out my Freshly Pressed post on the worst dressed cities in America. That pleasant surprise hit less than an hour after my guest post showed up at Kristen Lamb’s site.
In the midst of all the writing activity I spoke for three days at a great youth event called Teen Madness. What an amazing experience that was capped off when a couple of sneaky peeps got me good by dumping an entire 5 gallon cooler of pink lemonade on me! Now I know how those coaches feel. So cold. I repaid one of the culprits with a big, wet bear hug.
You can’t help but experience raw joy during the closing spectacle called Muckfest. Here’s a short roundup video complete with some snapshots as well as the hilarious clip my friends made to introduce me each night.
Have you ever done anything like a Muckfest?
Bringing The Pain
Exciting times my friends. Not only am I on the verge of a mega announcement, but today I have the honor of appearing over at the site of Kristen Lamb, leader of the WANA pack and Jedi for life. Well, I’m not actually appearing on the internet but something I wrote is.
When Kristen graciously asked me to write something for her place I told myself that whatever I came up with had to be good. Really good. Then I froze up because you should never really put the wrong kind of pressure on yourself. Like Tony Dungy always says, we just need to do what we do. So that’s just what I did.
An idea popped into my brain, a connection between a book I once wrote and a hand I once broke. I’ve never written this story until now, so I hope you’ll hop over to check out The Pain of Resetting. I would love to see your comments over on Kristen’s site.
And for those of you possibly connecting the dots from my last post about Men That Cry and today’s story at Kristen’s, the answer is no. I didn’t cry 
The Braveheart of Robert the Bruce
The human heart can soar and be lifted or fall shattered and broken. It can be open or cold, trusting or wicked. Thanks to the film Braveheart we also know that a heart can be brave, but did you know that the historical reference never referred to Mel Gibson’s heroic character William Wallace? I’m no Milton, but if it’s poetry you seek, consider the tale of a heart taken from the chest of a fallen king only to journey for seven centuries before finally reaching its intended resting place. Legends are most amazing when they’re true, as this story is.
You see, today’s a big anniversary in my family; although none of us have ever really thought about it much. March 27th was a great day for my 27th great-grandfather. Yes, that’s a long time ago, over 700 years to be exact. On this date in 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King Robert I of Scotland.
This legendary figure came to international attention after the movie Braveheart was released in 1995. For as much as I love that film, the story is more fiction than fact. That’s good news for those upset at the thought of Robert the Bruce’s dastardly betrayal of William Wallace at Falkirk. In real history, no such treason ever took place. The Bruce was, however, a brutal warrior.
Like William Wallace, Robert’s rival was the powerful King Edward I “Longshanks” of England. Robert became king only a few months after Wallace was executed by Longshanks in 1305 (the movie actually watered that scene down. Seriously…). For the new Scottish king, the fight for Scottish independence would last years longer. Longshanks arrested and imprisoned Robert’s wife, daughter, and sisters. His brother Nigel was captured and executed in the same manner as Wallace. Read more »
You Can Do It!
Image by Bo47 via Flickr
Time to get your inspiration on gang. But I’m not the one dishing this time. More on that in a minute.
Big week for me as my mid-July deadline approaches. I need to have my book proposal and sample chapters completed this weekend and don’t plan on missing the mark.
Something about our universe makes the midway point in a process challenging. People say that nothing worth anything is easy. You’ve experienced the grind before. My question for you today is how do you get through that midpoint and down the stretch?
We call Wednesday “Hump Day” because that’s the crest to get over before it’s all downhill. Life seems to climb slowly until suddenly we seem to be speeding towards the finish. Are you in the middle of a project or book or process or even relationship? Raising kids gets pretty tough somewhere in the middle when little darlings become angst-ridden teens.
What motivates you to push through?
For the past couple weeks I fought through the grind of this book I’m writing. I went through a burst of creation before hitting a brick wall of writer’s blocks. I spun pens, flipped coins, stretched rubber bands and paper clips, and even did the ultimate in procrastination–cleaning. I drove to Starbucks and tried about 50 other tricks to spark my brain back into action. The hump loomed large until finally I reached the crest and could’ve peed on my keyboard from sheer joy. Um, maybe that’s what sheer joy means to me. Shut up! Ahem. Just kidding. Did I mention this process also makes me loopy? Read more »
Summer 2011 Repost Yourself!
Time for one of the biggest days of the year here at eduClaytion, and it’s all about you! I’ve been excited for this day for months now. Today kicks off the Summer 2011 Repost Yourself!
Every year since today I host a chance at midyear to bring back a favorite post of yours that maybe went under the radar or just something you want more people to see. We did this at the end of last year with great results, and I hope to triple the responses from then.
What post from the past 6 months would you like more people to see? Here’s your chance to meet some new folks while introducing them to one of your favorite creations.
Here are the simple rules:
- In the comments section put the link to a post that you especially liked and want more people to see.
- The post must be from January-June 2011.
- You can only pick one!
- If you don’t have a site of your own please leave a link to a post that you especially liked from the past year.
- Share the love. Read other posts in the comments section and let them know.
I hope to meet some new people through this so tweet this baby up and tell your blogging buds to stop by and show off their best work! Humans only. Spammers will be sacrificed to the Akismet gods, and bots will get a magnet to their face.
Okay friends, give me what you got!
Life. Culture. Education.
Life as Pop Culture Professor Clay Morgan
In The Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo he can take the blue pill and go on believing whatever he wants to believe. Or he can take the red pill to stay in Wonderland and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
This is a red pill type site that provides information in an entertaining way. It’s about clear thinking and good writing. It’s about finding meaning amidst the absurd. It’s about humor and truth.
I’m a writer / speaker who teaches history and political courses at a couple of local colleges. Where is local, you say? Well, that would be Wonderland of course.
On topics ranging from pop culture to the meaning of life, my brain’s always poppin’. Take the red pill and unplug.
