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John’s Thanksgiving

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6 johns thanksgivingby Mike O’Mary

In honor of Thanksgiving, and in honor of the publication of MFA in a Box by my friend, John Rember, today’s post is a (mostly) true story called “John’s Thanksgiving.”

John’s Thanksgiving

My best friend, John, will probably be mad at me for telling this story. But it’s such a great Thanksgiving story, I can’t resist.

This happened many years ago, during John’s first year of college. He had gone East from Idaho in order to attend a prestigious university. And now that his first school vacation—the Thanksgiving holiday—was at hand, he had decided to remain out East rather than travel back to Idaho to be with his family. He had some friends at school, but most of them had gone home for the holidays.

So come Thanksgiving Day, John woke up in a deserted dormitory building. That in itself would be enough to depress many people. Waking up alone on Thanksgiving Day. But he got up, got dressed and was doing fine. Until he called home to talk to his family members… Continue reading John’s Thanksgiving →

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Sometimes Less is More

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by Mike O’Mary

I recently worked with a freelancer who really knew his stuff. In fact, he knew way more about the subject matter than I did, which was great. Except for one thing: he didn’t know when to shut up.

That probably sounds harsh. Let me explain. I was extremely busy at the time, which is why I needed help from a freelancer in the first place. So I just needed to get some things done. But every time I talked to the freelancer, I got not just the update that I needed, but also the full back story about all the different options he had considered, the research he had done, the sources he had consulted, similar jobs he had done for other clients, alternative approaches, etc., etc. Which wasn’t a BAD thing. It was more like it was too much of a good thing.

Normally I’d be glad to hear a freelancer’s suggestions. To a point, anyway. But not this time. I just needed to get some things done. I’m a very patient person, but I found myself interrupting the freelancer to say things like “That’s great, but I don’t need to know all of that,” and “Maybe we can do that next time…for now, let’s just focus on getting this done.”

Then came this exchange:

Me: “We’ve made good progress. I’m meeting with the executive team on Monday. I’ll go over it with them then.”

Freelancer: “I can come to that meeting if you want.”

In my head I was thinking, “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you babble in front of our executives. I’ll look like an idiot for letting you attend the meeting.” Instead I said, “Thanks, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”

In the end, the project was a success, and I may use the person again. But I will do so with the knowledge that I will have to manage my contact with the freelancer and never, ever let him have contact with anybody else at the company.

What’s the lesson from all of this? Maybe it’s that I’m a jerk of a client. But it hasn’t been that long since I was a freelancer, and I can remember how tricky it is to feel your way with a new client. You want to make your client look good. You want to be proactive and make suggestions that add value for the client and prove your worth. You may even want to get in on the meetings with senior executives where you could add even more value. But first, you have to read your primary contact and make him or her happy. Sometimes that means focusing in on the task at hand, picking up on verbal and nonverbal cues, and getting the job done. It may not feel like you’re adding value – especially when you have ten great ideas that are all better than the task or approach you were assigned. But perception is reality, and sometimes from the client’s perspective, doing exactly what you are asked to do and helping your client meet a deadline IS the best way to add value. And sometimes that’s a tough pill to swallow – and maybe the hardest part of freelancing. It’s the part I liked least…the fact that I was often called in toward the end of the project to help with execution after all of the strategic decisions had been made. I had some great ideas! I just had to learn to save them for the right client and the right situation.

I realize this post may sound cynical and unappreciative. That’s not my intention. I’m just trying to point out that one of the most challenging things about being a freelancer is figuring out exactly what it is that your client needs and how to deliver that without undershooting or overshooting the mark.

I’d be interested in hearing other perspectives on this topic. What’s worked for you as a freelancer when it comes to scoping out your client’s needs? What advice do you have for people on the client side of the equation?

Mike O’Mary is Founding Dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher and online retailer.

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Take Good Care of the Furniture

iStock_000010484365XSmallby Mike O’Mary

Last week, I attended a discussion of Chicago literature at the historic Cliff Dwellers Club in downtown Chicago. Given the spectacular view of Michigan Avenue, Grant Park and the Museum Campus, it seemed an appropriate venue for a discussion of Chicago writers. But I’m not sure many of the authors discussed would recognize the Chicago of today – which is interesting because one of the criteria for being a “Chicago” writer (or a writer of any “place”) is writing that reflects a sense of place. (What if you are a writer of place and that place changes? Does your writing become homeless? Maybe that’s why we need a museum for it.)

The panelists were authors Bayo Ojikutu and James Finn Garner, plus book critic Donna Seaman. The discussion was moderated by Donald Evans, and proceeds went to the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, which has its inaugural induction ceremony on November 20. By the way, if you are in the Chicago area, you can still get tickets to the November 20 event by clicking HERE. Six Chicago writers are being inducted into the Hall of Fame: Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lorraine Hansberry, Studs Terkel, and Richard Wright. Attendees will include family members of the inductees, plus emcee Rick Kogan and authors Stuart Dybek, Audrey Niffenegger, and Sara Paretsky.

I find the discussion of “place” in writing fascinating. What makes someone a writer of a particular place…being from that place, writing about that place, using the place as a backdrop, writing about people and characters that evoke the place? There are no clear criteria, but the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame seems to be going for more than just being from a place (hence no Ernest Hemingway), and I can’t argue with that.

I regard my friend John Rember as a Writer of Place of the highest order. He has shown that writing “place” (in his case, the place is the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho) doesn’t mean simply writing about or of a place, but from a place. The place gives you perspective, and from there you can write not only about that place, but about the entire world.

John devotes a whole chapter to “Writing Place” in his book MFA in a Box. Here are two gems of rules for writers when it comes to “Writing Place”:
1. Recognize that if you lived in Eden, you wouldn’t write a word. That guy with the flaming sword is your friend.
2. Over time, your writing will become the place you live. Take good care of the furniture. Especially your chair.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer at Dream of Things, a book publisher and online retailer.

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Hooked on a Feeling

SG Front Coverby Mike O’Mary
(imaginary soundtrack by B.J. Thomas)

Dream of Things just published its first anthology of creative nonfiction, and a very cool thing is happening. The people who contributed to the book are all thinking of ways to help spread the word.

That may not sound like a big deal. But it is. Most anthologies pay contributors a flat fee for a story. Dream of Things is the only publisher that pays royalties to authors who contribute to anthologies. Consequently, it feels more like the contributors and the publisher are in this together. And everybody is working to help spread the word about the book.

The book is Saying Goodbye, and it helps a lot that it’s a very good book. It’s about saying goodbye to the people, places and things in our lives, and although there are some sad stories in the book, it is a surprisingly uplifting book. One reviewer said, “If you have ever had to deal with loss, read this book. It will make you feel better.”

Having a good book and sharing the royalties isn’t rocket science, but it definitely makes for good chemistry. It feels like we’re all in this together, and it feels good to be working with more than 30 people (authors, editors and others) to spread the word about a very good book. It’s the kind of feeling that encourages a publisher to publish more books by more writers, and I hope it’s the kind of feeling that will keep more authors writing.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, and publisher of Saying Goodbye, MFA in a Box by John Rember, and Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera

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Breaking the Ice at Work

shutterstock_18847486by Mike O’Mary

Next week, I’m going to help host a lunch for new employees. These things are always a little awkward for everybody involved, and for some reason, my mind keeps going back to 1961 when I was the new guy…

When I was five years old, my family moved to a new neighborhood. One of the first things I did was to explore by taking a walk around the block with my little brother.

When we were half way around the block, two kids called to us from down the street. I sent my little brother back to the house, and if I had had any brains, I would have gone home, too. But males acquire two traits at a very early age: the ability to sense danger from approaching strangers, and the macho impulse that keeps us from running away. So I sent my brother home and waited with my five-year-old arms folded in defiance as the two kids approached.

The first thing they wanted to know was my name. I told them, but apparently they didn’t like the sound of it because the next thing I knew, one of them had me in a headlock. He was also making further inquiries about my background. Things like, “Where you from?” and “What’re you doing here?” I didn’t answer because I had already seen enough John Wayne movies to know that a straight answer to a straight question is a sign of weakness.

I forget how the fight wound down, but I eventually got home for dinner. And the two guys who attacked me eventually became two of my closest friends. Now, years later, I can’t help but note the similarity between greeting a new kid in the neighborhood at age five and greeting a new person at the office today. The only difference seems to be that somewhere along the way, we lose the need to hold the new person in a headlock while inquiring about his or her past. But I’m thinking a headlock might be just the thing to break the ice with new employees next week. I’ll let you know how things go.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including Cubicle Stories: Life in the Modern Workplace.