Offthebookshelf.com
David Stoddard
Hi there. David here. I am The Unmotivated Motivational Writer.
Yes, that's me in the picture. Some folks think it's a caricature. But really, I am somewhat animated at times. Sure, maybe I don't have the EZ chair or a laptop of my own, but I have an Alphasmart and a chair that rocks (wobbles forward and back).
Anyway, what can I tell you about myself that won't have you running out to the kitchen searching for overly-caffeinated coffee just to make it through this page?
I'm an introverted, indecisive Gemini, who loves procrastination, thinking about thinking about getting things done, and having Weird Al Yankovic as my rolling model.
While Al and myself look nothing alike, I like to feel we have things in common. We both have a rather off the wall sense of humor that we share. (just wish he would let me borrow it more often).
He has way more hair than I do. He has millions of fans and he can play the accordion. Ummm. ok, so we don't have that much in common as I previously thought. But back to the about me stuff.
As for where the Unmotivated Motivational Writer came along? Like so many other things, it just happened. There was no plan, no idea, nothing appeared to me in a dream or while I was rearranging the letters in my alphabet soup.
The title itself seemed to fit perfectly. It connected my unmotivatedness beautifully with my ability to write fairly okie dokie. And maybe this helps prove the old saying - If you truly want to learn something, stand up in the basement as if you are giving a presentation and bore the living daylights out of your collection of stuffed animals and imaginary friends with your never-ending ramblings about a given topic until you start understanding just what you are talking about.
You get the point.
After a few years of doing that on my own, the stuffed animals moved away and I was left with the seemingly necessary need to search for an audience.
Hey! Build a web site (said all of the experts in the world on online stuff). Like the voice in Field of Dreams said, if you build it, they will come bringing fried rice and a pizza. I'm still waiting for the pizza. So I did.
And after a few years, djstoddard.com evolved into a page where I could reinvent it every few weeks (ala Madonna). Funny thing is, despite the reinventions, nothing really changed. The focus, the glamor, the photogs hounding me for secret pictures of me out of the EZchair and in a fast food restaurant never changed.
So I decided to come here and funny things up a bit. Get away from the whole serious motivational, self-improvement, guidance, teaching, preaching, yelling (can you do that while typing) and trying to inspire folks to get off their butts and do something.
I found out that it's pretty tough for a guy who is seen always sitting on his butt to tell others to get off theirs. Something about that just doesn't work. So now this is why the rambling portion with silly bits and pieces of stuff are tossed out there in ebooks, postings, the occasional video and greeting cards comes in.
And yes, it's still motivational and self-improvementy. It's just in a completely semi-different style and image ya may not be used to. Hopefully enjoyable, useful and provides the necessary restroom reading material you may have wished for during the current century.
So thank you for your time (for those who have made it to the end of this about me thingy, that shows dedication or a need of a hobby). And thanks also for sharing this moment with me.
--David
All Books By This Author:
- 200 Writing Prompts
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The cliché about not knowing what to write about is as old as the hills. Yet the question still comes up at conferences, online chats and the occasional random phone call one happens to receive in the middle of the night.
So, one night, (I mean morning after receiving such a call), I decided to just type out a quick list of things one could write about. They are not so much as to be something which will be published in anything more than one’s own journal or blot, but just something to write about.
Some of the following prompts may not make sense at first read (or 27th read on occasion). But go with it. See what comes to mind. Remember, this is just to get you writing, to start something, to push past things in your mind. What you write here may never see the light of day, but it could be the start to something. (After all, it’s said Seinfeld was a show about nothing).
- Genres: General, Hobby & Craft, Language
- The Unmotivated Collection
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This ebook is a collection of 3 previously written ebooks from my past life where helping folks get off their tails and into doing something (that didn’t necessarily involve them getting off their tails) was of vital importance. (and yes, I understand the term previously written was unnecessary). The three ebooks are “In Search of Ourselves,” “The Time For Me Is Now” and “A Time For Us” They were years in the making. Ok, “In Search Of Ourselves” was done in a week, but still, years later it still makes sense.
“In Search Of Ourselves” is based on our usual thoughts that we know what we don’t want, but may not quite be able to announce to the world around us who we are or what we do want.
“A Time For Us” somewhat branched off from In Search Of in that it carried the idea of finding out what we wanted to a new level in somewhat workbook form.
“The Time For Me Is Now” is/was a collection of previous columns from 2001-2004ish. It didn’t really have an over-riding theme other than they were a collection of letters, which formed words, with the stretched into sentences and then paragraphs. I was as shocked as you that mose of them went on so well. But I guess something like that is bound to happen.
This collection is not nearly as hysterical as this overview has been. It was written with a different frame of mind and goals in mind. So that’s why it’s being offered out here once again in hopes of those who print it out can provide necessary materials for birds who are in cages have their own understood place to leave their droppings when required.
- Genres: Essays, General, Motivation, Self-Improvement
