Hello, and good morning you too. How are you doing good? How
about you? Arrow? We're wonderful. Wow, that is absolutely fantastic.
You're doing something with these diaries. Now let me ask. I'm just gonna
be because I am a daily writer and I've been a daily writer since July
of two thousand, July of nineteen ninety four. There we go, and
so a lot of people that I try to help understand why you journal write,
they stand back, going, I could never release it, I could
never do anything. Is this a physical journal? Is it a diary?
Or is it a storyline for Dark Diary? Yes? Yes, it is
based on the life of Nikki, my daughter's here. Yeah, it's such
technically, but a lot of the stories and things are inspired by real life
events that she experienced. See that's what I love about it, because you
know, a lot of people like to hide with their writing, when in
fact, I mean you're showing people that, Look, there's still a lot
of fun things that you can put out there and share it because we have
our own personal experiences. We can all go through the same thing, but
we're not wearing the same shoes. And that's what's fun about writing, is
that is that you're able to share the experience. Very very true, very
true. I totally agree. The illustrations are kind of funny because we're all
doodlers. And I love the way I mean, I realize these are beautiful
pictures of people, especially one of the smartphone conversations and things, but I
love the way that you make it look so authentic. Oh, thank you,
thank you so much. This is nicky here. Well, Nikki,
what's the concept of of having the illustrations and things like that. Is it
just to entertain the reader or is it something that you were feeling at the
time. It's a little bit of both. I'm thinking about what the reader
would like to see and what would be the most entertaining in that moment.
And I'm also chaling channeling my own feelings and experiences to make the artwork more
authentic. And what's funny about this? And I giggle like a child only
because I live it. I love the size of sometimes the spelling, like
when you're going to stop, stop stop, I mean, I mean,
you're not following the rules of spelling correctly. You're putting it in there exactly
the way you feel it in that moment. Yeah, correct, And I
would add too, that the inspiration for Dark Diaries was that NICKI has been
journaling, probably since she was old enough to actually write. I started out
buying her like just a little spiral notebooks you see in the grocery stores.
She would inevitably sell it up to just a few days, and to this
day when she comes into work, I've built a studio in my home and
she comes in every day and works in her art studio. She spends the
first half an hour to an hour of the morning journaling and writing in a
diary, even even now, so it's totally authentic just to her. Well,
let's let's talk about that from one from one journal writer to another one.
Because I'm twenty nine years into this journey and the question is what am
I going to do with all of these books when my time on earth is
over? I'm to ask you what's going to happen to all of that writing.
That's a really good question. Arrow Well. First of all, I
keep all my diaries and journals where I can see them. Some are in
places in the basement, and I want to bring them out, dust them
off, and keep them right where they are. And then as long as
the legacy of dork garis continues within the family. I'd probably like to test
them down to my family members and inspire them to continue writing and journaling everything
in their lives. I swear we came from the same mold because my writing,
all of my books are inside the studio because there's still energy in the
pages where the ink is, and so you're right, I have to see
the and I don't hide my journals. They're out in the open. Yeah.
Yeah, same here. Well, Mike, I have one in my
office. It's kind of like a plannery where I planned my day and journal
in it too, and I fill it out with lots of colorful fun stickers.
And then there are also some in in my bedroom as well, so
it's both public and then also a little private, depending on how I feel
about the entry. Why dork Diaries, because you know, dork is kind
of one of those words. And the reason why I bring that up is
because there have been many times and I've said, what a dork. Quick
quit being a dork, dude, Just ah, come on, change it,
Yes, exactly, And that's what my daughter was going through. Her
dad is like six four or so, and so she inherited his height so
what do you five? Kay, She's five ten, probably even closer to
five eleven, and she was always the tallest child in her class from kindergarten
on up, you know, through even high school. So she was teased
for that. Kids you know called her skinny mini you know, off kind,
and she was bullied and made to feel awkward to due to the fact
that she was, you know, taller, the tallest kid, taller than
the boys even in most cases. So that was something she said she had
to deal with, especially through elementary school and middle school. And by the
time she got to high school, all the you know kids were you know,
getting growing into their full height, so it wasn't quite as bad then,
but that's something she had to deal with. And when I decided to
write a book, I wanted it to be something inspiring, and I thought
if I could kind of capture some of the anguish that Nicki and even her
sister, to a certain esent, we're going through growing up and put that
out in the world and add a little humor and show that there's hope and
that their kids just need to hang in there and things will get better,
and that there's other kids out there that they can be friends with that are
kind is, that will value them and you know, be of friends for
them. So that was my goal with Dirk Diaries was to capture, you
know, some of the experiences that NICKI was having, put it out there
with humor, and then have it be an inspiration to kids. And I
think it works. We're like at fifty five million copies and forty six countries
and forty two languages, so Georg Dowry has gone all the way around the
world and kids they're reading it all over the world. I truly understand why
by inspiring kids to write, That's always been one of my arguments with teachers.
It's like, I understand you're sharing, you know, the ideas on
why they should read and why they should read this and read this, But
if they don't learn how to put a pen or a pencil in their hand
and write their own stories, they're missing out on the greatest part of the
journey. I totally agree. I totally agree with you. So now,
Nikki, just between us two here, because we're journaling, does your mom
journal I mean, is your mom journaling too? And do you get to
read her stuff? No? Probably not as much as me. I'm a
real journal had I do it pretty much daily. Yes, I don't.
I'm so busy, you know, you know, the books, you know
whatever. But so yeah, Nick, nikki diary is enough for me and
herself definitely, you know. And that's why I've chose the whole diary format
because both her and her sister, you know, love journaling. But like
the Nikki does it to this day, so Nikki backs well. Writing in
a diary is basically my daughter, Nikki writing in a diary. And if
I could quickly add, I've really gotten into the Q and A a day.
Yes, I'm journaling dingy where you answer one question a day and it
asks you each year for about five years and you see how your answers shame.
I've gotten into that lately and I do it almost daily. It's a
lot of fun. I love doing that as well. And I call that
defragging because we defrag a computer, why can't we defrag our mind, body
and soul as well? But you're absolutely right, ask the questions and questioning
the answers. You're so spot on on that. And then my favorite when
I do fit out and you know, try to take time. My favorite
journaling is gratitude journalist. I like even if it's just a little list of
five things or ten things that I'm totally grateful for. So that's that would
be my favorite format. And it's a little bit faster too. The fun
part about dork Diary is this particular journey. It says, tales from a
not so posh Paris adventure. The fact that you that you were writing while
you were out and about. I mean, that's what journal writers do.
It's almost like we are making the map for future readers to say, this
is where we were, this is what I experienced. It didn't go so
perfect, but I'm going to share it with you anyway. M H.
Totally correct, definitely. But to be that open and honest, I mean,
I mean we all like taking trips, like for instance, like if
I go on a camping trip, I've got all my journals with me and
I'll sit there next to the campfire writing away. And that's what I feel
when when you're you're in Paris inside this book, it's like, oh my
god, she's doing exactly what I do as well as as a journal keeper.
Yes, and then you capture the good, the best, the ugly,
the wonderful, the humorous, just any and everything you know that moves
you. You can record it. Are you using a writing instrument in any
or are you are you typing it all out? So I do the good
old fashioned tin and paper. There's just something so cathartic about it. That's
my favorite. Although sometimes I wonder what it's like to do it on the
computer because with pen and paper you sometimes make mistakes and have to sketch stuff
out, But with the computer it's easy to delete and start afresh. So
I think considering computer lately, well, Julia Cameron from The Artist Way says,
that's when the perfectionist is going to step in, and the things that
you wanted to say, you're just going to keep e racing and going back
and you're never gonna get done with your three pages that day. Oh well,
maybe I should just stick the pen and paper. Then, but you
have books. She actually writes the books. It's feels more authentic that way
for me. Do you have a favorite kind of journal? Be because I
mean I I am one of those people. I have one of those gigantic
art books. That's the paper I like because my left hand has got to
be cuddled up to the texture of that page while I'm writing. Does paper
is it important to you as well? Yes? So one of my favorite
things to do is go to stores where they have journals, just leave you
all of them and admire the covers and the pape format. All of that
matters to me as well. I like getting journals that look really, really
nice on the cover. The cover looks so nice and the pages have just
enough lines for me to write as much as I need to because I write
a lot, and I also like to skip lines that way. There follow
the entry. The last theory that was it oversized? Wasn't it kind of
large? Yeah? One that came in Yeah, yes, oh yes,
it was so beautiful. I'm like Nikki, I so I her diary.
Hope Prompts decided it too. The prompt gave me topics write about it,
which was good, and it was so beautiful. I want what. I
ended up buying the exact same thing, and they are. They were oversized
and they reminded me of art books. But it was like a textured leather
cover or it was just gorgeous and beautiful just to look at. Do you
ever have those moments when you go into the store, and and when when
you're purchasing the journal, it's it's like they sit there and they make a
comment, and inside your mind you go, you have no idea, what's
about ready to grow inside these pages? Yeah, a lot of thought goes
into what you put into your journal. So yes, yeah, are you
expecting people to reach out to you and and and talk about their own journals?
Order how can I get started? Because this seems to be such an
interaction type of book. Actually, we have two books that are set up
to encourage kids to start keeping their own eyes diary. Our fourth book is
How to Dork Your Diary, and it's a story about Nikki losing her diary
and having to start over, and when she's starting over, she explains the
process to kids. And then that book, I think the last fifty pages
are blank for kids to start their own diary. And then we made a
daily journal and that like book seven and it's OMG all about Me Diary,
And that book is an annual calendar. In each day there's a journal entry,
there's a quote kind of the Q and a where there's either a topic
that you discussed or there's a question to ask, and there's stree hundred and
sixty five of those in there. But each journal also has three sections,
so you can come back the following year and answer the questions again, and
then answer the third year, and then when you look back you can see,
you know, how you've grown, it's the same, or what's changed
and what's not. So we have two books that are Door Diary's branded books
that encourage kids to keep diaries and to journal and all of that, so
that is not only loving the series, they can immerse themselves in the whole
diary process as well. How how old are you, Nikki? Because and
the reason why is because we've all endured a lot in the past ten to
twenty years. And it's like, I mean, as journal writers, we
document history. And when you talk about going back three years and things like
that, we can learn a lot from how we grew through the storms that
were around us that we had no control over, but yet as writers we
still documented it. Yes, so I am thirty eight years young, and
I've seen a lot and I've heard a lot, and it's great to have
a place to share all my feelings and observations in a diary. Yeah,
because I mean I was writing what during nine to eleven and to go back
there and to read it and to relive it, My god, I mean,
I don't understand how it didn't affect me even more than what it did,
because in my present place at sixty one, the emotion that was put
into the page, yes, oh yes, yeah, there are very emotive
entries as I look back and everything I went for you as well, it
truly is, and you relive it all as you read it? Do?
You write in third person? And the reason why I bring that up is
because when you're sitting here is Brandon and Nikki, don't you dare just sit
there alone? Come and join us? I mean, all of a sudden,
it's like, Okay, that's your own little world that you've created,
and it's like to me that I love it when you can take it to
another level. So I write in first person, just like Niki does,
and it just helps me to rehash everything from my perspective. What about you,
Aero? Well, I what There are times, because I keep so
many different journals, there are times where it's just me writing, Like like
when I defrag, it's it's me asking the question and then questioning the answers.
But then there are times that because I take it and I put them
into podcasts, I think about that listener while I'm writing because I don't want
it to be all about what I'm doing and so so therefore that so I
take it to that kind of a level. M Okay, very cool.
Now. One of my favorite parts is where you're a little bit angry with
with Mackenzie as a journal writer. Did you ever did you ever, in
your own writing way put a curse on somebody? Because I'm guilty of that,
Matt way, I'm coming through radio, I put a curse on people,
and it's like, don't do that. So I admit, when I'm
really really upset, sometimes I do what Nikki does. I can criticize myself,
and looking back, I realized I needed to vent and be honest.
I was just really really disapproving of myself in that moment. So it also
hurts to put yourself down, and you need to be in the root of
also building yourself up, because you need yourself to pull yourself out of that
valley in that slump. Some of the times when I write in my diary,
I feel very upset, and the very best way to get out of
feeling upset is to think positive. It's not always easy, but it does
help. Well do you do you use what I call hidden speak In other
words, even though you do have that negative vibration, even for you,
Rachel, is that you use the power of positive thinking to create a sentence
to kind of refuel your thought process and get it on that positive way of
thinking. So in other words, you you basically you know you you hiddn't
speak it. In other words, you don't speak it out the way it
really is. You kind of just rewrite it because winning is a choice exactly.
And then I think, I there're a lot of feedback. Nicky Maxwell
a lot of times will say something and it will be the truth, it
will be how she feels. But she ends it with, but I just
said it inside my head, so nobody heard It'll tell Mackenzie, Mackenzie,
will you please be quiet. I'm tired of you putting people down. I'm
tired of you be selfish. Just be quiet and just you know, quit
harassing people. And that's what she will write in her diary. But then
she said, but I just said that in my head and nobody else heard
it except me. So that's how she's able to vent. Sometimes she'll say
exactly what she's thinking, but she would never say it out. Well,
she's not quite that. I totally agree with that. And then what is
it The experts say that we should just write it out and then just throw
it away. I don't. I don't have the courage to throw it away.
I want to. I'm going to hold onto it a different head,
jo, so hold it in your congratulations on Dork Diaries Tales from a not
so posh Paris Adventure. I please come back to this show anytime in the
future. The door is always going to be open for you. Well,
thank you, Errol Andoy speaking with you, it's the same here. You'd
be brilliant today. Okay, thank you. We'll try the same to you
then. Great day.