My So-Called Writing Life

The story so far

This year marked the release of my first major comic book title. When Artifacts #33 hit the shelves a feeling came over me that was hard to describe. To paint you a picture as closely as possible, I'll tell you that I was excited, scared, and five-years-old. What I mean by the whole age thing is that I felt the same rush at the comic book store that I did as a youngster. I wasn't just a fan of the magic, I was part of it. It's the equivalent of Harry Potter fans reading about Hogwarts and then stepping off the train for their first class of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

But one thing kept coming up right before and after the book's release. Many people I know assumed that I wasn't going to be working as hard as I had been before the comic was released. In fact a few people have been throwing the word "famous" around. While I appreciate anyone who calls me famous (seriously it makes me feel like a giddy teenage girl) I don't think it applies in the slightest. Besides, that's not really what I'm going for when it comes to my writing career.

I see the publication of my first big issue at Top Cow as a step in the right direction. The first of many stone pillars I hope to climb in the next few years. And I don't think that I've made any big splash in the pond to start waving around flags, shooting flares, or chucking lightning bolts about. If anything I see it as the new bar that I have to continuously reach towards and now surpass. Which isn't easy, considering I'm hard on myself when it comes to writing.

Meanwhile, at the hall of scribbling

To achieve all of my writing goals I've had to come up with a schedule that's pretty brutal. Considering I'm working, going to school full time, and trying to make a comics career, there isn't a lot of room for screwing around. I feel bad when I have to turn down some trips to the bar, but when I'm there I just have creator's guilt anyway. I find myself wishing I was back at home working instead of overpaying for a glass of scotch.

So here's what I've been doing, and if it helps any other aspiring writers that's fantastic. If not, maybe it'll just be interesting to someone who wants to read more about comic book and fiction writers.

1. I write daily

This seems like the thing that everyone remembers from Stephen King's On Writing, but it's a solid piece of advice. Not only does it keep me sharp, it gives me a creative product at the end of the day. Right now I'm working on a novel that I dedicate at least 500 words to every afternoon (unless I have a short story due) and pair that with writing a minimum of five comic book pages and editing at least one script or short story before bed.

Treating writing like my own 9-5 job helps in ways you can't imagine. I remember hearing Jim Lee say on Kevin Smith's "Fat Man on Batman" podcast that he treated his drawing like a full-time job, even when no one had hired him. Whether you enjoy Jim Lee's art or not, that's a philosophy that separates people who can dream and people who can build there dreams into reality.

2. Process versus Product

I have a class right now that's almost completely full of shit in terms of how it romanticizes writing and "the process." Don't get me wrong, the instructor is a delight and I've learned a great deal of things about consulting and tutoring someone in writing. But the thing about the class that pisses me off is that it supports those kids who sit around "world building" for five years.

What do I mean by the "world building" kids? Well, first of all, "kids" is a blanket term. I use it way too much in life, but I figured I'd just explain that now instead of backspacing and writing this post like someone I'm not. Second, the "world builders" are the people who are studying writing or want to be writers but never produce anything. They're in love with the idea of being a writer and being admired for it, but they never finish any stories or put them out for exposure in the real world.

Referring to my writing as a product doesn't make it corporate or cheap. It gives me a finished labor of love that I can rework, reshape, and put out for the world to enjoy. Without a product there's no point in writing. So if someone tells you that you should never call your writing a "product" and that it's a "process," remind them that all of that person's favorite writers turned in a finished product when their manuscripts went to print.

Having a product of your writing at the end of the week will do wonders for you, even if it's just a rough draft.

3. Going out is a reward

This is the part that turns a lot of people off. I was talking to a girl in my major and she asked me about my writing/work/exercise schedule. When I told her she laughed and asked if I had anytime for a social life. The truth is, no matter how much I love those incredible times I spent with my friends after high school, part of me wishes I had worked harder.

My friends are incredible. I consider them family and I spend as much time as I can with them. But I also want to improve my craft and work towards writing as a living. That means putting in the time to get as good as I can at it, then putting in more time to be even better than that level.

No matter how hard I work, I always take time to spend with my friends. Even if it's just one night a week. They're my inspiration and my collective for talking about books, movies, TV, music, and all other forms of literature. 

That's all folks

I wish it were some big, complicated system that I could sell and make a million dollars from. But it's not. It's just these three simple things that I've crafted around my busy schedule. So if you're looking for inspiration, take it from a guy who is his own harshest critic -- feel free to beat yourself and work hard, but make sure to at least reward yourself. You should always be striving to go farther in your creative endeavors, always reaching for a new goal, but not at the cost of sleeping or eating.

Welcome to the Strange

There are times when I'm able to step back and realize something about myself as a reader and watcher of media. Ever since I was little I've loved stories that were bonkers. What do I mean by that? I've always loved things that went into the realm of the strange and got a little bit creepy. I think that Alien might be the first example. That film really moved me when I was little. It also got me into a ton of trouble when I drew a picture of the chestburster in my second grade classroom (and later the Predator ripping out someone's spine). I never had a cap on what I could watch when I was little, and I think that really gave me a head start in terms of enjoying film, TV, and literature.

Now that I'm older I keep gravitating toward those stories that have a bit of science fiction, a bit of mystery, and just a touch of horror. Grant Morrison's Animal Man, Doom Patrol, and now The Invisibles have really inspired me to explore the strange in my own comics and writing. There's only so many times that you can write one person fighting another, but creating situations where people fight ideas and face the horrors of reality is just as fun to write, if not more.

The last thing I want to do is copy anyone's style. That's not my aim. I don't want to be the next anyone except myself. My goal is to just tell the kinds of stories that I enjoy and share them with readers. If that means telling stories set in situations similar to the work that Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, or even Morrison have done, so be it. I just think it's interesting that I never noticed how big of a part these writers have played on my subconscious and how it's affected the way I approach a story.

I've always outlined a story completely and moved from point A to point B in my own mad scientist kind of way. But now I'm thinking more about how I can make the comics medium work to the best of its ability on the page, doing things other media can't, while remembering that writers like Gaiman, Ellis, and Morrison are there to show me that there is no set way of doing things. You have to carve your own path in anything that you do in life, and I've woken up today with a big hammer and chisel.

And after reading that last sentence I want to assure everyone that it's not a morning wood joke.

Most people say write what you know. And that's true to a point. But I think it should be amended a little. The way it should be said is "write what you love." Because you could know a lot about a subject and no one else would want to read it. When you write about something you love the passion comes through on the page and it resonates with everyone that reads it. Not everyone will love it, some might hate it, but it'll be the purest form of what you put on the page.

That goes for any and all creative endeavors that you set sail on in the ocean of imagination.

I hope that this inspires someone the way that those writers and countless other artists have inspired me to share my musings with the world. Because in the end that's all we're really doing. We're sitting around the celestial campfire and sharing stories on a global scale.