JAMES THE FOURTH

xandiland asked: I am just about to graduate from high school and my dream has always been to be a comic book writer. Any advice?

The best and biggest piece of advice I can give you is to keep writing. Learn everything you can about writing. If you’re going to college, take writing classes… There’s nothing better than getting in a room of people and workshopping what you’re putting out there. Understand that there’s a lot to learn and it takes a lot of work to get where you want to be. Never be one of those people who can’t take criticism. You need to see what’s not working in order to fix it. Write prose. Write screenplays, and write comic book scripts (probably on the side, unless you luck out and can actually take a comic writing class). Write for yourself. The best writing advice I ever got was in Scott Snyder’s workshop almost 6 years back now. Write the stories you most want to read. It seems so basic, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of writing for your audience (whether that’s your teacher, your fellow students, or your friends online), rather than writing the thing that speaks most to you. Work your butt off and become the best at writing YOUR kind of stories. And it takes time. I’ve been writing fiction and scripts consistently since I was in High School, and I still feel like I have a lot to learn. But you learn by doing, and you learn by making mistakes, and you learn by putting the work out there.

If you want to write comics in particular, embed yourself in that world. Read EVERYTHING. Even if you just mostly dig superhero stuff, go out there and pick up weird indy books that use the medium in crazy ways you never considered. If this is your passion, your ultimate goal, study it like you would study for a Ph.D. Find out what the coolest, craziest stuff is out there and read it. Read the classics. Read webcomics. Read the history of the medium. Let it all sink in. You’re not going to like everything, but that’s the point. You’ll see what you think works best for the kinds of stories you want to tell. Experiment outside of your comfort zone. It’s the best way to expand your mind and lock into what works in comics.

It can take a very long time to get noticed by the big leagues in the comic industry. If you’re determined to pursue this crazy-ass industry, you’re going to have to do something that will get you noticed. That takes time. There are a LOT of formative comics that I’ve basically scrubbed from the internet from when I was figuring this stuff out. Make friends with people who are like-minded, and who also want to get into this field. Find cool young artists at your school or online, and write weird little comics for them to draw. Try your hand at drawing, yourself, even if you’re not any good at it. Make life-long friends. These are the people who will give you a leg-up some day. Develop your skills, get awesome, and always make sure you’re doing this for you… Make sure you’re still telling YOUR stories. The kind of stories only you can tell, because you’re the only one in the universe with your precise set of interests and skills and background. Embrace that. 

It’s not easy. It takes a magical combination of luck, talent, drive, and knowing the right people at the right moment. Everyone’s path into comics is totally different. You have to blaze your own path in. It can seem impossible at times, but if you’re determined and you can build up your skills, and your voice, and your presence… It’s far from impossible to break through. 

Then one day you’ll get to write your own rambly advice about how to become a proper comic book writer, and hopefully it will be better than mine :)

my-wednesday-fix:

Uhm so a thought. The Court Of Owls has resurrection tools. And used them in this month’s issue of Talon.

…BROOSE GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER IT’S UNDER YOUR NOSE.

Damien didn’t have the electrum running through his veins while he was alive! The Talon resurrection process wouldn’t work on him :(