Indy Comics Writer

The sad truth about writing for the comics industry is this: Unless you’re a hotshot, famous writer, you probably can’t earn enough money to make a living. If you’re a novice, like I am, you’d be lucky to make enough money to treat yourself to McDonald’s once a week.

Because of this, I spend the majority of my writing time working on non-fiction stories for newspapers, magazines, trade publications and Web sites. Much of this is boring; I write for trade magazines that focus on topics such as erosion control, water treatment and real estate, after all.

But sometimes you hit upon a story that’s actually fun and actually pays well. In that vein, I am working now on a story for Phoenix Magazine about people who hunt Bigfoot, UFOs, ghosts and other mysterious creatures. It’s a fun story to write. And I’m talking to some people who are truly committed to what they’re doing, and you have to appreciate that, whether you believe in ghosts and UFOs or not.

It’s important to find stories like this. For one thing, they force you to be creative while writing nonfiction. That can be a challenge. As a writer trained in journalism school, it’s often hard for me to break free of the “just the facts” style of writing. Writing about a man who claims Bigfoot once chased him back to his truck three decades ago, though, begs for a more colorful, fun type of writing.

Don’t get down, then, just because you can’t always write for your favorite medium. If I had my choice, I’d spend my entire day writing comics. But I have a family to keep feed and sheltered. I try to remember that every story I write, no matter how boring the topic might seem, represents a chance to practice and, hopefully, improve upon my writing.

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