Quote Me: To Write is to Take Chances, says J. Michael Straczynski

"To write is to take chances. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don't, because the measure of success is in the eyes of the reader. And a subjective opinion is always right for that reader, always true for that person."

J. Michael Straczynski (7/10/04), writer, The Amazing Spider-Man, Babylon 5 etc. etc. etc.

Quote Me: On Going Freelance by Luc Belanger

"The first couple of years you don't make enough to pay the bills. The next couple of years you barely make enough to cover the bills. And then a couple of years after that you make enough to pay the bills. :-)

"I think a lot of people go work for a company and then jump into freelance. From what I've heard it makes the transition easier. Although if you have a lot of support (financial...) and are ready to tackle the market head-on then you might want to go for it.

"The first thing you need (after a portfolio obviously) is a list of people to send submissions to. I would suggest you get a copy of "Artists and Graphic Designers Market" by Writer's Digest Books. [Note this covers the US market].

"You should also get a hold of "The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines". This is a great reference source for pricing and what to expect in each industry.

Luc Belanger (Advice posted to the egroup, small_press_comics: used here with his kind permission)
Luc's Home Page: http://www.gingerillustration.com/comics.htm

Quote Me on Writing Comics: Mike Collins

"On writing, I always put pen to lined paper first and always. The computer always comes last.

"I find when I write straight into the machine it results in ridiculous levels of verbosity, but if it's all written long hand it hurts to waffle on and on.... I also find working longhand, I'm less precious about scrubbing out what I've just written...

"It always looks so finished on screen, so untouchable, which it shouldn't be.

"When I started out (and although everyone's forgotten, I was more a writer than an artist in them there distant early days) Steve Moore gave me the best bit of advice ever -- write out your script and then cross out pretty much every second word. Hone the text to the minimum.

"The artist should be able to make the pictures dazzle and tell the story. On the odd Doctor Who's I've written, I've given myself scope to do some insane dramatic no-BBC-budget-could-afford- this visuals.

"Too often as artists, we get scripts from writers who though fine and talented don't think in pictures. That's why writer/artists at their finest make the best comics... Gibbons, Miller, Eisner... all storytellers who make the medium all it can be."

Quote Me on Writing Comics: Dave Gibbons

Dave Gibbons

Artist on The Watchmen, writer and artist on The Originals
"I got involved because I loved comics ever since I could read; in fact, they may have been the reason that I wanted to read! I started by doing fanzine work, then lettering, then drawing and, lately, writing.

"I don't think comics are a thing you go into to make money. Some people do okay, a very few do very well and many don't break even. "...As for small press, I guess that depends on the difference between expenses and receipts. I was happy to draw my early fanzine stuff just for the thrill of seeing it in print..."