Learning my medium by doing

I’m not a writer.

I can write. I’ve been paid to write. But I know writers. Real writers. Sit down and type for hours because they have to writers, agonizing over every word writers, write or go crazy writers… And I’m not one of them.

Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a story to tell.

For years, I’ve compiled ideas, half-scripts, story arc notions, and other odds and ends, knowing that one day, writer or not, I’d need to tell a story. I’ve managed to find a way to work as a storyteller for a living, helping to cultivate stories as a comic book editor, and it’s a dream come true. I help writers and artists with stories everyday, and I think I’m pretty good at it. But, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the other side of things. It’s easy to see what’s wrong with a story when you haven’t spent hours writing or drawing it. It’s easy to pick things apart from outside. (Well, easier, at least.) So, in an effort to become a better editor and scratch that faint but nagging itch that I need to tell some sort of story, I’ve decided to write something. I’ve learned so much about comics and storytelling in my time as an editor, my hope is I can learn even more by trying my hand at another part of the process.

Thankfully, totally rad ink slinger Andrew MacLean and colorist extraordinaire Ryan Hill have agreed to lend their immense talents to my meager efforts in this learning exercise. And I think it’s gonna be a pretty fun exercise to witness… which is exactly the plan.

At some point this year, you’ll be able to go online and read a comic that we’ve put together. Short stories mostly, but we’ll be trying a handful of different things in the hopes of learning handfuls more. Ideally, you’ll all like it. But, hopefully, feedback will be offered about what works, what doesn’t, what was cool, and what was stretching too far. And, through that process, I hope my exercise in writing can help me become a better editor.

And, regardless of the writing, this project will show off the skills of MacLean and Hill, which will be fun to see no matter what type of script this schlub puts together!

So, this is your invitation to join in on the process. To help me, through trying my hand at writing, grow and improve as an editor. Should be a wild ride!

See ya in the funny pages!

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