In the past I’d usually answer with the second option. Even though I’m pretty much a nobody when it comes to the world of comic books (or fiction writing in general) I’d still find excuses not to write on a daily basis. I think I’ve always realized that the only way to make yourself a successful writer is to, y’know… write stuff. Even if it isn’t anything particularly great, at least you’re practicing your craft. And if you have the opportunity to showcase that work, even if it’s rejected, you’re still getting (hopefully) valuable feedback that you can use to improve.
But as I said, I’d still find excuses to put it off.
But that is not the case now. I am now officially in the “working hard” camp. It’s not that I’m doing anything all that groundbreaking either. I’m just actively pursuing my goals now. I think in the not-so-recent past I was always looking for something to distract me from what I wanted. But I’ve recently discovered that that’s no way to live your life. If I want something I have to go for it and I have to be relentless in my pursuit.
I’ve made some small progress towards my goal of writing comics over the years. I’ve been published, I’ve established relationships with proven creators, I’ve worked hand-in-hand with upcoming talent with goals similar to mine. I haven’t broken through the glass ceiling yet, but I’m chipping away at it. I think I was content for a long time with rapping gently on the glass with my knuckles in the hopes that somebody would be a pal and offer to let me in. But now I know I have to throw myself at the ceiling as hard as I can. I have to sacrifice my body to break the glass. It hurts throwing everything you have into something that has no guarantee of working out the way you’d like it to. It hurts like hell. I’ve experienced my fair share of disappointments while I struggle to make my mark on the comics industry.
But this year will be a banner year for me. I’m slated to be published three times this year. I’m sure some of you (if anybody reads this) are thinking that’s not very impressive. And you could very well be right about that, but the simple fact is that I’ve never been published more than once in any calendar year. So it is a big deal to me, and I think that’s the whole point. I’m making progress a little bit at a time and I’m starting to see the results. My goal is to progress a little more each year until I’m finally able to do what I’ve always wanted. I want to write for a living, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to accomplish that goal.
