One of the problems faced by would-be writers in the markets that this sites' members enjoy is a basic bulls%!t tenet espoused at 'writers' festivals' and conventions.

The worst offender was offered at the Sydney International Writers' Festival in Australia.

'Anyone with access to a keyboard and the internet is a writer'. Considering how many hacks were charging a lot of $$ per head for so-called 'masterclasses' I can understand why this snake-oil was being purveyed. But...

Uhhhh, no.

Facebook proves this wrong. As does twitter.  As does most blogging.  Despite so many people refering to themselves as 'writers' when for the most part, they blog, or 'post'.

before anyone gets too angry, how much of their writing have you purchased as opposed to Moore, Miller, Lee, Moench,Gerber, etcetera?  Writers whom were paid a goodly-amount per page for their craft?

A writer's circle is a grand idea, but not if it starts out as or degenerates to 'TEDtalks' stuff, which is very much what you asked for in your opening-post: a writers-circle, not a 'circle-jerk'.

but when it comes to anything that can score a marketable artist for a potentially-marketable writer, on almost every site, it's 'circle-jerk' vs 'writers' circle.

comics/graphic novels/illustrated-books writers need to accept that a single sentence they compose for a single page that takes them 5-10 minutes can take a proper illustrator (vs Allred) 2-6 hours of physical labour, designing that image by hand.

and deal structures need to reflect that, since rent must be paid, and if a page takes over 6 hours to pencil, and over 6 hours to ink, not even taking into account colouring, anyone unwilling to offer at least $90 for that page of art to happen is an A$$W--K.

And so unrealistic that they'll have no future in the Writer's Game anyway.

Since I doubt very much, if any would-be writer has a day-job in IT or Engineering, they themseves would spend over a month working for less than $0.60 on the dollar of minimum wage to make someone-else's dream 'happen'.

See, that's what aspiring writers are asking artists to do.  10 years ago they wanted 'collaboration for 50% of net profits.

any artist smart enough to draw what you need isn't dumb enough to fall for THAT malarky, when Swamp Thing got cancelled.  While scoring higher sales than most indie-comics.  meaning no 'net profits' to justify spending over 8 hours (or more) on every page of art required to make a 'competitive' comic be ready for the printers.

before anyone expresses a problem with this, think about Roquefort Raider and what he goes through to continue publishing.

is he a writer who asks someone else to draw for him at less pay than a 16 year old would get from KFC?  

NO?

why is that?

do you think he would take time from his own publishing concerns to earn less than a 16 year old would get from KFC to illustrate the work of other people?

no?

why is that?

Amen to that!

"The Mongol Army charged through the mountain pass, driving their defeated enemy before them..."

That took me 10 seconds to type.

Only the gods know how long it would take me to draw convincingly.

LovesGilKane, sounds like an epic page you drew! any chance you can post it?

Thanks for the compliments, but you're giving me far too much credit.

Had no idea you were "somebody" and that you were choosing to remain anonymous. Hadn't read any of the posts to which you refer. I wish I could spend more time here, but life beckons me to other pursuits every once in a while.

As for the highlighted section, judging by the tone, I'm not sure if you meant "bastion" or another similarly spelled word, because apparently I insulted you by asking you to share some of your artwork. Several posters have done that and continue to do so, and it's always fun to see their work. I only was thinking that you might consider doing the same.

And I am definitely not someone "whom" [sic] would insult anyone with the description you ascribe to yourself, primarily because it would be disrespectful, but also because I have worked with intellectually challenged students in my classroom and on stage over the years and because I have a member of my family who lived a long and happy life despite her intellectual challenges. 

I hope you continue to enjoy my posts.

BTW, Prince, as you chose to broach the subject, very important to all writers from all walks of life, 'I have worked with intellectually challenged students in my classroom and on stage over the years - - -'


do you consider yourself to be purely 'neuro-normal'? Meaning someone who cannot be 'on  spectrum'?

as this is an issue in education these days, and you opened the barn door on education.

which in turn is very pertinent to potential writers for comics and related genre material in any writers circle.

WINK.

well, lightheartedness and passive-aggression can dove-tail beautifully and lyrically in the right hands, so I salute your lyrical nature.

meanwhile, you used the word ’somebody’ [in comics]. imo, there are very few people who qualify as ’somebody’, versus thousands of us who were/are ‘grunts’. some people considered me a ’somebody’; i do not. bigwigs called me a somebody but even in comics, smoke gets blown up your behind to make deadlines.

the way you used that word above and the manner in which you’re addressing this indicates that there’ll not be anything i post that pleases you, nor you having any pro-comic publication acumen that would behove me to ’play along’ with you in the way you wish to guide this conversation.

If you were Len Wein, that’d be different. If you acted like Len, that’d be different. But you’re more akin to a more erudite Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons here. And at least CBG was/is a retailer, albeit fictional.

Are you someone who’s paid pencillers more than $150 per page? if not, your sense of entitlement here, re the 'gotcha' stuff', is unwarranted.

Are you a Frazetta Woman over 45 years of age? No? Entitlement goes bye-bye.

Are you a top shelf retailer running a shop in a location where a freelancer/creator would like to visit on a signing junket, or conduct a seminar? No? Wave g’bye to entitlement.

the sense of entitlement expressed by ‘i ask you to share a panel but i’m actually engaged in some “gotcha” message-board debunking’.

Frazetta Women, retailers, and people paying over $150 per page for pencils DO enjoy that entitlement.

so the shoe’s on the other foot, Hal. May *I* have verification that you are a middle-aged Frazetta Woman, a retailer, or a person paying over $150 per page for pencils?

because, if not, Comic Book Guy is more entitled to make ‘polite challenges’ as you did above than you are.

as for anything equating or relating to ‘bastard’, i leave that to fans of genealogy and/or Aussies, whom colloquially use the word in the same way Californians use the word ‘dude’.

So, it’s not that I missed ‘the joke’…

it’s that i’d reserve the laughter for a middle-aged Frazetta Woman, a retailer, or a person paying over $150 per page for pencils. *wink*

which anyone from 'Planet Earth' would know, all too well. 

return-volley joke.

I've been dabbling in screenplay writing lately with two features currently in the works.