Monday, July 6, 2009

Don't forget to follow your writing passion, too

We can all get wrapped up in our latest deadline assignments. I've been spending a lot of time producing weekly content packages for two clients lately. The pay isn't bad, by content standards, at least. But it is time-consuming work.

And sometimes, if I'm not careful, I'll lose track of time. And I won't leave enough of it to pursue my real writing passion: comics.

I started writing for the comic-book business about two years ago. I have some credits to my name. I've even managed to make the tiniest bit of money in this business. (That's no easy feat. There aren't many people who make ANY money writing for comics.)

Today I set aside a large chunk of time to work on a synopsis of a young-adult graphic novel I've been working on. An overseas publisher is interested in publishing the story. The publisher just needed me to create a two-page synopsis of the story, beginning, middle and end.

It would have been easy to have let this slip through the cracks today. I have two content packages due, one tomorrow, one Wednesday. I also have an edit to complete on a story I wrote for the Washington Post, and a short story due for a newspaper chain in the Midwest. These are all deadline stories, with real, live, often impatient editors behind them.

But the young-adult graphic novel? That's my passion. It's why I write, to create stories that I'd love to read. I hope that's what I'm doing with this one.

Yes, there's no money in it now. But there could be, if the publisher likes my synopsis.

So don't forget to write the things you want to write once in a while. It's a great way to refresh your creative energies.

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