Hi, my name is far too hard to pronounce so I'm writing under the pen name Kai Faydale. I have a degree in creative writing from PLU and lost track of the number of comics I have read after it went over 600. I just started here on drunk duck but I'm very serious about my comic. I turned in a few favors and took care of my dieing grandmother so I can stay in a cabin in the middle of Alaska for the summer. With no distractions (or anything for miles around) I plan on working solely on my writing. I say writing because I have a degree in English and only recently started to teach my self to draw for my comic. Its not horrible but there defendantly is a learning curve. Eventually once I have made more of a name for myself I hope to find an artist or two to collaborate with. I already have one project on the back burner scripted out for thirty pages or so with a broader overall outline and extensive world building. I also have a few others more roughly sketched out but I realize that it will probably be some time before I get an artist who wants to work on them. My long term goal is to be able to make some income off of my comics and lower my overhead to the point that I can do this full time. I think I will be able to manage it. After all I lived in a tiny room in china with no heat and 2 bucks a day for food. Ive also done similar in America although admittedly the food does cost a bit more. The point being if I can make $1000 a month then I plan to give the internet as many comics as I can make.

Kind of a lofty goal, dude, few of us can support ourselves on comics, but don't stop believing. I'm told there is a way to hook up with artists around here, but I've never done it.

In any case, sounds like you will, if nothing else, bring a new element to this lot and that's a good thing.

Glad to see you Kai

I realize it will not be an easy road to take. only the top percent of comics creators can make a living at it. but the vast majority of comics out there are written as hobbies by kids with out any professional training. Not to knock them for it or anything but it would be thought of as silly if anyone in their shoes tried to publish a novel. compared to breaking into the literary world making a successful web comic is much easier. so when i sat down and decided whether i wanted to use my degree to write a novel or start a comic i actually choose the less lofty goal. i guess what I'm trying to say is that i went to school to make a living off of my writing, and while it wont be easy it is what i was trained to do. its not a intimidate goal though. My goal for the next year is simply to see if it is freezable or not. after decide if it is just a hobby or whether i want to try and do it full time eventually.

Where do you get that comics are easier than novels? I mean, writing a novel is a pain, I'll give you that, but if you're good you'll get published and paid.

I grant that with comics you get more feedback but the better craft is still the novel.

What I see in industry is that it is easiest to get something in print when that something is hard to make. Comic books are harder than novels but you're not doing those.

having a novel even a good one is no guarantee it will be published. even for something as low risk for the publisher as a short story will get rejected at twenty places when one accepts and 99% of the stuff that crosses an editor's desk gets rejected. there is simply a lot more people who write then the publishing company will publish. with a webcomic you can get your work out there even if not many people read it. yes drawing takes time, but i will spend just as much time on setting in a story if not more counting the numerous revisions. one of the best writers i know and my mentor usually takes three years of revisions and rejections to get even a short story published. webcomics don't get the benefit of an editor but they are also not relying on the whims of one to get published. I've done both and while novels have a greater potential then comics they are harder to make and even if you do write one that is no guarantee it will be published.

Yeah, the first draft of my novel was a flop and I decided to cut it into two books after that, but I'd be surprised if there are as many successful comic people as there are authors.

Its hard to get anything in the black these days.

i agree that there are a lot more successful authors out there then successful comic creators, but i think that has a lot to do with the amount of people trying for the slots. recently there have been a lot of untrained amateurs trying to make comics but if we just compare trained comic creators vs trained writers there will be a lot more writers. it makes since then that there are less successful comic creators since there are less eligible people trying. they don't teach it in most schools after all.

Yeah, but do you know any Steven Kings in comic book world?

There is a few famous comic book writers who are rich ya but the webcomic world hasn't really existed for that long yet give it another ten years and ask me again.

I'd still hammer on the novels. If you ever start making big money you'll wind up dealing with a publisher and that means an agent to broker the deal. agents generally are willing to push anything the can make money off of or so I hear.