Brill Building
Ian Brill is very lucky. He gets to write stories for the comic books.
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The thing to keep in mind as a writer is that no one knows anything. There is no magic formula in this business. Abuse, failure, rejection, humiliation and, ultimately, self-loathing is part of the game. No matter how much research, soul-searching, and expert opinion goes in, ultimately, every series is a shot in the dark. There are no guarantees. The best thing is to be a pigheaded, egotistical bastard and shut the world out. Write to please yourself. The hell with the others. In the end, you (and your mom) are the only critic that really matters. As Mrs. Blankenship once said: “This is a business of sadists and masochists, and you know which one you are.
-Andre and Maria Jacquemetton, writers and producers for MAD MEN, speaking about taking a “media pulse” of the show every now and again.
I make it a point not to read reviews of my work or read message board threads that discuss my work. I felt differently before but I learned that, regardless if a reader’s reaction to my work is positive or negative, it does me no good to see someone else process work that I have processed in such a different way. A conversation is a different thing, that is often a worthy endeavor (and responding to reviews is not a conversation and is often the WORST thing a writer can do).
Reading people’s discussions of my work sprang from a simple desire. Everyone wants to be appreciated. I was looking for a reward for what is often very lonely work. I’m not going to tell you my mind still doesn’t race when I see a review. I’m not going to tell you it’s not a battle to resist clicking on just one link where strangers are discussing you (and your work). But it’s futile, I know, and because of what the Jacquemetton’s wrote above. I write for myself, and I have had since the start. It’s the only outlook I can truly know and can be sure of pleasing. This is different than making sure my writing is clear so that all readers can follow it. This is also different than being a good collaborator that listens to and respects what everyone is accomplishing. No one sentiment repudiates the other. All three co-exist harmoniously, as is my personal aim on everyone project I work on.
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