Siendo uno de los textos de comics más pasados por alto—pero esenciales dentro del medio—es el realizado por el prolífico, polémico pero siempre relevante Alan Moore, y el cual les presentamos a continuación.
Quizás sea por el hecho de que habla menos de la teoría del comic y más sobre la profesión y todo lo que conlleva, pero para quienes aspiran a entrar o bien continúan dentro del Noveno Arte, esta es una lectura tanto cándida, muy honesta y sin lugar a dudas obligada, siendo escrita por toda una autoridad y representante definitivo en la industria.
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Alan Moore’s five tips for would-be comics writers
Publicado originalmente en la revista Comics Buyer’s Guide en el año de 1999.
Don’t.
No, really don’t.
DEFINITELY don’t—I mean it.
Whatever you might be imagining about a life of writing, it’s not like that.
OK, if you’re going to anyway, if you’re going to be a writer of any quality, you will have to commit yourself to writing—which is something that, when you’re young and idealistic, sounds incredibly easy to do, but you should commit yourself to writing almost as if you were some ancient Greek or Egyptian committing yourself to a god.
If you do right by the god, then the god may, at some point in the future, reward you. But if you slack off and don’t do right by your talent or your god, then you are heading for a world of immense and unimaginable pain. If you have a gift that you choose to pursue, then you have to pursue it seriously. Don’t be half-assed about it, but realize what that commitment means.
Committing yourself to writing will mean, to a certain extent, your writing will become the most important part of your life—and that’s a big thing to say. It can have a distancing effect upon other relationships. It can be sometimes quite a solitary life. If you’re committed to your writing, you’re going to spend most of your life indoors in a silent, empty room, concentrating on a pen and a piece of paper or their equivalent. Be prepared to take it seriously and be prepared to follow where it takes you, even if that takes you to some very strange places.
This is by no means the most glamorous profession.
Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
