July 31, 2002

Why Writers Are Scum

But I Digress...
Aug. 17, 1990

Crack out the violins. Proffer those hankies. I am now going to discuss why, by and large, writers are treated like scum. (Of course, you could argue that it's because writers are scum, but you have to get your own column to do that.)

This may actually seem like a controversial topic, but it's not. The low regard for writers is so legendary that it's the topic of the oldest joke in Hollywood, to wit: "Did you hear about the would-be starlet who was so dumb that, to land a part, she slept with the writer?"

Movies are, of course, made completely by directors. Directors regularly get the credit for clever characters, dazzling turns of story, and so on. Writers, on the other hand, are disposable, interchangeable. Don't like the way this script is shaping up? Roll in another writer.

The only place where writers are accorded any real sort of respect is the theater, but that's because they're "playwrights," a word inherently demanding respect because it's spelled weird.

The topic of writers in show business is fodder for a whole 'nother column at some future date. Let's focus on writers in comics. Just for kicks.

I was at a convention, sitting at a guest table and signing autographs and such, and a mother came by with her son. And the son was explaining the world of comics to his mom, who was nodding and beaming in approval at her child's mastery of his chosen hobby.

"That's Peter David. He's an artist."

Now I've stopped correcting people when they say this because, broadly speaking, writing is an art form. I especially didn't want to correct the kid in front of his mom. So I smiled and hoped that they would go away.

"You draw the pictures?" the mother asked, impressed.

Now I was stuck. "Actually, I'm a writer," I said.

Her face fell, her enthusiasm considerably diminished. "Oh. Well, then-- what do you do in the comics?" She could not conceive that there was any function to a comic beyond the pictures on the page.

The son jumped in to explain matters. "The artist does the story, and then the writer fills in the words."

My smile pasted on my face, I bobbed my head slightly, pulled out my revolver and shot them both.

You would have, too.

For the record, I write the plot and script. My plots run anywhere from 10 to 16 pages, containing the entire story-- everything from probable dialogue to the way characters are standing during a scene to choreography of fight scenes.

I always try to involve the artist in terms of what he or she wants to draw or enjoys drawing. Also, I'm always flexible towards additions or substitutions the artist wants to make, as long as he or she calls me and discusses it first. They don't make story changes without asking; I don't redraw their pages. I think that's fair.

The plot is not dictated by the editors, as some believe. The editor has the final say, but generally I'm allowed pretty much free rein. I develop plot lines, short- and long-term, and carry them through. I also write the dialogue, captions, and sound effects once the art pages come back. I'll even proofread, if the editors get me photocopies in time.

So it's a little more involved than the offhand explanation that the late kid offered to his late mom.

But I suppose I shouldn't have been too upset. No less an authority than the Village Voice referred to a major comic-book writer as "a typist of word balloons." When at conventions, sure, I get my share of fans, but the lion's share of attention goes to artists. It always has and always will, because comic books are a visual medium. I know this, and I'm used to it.

But still--

It's not just comics. I also write novels, and if I tell a stranger this-- on an airplane, for example-- it almost always gets the same response. The person will say, "Oh, you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," or "I know someone who's working on one and is looking for a publisher." Impressed? Very rarely.

Tell people you're an artist, they'll want you to do them a sketch of Spider-Man. Tell them you're a writer, and they'll say, "That's nice." What are they supposed to say? "Ooooh, ooooh, write me a paragraph! Bang me out a word balloon!"

It's not just outside the industry. It's within as well, extending as far as corporate policy. When artwork is returned from a comic book, the penciller gets two thirds of the pages, the inker the remaining third. This can be a valuable money-generator because of the value on the art market.

The writer? The one who created the story that the penciller drew and the inker inked? We get to sit at conventions and watch stories taken from our heads sold piecemeal at $50 and up a page. One artist once said, "Hey, if writers are upset about it, I'll remove the word balloons and give them back."

In a marvelous musical currently on Broadway, City of Angels, a writer is infuriated over unasked-for and unauthorized rewrites on his screenplay by, of all people, a secretary who "just wanted to help." I paraphrase here, but the writer's response was something like this: "Everyone wants to help once it's done. But where are all the people who want to help when you're sitting there with a clean white piece of paper, blank-- on both sides-- and you have to take 26 letters of the alphabet and combine them and recombine them endlessly to create a story that will thrill and entertain. Where are all the helpers then?"

In other words, writers don't appreciate help. The problem is, in comics it's mandatory. Superb art can elevate a poor story, and shoddy art will kill Pulitzer material. A comic book stands or falls on the artwork, not the story, and that's an irritating admission for a writer to make.

If art is poor, people will stop buying the comic book, even if the writing is good. Not always, to be sure. But readers will abandon a favored writer far faster than they will a favored artist.

But whereas writers need help, the general perception is that artists don't. After all, comics are pictures. If you can draw the pictures, what more is there? Most readers believe this. Not a few artists do, too.

This viewpoint cuts to the core of why writers are treated like scum. Writers are viewed as nothing special, because, to most people, writers do nothing special.

Follow:

A civilian (defined as a non-writer and non-artist) meets an artist. Now, most civilians know whether they can or can't draw. The chances are they can't. Chances are they've tried to draw pictures for some reason-- doodles and such-- and they know their limitations. So when they meet an artist, they know they're meeting someone who can do something that they themselves can't. That engenders respect.

A civilian meets a writer. Now, let's assume that the civilian is literate. He can read a book and write a sentence, even paragraphs. He can write serviceable letters or memos. Maybe he even keeps a diary. Well heck, he can write. Draw, no way. But write? Sure. It's easy to write. Anybody can write. If you know subject-verb-object, you can write a sentence. If you can write a lot of sentences, you can write a story. If you can write a whole lot of sentences, you can write a book. Heck, probably a better book than most of the trash that's out there on the bestseller lists now, right?

What's the reason that the civilian hasn't taken up a career in writing?

No time.

I hear this over and over again. "I have an idea I've been wanting to do." "I have a book I've always wanted to write." But they're too busy. Too busy earning a real living in a real world. "Something always comes up and I never have the time."

So a writer, by implication, is someone who has nothing better to do. Being a writer is something frivolous, something that the ordinary person could do in his or her spare time while making a genuine living. Try to explain to these people that writing is something you do because it's impossible not to, and you get blank stares.

Look at the legends built up around writers and artists. Artists starve in garrets, cut off their ears, and are rarely recognized in their own lifetimes. Romantic and tragic.

Writers get drunk. Wow.

Ironic that writers, masters of words, need better PR.

If all of the above sounds self-pitying, it's not meant to be. It's also not quite as sweeping as it sounds. Certainly there are comics writers who are respected by fans and industry, although by and large they have to fit one of two categories: either they're artists, as well, or they're from England (thereby proving that comics fans are no different than theater-goers or viewers of PBS in their adoration of all things British).

And there are artists who are superb writers, as well: writers with something different to say and a refreshing way of saying it.

And there are fans who do appreciate the contributions of writers and realize how important the story is. And, hey, sometimes artists even give me free pages: Esteban Maroto (a cover from Atlantis Chronicles), Richard Howell (from our work on Action), Todd McFarlane (the cover from Hulk #340, the Wolverine issue). None of these will ever be for sale, because I'm grateful for the thought behind the giving far more than I could ever be for the money I'd get from them.

The dichotomy really comes down to the purpose of the job. If the artist is doing his job, then he's seen. If the writer is doing his job, he's not. The writer should be the invisible man. The writer hides behind the characters, melting into the background. The writer's job is to make the characters take on lives of their own, to be real. (So yes, I disapprove of the writer putting himself into a comic book. It's self-indulgent and a disservice to the reader, in my opinion.)

I'll never forget the fan letter we got when I was writing Spec Spidey, from the kid who asked, "Dear Marvel: Does Peter David write Spider-Man's jokes, or are they ad libs?"

Writer-as-secretary. Spidey speaks, I jot down his bon-mots. Yeah, kid, they're ad libs. Writers may be second-class citizens, but still-- listening to your heroes and taking down what they say and even telling them what to do-- it's not a bad way to make a living. Sometimes you get cranky and, infantlike, kick and scream because you want more attention. But overall, it has its moments-- like when you convince readers that Spidey talks with you.

And maybe I'll learn to draw.

In the meantime, anybody want to buy a plot?

(Peter David, writer of stuff, gets meaner the longer the Mets remain out of first place.)

Posted by Peter David at July 31, 2002 12:27 AM | TrackBack | Other blogs commenting
Comments
Posted by: Laura Gjovaag at July 31, 2002 10:59 PM

I have this sudden urge to beg PAD for signed copies of his Aquaman scripts to treasure. I suppose it's because I *have* tried the writer biz that I've always respected writers every bit as much as artists. I know I can't do what PAD does, just as I know I'll never draw like George Perez or Alan Davis.

Posted by: Avi Green at August 1, 2002 12:31 AM

Well you know something, I think even I'd like to get ahold of some of Peter's Aquaman books too! Aquaman, BTW, is supposed to return to full action after JLA: The Obsidian Age.

Posted by: Ray Cornwall at August 1, 2002 01:16 AM

Personally, I would have just settled for a copy of Aquaman #2. Only book in the run I had to pay more than a buck for, but no one in the South Jersey/Philly area had a copy. (And yes, that means I got Atlantis Chronicles for, oh, 40 cents a book. South Jersey is the home of cheap comics.)

Posted by: Dapo at August 1, 2002 05:14 AM

Peter,
Don't fret about it, does who know anything about the business know that the writer is key to any comic. And yes I always believed I could write but could never get more than sentence down!

Posted by: John at August 1, 2002 09:47 AM

"My plots run anywhere from 10 to 16 pages, containing the entire story-- everything from probable dialogue to the way characters are standing during a scene to choreography of fight scenes."

Perhaps groups of these plots could be gathered together...placed in a book...and sold. Those civilians who don't buy comics because "Aren't they just picturebooks? I stopped reading those in 3rd grade." might be willing to buy "Short stories about comic book characters, written by the comic book writers." It's all marketing.

It probably wouldn't work. But I know I'd buy yours. I am mostly a fan of the written word, and have gotten hooked on your Trek novels, now I am branching out and reading other things you've written.

Posted by: MiniStan at August 1, 2002 11:42 AM

One small issue regarding returning of original art. A good artist can turn out artwork for a single monthly book, whereas I've seen good writers write 4 or 5 books a month. This being the case, I'd think an artist's work would be a bit more precious to them...

Posted by: Baerbel Haddrell at August 1, 2002 12:01 PM

Perhaps it makes you feel better when you consider that also fans have to deal with this kind of prejudice or in most cases, ignorance. Even my parents were no exceptions. Many years ago my mother was sure I would grow out of my "phase" to read comics and Star Trek books. To her, this was something for kids and in time I would find out what is really good.

Well, she changed her mind. Thanks to Star Trek I got to know interesting people all over the world, including my husband. Thanks to the Internet I even had occasional discussions with professional writers and editors. My work in the fandom keeps me mentally fit. I can see that my writing improved, especially when I look at my very first reviews I wrote more than 10 years ago.

The more I got involved in the fandom, the more my respect grew for professional writers. I learned a lot but I still have a lot to learn before I will maybe finish the SF novel stuck in my computer.

What I find frustrating is that comics and media SF are so often treated as something inferior, as something created on an assembly line which doesn`t take much skill to put together. But sometimes when I actually persuade someone with such a negative attitude towards Star Trek books to actually try such a book I can recommend, sometimes it changed attitudes.

I think your website can certainly make a valuable contribution.

Posted by: Daniel Bergey at August 1, 2002 12:08 PM

Don't feel bad. I thought your Spider-Man novelization was superb. I'm one of those people who would like to write, but don't have enough time right now, since I'm trying to get established in life, being 22. But I aspire to write on par with you someday.

Posted by: Kitty at August 1, 2002 12:34 PM

As an aside, in the Dream Country graphic novel (Neil Gaiman), the script (plus writer and artists scribblings) for one of the stories in the volume is reproduced at the back of the book. It makes very interesting reading for those of us who've always been curious about such things.

Posted by: Gary D. Robinson at August 1, 2002 12:46 PM

Dudley Moore once said to John Huston, "I've always believed that anyone who could get Elizabeth Taylor to take off an undergarment and throw it at Marlon Brando SHOULD direct." Surely, filling those blank-on-both-sides pages with words that make one want to turn those pages is no less difficult. Since you demonstrate unswerving ability in this regard, Peter, we think perhaps you SHOULD write.

Posted by: True Thomas at August 1, 2002 01:10 PM

I actually buy my books for a good story. Artwork is great, but I'll suffer a so-so artist for good writing. I particularly hate it when the industry does a bait and switch. 3 episodes in, they go for a cheaper artist, or a cheaper writer. Hang in there, and just know that the "writer" groupies are sitting at home, and dragging out your works, and giving you the ultimate compliment. A re-read, time and again. Thanks

Posted by: Paul D. Jedrzejewska-Selman at August 1, 2002 02:02 PM

'I'll never forget the fan letter we got when I was writing Spec Spidey, from the kid who asked, "Dear Marvel: Does Peter David write Spider-Man's jokes, or are they ad libs?"'

It's funny, but I just re-read that issue (and the attached letters page) a couple of days ago. After perusing that letter in bewilderment, I didn't know whether to laugh hysterical or weep...

Posted by: Jason Tippitt at August 1, 2002 02:59 PM

I know what the Bizarro World equivalent of being a comic book writer is: Designing a newspaper. Writers win Pulitzers and effect social change; the copy editor sees his work wrap fish and line bird cages, and then has to come back and create a whole new one the next day.

Of course, I daresay that most of us reading this Weblog are going to buy a Peter David-written comic no matter who's drawing it. We may be the exception, though.

Posted by: John C. Kirk at August 1, 2002 06:40 PM

Thinking of the plane situation ("write me a paragraph!"), my view is that I wouldn't ask a writer for that, because it would be too much of an imposition. I'm not quite sure how to phrase this, but I think it's a case of mass production. With a writer, I'm interested in the words, not the medium. So, if he used a particular turn of phrase, I couldn't expect him to say "Right, that's yours, I'll never use it again". Whereas with an artist, if they draw a picture of the New Warriors, that will be similar to other pictures they've done, but still sufficiently unique to have value (sentimental or monetary).

So, it's not so much a question of "who's valued more?" - writing and drawing are just different.

Posted by: Peter Badore at August 1, 2002 07:42 PM

I, for one, am dying to know if he still has that cover to Hulk #340.

Posted by: Tim Robertson at August 1, 2002 08:01 PM

Well said, even if it was over ten years ago. I wonder if Peter still thinks the same way?

Tim

Posted by: Oramdir Arco at August 1, 2002 08:09 PM

Hold on a little bit. Just 'lemme get this straight: You're asking for recognition from comic book fans fer chrissakes?! Why the blazin' fuck could you possibly want that?

"My smile pasted on my face, I bobbed my head slightly, pulled out my revolver and shot them both."

Fair enough, but you've just killed 'em for the wrong reason.

Stop crying and haul your butt back to the typewriter, will ya!

Posted by: Glenn Hauman at August 1, 2002 10:11 PM

Yes, Mr. Badore, he still has the cover to Hulk #340. It's in the hallway to his office.

Tim: I suspect that Peter may have his own reply/update on how he feels now; he may reply post-San Diego.

Posted by: Luigi Novi at August 2, 2002 02:54 AM

I would've imagined that he would've long auctioned off that Hulk cover and given the money to the CBLDF, given his feelings about Todd McFarlane.

Posted by: Brian Weibeler at August 2, 2002 08:16 AM

Ask me who writes my favorite comics, this is what you get.

Avengers: Kurt Busiek
Captain Marvel: Peter David
Exiles: ???
New X-Men: Grant Morrison
Power Company: Kurt Busiek
Thunderbolts: Fabian Nicieza
Uncanny X-Men: Chuck Austin
X-StatiX: Peter Milligan
X-treme X-Men: Chris Claremont
Young Justice: Peter David

9/10, not bad. What happens when you ask me about the artists?

Avengers: ???
Captain Marvel: Chris Cross
Exiles: ???
New X-Men: Frank Quietly
Power Company: ???
Thunderbolts: ???
Uncanny X-Men: Sean Philips
X-StatiX: Mike Alred
X-treme X-Men: Sal La-something-or-other
Young Justice: ???

Turns out to be about half.

Just some food for thought,
Brian

P.S. Please note I listed comics in alphabetical order. If I listed them in preference, YJ and CM would be at the top of the list. PAD RULES!!!!

Posted by: H.G. Almeida at August 2, 2002 04:48 PM

Hey, that was a good colum !
I almost could see you ,PAD, in a stand up comedian stage saying " what the deal with comic book fans today ?! They are like Salty peanuts, they make me want drink- And A lot"
ok, maybe you wouldn另 have sayed such a lame joke but it was a Funny collum anyway.
Make me remember the words of Homer Simpson " it叫 Funny because it叫 true". Yeah and it really IS true.
But, if i can say something to plase you is YOU ARE Peter David. If to the outsider world you are an Unknow, in the industry you are a giant !
If you come up with an ideia, outside Marvel/ Dc to an alternative comic book, there would be a ton of Artists that would like to draw it just to work with you, Me among them.
And the outside world.. Blah, Who Cares ? they talk that Writer Is Not a Career ? that Comic Book writer is even Less than that ?
What they know ?
The most of times i heard that Comic book are for children , that it isn另 a " real" reading , it came from people that don另 read anything but TV Guide, or Esoteric Stuff, of about the celebrities lives.
It叫 like those comic book readers that , when they see something they don另 like or find "ofensive" say " It should be censored , it叫 not adequated for chidren" and actually DOn冉 Have Children.
Yeah. Writers are Underrated. Maybe they will always be.At least we- modestly including myself- don另 have to deal with Actors.
Like just Dicaprio, Pitt and Cruise made movies just by themselfes and a dozen of other Actors and a director without needing a Crew of people that just "desapear" for most of people.
That叫 the common sense; Sometimes It Sucks.
And we have to be happy about it, at least be an writer is better than be a lettrist. Nobody notices his/hers
work unless he or she makes a gross mistake, and, his/hers work IS write so he/she IS a Writer too, in someways.

Posted by: David S. at April 28, 2006 10:50 PM

I can understand why Stan Lee Himself felt that this article should have been published in The New Yorker! It's suppose to be a publication for people who appreciate The Written Word, but like most mainstream publications, it's the comic strips and the illustrations surrounding the articles and stories that get more attention!

It's our curse as human beings to be more visual-oriented and less imaginative and word-conscious in this TV/Film/Video world. As you've said, the ideal team is a talented writer paired with a talented artist. The creativity wouldn't be as immediate and it wouldn't be a solitary vision, but the end result could be as challenging as The Birthing Process and just as potentially beautiful.

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