Finding Your Story

Dear Webcomics.com,

How does one discover his or her story? In listening to interviews with some of my favorite creators, I often hear the artist say that he found success by  just finally putting everything together that he wanted to draw, or write about, and stopped trying to please an audience. Mike Mignola ["Hellboy"] comes to mind, as does Jeff Smith ["Bone"]; both these guys developed ideas that they loved, despite the current 'hot thing.' But how does one find that concept? How does one discover the story he or she really wants to tell? I find that answering this question is really hard (I'm assuming it's hard for a lot people since there is so much derivative work out there).

This is a difficult question to address because the answer is going to come somewhat differently for each person. However, I think part of the answer is right here:

He found success by just finally putting everything together that he wanted to ... write about, and stopped trying to please an audience.

I often caution people against trying to manufacture success.

Log in to read the entire post.