So I Published a Comic…Now What?!

As of today, I’m a published author.

Well, self-published.

It’s tempting for me to discredit this accomplishment for that reason. No one had to “approve” my comic, nor did I sign a professional book deal. Hell, I doubt my sad niche semi-autobiographical comic would impress any publishers if I did submit it to them. But it’s out there. The first installment of the series that’s been in the works for over ten years has been published.

And you know what? I fucking deserve to feel good about it.

If you’ve been following my blog for literally any amount of time, you’ll know that I’ve been on an uphill battle with severe ADHD my entire life. If I’m forced to complete something that takes multiple days to finish, you better believe it’s not getting done. And an entire comic book, one that I needed to write, edit, and illustrate myself, would take weeks, months even.

But I did it. Be it due to divine intervention, Adderall, or my fiancee’s knack for drawing backgrounds so I don’t have to (ew), I did it.

It’s okay to celebrate these victories, especially when that victory is a reflection of your personal growth and ability to overcome a disability that’s stifled your creativity your entire life. Still, looking ahead is scary. I have ten years worth of story and character development built up in my head, and as my beloved characters age with me, there will only be more. Writing this first issue felt like scrubbing a chalkboard with a toothbrush. I finished one, but now there’s an entire highway built out of chalkboard screaming for me to clean it, while cars in the form of ADHD and my other mental illnesses swerve to deter me from continuing. 

But maybe the problem is with the way I’m viewing the prospect of writing more issues. It’s not this daunting task but something I do because, well, I love it. I created these characters with care and watched them grow, and I want to share them and their stories with the world. I don’t want to make a full-time job out of cartooning, simply because I never want it to feel like a job.

Creating something you love is a journey without a destination. And trust me, if I can take that first step, ADHD be damned, so can you.

View and buy the new comic here!