The Fun of Writing and How it Began

Unlike many of you on LITEROTICA, I have been writing for some 45 years.

Now, I am sure that many of you are thinking that I was some kind of child prodigy and some of you are likely thinking I was some kind of child pervert.

Ha-Ha.

I have always been a reader. I could read, more or less, by the time I entered kindergarten. I knew what a lot of things were and by Grade Two, I was in line to accelerate a grade. Part of me wishes that I had, many of my classmates did. But had I done so, I would have missed one of my two favorite teachers of all time and positive experiences that I carry with me to this day.

My teacher, who was also our Mayor's daughter, saw something that few of my teachers noticed until some years later. I was bored. I wasn't working with the other kids or paying attention because I knew so much of the stuff already. When I wasn't with my friends, I was reading. All the time, reading. I was also the type of kid that wasn't going to learn something I didn't care about - and I am still like that. The most successful of my teachers knew something the others didn't -bribe me. Make it interesting and worth my while.

So my Third Grade teacher, she of the compassion and intellect, figured out a way to get me involved. Do my work, pay attention - and there was something in it for me. Something I might want and that might motivate me to be a bit better.

More books. If I got my work done, I could read on my own. Boy, that did the trick. Not only did I begin to improve, I read more and more and ... well, you all get the idea.

I doubt that there are many writers out there who are not voracious readers. I certainly am.

What did I read, you may well ask? Books, when in school and as a side occupation. Otherwise, it was comic books. Those wonderful worlds of picture fantasy, where illustration and clever word-smithing stood side by side.

Anything with Superman. I loved the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice League. Otherwise, it was whatever I could find. Marvel Comics came slowly and when I discovered the brilliance that was Stan and Jack (or Stan and Steve / John or "Big" John) I found new worlds to enjoy. Worlds with guys like Roy, Jim or Neal.

I barely read anything but DC or Marvel, preferring DC for most of my life. Very little Gold Key (aside from an occasional Magnus, Robot Fighter with Russ Manning's art) and almost no Archies or Harveys (kid's / girl stuff). My uncle Stuart had piles at my grandmother's, many with the covers off. I found where he got them, a quarter for a bag and almost always had a quarter on hand thereafter.

Once I was in the fourth grade, it was time for me to become a writer. I had a blue, lined notebook and I filled it with comic book adventures. I mixed Marvel and DC characters and added a few of my own. My friends were always bugging me to let them read them and I actually created my own comics for an audience, my friend David Whitney and his brothers. I began creating continuity, a name for the company and the stories got more involved. Some were my own swipes of larger stories, yet some were my own creations altogether.

In the seventh grade, a very sympathetic and much-missed art teacher let me mimeo my own Superman comics almost weekly. Some kids thought I was a geek but many of my teachers thought I had a spark. They were right. By then, I was a full-on author and bent on becoming a comics professional. My favorite teacher was always encouraging.

A few months later, I would meet a man who would change my life. Harry Kremer owned the local comics shop, although it wasn't quite what it would become in the dusty past of 1972. We would become friends over the years and I would learn the history of the medium, find books I had long sought out and most of all, become a collector. Harry and I enjoyed a solid friendship until his too-early death in 2002.

What I also got from Harry was the discovery of the professional side. Harry knew a lot of comics professionals, including one Dave Sim. I met most of them over time, pried information out of them and was more determined than ever I'd be a write and walk among them. Little did I know ...

The Guidance counselors at high school were, to coin a phrase, out of touch. I had an aptitude for performing, radio work and writing. I was told that there was no future in any of those, so I ended high school with no ambition but to make a living. I didn't further my education because I believed there was no point. Instead, I slaved away in almost any occupation that paid and hated almost every job I had. No understating this fact - I hated my working life.

Over time, I did continue writing, mostly for my own amusement. Looking back, I can see that I had a talent, albei9t one that needed honing. I kept writing for years, knowing I'd never be a professional, yet enjoying the process. I also drew, although I was never going to be Neal or John or even Don.

As life hammered away at me, my self-confidence dropped. I found myself loathing a lot of my life and drifted into despair. It was not until 2003 and after Harry's death that I knew something had to change. I was on the road to ruination, to use another hoary cliché. I was losing my home, many of my friends and the future was dim. I fought back.

I won a settlement from a discriminating employer, used that to shore myself up and then, I moved up again. I got a new apartment, made a steady lifestyle possible and then, I started writing again. Here for LITEROTICA, although not initially. I wrote somewhere else and through a contact, discovered LIT. I moved here, wrote my first piece and it went over very well. I wrote more and more until my current employer contacted me and asked me to write for them. I have done so ever since.

Those "few" stories have turned into over 1600 in about 8 years. Yes, that is a lot of writing and boy, would I like to tell the nay-sayers of years back, those counselors and whoever, to go and fuck themselves. What did any of them know about writing and the world yet to come? Many of them weren't even competent enough to teach. I'd love to go back in time and overhaul the entire freaking system. How much talent did we lose due to idiots such as these?

Some might put me down for wanting to write for the masses, but why not write what you love? Erotica is fun and so are comics.

Comics are now big business, although the medium is so changed. The biggest movies in the past few years have been about comics or comics-related. On television right now, there are no less than 5 comic book series and if one counts "The Big Bang Theory" for all its comic-related trivia, that makes 6.

Erotica is slowly moving into the mainstream. Anne Rice has written several erotic novels, some predating "Lestat", but all quite kinky. "Fifty Shades of Grey" started as fan-fiction and will now be a major motion picture. As it has a huge fan following, it will likely be a smash hot.

In summation, I offer this to all my writing colleagues and those yet to start - believe in the chance of becoming an author. I did and I'm proof you can do it. Let's see how many terrific talents await us in the next year! Best of luck.

BrettJ

January 1, 2015