Bill Nichols’ Prescription:
Comics 10ccs of the Process with
Bobby Nash

What inspires you to create and keeps you going?

 

The only thing I can think of is love. I certainly don’t do it for the money. I love creating characters and telling stories. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, long before I understood that such a thing could be considered a job. As long as the characters keep talking to me, I keep working. Thankfully, my characters are quite chatty. I suspect they inherited that quality from me. Ha! Ha!

 

I’m also quite stubborn and tenacious. I hate to not finish what I start. I want to see where this creative ride goes next. There’s always another adventure over the next hill.

 

Do you have a set routine?

 

Yes. Sort of. I write daily, but I don’t have specific start and stop times. A lot of my schedule revolves around caring for my dad so it’s a flexible schedule. That said, I spend a few hours in the writing office every day. In addition to writing, my routine involves answering mail, setting up conventions, podcasts, interview, events, etc., writing press releases, updating my websites and social media, marketing, PR, art, and other assorted admin duties that I do around writing.

 

What kind of output do you try to achieve?

 

Not a firm number of words, but my average is between 2-3,000 words each day. With prose, I concentrate on word count. With comics, audio scripts, and screenplays, it’s more about the number of pages than number of words. I have a spreadsheet of open projects and their deadlines. I adjust my daily schedule and output to make sure I can meet those deadlines. I always work on multiple projects at one time so that plays into the schedule as well. I like to bounce around.

 

What inspires you WHEN you create? Music? Noise? Silence?

 

Inspiration comes from everywhere. When I’m writing, there’s music playing. I generally listen to one of the satellite radio channels. Nothing heavy or talkative as it eventually fades into background noise. I find classic rock is good. I also bounce between the Elvia and Tom Petty channels too. It’s soothing music. I prefer a little music to silence. No TV though. I cannot concentrate on writing if the TV is on. Too distracting.

 

Who was the first comic book creator that influenced you to pursue this?

 

Good question. The first 4 comic books I ever owned were written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by Keith Pollard. I guess we can blame them for piquing my interest in comics. The first creators I really glommed onto and started following their work from book to book were John Byrne and George Perez. They set a high standard for how I wanted to tell stories. I learned a lot from George Perez. Not just in creating comics, but I watched him at cons, studied how he interacted with fans, things like that. He taught me a lot and was kind enough to answer my questions in those early days, before I was published. He was the best. I miss him a lot.

 

When did you realize you could follow this path yourself?

 

We moved when I was twelve. Up to that point, comics were a diversion that I suspect I would have drifted away from, but the first group of friends I made at the new school were writers and artists who were creating their own comic books. Not only did it jumpstart my interest in creating comics of my own instead of the fan fic I had been doing, but they also introduced me to comics, characters, and creators I had never heard of before then. X-Men, Thor, New Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Daredevil, and the like. My comic knowledge blossomed. The urge to write and draw comics never really left, though I eventually focused on the writing side as my artistic storytelling never quite reached a professional enough level. Today, I doodle and sketch, but that dream still flickers in me from time to time.

 

What do you find to be a challenge in creating?

 

Time. Time is always the enemy. There’s never enough of it for me to do all the things I want to do. With comics, I tend to do those as work-for-hire mainly because I don’t have the funds to pay artists what they’re worth to draw comics for me. I’ve teamed up with artists to create comics together. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. So, yeah. Time and money. I think all creatives understand that one.

 

What else do you have to learn?

 

Oh, lots and lots, I’m sure. I still learn new tricks and tips all the time. I experiment when I can, try new styles, new storytelling approaches, things like that. I talk with other writers and artists, discover what they find works or doesn’t work, try new things that they suggest. I’m always picking up new skills. Plus, the greatest lessons learned happen when I screw stuff up. I doubt I’ll stop doing that anytime soon.

 

What keeps you motivated to get better?

 

I want to do the best job I can. I want to tell stories that readers enjoy. I know that sounds like a clichéd answer, but it’s true. Hearing from readers that they enjoyed something I wrote makes me feel fantastic. That makes me want to do it again and again. I also want to become a go to guy for publishers. Telling good stories, meeting deadlines, and being easy to work with all help. I’m always working on those aspects of myself while trying to find new stories to tell. The next story motivates me to keep moving forward.

 

Can you turn your brain (creativity) off (and on)?

 

I wish. I would probably sleep better if I could do that. My brain likes to fire off creative bursts at odd times. I am often out and about when something hits and I pull out my phone and email myself a note, a scene, sometimes full chapters because that creative burst hit while I’m grocery shopping or on the road (not when I’m driving though) or as soon as I go to bed.

 

Booster Shots

 

What advice do you have for aspiring creators?

 

Have fun with it. Enjoy the creative process. That’s the first step. After that, decide what you want from your work. Do you want to publish your own comics? Is your goal to do work-for-hire at larger publishers? Are you only wanting to do webcomics? Is creating comics a hobby or do you want it to be a career? All of these are valid options, but how you achieve them is different. If creating comics (or books, music, etc.) as a career is your goal, then set attainable goals for yourself that help you reach that ultimate goal. Planning helps. I learned that the hard way. I got sidetracked for a few years and getting back on track was not an easy process for me.

 

Even today, I have goals. Success is a sliding scale. For every goal I meet, I add more. It keeps me moving forward.

 

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

 

Not at all. Even if the ideas stopped coming today, I have enough notes and whatnot in my existing idea file that I could write them for the rest of my life and still not get to all of them. I’m not sure where the ideas come from, but I’m glad they keep coming. I hope they never stop.

 

How do you handle the slow times?

 

I enjoy a nap. Ha! Ha! In all seriousness, during the slow times, I work on personal projects. Passion projects. These have no deadlines, but I can work on them while reaching out to find other work. For me, as long as I keep moving forward, I’m good. My bank account might not be happy, but the creative part of me is content because I’m still creating.

 

How do you feel about the industry?

 

I love the comic industry. I love the publishing industry as a whole. We do seem to be in an almost constant state of flux though. The industry is quite different in some respects than when I first got into it as a creator. In other ways, it hasn’t changed at all. It’s a tough business, but I love it so that keeps me pushing that comic book boulder up that publishing hill. There are a lot of existing characters I would love to write and characters I want to create.

 

Do you have a website or link to promote your work?

 

I do. www.bobbynash.com is the hub for all of my work (comics, novels, audio, film, acting, art, and events). There are links to pretty much everything too. www.ben-books.com is my indie press, BEN Books. I am also on various social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, BlueSky, Pinterest, Patreon, LinkedIn!, and I’m sure I’ll add others eventually. I also have a monthly newsletter called Nash News. Links to all that is at www.bobbynash.com

 

Thanks, Bill. This was fun.

Bobby

 

 

Here’s my bio in case you need it.

 

Bobby Nash Author Bio:

Bobby Nash is an award-winning author, artist, and occasional actor. He writes novels, comic books & graphic novels, novellas, short stories, audio scripts, screenplays, and more. Bobby is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, International Thriller Writers, and Southeastern Writers Association. From time to time, he appears in movies and TV shows, usually standing behind your favorite actor. Sometimes they let him speak. Scary, we know. For more information, please visit Bobby at www.bobbynash.com, www.ben-books.com, and across social media.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed by the above creator are theirs. This interview may not 

be reprinted or reposted without permission.