Reporter Jackie Alexander writes about one of my school visits in Gainesville for The Gainesville Sun:

Having an idea for a comic book is one thing, said illustrator and author Gene Luen Yang. Putting it on paper and making money are entirely different.

“A lot of people have great ideas,” he said, “but if you go from the idea to producing something, you’re setting yourself apart from 80 percent of them.”

I quoted myself saying that because it’s true.  While doing presentations and conventions, I’ve heard many, many pitches from aspiring cartoonists of all ages.  Some of them are great, full of imagination and heart.  But to be honest, imagination and heart are cheap.  Everybody has imagination and heart.  If you really want to impress me, put some panels down on a piece of paper.  Write some paragraphs.

And if you need some help with that, check out Tom Hart and Leela Corman’s Sequential Artist’s Workshop in Gainesville!  Get trained and start making some comics!

Full article here.