Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
Writing a Book
That summer, I went to a bookstore and found myself drawn to a Terry Brooks fantasy novel about elves. I curled up with this book and didn't worry about scuffing it, unlike my comics, which I stored in poly-urethane bags. I read slowly, using a piece of paper to hide everything on the page below the sentence I was reading. Finally I finished.
After that I started reading any book I could get my hands on, especially those with ridiculous titles like Wizard Cats -- I'd always loved cheesy monster and magic stories. One of my hobbies was painting goofy monsters. I had so many pictures, I began giving them away.
Finally my girlfriend said, "You are such a dork! What are you going to do with all these paintings/"
Without thinking, I said, "Maybe I'll turn them into a children's book."
For two years I compiled wacky concoctions -- wet dog hair and pickles, for example -- that would ward off monsters. I dictated the words, and my friends wrote them down. I drew the illustrations. In early 2006, editors at Random House said they were interested in my book. But they wanted more of a story.
My instant response was, "No." I didn't think of what I was doing as writing. My book agent, behind my back, told Random House, "Yes." She knew I was scared, but she hounded me relentlessly, telling me I could do it. I started to believe her.
Days later, I woke up with a novel in my head: The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless. Two siblings, Max and Minerva, set out to save their dad, a professional monster hunter. I wanted lots of illustrations, so that kids with learning disorders could follow along. I'd never typed before, but with coffee and determination I pushed through.
I used spell checker to help me, and sometimes I finished only one paragraph in a 17-hour day. When my editor threatened to abandon the book because I'd missed so many deadlines, I panicked and sent him everything I'd done. That's when he said, "I think we have something."
Just a week after I wrote, "The End," Disney offered one of the biggest sums ever for an unpublished author's film rights. Now, at age 32, I'm working on my second book. The writing hasn't gotten any easier, but I love telling stories.
Having a book out there with my name on it has made me feel okay about missing out on some things in life -- including school. The best part is that it might help a kid with dyslexia discover just how wonderful reading can be. For that, I'm 100 percent, blissfully happy.
Advertisement 
