For all my friends, fans, and family out there who've been dreaming of the day when they can read one of my stories for free, here you go:


This is a story that means a lot to me. Special thanks to Leigh Walton for helping this story reach a wider audience.

[Every week, I'm posting reruns of my former Scryptic Studios column, Running Up That Hill. For each column, I do a THEN and NOW thing: THEN being the column as it originally appeared, and NOW being my reaction to the column today. This column originally appeared on December 7, 2006.]

THEN - 12/7/06

Welcome back to another installment of Running Up That Hill, the only column in the WWWorld¹ named after a Kate Bush song that the columnist doesn't even like!

Last week, I told the story of my first-ever comic submission, which was a pitch to a romance anthology. Like many first romance comic submissions, it wasn't meant to be. And it wasn't one of those soft, “it's not you, it's me” kind of endings, either. For whatever reason, my pitch was just not what the publisher was looking for. In other words,

I was

REJECTED

for the first time in my new life as an aspiring comic book writer. And it felt pretty yucky, to tell you the truth.

Dictionary.com gives eight definitions for “reject.” The way I felt after having my submission rejected was a tie between definition #4 (“to discard as useless or unsatisfactory”) and #5 (“to cast out or eject; vomit”).

But luckily, I already had a plan B in place. If the romance book wouldn't have me, surely I had a good shot at the Postcards anthology Jason Rodriguez was putting together. There was an open call for submissions for one of the 16 stories. The hook for Postcards (which is a doozy!) is that all the stories are inspired by actual postcards sent in the early 1900s. So on the call for submissions page, there was this postcard:

The thing that struck me about this postcard was that the message written on the back had nothing at all to do with the “Birthday Greetings” sentiment expressed on the front. That just seemed downright peculiar. So, naturally, that's where my mind started wandering. The pitch requirements were both simple and strict: 40 words that captured the essence of the story you wanted to tell based on that postcard. So here's what I submitted:

He finally sent it – “Happy Birthday” – their signal, long-arranged.

It’s too late. She's married now.

She serves her husband dinner, thinking of the card.

Thinking of him. Longing for him.

Five years ago, it was a dream. Today, it's real.

With those 40 words, I cleared the first hurdle and was invited to submit a one-page pitch. The winner would be chosen from among those single-page pitches, so I had only one final hurdle standing between me and my first-ever comic book publication! And much like my experience with the romance submission, I got some encouraging positive feedback on the Postcards front (albeit in this case anonymously).

Surely this would be my golden opportunity, my crowning achievement, my moment in the sun. Heck, the phrase “creative genius” had been bandied about in reference to an idea of my creation – and not just by my beautiful and wonderfully supportive wife!

So, after all this buildup, after all my high hopes and expectations of success, what did I hear about my Postcards submission on the same day (Saturday, June 3^rd, 2006, if you must know) I got the rejection email on the romance thing, a meager handful of hours later?

I was

REJECTED

for the second time in my new life as an aspiring comic book writer. And much like the first rejection, it felt pretty yucky, to tell you the truth.

I spent the rest of the weekend feeling sorry for myself and... feeling sorry for myself some more.

And then the strangest thing happened.

I quit feeling sorry for myself, and instead, started feeling proud. Proud of myself for getting this far: actually diving into the deep end and submitting things to publishers. Because it affirmed something for me, going through the process – both the creative process and the emotional vulnerability – of sending a submission in so that someone I don't even know can say “Yay” or “Nay” to it.

It affirmed for me that this is what I want to do. I want to write comic books.

And if it takes rejection upon rejection to get there, then that's just how it has to be and I'll deal with it. Because nothing's going to stop me from being a comic book writer.

So having weathered the storm of my first two rejections coming on the same day, I started looking for the next opportunity for rejection. And it wasn't long before I found it:

Yes, it was another open call for submissions, this time for a new anthology titled Sequential Suicide. Having come what felt like so close to success with the romance and postcards submissions, I was Determined x 10² to give this new submission opportunity my very best shot.

So I wrote what I thought was a good story, then I wrote what I thought was an even better story, and then I hired Kristen Simon to edit the “better” story for me. Kristen is the editor for Shadowline Productions, Jim Valentino's imprint at Image Comics. She also freelances and edits numerous independent titles.

Kristen Simon, aka Editor Girl

The “better” story, I should point out (and there's a reason “better” is in quotes), dealt with some subject matter that was pretty darn personal to me. So much so that I felt unable to accurately evaluate it. A part of me thought it was a work of sheer genius, while a slightly larger part of me suspected it might very well be... the opposite of a work of sheer genius.

So, I emailed the script to Kristen, after explaining to her that I thought this script was probably brilliant, although there was a 15% chance it actually sucked, and if the latter were true, I had written another script I could send her in its place.

Here's what she sent me back:

Ok, I read through this and I see some problems. First of all, reading through what you are supposed to be submitting, it seems like you are pushing it. They call for stories aimed at a general audience, including kids. But this 8 page story not only has rampant drug use, but swearing and nudity as well....

Further, when I read this story, you gave me NO reason to care about these characters. Why do I care that he's being shipped off, and why do I care that this woman cheated on him? ...

Not to mention that every page except one has 5 panels on it, which makes for a very boring layout visually. You can use 8 pages to tell a MUCH better story, I think.

Maybe you should send me the other one!

Given that she's an editor, I was a little surprised that she didn't just cut to the chase and tell me that

This story sucks, and therefore, you are

REJECTED

Well, to make a long column a little bit longer, I sent her the other story, she liked it and provided some valuable editorial guidance, and I hired a wonderful artist by the name of Juan Romera to illustrate it. Here's the first page (click the image for a full-size readable version):

I lettered it (many thanks to Jason Arthur for his expert tutelage) and sent it in. As with my two previous submissions, from the moment I sent it in, I felt really good about my chances. But unlike my two previous submissions, this time, rather than more rejection, I finally found

SUCCESS!

I'm pleased as punch for my story “Fall of the Triumvirate” to have been one of seven selected for publication in the 2007 edition of Sequential Suicide.

Now, what does all this have to do with you, Mr. and/or Ms. Aspiring Comic Book Writer? There are actually a handful of important lessons to be gleaned from my experience in getting to this point (i.e., finally bridging the deep, dark chasm of “unpublished”). And I'll be sharing those in upcoming columns.

But for now, the one thing I want to leave you with, because I think it's important, is simply this:

Don't give up.

If you want to write, write. Keep after it. Devote your “free” time and as much of your non-free time to your writing as possible. Treat it like a second job.

Don't let rejection get you down.

Use it to motivate yourself. Every submission that you create and submit, even if it gets rejected, is still a work of comic book art that you created. Maybe it's not what that particular publisher was looking for. Or maybe it's just really bad.

But even if it is really bad, that's okay. The more you create, the better you'll get -- if you're serious about working on and improving your craft. And since that's really the whole point of Scryptic Studios in the first place, I think it's fairly safe to assume that you are.

So, to sum up:

• Rejection = good.
• Success = better.
• Don't give up = words to live by + another Kate Bush song, for those keeping count!

Footnotes & Bibliography

¹ What some people refer to as, “The Internet.”

² Really, really, really, really, really determined.

NOW - 12/11/08

This is the column that keeps on giving for me. The further I get into this comic book writing thing, the more I have to deal with rejection. It's never easy, or fun, but I'm getting a lot better at just taking my licks and moving on to the next thing.

Though if one of the three pitches I'm working on now doesn't get accepted, I'll probably cry.

[I'm borrowing a page from my good buddy Caleb Monroe and posting reruns of my former Scryptic Studios column, Running Up That Hill. This is the first column I ever wrote, originally airing on November 30, 2006. For each column, I'll do a Then and Now thing: Then being the column as it originally appeared, and Now being my reaction to the column today. Should be fun... and quite possibly embarrassing, too!]

THEN - 11/30/06

March 2006. We're in Atlanta visiting my wife's dad. As we're getting ready to head out to dinner, my cell phone tells me I've got a voice mail. It's Barbara Kesel, the editor of Platinum Studios' romance comic anthology (to which I've submitted a pitch not two weeks ago).

“By The Southern Grace of God is a lovely and wonderful story...” she begins. My head is spinning. She likes my pitch and wants me to send her a plot synopsis!

I call her the next day from the Georgia Aquarium. The synopsis looks good; it's just what she needed to be able to recommend my story on up the line to the higher-ups. I'm on cloud 17. My first-ever pitch to a comic book publisher looks like it's got a seriously good chance of being accepted.

Back home in Little Rock a few days later, I get an email from Barbara. The powers that be at Platinum have requested bios from all potential contributors. Holy moly! Here I am, a never-published aspiring comic book writer, being asked to write a bio that will be included with my first published comic book story, in the event it is actually published – which is seeming more and more likely at this point.

Here's what I came up with:

When, at the age of eight, Elton Pruitt authorized his mom to sell all of his comics at a garage sale, he thought he had outgrown them. Sadly, these included numerous issues of Neal Adams’ now-legendary run on  Batman and Detective Comics.

Years later, Elton regained his senses and rediscovered his love of comic books. Around this time he also discovered a passionate dislike for Southern rock – Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, you name it – and proudly attested to its worthlessness throughout the halls of his high school in Searcy, Arkansas.

So it seems only fitting that his first published comic book story would revolve around a Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

Prior to his work in comic books, Elton worked as a copywriter for a small ad agency in Little Rock, where his pitch to Roller Funeral Homes of Arkansas (“We put the fun in funeral”) never quite caught on. His work for Five Miles Out writing the screenplay for their Immercenary video game was better received and led him into the fabled land of The Internet, where he has spent the last ten years programming custom web applications for Aristotle Inc.

Today – at the exact moment you are reading this, in all likelihood – Elton is hard at work on his next comic book project, a little something he likes to call Descartes the Zombie. Watch for it – and check out EltonPruitt.com for more information on Elton and his ongoing quest to become the 22^nd century’s second greatest living comic book writer (after Drew Melbourne, of course).

I look back at that bio today, 7.5 months later, and don't know whether to laugh, cry, or have another beer. So, because I'm committed to writing this column tonight – and because Diamond Bear's new Presidential IPA is a truly fine example of the India Pale Ale that is the pinnacle of beer-drinking pleasure – I'll have another beer and continue.

I've come a long way since writing that bio in March. And to borrow a phrase from the Grateful Dead, “what a long, strange trip it's been.”

I'm still not published. That's the albatross around my neck that I work every day to rid myself of. More (much more) on that in future columns.

What happened to my romance anthology submission that seemed so promising last spring? I have no idea, honestly. On June 3rd, I got an email from Barbara informing me that my pitch for "By the Southern Grace of God" was rejected. I know she liked it, so I can only assume the higher-ups did not.

Drew Melbourne was my idol at that time. I'd only recently discovered his Think Like Tomorrow columns on this very site, and they gave me a huge dose of inspiration and education at just the right time to convince me to embrace my dreams and flip off my fears and take a serious shot at becoming a comic book writer. (In a future column, I'll share with you the first-ever email I sent Drew, in which I did a fairly good job of aping his uniquely comedic style.)

Today, Drew and I are Archenemies, in a friendly sort of way, and I have him to thank for inviting me to write this column. Descartes the Zombie is struggling to be born (much, much more on that in future columns). And in the very near future, I'll be working with the perfect artist to bring “By the Southern Grace of God” to comic book life, as a self-published story.

I hope you'll tune in to future installments of Running Up That Hill, in which I'll divulge important tidbits such as “why I'm glad my sister-in-law is a shrink” and “what I've learned from Luke and Laura in the last quarter-century.”

NOW - 10/18/08

I think this actually worked pretty well as a "pleased to meet me" sort of column.

This actually seems more like 5 years ago than a mere 2!

Well, here it is, gang: the final cover for By the Southern Grace of God.

I've previously invited you to ooh! and ah! over the lovely line art of Mario Cau and the charismatic colors of Bob Rivard. Now, I direct your attention to the 'lectrifying logo goodness of Jason Hanley.

I told Jason I was looking for a logo that captured the feel of a 1970's southern rock album, something like an Allman Brothers Band or Marshall Tucker Band or, of course, a Lynyrd Skynyrd album. I think he really nailed it -- how about you?

Okay gang, here it is at long last:

Elton Pruitt's San Diego Comic-Con 2008 Photo Gallery

Thanks for checking 'em out!

My friend (and Postcards editor, Jason Rodriguez) is getting married to his lovely fiancee, Robin WhoseLastNameICantRecallOrPerhapsNeverKnew, on June 6, 2009 -- the 65th anniversary of D-Day!

How cool is that?

I just couldn't sit on this anymore. It's too darn good!

Pencils/inks by Mario Cau; colors by Bob Rivard. This is the cover for By the Southern Grace of God, sans logo (which I should have next week).

Ripped from the pages of Panel & Pixel (with a few edits and additions), here's the long-awaited, official SDCC 2008 Report!

WEDNESDAY

I met my friend and accountability partner Elizabeth Genco for the first time tonight. Also, Jimmie Robinson and James Owen. 

The Hyatt bar was D-E-A-D last night. I'll be curious to see if tonight's back up to the usual standards. Not only was no one I knew there last night, but it only took me 5 minutes to get a drink at the bar!

CBLDF party tonight for me, possibly IDW if I can swing it, the BOOM! drink-up, and then the Hyatt. Oh, and in less than an hour I get to learn from Mark Waid and others how to write a winning pitch -- probably the panel I'm most excited about attending this year.

And I got to finally meet Mario Cau, the artist on my upcoming pitch for By the Southern Grace of God!

THURSDAY

Had a good day yesterday walking the floor, checking out artists in Small Press. Dinner with James Powell (Postcards co-editor) and his wife, talking about his next project which has the distinct aroma of WIN about it.

The Hyatt was packed, and we owe it all to Chip Mosher (I swear, I know he wouldn't lie about it) for throwing the only party that fans and pros alike are invited to.

The power of the mighty Cardinals cap continues to manifest itself in wonderful ways, such as Will Dennis recognizing me from last year and stopping to say hi. Everyone remembers that bright red cap year to year, so score one for me in the branding department.

Wrapped up the night hanging with my writer buddy Caleb Monroe (check out his interview on Newsarama today btw) and Kris "Editor Girl" Simon, just shooting the shit and talking comics for quite a while.

Here's to Friday!

FRIDAY

Had a good Friday at the con. Got to meet Steve Bryant which was cool -- my three-year-old son's favorite comic is Athena Voltaire, so we talked kids and comics some. Great guy, and great artist.

Late lunch at the little Irish pub on 4th Street with my bud Shawn. What a find -- Newcastle on tap, delightful atmosphere, and a tasty turkey sandwich on fresh sourdough.

Got to meet up with Brandon Palas, who's probably the best artist nobody's heard of (but me). We're talking about doing something together once he finishes his current project.

The Hyatt was hopping. Hung with James Powell and his wife and Jason Rodriguez and his fiancee (aka the Postcards crew). Met Ryan Burton, scribe of Flying Saucers vs. the Earth and his wife, Liz. David Gallaher of Zuda fame was in rare form -- one of the most likable guys I've met -- and Jim Higgins gave me possibly the one missing ingredient to a pitch I'm working on (thanks, Jim!).

And perhaps most importantly of all, I learned that the "c" in Tony Fleecs' last name is silent!

Everything on my To Do list for this year's con is checked off, so tonight I get to just go down to the Hyatt and drink and relax and have a good time. I'm really looking forward to it.

SATURDAY

Finally got over to Artists Alley and met a couple of guys I'd love to work with, including one who was born to draw Surecock Holmes!

Saturday night at the Hyatt, I had a short conversation with my favorite editor that totally made my con!

Onward and upward! Lots of irons in the fire post-con, and I've never felt so focused and confident in my comic writing life.

Making sure I've got Deepest Sender hooked up correctly for quick and easy blog posts...