This quote from Alan Moore reminds me of Robert Henri:

“Finally, if you want to be a truly great writer, it is perhaps worth remembering that even in this, it is more important to be a good human being than it is to be a good writer. The artists… writers, painters, musicians… whose voices speak loudest to us across the centuries are those that turned out to have the most profound souls, those who turned out to actually have something to say that was of lasting human value. Love people. Love yourself and love the world. It’s only when we love things that we really, truly see them in their most lucid and perfect aspect; that we truly know them. And if you want to write about something, you must know it, must understand it as fully as possible. Must love it, even if it is unlovable. Particularly if it is unlovable.”

All right, so it reminded Leland of Robert Henri. But when he pointed that out, I said, “Oh yeah, hey!” Call it an a-ha moment.

The quote comes from the afterword to WRITING FOR COMICS, which is, of course, very good. However, I have to say that I’m quite glad that it took me two years to get around to it. For better or for worse, I am someone who needs explicit instructions when I’m just starting out (especially when I don’t know what the hell I’m doing — I don’t always trust myself, you see). So if I’d read it two years ago, my antsiness levels would have been significantly heightened because there’s nothing in there about, say, three-act structure or something. That’s not to say that it’s not filled with basics; Moore himself admits as much. But — said basics may be those that you consider basic (ergo, I bet you’ll learn something).

So. Pick it up and consider. As for me, I’ll try my hand at internalizing.

If you want to internalize, this is the book you want. Trust me.