Getting back to it.
Okay, it’s been a while…
You may ask; “David, where have you been?” Short answer, with my dying father (I’ll write more about that in later posts.)
You may also ask; “David, who the hell are you and why am I reading this?” That’s more of a two-part question really, so let’s answer it as such:
My name is David Galiano, and I write comics and other stuff. You may have read Savage Bastards from Mad Cave Studios in their early days or one of the many “Cthulhu Invades” titles from Orange Cone Productions. If you did, great! I wrote Savage Bastards and I have been in a lot of the Cthulhu Invades books. If you haven’t read those, no big deal. This Substack will be all about working on new projects.
As for why you should read my posts, man (or woman), I don’t know. Hopefully you’ll find them interesting, but I can’t guarantee it. I promise to be as open and honest as I can, and maybe you’ll gleam some insight into indie writing that might help you on your own journey. Who knows?
So, for almost a year, I haven’t done too much writing. There have been a few short stories in the Cthulhu Invades and Holiday Spirits anthologies that I’ve worked on with some amazing artists, but for the most part, I haven’t felt like writing. It’s a very difficult process for me, to be honest. I suck at spelling and grammar; I get lost in dialogue and forget to write entire scenes; and I get so caught up in the minutia of the underlining theme or concept that I’m trying to convey sometimes, that I lose the plot threads and beats of the story all together, leading to a lot of rewrites and revisions.
All of that struggle leads to long nights and difficult mornings, which then makes my bill-paying job very difficult to do. I’m sure a lot of my peers in the indie comic space can sympathize with that. For those of you not in the indie comics world, or those of you who plan to join it, you have to understand that the LARGE majority of indie creators have a “Bill-Paying Job” that they must keep up with while also working on their comics (or other creative endeavors). They also may have lives as well that require their attention. Little things like significant others, children, obligations, etc. Juggling all that can be extremely difficult, and if your mind is not in the proper headspace, it can be exhausting to attempt creativity.
I know not all my peers find creating as difficult as I do, but they do have their own roadblocks they must overcome to reach their goals as well. It was a year of pain and loss that was keeping me from the keyboard as of late. Good news is, I’m ready to start writing again!
So here is the question that I’m sure a lot of you aren’t asking; “David, what are you working on now?”
Thank you for not asking, gentle reader. The unwanted answer is:
Philip Cthulhu with the Amazing artist, Dan Schmidt. It’s a coming-of-age comic about a young man, Philip Phillips, who was imbued with the essence of Cthulhu as a baby and now travels the US in an RV with his mother, fighting and/or befriending monsters and cryptids from varies different cultures.
Oakenstaff Manor. Magi live amongst the general population and will do anything to keep their abilities secret, even kill their own when their minds become ravaged with age or mental illness. Reginald Oakenstaff and his compassionate staff, have hidden his family manor in a pocket dimension where they can care for those Magi who suffer from mental illness, and give them the dignity they deserve. What would happen if the magic community ever discovered Mr. Oakenstaff’s deception?
I’ve started developing a story with the working title: “I F#cked the Reaper.” I’m not sure how much more of that one I’d like to give away, to be honest. What I will say is that it’s a love story.
A series of children’s books that deal with grief, loss, and mental health. I worked as a mental health nurse for over 16 yrs, and this is very near and dear to my heart.
There’re some other projects I’ll talk about in future posts, but I fear I’ve already bogarted enough of your time.
Thanks for reading.
~David