Okay, fulltime publisher here: Pay your writers, show them they deserve as much love and appreciation as you want yourself as an artist.
They are offering you a valid, important service that deserves payment as much as your efforts do as an artist. Even if it doesn't seem they spend as much time on their craft as a visual artist, it's a creative skill that gets pushed aside very quickly.
But everyone, keep in mind: you come for the art, you stay for the story
So please, don't go 'you don't have to pay your writer', because the writer that will reply respectably, shows a backlog of work, and is worth paying, is WORTH THAT MONEY.
My comic series wouldn't exist without my writers, and they deserve that credit. Show them the respect that they deserve in their expertise.
@janejpaik thank you for showing appreciation for writers, I hope you find a wonderful one that will fulfill your creative needs and helps you make something beautiful.