Howdy all.
I'm seeking an artist who may want to work with me to create a story that hopefully will be impactful for readers and something many people can enjoy.
I'm an experienced writer developing the story for a new BL webcomic - set in a beachside town in Australia - where two apparent opposites/enemies must endure bullying at high school, plus reverse how their families have misshapen and affected their personalities - in order for them to uncover their true nature as creative artists and a soulmate duo. Includes beaches/musicians/mental health and heavy bullying/spirituality and connection to nature (we call it connecting to country) / pretty modest SFW intimacy / deconstructing gender roles / giving rural queer people a voice / and decidedly not celebrating LGBTQ people acting out their trauma onto themselves and others, but choosing to go through the hard stuff, so they can learn to love better, and be truer human beings.
Starting with enough panels that a single artist can manage (perhaps the first panel in colour) and still publish one episode each week.
In the past I've written a queer zombie feature film script, a corporate dystopian tv series pilot, a should-have-been sweethearts second chance romance, plus sci-fi and fantasy stories, and then hundreds of scenes for my acting students and myself in every genre you can imagine.
I've been studying acting, acting myself and teaching acting for over 8 years, and have been obsessed with how stories are part of what makes us human, how characters serve purposes to send a message to the world, and how stories can motivate people to make better choices in their personal lives.
I've been through a bucketload of trauma in my life, pretty much the kitchen sink, which is why it's taken me this long to organise myself to be ready for this story.
My intention is to pay an artist per episode in the vicinity of a US $100 from myself directly at first, set up a Patreon and ensure the funds raised each month get to the artist first, until you are being paid what you are really worth.
Style wise, I'm pretty open, but something that has broad appeal across cultures, and ideally something that feels inclusive for all readers, regardless of gender, background, culture, skin colour or sexuality. I'm inspire by BL stories such as Tale of 1000 stars, I told sunset about you, revelation of Eros, green and gold, castle swimmer, cherry magic, heartstopper and many others.
I'd eventually love to see the story turn into a webseries or tv series, and direct it myself. But, baby steps!!
I don't mind what age you are, it's more your heart as a human being, and your art style and capacity to collaborate effectively and economically that I am interested in.
Can't wait to hear who is interested. Thanks for reading.