This letter is to the Ronnie of 10 years ago, and everyone like him. Please don't feel discouraged or insulted by anything said below. In fact, I hope it encourages you to follow your dreams.

Many of you who read this are creators. Heck, most people have a desire to create something. We all have a story to tell, whether it's the one our own life or one we've come up with. Maybe it's a character you've had since you were a child, and you have always developed it bit by bit in your head. Maybe you had a dream once that would make a great story, and you've even fleshed it out a bit on pen and paper. If only you could find that talented artist out there who will take your idea and turn it into the next big thing. Maybe you have an idea for a book, but you just need a good writer. You're generous though. You are willing to promise that everything will be split 50/50 with the artistic half of your partnership. It's win win, right?

Unfortunately, there are a few things that make this a plan that rarely works. For starters, you have to consider that if someone is already a skilled artist, they have taken a lot of time in their life to become a creative person. And like you, they probably have ideas of their own that they'd like to make into a story, but they might not have the time or drive to put in that much effort. That means they have even less drive to do it for you on promises of possible recompense in the future.

Another thing is that it's difficult for a skilled artisan (be it graphic art, writing, or whatever) to not feel slighted. It takes hours a day for years upon years to become skilled at anything. To him, this idea man comes along, calls all the shots, and offers him 50% of pay for his 99% worth of effort. It's like telling a carpenter to build a barn. You'll buy the materials and when he's done building it, you'll split the sale 50/50 after the cost of materials. In the end, all you did was drive the truck and said 'build a barn'. It's not like he didn't know where to get the materials or that a barn might be profitable.

So, that was the portion of the post where I make you feel bad about being the idea man. But don't be discouraged! Hope is not lost. There are still paths you can take to make sure your potentially brilliant idea can see the light of day.

For starters, a promising field of artistic expression for people of all skill levels is writing. If you have a strong grasp of your native language, and read a lot of novels on your own, there is a good chance you will have the ability to write one of a passable quality after reading a couple of books on creative writing. There are many popular novels today that read at or below a 9th grade English level, so if you have a high school diploma, you're already ahead of the game. I'm reminded of Isaac Asimov who was obviously a prolific writer, but even reading his Robot/Empire series, you'd think "Well, he's not some kind of writing savant." However, if you've read even one of his Azazel stories, you'd realize that he's actually incredibly skilled in the art, but in his non-Azazel works, he's writing at a lower level that is more suited to storytelling, and less about artistic expression of the art form. And that's the point of art. It is to get your point across in the most efficient and effective manner. While it helps to be at a King Koontz Asimov Heinlein Crichton Wells, it's not necessary in order to be heralded as a magnificent story teller.

There is a trick to writing, however. You have to do it every day. If you expect to finish an entire novel, you have to write 3 pages every day. If you got into a groove today and wrote a whole 6 pages, you are not allowed to take tomorrow off. 3 pages, every single day. Not only will you get complete works out of it, but you will gradually improve and become a better writer. There are great forums on the internet for displaying your work and looking for critiques on becoming a better writer, so use your Google-fu to find them.

Another way to become a creator and not just remain an idea man is your old enemy, money. If you believe enough in your idea, you can work to save enough money to pay an artist (be it a writer, comic book creator, children's book artist, etc.) to create your work for you. While some might consider it a dirty thing to say, for a professional artist, art is just a job. Sure they might love it, but it's still a job, and when you do a job, you are paid for it more or less directly. There's nothing wrong with an artist expecting up-front payment. A lot of them have learned that promises don't pay the bills, and no matter how good an idea is, it can easily be crushed by the next round of CGI films, action movie sequels, dark superhero comics, and whatever Stephen King has decided to come out with this month.

Depending on the artist, you can find someone who isn't very expensive who may be looking to do something they love for a bit of chump change. A good forum for that is this one. If you believe in your idea and have it fleshed out enough that you're ready to give it to an artist who can run with it and turn it into a polished masterpiece, this can be the way to go. Heck, if there's a webcomic artist you especially like, drop them a line and a lot of times they'll be happy to make your very own strip for a price.

I hope I've offered my 18-year-old self and everyone like him a bit of insight into the world of creating and ideas. The above was some of the best advice I'd ever gotten from my study of creative writing and art books as a teen, and I wanted to pass it on to you. I wish you the very best in your future in creating masterpieces, or at the very least, appreciating the work that goes into every one.