We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Jeffrey II a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Robert with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised by a mother who told me early on that the only way I’m going to get what I want is to work. She’s the one who instilled in me the idea of always having a plan B and finding a career that made me happy. So, when I started freelance writing after graduating from college, that advice just stuck with me. It was definitely a hustle right out the gate. I was working a 9-5 by day, and freelance writing at night, on the weekends, and whenever I could find a free moment. I loved it, but also realized that the only way I could continue to do what I wanted to truly do for a career (which was writing), I had to put in the work.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ll start off with the official bio: I’m a professional writer (comic books, tabletop gaming, prose fiction, and video games) with over 18 years of experience. I’ve worked for such clients as DC Comics, the Centers for Disease Control, Son of Oak Gaming, 133Art Publishing, RAE Comics, SUBSUME Media, and Nitto Tires. I currently work as a game writer for video game developer Blowfish Studios.
I write for a living and love what I do. What’s most exciting about my career is being able to tell a wide variety of stories in different mediums. Whether it’s comic books, prose, video games, or tabletop gaming, I love having opportunities
to tell stories. I’m blessed to be able to do what I enjoy for a living, and it’s not a fact that I take lightly. Getting to this point has been a grind, but after eighteen years, I’m here and happy with my career choice.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When I started writing comic books, I was taught that you needed to adhere to these three rules: 1. Don’t be an a*&. 2. Turn your work in on time/ on deadline. 3. Know what you’re doing; if you don’t, learn how to do it. That advice has served me well when it comes to freelance writing. The thing that I’ve always kept in mind is that there’s someone out there who wants your job as much as you do. I write like someone else wants my gig, and I’m here eighteen years later, still doing it.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I’ve read plenty of books on writing, and they’ve all been helpful in helping me grow in my career. The books that actually played an important role in my development as a writer were two comic book series titled “Icon” and “Static.” Both comic book series were published by a company called Milestone Media and featured black superheroes/ superheroines and a diverse cast of characters. The biggest thing I took away from the series was that the creative team behind the book were black creators.
I’ve always had a love for comic books and speculative fiction. “Icon,” “Static,” and other comics created by Milestone Media helped me to realize that black people were creating the stuff I loved. That, more than anything else, helped me to realize that I had a shot at writing such stories. I would’ve continued writing even if I hadn’t seen those books, but to find out that someone who looked like me was creating these comics changed my life in a big way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.robertkjeffrey.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertk.jeffrey/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-jeffrey-ii-7a6416a/
