Writer. Creator. Large mammal.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation – 1965

Everyone who’s ever attended grammar school has had to write at least one composition entitled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Most of my friends suffered through the ordeal, begrudging every word that flowed like molasses from their Eberhard Faber # 2’s. I, on the other hand, rather enjoyed writing my composition. I thought it was easy. It occurred to me, at a rather tender age, that if one could somehow get paid for this sort of thing, one had, indeed, discovered a legal racket. Thus were the seeds of my writing career sown.

In 1965 I sold a script for a Legion of Super-Heroes story to the late, great Mort Weisinger, who edited the exploits of that august group back then, thereby fulfilling my childhood dream of raking in big bucks just for putting words on paper.

I wrote that first script in the summer of 1965, laboring long and hard up in my hot, stuffy little room while other 13-year-old kids were out playing baseball, swimming, hanging around and otherwise enjoying their vacations. Ergo, the origin of Jim Shooter, Professional Writer and Legion Scripter Emeritus is precisely How I Spent My Summer Vacation in 1965.

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5 Comments

  1. I understand how you felt that time, but still you have to accept it. You must have a good vacation then.

  2. It must have been a gratifying moment to see Adventure Comics #346 on a spinner rack after putting so much effort into that first script. Aside from raking in big bucks, did Jim manage to get complimentary copies of his work in those days?

  3. The hospital was where Jim first got the idea to write comics… See yesterday's blog. But Jim saw Will's comment and it brought back memories. He wrote a reply, but it's so long that we're going to post it as tomorrow's blog.

  4. It was always my understanding that you wrote your first story when you were in the hospital sir. is this wrong? Some clarification please. I mean if it's not too much to ask.

  5. Sounds like you have some regrets about missing out on youth, Jim 😉

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