Name: Charles Singh Role:ScreenRant Writer, ComicBookChuck Founder & Webmaster Experience:8 months :D Concentration:Entertainment News
Charles Singh is an entertainment news writer from New York, who’s on a mission to inspire those around him. Keep reading to learn more about Charles, and what it takes to be a successful writer!
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I am an Indo-Caribbean from the South Bronx. I grew up feeling like I would never quite fit in because of my ethnic background, but as I got older, the Black and Latinx communities embraced me as their own. I was so heavily influenced by the Bronx’s culture that it took me some time to acknowledge my own cultural identity. My biggest defining characteristic is my passion for all things nerdy, hence ComicBookChuck. If I had to summarize myself in a word: creative.
What led you to pursue a career in writing?
Initially, I was a Biology major of all things. I quickly learned there were two types of brains: the creative and the logical; guess which type I have. I wish I had realized this before my 2nd round of College Algebra.
So, Deadpool the movie is the reason I am a writer. One night my friend Carlos and I were contemplating our futures on the way to see the Deadpool movie. I was unhappy being a Bio major. I was also on the verge of flunking out of college (this happened at one point, but that is another story).
To make a long story short, we saw the movie, and my mind immediately grasped the power of words. Words became that film that evoked an emotional response from the crowd. The fact that words could trigger something in the brain that made people happy, or surprised or excited still baffles me. I write because of a deep desire to communicate with as many people as possible. The words of men and women long dead and gone are still studied today and still provoke thoughts and feelings. That fascinates me.
How does an aspiring writer become an entertainment news writer?
This is a funny question to me because I still do not feel like a professional. I am very much still the new guy. I have had the pleasure of writing for numerous sites and blogs in my short career, and I have even created my own platform but what really establishes a writer as a professional?
An aspiring writer becomes a professional writer by writing. This is not a witty or snide response; it is a simple truth. How does one become a doctor or lawyer, or artist or musician or anything else, right? Everything, in my opinion, is just study, practice and application.
The issue is most people reading these words in real-time will never have the confidence to get to the “application” phase. They will study and practice in silence. They will wait for someone to deem them worthy. You cannot will yourself to become anything, but if you do not start trying, how will it ever happen?
This is my long-winded way of saying, if you want to write, then write. If you want to write Comics and Pop-culture news, then find me. Part of my role at ComicBookChuck is to help aspiring writers become professional writers and build confidence in their abilities.
The biggest misconception about this industry and any industry is the idea of gatekeepers. The advent of social media has changed everything for every industry.
What did your day-to-day look like before the pandemic? What does it look like now?
Pre-pandemic Charles was working at a Frozen Yogurt shop in the winter. Yes, it was as exciting as it sounds. I actually contracted COVID-19 in March, and that was a huge factor in accomplishing what I have today. Currently, I wake up, turn my laptop on and participate in the greatest show on Earth. No, I am not a circus performer. I am an ambitious writer. When you write, there is no shortage of opportunity anywhere. Will you be able to live solely off writing immediately? Probably not. Social media has provided us with an abundance of opportunities to be seen and heard. It is a writer’s paradise.
My day depends on a number of different things. I have the luxury of choosing the order in which I complete tasks for the moment. I like to make sure my team is taken care of first by checking in and seeing how I can improve everyone’s experience as a ComicBookChuck contributor. I spend a lot of time communicating with amazing people like yourself and learning from them. That is my favorite part about my life currently, learning something new daily.
I am also constantly looking for new angles to pitch for ScreenRant. We have a great team and it is very competitive to snag the angle you want. It is exhilarating and I believe that steel sharpens steel. My colleagues and I can take a look at a sentence in a panel and develop an entire headline that will generate thousands of clicks in seconds. No day is exactly the same but every day is exciting.
What does it take to be a successful entertainment news writer?
You have to want it at least as much as your fellow writers, if not more. Content is king. Consistency is everything. That one article or post that changes it all gets old pretty quick when you are producing content for the web. Respect the content and craft but also respect the state of the average person’s attention span in 2021.
A writer’s job is to capture the attention of others through language, structure, and images. Writing has evolved and is now a multimedia experience in many instances. The best advice I can give a fellow writer or aspiring writer is to create and innovate every day. If you are not, then someone else certainly will be.
What is the biggest industry myth/biggest misconception about the work that you do as an entertainment news writer?
There are so many. The biggest misconception about this industry and any industry is the idea of gatekeepers. Yes, to get a job you do have to impress a hiring manager. Yes, there are prerequisites to every role. The advent of social media has changed everything for every industry.
In a world where attention is the hottest commodity, the general public are now the gatekeepers. If you cannot get the role of ‘Writer’, then study the role and become the closest version you can imagine to exactly what you want to do. I love being a writer. I am grateful for my position. The piece that got me hired was a result of the muscle memory formed from writing thousands of pieces. If you do not write daily, then it will be tough for you to compete in this field.
If you are a writer then you and I are competing for attention. I am prepared to work as hard as anyone. Writers must adopt a competitive mentality to get anywhere in this industry. Luck is a factor but you would need a lot less luck with a strong portfolio.
The biggest failure anyone can make personally or professionally is not believing that you can accomplish your goals.
What has been your biggest fail that’s taught you a valuable lesson? (personal and professionally)
Personally, I have experienced plenty of failures in my life. I think the biggest would be waiting to pursue my dream. If I had started writing at 18, who knows where I would be but I try not to think that way. Professionally, every second I spend that is not writing or helping my team is a failure and I mean that.
I despise leaving opportunities on the table. I regret every wasted second but this year I will make up for all the time I have wasted. The biggest failure anyone can make personally or professionally is not believing that you can accomplish your goals.
What does success look like to you?
Growing up in the South Bronx, moving to the suburbs, and making a solid income writing sounds like a dream. The old me would have settled for that. Now I know that true success is helping others succeed. Every time someone is published on my site we celebrate. That may be a GIF, a round of “congrats” in the team chat, or a simple emoji. There is no feeling in the world like helping another person get closer to achieving your common goal. That is success.
What’s your ultimate career goal?
I have been having so much fun lately creating that it would be hard to pinpoint one achievement or accolade. No one is one dimensional. We all have many different goals. In 5 years I would like ComicBookChuck to have 100+ active contributors. I would like to experience some success as a comic book writer. I guess the end goal is to make a living and dabble in everything I enjoy, I cannot really ask for more than that.
What do you do outside of work to decompress?
I actually have anxiety. I do not take prescription drugs for it but I understand those that do. Walking in parks helps me control it. My mind pulls itself in a million different directions a minute. Walking and thinking helps me process and file everything away mentally.
Anything else you’d like to add/ any other advice you’d like to give?
None of this happens without taking a risk. If we had not connected I would not have had the pleasure of doing this interview and now this will be one of the biggest achievements of my life. The lesson in that is to never “sleep” on your opportunities. Greatness could be a message away. I already have learned so much from observing and conversing with you and I hope that in time you can gain some value from me as well.
How can people see your work and connect with you?
Ah, shameless plug time, my favorite. If you want to support some of the most hardworking and passionate people I know then check out ComicBookChuck.com , I would also like to take a moment and shout out recent contributors (in no particular order) Marc Millete, Derek Davis, Joseph Lalonde, Jessica Aiken, Brittany Sciacca, Trevor Templeton, and Jenny Avedaño, every upcoming contributor is appreciated as well!
If you want to check out my ScreenRant articles you can find my profile here.
If you want to support The Nightwatch, my upcoming comic about minority teens defending their poverty-stricken neighborhood during a government-imposed lockdown click here.
Thank you so much for your time, it was a pleasure being featured on Breakroom Buddha.
Writer: Deeper Dive
Excited about becoming a Writer?
Here’s a deeper look into the role (via Payscale)
- Job Description: Writers are typically responsible for providing written content for companies in the form of articles, blog posts, manuscripts, website text, and other creative content.
- Related Roles: SEO Content Writer, Blogger, Copywriter
- Popular Skills: Editing, Copywriting, Online Research, Marketing
- Average Salary: $50k/year
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Featured image via Markus Winkler
