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Every day we casually flip past sprawling novel-like stories in our newspapers. Just like soap operas or sitcoms, we never stop to ask--Who writes these comic strip scripts that we read over breakfast?

For more than 15 years, Wilson has written the iconic comic strips, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker. He took over the two strips from their creator, Dr. Nicholas Dallis--a psychiatrist turned comic strip pioneer.

Today, Wison gives us a tour of his writing industry in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions.

In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:

What was it like working with Dr. Nicholas Dallis? What are your favorite memories of this comic strip legend? How have these strips changed during your tenure?

Woody Wilson:
Nick Dallis was a prince among men. He was educated, kindly, compassionate, talented and generous. Continue reading...

I genuinely loved him and was heartbroken when we lost him. I worked with Nick for nearly a year after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and that was painful. He recognized I had a talent for writing dialogue and gave me a chance.

Everyone who gets into this business is given a chance by someone, a mentor, an editor, an experienced hand. That's what Nick did for me in my early 30s. I owe him my professional life. In our business writers are taken for granted. 

For more than 40 years, Nick Dallis was one of the most prolific fiction writers on the planet. He wrote three daily features which amounted to 1095 strips a year, of which 156 were Sundays.

That's a lot of scripts. Naturally, the strips have changed under my tenure. I married off Rex Morgan and Sam Driver and introduced children into both strips. This made the stories and the characters more real and compelling.

People think there's not much to writing a comic strip, but it's only because few understand how these strips are crafted.  Much more goes into creating these classic features than anyone imagines. I am fortunate at this stage of my career to be working with two of the best artists in the business...Graham Nolan and Eduardo Barreto.

They have brought Rex Morgan, MD and Judge Parker into the 21st Century and inspire me every day with their remarkable artwork. In my opinion, we work on the best strips in syndication today.