Not to much to report on the news front. Still narrowing down that lettering job. Some very talented people are interested, which makes me feel great despite the fact that I'm offering American dollars.
I cooked through the first 3rd of Issue #2 the other day, after sitting in front of the computer for most of the day. It's a good feeling to walk away with something after not giving up.
NOTE: I am not a professional writer.
In fact, I was given so little time of day by publishers, (ok, I only submitted to a couple), that I've decided to publish my own work. I'm not sure if that's just dumb or ballsy. Could be both.
That said, I wanted to document some writing habits for anyone who is interested.
1. Do not give up. Force yourself to write if that's what you intend to do. The pacing may be all wrong and scenes may be out of order. None of that matters. You can swap things around and fix things later. The most important thing about sitting down to write is the actual writing portion.
2. Keep a notebook or something handy for those times when you're not sitting down to write. I keep one beside my bed. Especially when I'm elbow deep in a story. I find that when I lay down to sleep, characters and scenes churn around quite a bit. In fact, if I have trouble getting to sleep, I take that as a good sign. AND I've had multiple dreams that have inspired scenes for my writing. One of the larger super hero battle scenes in Interface, for example.
3. Outlines and check lists. For me personally, I like to have a general idea of the main points of an issue before I sit down to write it. The end result does not always match this. In fact, what comes out is usually much better when I'm "in the zone" versus when I've put an outline together, but it's incredibly helpful to have a reference when I'm stuck. I also keep an updated outline in my notebook as I go along and check off the scenes as I write them. This is incredibly helpful when first starting to put a story together. I have pages of check lists. Characters, backgrounds, scenes, things to research, questions that still need answered. You get the idea. Organization is very important and keeps my brain-thoughts flowing smoothly.
4. Pacing. Again, this is just how I handle this and there are (I'm sure) thousands of ways that work for others that would not work for me. But I prefer, if at all possible, to keep a page of comic book script equal to one page of the finished product. That's just me. If the book is 22 pages, you're going to get a 22 page script. Maybe 21 if there's a double-wide splash page. It helps me get creative with descriptions and dialogue. Keeps from rambling on as I'm obviously prone to doing, and pushes me to tell the story more through the art. Show vs Tell. When I sit down to read a comic, my general preference is to be able to read it fairly quickly. I prefer a similar flow for my own work. Especially as an independent writer who no one has ever heard of. WHEN my first book is finally published, I'd like someone to pick it up and be hooked right off the bat and hopefully purchase the book. Take George Perez's recent Issue #1 of Superman. There was so much dialogue I got bored and didn't finish it. The man is obviously a talented writer. He's writing Superman for Christ's sake. BUT, that's not for me. If I want to read a novel, I'll read a novel. My guess is he wrote 3 pages of script for each page of the actual finished comic. That seems excessive to me. Again.. attention deficit disorder.. a lack of patience? I don't know. I'm sure I have both.
Speaking of which, this is a long blog. I'm tired of writing it. I can only imagine how bored you are reading it. I'll do some more tips next time. (A reason to come back?! I knew you'd be excited.)
Special thanks to all the new followers and people who have been pimping my blog. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. It's really warmed my heart, despite the fact that my fingers are frozen because I can't afford to heat this place.
NOTE TO SELF: Purchase fingerless gloves.
Thanks! xox
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