{"id":1340,"date":"2014-02-18T11:52:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T19:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1340"},"modified":"2023-12-18T16:52:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T00:52:57","slug":"devourer-of-words-013-to-how-to-or-not-to-how-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-013-to-how-to-or-not-to-how-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 013: To How-To or Not to How-To"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MARC BERNARDIN’S DEVOURER OF WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 013: To How-To or Not to How-To<\/h1>\n\n\n
Marc Bernardin<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Toucan<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Marc<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every writer working has an opinion on books that claim to teach you how to write. And while there aren\u2019t a score of books specifically about writing comics, there are enough on general writing\u2014and more that specialize in screenwriting, a kissing cousin to comics writing\u2014to carpet Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many think they\u2019re the publishing equivalent of snake oil\u2014shams written by the talentless to relieve the newcomer of their money. And that\u2019s an easy conclusion to come to, especially when you look at the resumes of some of the authors behind these books. While there is absolutely a place in society for the great teacher who cannot do the job him or herself, that\u2019s not what you\u2019re getting from these books. All too often, it\u2019s just information you could\u2019ve found elsewhere, all by yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got something of a different perspective. When I was in college, and decided that I wanted to be a screenwriter\u2014this was long enough ago that there was no direct path for the would-be comics writer while at university\u2014I immersed myself in screenwriting books. Beginning with Syd Field\u2019s Screenplay,<\/em> I read book after book. Each offered guidelines about plotting and structure, character and theme. Some were didactic, others were first-person accounts from bold-faced names about how they did the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a different time. This was before the Internet as we know it\u2014I wouldn\u2019t get an \u201cemail address\u201d until the second year of my first post-college job\u2014and while some people were sharing information via Usenet groups and message boards, it wasn\u2019t everywhere. These books were the only sources of information and I devoured them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thinking was always thus: as long as I learned one new thing, a book was worth reading. And that held me in good stead for a while \u2026 until they all seemed to be saying the same thing, wrapped up in different packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I stopped reading them. Which is an important part of any educational system: realize when it\u2019s no longer teaching you anything that you can\u2019t find out on your own and walk away. I\u2019m still learning, of course. You never stop. Every story you write has its own lessons to teach. Every comic you read is full of storytelling problems that someone solved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So read the books if you want. Don\u2019t let anyone shame you into thinking that it\u2019s not \u201cthe way it\u2019s done.\u201d Here are the ones that helped me the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Writing<\/em><\/strong> by Stephen King<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

I may have talked about this book before. That\u2019s simply because it\u2019s the best. Simultaneously about how writing proved King\u2019s salvation after a near-fatal accident and how he actually does that writing, it\u2019s both inspirational and aspirational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Writers Journey<\/em><\/strong> by Christopher Vogler<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all be told that Joseph Campbell\u2019s Hero With a Thousand Faces<\/em> is the modern myth bible, the distillation of centuries of story into the monomyth which has beats that most grand stories hit, from Hercules<\/em> to Star Wars.<\/em> Well, if you\u2019ve ever tried to read Hero,<\/em> it\u2019s a rough go. It\u2019s an academic text and, as such, some chalky reading. The Writers Journey<\/em> makes it all much easier to swallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Time I Got Paid For It<\/em><\/strong> edited by Peter Lefcourt and Laura J. Shapiro<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

A murderer\u2019s row of screenwriting talent\u2014including Lawrence Kasdan, Cameron Crowe, Carl Reiner, and Steven Bochco\u2014talk about their first gigs and how it impacted their lives, for better or for worse. Ultimately, it\u2019s less a tribute to the craft than a testament to commitment, but that\u2019s equally valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, hey \u2026 if you feel like they\u2019re working, keep reading. Feel no shame. But realize there has to come a time when you stop reading and start writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of every month on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Marc Bernardin<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n