{"id":1809,"date":"2016-04-19T12:57:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T19:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1809"},"modified":"2023-12-20T12:58:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T20:58:57","slug":"devourer-of-words-037-back-in-the-mailbag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-037-back-in-the-mailbag\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 037: Back in the Mailbag"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MARC BERNARDIN’S DEVOURER OF WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 037: Back in the Mailbag<\/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

For this column, I turned to Twitter to answer some questions from \u201cthe people.\u201d And once again, they didn\u2019t disappoint, offering ways to discuss finding collaborators, script formats, and finding the desire to press on. So, here we go:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Mikala James (@FiveFoot5) <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you find the right people to work with?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Well, finding collaborators is a bit like dating. A LOT like dating, actually. Sometimes, you meet people through mutual friends. \u201cI heard about this person who\u2019s on the market after a long relationship with Marvel, and they\u2019re looking to get back in the mix.\u201d Or, \u201cYou should really reach out to so and so\u2014you guys think the same and would make a great pair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often times, collaborators are discovered through an online forum or website. I can\u2019t tell you the amount of time I\u2019ve spent link-diving\u2014heading to the blog of an artist I know I like, and then seeing who THAT person likes. (It\u2019s a little harder to do than it used to be, since Instagram and Tumblr seem to have taken over for Blogger\/Wordpress, which made it easy to post blog-rolls, as the platform of choice. But it\u2019s still possible.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there is something to be said for hitting the dating scene in person: Artists Alleys at conventions. Spend some time walking the beat, looking at portfolios, making face-to-face introductions. You\u2019ll find people who are at your level\u2014whatever that is\u2014who might be glad to meet new people who want to tell good stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all requires time and the right perspective: Approach a prospective collaborator as an equal, not an employee. People will do their best work if they feel like they\u2019re truly a part of the project, not a lackey there to execute your \u201csingular vision.\u201d Together, you\u2019re trying to bring something new into the world, and that new thing should have both of your DNA. If you\u2019re not up for that, write a novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Nathan Gonzales (@DarkNateReturns)<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter you finish one project, how do you motivate yourself to pursuing the next, regardless of how the first turned out?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, my problem is not being seduced by the shiny new idea and finding ways to maintain the enthusiasm to finish up that first thing. But that\u2019s just me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it comes down to this: Writers write. And with each new thing you write, you\u2019ll get better at it\u2014it\u2019s like a muscle that way; repetition breeds proficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you can\u2019t get yourself excited about another story\u2014and the possibility of being able to execute the next one better than you did the last one\u2014you might have to do the incredibly hard thing of asking yourself if you\u2019re actually meant to be a writer in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is hard work, solitary work; and you can\u2019t blame anyone but yourself for the quality of the work. And it is one of the rare arts where everyone thinks they can do it because, to the outside, it looks \u201ceasy.\u201d There is no shame in not being a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you do take that long hard look into the mirror and decide that you are a writer, you just need to buckle down and write. Like you\u2019re running out of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Andy Nordvall <\/strong>\u200f<\/strong>(@AndyNordvall)<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs there a template or program you use to format a comic script?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

The problem with the comics script format is that there isn\u2019t one. When I was first starting out, I tracked down a dozen different scripts from writers I liked\u2014Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Alan Moore, etc\u2014to see how they did it. And to a person, each script was different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, because the first real fiction I started writing were screenplays, I adapted the screenplay format for comics. It just makes sense to my eyes that way and as long as I include the necessary information\u2014identifying the panels, numbering the word balloons\/captions\u2014no one has any reason to complain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My recommendation is to use whatever makes the most sense to you and is most easily understood by your artist. Remember: a comics script is a blueprint for a house that other people have to build\u2014the artist, the letterer, the colorist, the editor\u2014and if they\u2019re confused in any way, that blame lies with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Beatriz Elena (@<\/strong>\u200f<\/strong>BeatrizMourad)<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen writing preexisting characters you don’t own, how many liberties do you really have to tell a story? Are you the one that decides where the character will be at the end of your run?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

That depends entirely on the relationship you have with your editors or publisher. As with all things, communication is the key. Ask them upfront what you can and cannot do and how much wiggle room you\u2019ve got. Tell them what you\u2019d like to do, where you\u2019d like to take their characters. Odds are, you\u2019ve already done some of this to get the job in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once those boundaries are set, you\u2019re generally free to play. A good editor of a company-owned character will warn you when you\u2019re drifting into an arena the corporate masters won\u2019t be pleased with. For example, even though it was Brian Michael Bendis writing the X-Men\u2014and he is as beloved by Marvel Editorial as anyone\u2014I\u2019m sure there were conversations about making Bobby Drake gay. That kind of fundamental character change is the sort of thing you can\u2019t just drop into a script and expect your employers to be cool with unless you\u2019re a Bendis or Geoff Johns. And odds are, you\u2019re not. I\u2019m not. Almost no one gets that kind of latitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I look at corporate characters as someone else\u2019s toys. You can pick them up and put them through all sorts of adventures but, at the end of the day (or the end of your run), you need to put them back in the toy box in the same shape they were when you got there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of each month here 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