68 replies to this topic

[Alice]

So, previously on Millarworld...

JW CARROLL: Finally finished the first draft for the last issue of the first Jesus E. Lee story arc he’s doing with artist Nick Justus

CP MIDNIGHT: Had his strip "Fell Heat" printed in an American comic anthology (yay him!)[Oh, and please change your user name to a real name... it's an unwritten rule of the board that we use our own names here]

BOVY has not been writing for the past 2 months. He decided to take time out to reframe his writing approach, research, listen and generally get a feel for the market… we expect something impressive from him this month.

SCOTT is working on a couple of short stories

KAVANAGH changed the name of his comic after what must have been a bizarre conversation on the phone and is collaborating big time.

GEOFFREY may pitch for a co-write

JAMES SARANDIS IS Still working on the technical stuff for the motion comic. Working on a Star Wars Short story in hopes of enticing someone at Dark Horse and having issues with the post

NOWHEREBOY To combat Summer boredom, IS fleshing out a project called 'The Ukulele Chronicles: Camp Panther' (and – pretty please- can you tell me a real name I can change your user name to, I feel a little dumb using nowhereboy as a name)

SCOT is waiting for feedback

CHRIS D finished act 1 of his book and things are looking good for the other 3 parts.

SARA is writing a barbarian comic and fine tuning the writing for Hecate Snake Diaries

STUPERRINS is re-working and re-writing a few bits to his james bond/indiana jones in 1930's London type thingy and has been asked to write some stuff for Nova619

TONYCAL was working on a short story that I will be putting on Amazon for the Kindle and other E-readers and considering a writing competition

JEFFREY was working on his web comic, writing a one-shot and a mini-comic

As for me, I was going to take part in a writing competition till work imploded and I ended up missing my deadline, which will teach me to get the writing done as soon as I decide to take part rather than leave it for “when I have more time”

What happens next? Tell us all about it.

[Christian U]

Friend of mine is putting together a zombie anthology, and I need to find some time to write something for it (this is just a for-fun , non-paying thing, of course).

Also, I think that radio play of mine is about due to be produced; I should find out where they are at...

[Mike Ohsfeldt]

Currently, I am working on a graphic novel that I started scripting in the beginning of July. On page 75 at the moment. Luckily, I have a friend from another board acting as my deadline guy, so lots of little deadlines in order to keep me on track. Now, the plan is to hopefully have the script finished, and somewhat edited, by the time I go back to college at the end of this month.

No artist or anything yet though. Just writing for the heck of it, and to give me something to do.

Edited by Mike Ohsfeldt, 03 August 2012 - 12:15 AM.

[James L. Sarandis]

That reminds me I finished the technical parts of the motion comic. My wife and I just need to do the voice overs for it then have our friend piece it together and it will be done (Hopefully by this weekend). I also sent my short story to 2000AD I have no clue how long it will be till I get a reply, (If I get it my local mail service is less than stellar) but I'll let you know what happens good or bad.

Good luck Bovy and Mike!

As for Christian, good luck to you too, and congrats on the radio play!

Thanks again for the thread Alice you're awesome!

[JWCarroll]

Just finished adding dialog to the first nine pages of my draft for Jesus E. Lee number 4... and not so patiently waiting for ComiXpress to put issue 2 up on the site.

[Russell H]

Friend of mine is putting together a zombie anthology, and I need to find some time to write something for it (this is just a for-fun , non-paying thing, of course).

Prose or comics?

[Christian U]

Prose. There's a bunch of us contributing to what will be short stories in a unified frame setting.

[ditta]

Rawr! I'm a lion!

I'm working on a five issue mini-series with Mikus Duncis. Self published. And I'm also working on a essay/20 minute talk on comics and multiculturalism for a symposium in November.

I feel like an academic. But I will always be a lion first....rawr.

[Jimmy F]

Madame Alice, my name is Jimmy Furlong. I will alter this as soon as I figure out how, deepest apologies for the breakdown in electronic etiquette.

Just finished writing a six page strip called "Gremian The Machine Elf". It is being drawn by my long term artist buddy Andrew Hartmann.

[Owen Baker]

Any of you guys have any tips on how to map out your narrative into a plot?

I'm banging my head against a wall trying to organize acts, events and scenes. I've tried a few screen-writing books and i'm working my way through and trying my damnedest to study McKee's 'Story', but the more work i put into it the more i'm confusing myself.

Any help/ comments/ critiques would be greatly appreciated.

[Christian U]

That's a bit difficult to do in the abstract. Those screenwriting books usually do a good job at explaining the typical structure, though they can be a bit too inflexible. It all gets down to Freytag's pyramid (from the 19hundreds), really:

[img[http://web.cn.edu/kw...ges/Freytag.jpg[/img]

My advice would be not to get too worried about the details of the plot. Make sure that you've got a basic structure that works, but stay loose enough that you don't feel boxed in; the details are bound to change, anyway.

What problems do you have with it, exactly?

[Alice]

Madame Alice, my name is Jimmy Furlong. I will alter this as soon as I figure out how, deepest apologies for the breakdown in electronic etiquette.

Just finished writing a six page strip called "Gremian The Machine Elf". It is being drawn by my long term artist buddy Andrew Hartmann.

Ah, well, we already have a Jimmy Furlong in our database so I hereby name you Jimmy F.

Thank you

[Jimmy F]

Yeah that was me but my account locked me out so rejoined. No worries back now.

[Owen Baker]

That's a bit difficult to do in the abstract. Those screenwriting books usually do a good job at explaining the typical structure, though they can be a bit too inflexible. It all gets down to Freytag's pyramid (from the 19hundreds), really:

[img[http://web.cn.edu/kw...ges/Freytag.jpg[/img]

My advice would be not to get too worried about the details of the plot. Make sure that you've got a basic structure that works, but stay loose enough that you don't feel boxed in; the details are bound to change, anyway.

What problems do you have with it, exactly?

Thanks, dude!

I've done my best at learning about the pyramid, dramatic structure, Fields paradigm and the like: I'm getting confident with them.

I've got my characters, my intro, ending and major conflict. I know how i want my Acts to turn and the minor conflicts that drive them. After that, i think it's just too many ideas vying for attention and me without a way to effectively organise them. Once i'm at this stage, everything gets confusing and turns into nothing more than a series of loosely connected events - s**t, in other words.

Do i want to maybe break down my major Acts into smaller Acts made of scenes that work like even smaller Acts, each of which turn values before turning a major value at the end of each major Act. Or am I just talking nonsense and completely barking up the wrong tree?

Half the time, I don't even know if i'm asking the right questions.

[Christian U]

Sounds to me like if you're at the point where you need to start the actual writing. You'll find out more about the story - how it resolves, how the characters behave and so on - as you go, and I think many of the problems you have right now may disappear. Or become entirely new ones, at any rate

It's good to have a plan, but you have to be able to change it, anyways, so it doesn't pay to be too precise about it. At least, that is the way it works for me.

[Jimmy F]

Hey Owen, I agree with Christian, you're ready to start writing. The only way you will ever become better is to write. A lot. That, and read a lot.

Every writer wants what they produce to come out perfect first time and it is that very thought that sometimes stops us even starting. "Hey if I don't actually write it, it can't be unperfect right.". The reverse is true, you will have to make mistakes. Lots of them. What you must get into the habit of is starting and finishing scripts. Even if you do not fully understand the edit process. Just finish something, get it out there, get some feedback and start your next one. Let earlier scripts "cool" over a period of time and then go back to them. I guarantee if you have continued writing in the interim your skill will have grown and errors will leap out from the page. So begins the edit process. With each new script you sharpen your skills. Every writer's process is unique, you will eventually discover your own.

Hope this helps.

[Owen Baker]

Cheers, guys. Really appreciate it.

Time to get stuck in then, I suppose.....

[Dora Gonzalez]

Working on my second novel, first draft should be finished by Sept 1st. Also doing some brainstorm on some anthologies I am considering on writing.

[Christian U]

That sounds interesting, Dora. What is the novel about?

[Kavanagh]

Working on my second novel, first draft should be finished by Sept 1st. Also doing some brainstorm on some anthologies I am considering on writing.

Second? Much respect. What is it - and the first one - about? Where could an interested party pick up a copy of the first one if it so happened?

As for me, I just finished my draft of the graphic novel collaboration today, and am waiting for my co-writer to tear it to shreds.

I'm about halfway through a TV pilot I'm writing for a screenwriting contest. It's early days but I hired a script editor who said the opening completely captivated her (that's what I pay her for! Haha!).

I have an artist interested in a project I wrote last year, but he's knee-deep in paying work at the moment, so it's just a matter of waiting for free time to do it.

I'm looking for an artist for another project I'm working on, a superhero team tale entitled "The Perfectors" which could best be described as what would happen if the Avengers were run by the G.W. Bush administration. Issue one is done and I have the first story arc roughly planned out (gonna shoot for a series of graphic novels type format).

@ditta. If you're working with Mikus, that five-issue series will be done in like twenty minutes. The guy is, put simply, The Flash.

@ Alice. Commiserations on not getting your submission done in time. I think every writer gets hit with that and it always sucks to the Nth Power.