Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts

Sunday, March 7, 2010

003 - There Is No 002

Kinda forgot about last week's blog. Too busy playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii with ma bros. It was cool, a nice time to enjoy the company of friends all in one place.

This comic is really quite an experience. Emphasis on the experience - as in, not the sensation of external realities, but rather the acquisition of tangible EXP. It's not just an "oh hey I'm actually doing something creative and not just talking about it"... it's "hey I should quit fooling around with other crap that gets in the way of me doing this on the schedule that I've set for it."

I'm finding that, for the first time in pretty much my entire life, I'm vigorously defending my time - my sleep schedule, my meals, my homework... at the very first moment a thought enters my mind about what to do next, be it "hey i should go play modern warfare 2" or "hey i could go check facebook for the billionth time today" or "hey i should go watch princess tutu", I filter it through, "What about Hoshen?"

Some might say this is obsessive. Those people have probably never done anything great with their lives, and will probably have nothing to show for it when they die.

Some might say this is idolatrous. Those people have probably never devoted something completely to God, and probably think that church attendance is more important than going out and sharing the good news.

I've also crossed a couple of Rubicons in the last two weeks. The content of the comic was a major point of conflict for me early in its conception - what level of vulgar language and violence do I include? Where do I draw the line between realism and compromise? I decided to lock in on a middle-of-the-field option, the uncensored writing with the censored publication. You big kids who've been around the block can fill in the blanks, and you little kids can persist in ignorance and be thankful. And as far as the violence... well, I've got reasons, but to sum it up, you won't be seeing anything new. I've heard too many pastors brag about their love for CSI and The Office to think that I'm forcing gory imagery or mock lewd conversation onto the unwilling. It's not like everybody doesn't already listen to this shit crap and selectively ignore the parts they "don't agree with". The problem is when a "Christian" comes along, praising Jesus but using words, even in fiction, that sound like the stuff they already love... hark! this cannot be! A religious person who talks like the unwashed Philistines! Kill it with judgmental fire!
"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds." - Yeshua
Hopefully my wisdom will be justified in my choice of where to stand with the whole content thing. People are so easily offended, no matter where they stand... most religious people will get upset because I just put an obscenity in strikeout, some non-religious people will get upset because I put Bible verses in my blog post... I'm sure some artists will be disgusted by my lack of skill, and plenty of writers will laugh at my attempts to combine genres and present worldviews & philosophies... frankly, I don't blame any of these people. I'm not good... I just can. So I am.
Its like waiting for all the waves to die down in the ocean before you jump in and swim... the waves will always be there... - mdotstrange
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Now playing: Demon Hunter - Collapsing
via FoxyTunes

Monday, January 11, 2010

editing

Got to talking with Joe at IHOP last night around 1am. He read the script, wanted to chat about it. Stayed till 3am refining it more. I think I found my new base of operations for late-night work.

Now that's three splendid gentlemen who have been willing to help me perfect this story, the first being Zach and the second being Jesse.

It's great that I'm not really doing this alone. Thanks, guys, for showing interest in this.

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Now playing: The O.C. Supertones - Away From You
via FoxyTunes

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

scripted pt.4

Aaaaand DONE.

Now I just need to wait to get it back from my proofreaders / quality control team so I can draw the thing.

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Now playing: A-Ha - Take On Me
via FoxyTunes

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

scripted pt.3

Today.

Today is the day I finish this script.

It will be a glorious script.

And the internets will look up and shout "Show us!"

...and I'll be like, "Okay."

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Now playing: The Protomen - The Fall
via FoxyTunes

Monday, January 4, 2010

scripted pt.2

ALMOST DONE SCRIPTING

It's almost like I'm a real writer, compiling a script like this!

A little worried about the pacing, but I'll see if I need to spruce it up once I get some people to proofread it.

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Now playing: Working For a Nuclear Free City - Sarah Dreams of Summer
via FoxyTunes

Saturday, January 2, 2010

scripted

ARGH STILL SCRIPTING

I didn't realize I would get this hung up on the writing aspect before really getting into the drawing. I'm only a day behind, but I'll be two behind if this keeps up...

That said, I'm really, really loving this scriptwriting process. I've mixed together a few approaches to writing for comics, along with my own personal style, that really helps me visualize everything without slowing down the process of putting words on paper.

Oh, and Google Docs is a godsend. Thank you Google. U r ma bro.

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Now playing: DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop) - Mashup of Top 25 Billboard Hits
via FoxyTunes

Friday, January 1, 2010

here we go

Still trying to decide how to break this up. Should I do one chapter at a time, or try to tackle an entire book at a time?

The way I'm spacing things right now, there are 12 books in the first "arc." Planning to have three arcs that tell the complete story, start to finish (with room for side-stories and spin-offs, of course). Each book has four chapters. I'm shooting for having one book done by the end of the month - shouldn't be hard if I manage my time well.

But I'm feeling a bit indecisive at the moment - focus on one chapter and put it online when it's done, or do the book as one whole project?

Guess I'll let it decide itself - whatever it takes to stay on schedule.

What's frustrating is that I'm taking longer than expected to put the script together. I wrote the story months ago, but in a stream-of-consciousness, unstructured style. I've been working on making a very organized, easy-to-read formatted script, but it's taking all day and I wanted to start drawing today. Curses.

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Now playing: Demon Hunter - Carry Me Down
via FoxyTunes

Thursday, December 31, 2009

music to write to

Fantastic song to write to.

Ran out of plays on last.fm and lala, so I broke down and bought it. On repeat till I get this script nailed.

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Now playing: Bossanova - Blue Bossanova
via FoxyTunes

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

almost there...


24 hours until the comic officially starts. So pumped. Dusting off the script and prepping it for roughs on the 1st.

"Truth of course must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for we have made fiction to suit ourselves." — GK Chesterton

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Now playing: Jars Of Clay - Don't Stop
via FoxyTunes

Friday, December 25, 2009

monster


This will help.

Thanks Ben!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Writing, Day 20

Man I've lost track. I am on schedule, though - John's done, Matthew's done, Marcus is done. Not sure who to try to write this week. Might go ahead and write the last of the four main guys, Luke.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Writing, Day 9

Still workin'. Getting some good art together for Matthew, talking with Bostonian friends for some reference for what living in the area is like.

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


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Now playing: Jars Of Clay - Hero
via FoxyTunes

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Chapter I - COMPLETE

Pretty much finished "the plot" for the first chunk of the comic. I know I'll have to make some modifications later, but I did my best to focus on just getting it all there in a substantial way - you know, only wearing one hat a time, not the writing hat as well as the editing hat.

Knowing that I'll have to revise this once some friends get back to me on a few issues, I figure I should get on writing the next chapter of the comic, avoiding downtime and whatnot. Problem is, I can't decide which one that should be. Matthew Connolly or Mae Everett? Or somebody else? I dunno. I had planned on doing Matthew next, so unless a better reason comes along, that's who I'll stick with.

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Now playing: Mutemath - No Response
via FoxyTunes

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Writing, Day 4

HNNNNGHH GOTTA FINISH

I just realized yesterday that writing about violent incidents isn't easy - there are logical consequences, such as investigations, emotional impact, community reaction... all kinds of things you gotta keep in mind.

Add on top of that a paranormal deluge of miraculous events, and you've got yourself a beautiful mess.

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Now playing: Mutemath - Burden
via FoxyTunes

Friday, October 16, 2009

Writing, Day III

Now cooking with gasoline. Made it over the speedbump in the middle, now filling in the climax of the book. Also, freaking awesome direction to take it in after this chapter.








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Now playing: Lisa Miskovsky - Still Alive (Benny Benassi mix)
via FoxyTunes

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Writing, Day II


Things are actually going really well. I never thought that I could write with such clarity and purpose.

I got about 3/4 of the outline complete, and hit a bit of a pothole toward the very center of the story, just have to make some decisions about what kind of tone to take. You know, don't wanna overload the angstometer.






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Now playing: Working For a Nuclear Free City - Troubled Son
via FoxyTunes

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Writing, Day I

Now that I've finished designing the main cast, it's time to start writing. I've made a schedule of dates to have written the first three "movements" of the story by. The comic is broken into twelve parts, but I can't decide whether to call them chapters, volumes, books, etc... books seems to be the most interesting choice, seeing as how each segment is a mini-novel, introducing and telling the story of one of the twelve characters.


The first deadline is this Saturday night - John's story. Should be intense. I've stocked up on Monster and have been reading and watching lots of inspirational material. I figure I'll get to work tomorrow evening when classes are over.

I've re-written John's arc into a much more visceral, violent, fast-paced story, as opposed to the plodding, awkward one I was stuck with before. Feels good man. This saga will definitely come out swinging.

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Now playing: Austrian Death Machine - If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It
via FoxyTunes