Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Guess Things Happen That Way

I’ve been asked how I approach writing. I usually start with a premise, then I start creating characters, and finally I develop a plot around it. Usually I keep an idea in my head for a very long time as I develop and research it. Then, when I think its solid enough, I put it down on script form. Since I don’t have to deal with a team of people to create my books, I write down the story like a screenplay. Even though I write down angles and shots, by the time I hit the breakdowns, things start to change as elements like pacing, composition, storytelling, etc start to become images. Needless to say, more changes follow from breakdowns to final art. Dialogs change very little from the script except for rhythmic, spacing, and other considerations for the overall story.

As for the plot, I usually get the beginning of the story right away, work on an ending, and then the middle pretty much writes itself. At this point, the characters are so alive in my head that their dialog feels like taking dictation. I take my time with every project, sometimes an astonishing amount of it, especially when I have to do research. There is a lot of work in the beginning, but once the world in which the story takes place is defined, everything else comes out very organically. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

PS: You might have noticed the change in lettering. I'm in the process of re-lettering the book, so soon all the pages will be updated.