Posts in the "Writing in other media" Category

• Give me a comic script any day

  Writing in other media

  I’m not terribly versed in a lot of other media. I love movies, love the artform, but I haven’t dived into the whole script writing thing. Why? Well, I figured I wanted to get good at writing novels before I did anything like that. I might do it some day. I’m a pretty visual writer (which can actually be a liability as a novelist), but I think for now I’ll steer clear.

  But one thing I feel a huge affinity for is comics. I was a pretty voracious comic reader in my teens and into my twenties. On weekends you could catch me reading Dr. Strange, Thor, The Uncanny X-Men, Alpha Flight. My favorite for a long time was Daredevil, especially the Frank Miller Daredevils. I loved those stories about Matt and Elektra. It was such a departure from what I was used to in the superhero realm. I’d read a lot of Daredevils. I had probably 75% of the entire run at one time, and I read them all. A lot of them were corny, typical superhero schlock, but the Miller stuff felt like a real story to me. It was the difference between a show like the Sopranos and typical network shows.

  (more…)

  Read More...

• Variety in Media

  Writing in other media

  

  I love writing in different formats. I obsess over the person, tense and voice of stories I write. But I always gravitate toward first-person narratives with a noir-ish sound to them. One of the best ways I’ve succeeded in expanding this, and developing my skills, has been by working in formats and media other than long-form prose.

  I started out being principally a short story writer and remain one to this day. But besides novels and short stories, I love writing other stuff. It’s just harder to sell, for me, because I don’t know how to sell it. The last thing I want is to end up with something that’s unsalable not because it sucks (which happens) or because it’s unfinished (which definitely happens) but because it’s in a format I don’t know how to market. I’ve got one stunningly brilliant science fiction stage play that will likely never see the light of day, and that’s an experience I don’t wish to repeat more times than absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, I loved writing it and felt like I learned a lot, addressing what I perceived to be some of my writing weaknesses. (more…)

  Read More...

• There’s always Broadway. Or poetry. Or self-published Internet WoW spoofs.

  Writing in other media

  So the topic for the week is writing in other media? That works for me.

  I’m happiest writing novels. I take a long time to get to the point and the length of a novel allows me time to develop my characters and discuss some things I want to talk about. I also like writing children’s books but I haven’t really gotten serious about that. Sometimes I pull out this kid’s book I’m writing and spend an hour trying to fruitlessly write rhyming couplets about an escaped lab rat and his many adorably earth-scorching peccadilloes. Nothing rhymes with ‘lasers.’

  Right now I am actually writing a story for a smartphone app. (The website is not scheduled for development until December, I think.) Being a nerd who hangs out with other nerds in the silicon hills of Austin, I am frickin’ hip deep in computer programmers. You can’t throw a geek in this town without hitting another geek. Some of us came up with an idea for how to exploit smartphone technology to tell stories in a new and interesting way. So we’re trying it out.
  (more…)

  Read More...

• Media Rare

  Writing in other media

  I just liked the way that title sounded, but it has very little to do with what I’m about to say.

  I know doodly-squat about writing for other media.

  I write novels. I will occasionally write a short story if the idea blooms fully formed in my head and I must get it to paper OR if I’m solicited for the story. I am actually very good at writing short stories if I know, somewhere down the line, they’ll be published. But, my focus is on novel writing.

  The only other arena I have any experience worthy of note is songwriting and advertising copy. Writing an effective song has very little in similar with writing a novel – unless you’re Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits or Nick Cave. Which I’m not. (And NO ONE in their right mind gives a shit about advertising copy.) (more…)

  Read More...

• Story in Other Media Forms

  Writing in other media

  It’s important for writers to study all the forms of story. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Each its own shorthand. Above all, each is a distinct experience of plot. So, I study other formats in order to understand the lessons each has to offer. This means I watch plays, films, listen to radio plays and audio books, and read comic books in addition to reading novels. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to write. Why?

  The ubiquitousness of television and film creates certain traps for writers these days. For example, one of the most common mistakes beginning writers make is using film dialog patterns in their prose. Because film has only two hours to tell a story it uses certain short cuts via dialog. Characters names are frequently repeated by other characters. This is necessary to prevent the audience from being confused in the rush. Real people don’t speak like that, however. (Listen to real conversations, and you’ll spot it right away.) In fact, real people almost never use the other person’s name in conversation–unless there’s more than one person participating in the discussion and even then not that much. Also, film has to wrap up certain background details in a big hurry. (Remember, you’ve only two hours to tell the story.) So, exposition is used to insert important bits of the past or emphasize plot elements. (And so we get clunky dialog like “As you know, Bob, the economy in our world crashed because of the aliens.” That never works well in novels.) Also, film is visual. Film can get away with long establishing shots of scenery where nothing happens but pretty shiny scenery. Prose can’t do that–at least not well and certainly not these days when readers have short attention spans.

  It’s possible to learn and use certain elements from other storytelling formats, mind you–rules are made to be broken, right?–but the important thing to remember is to know what you’re doing and why. Be skillful with the tools of writing. Don’t be sloppy. And the only way to learn is by studying.

  Read More...

• Thank God For Books

  Writing in other media

  Well, now we’ve reached the topic that I find tricky.  I like comics, movies, tv shows, etc, but I’ve never even imagined trying to write for them.  Heck, I don’t even write short stories – though I do hope to change that, since I’d like to write a few set in the same world as The Whitefire Crossing, just for fun.  But first, I need to read a bunch more short stories to get a better grounding in that mindset, because I’m pretty sure short stories require a much different skillset than novels.

  As for screenplays and comics and such…erk.  I’d be way, way back at the start of the learning curve.  And for the folks who write scripts for TV shows – well, my hat’s off to them.  From what little I know of the industry, I think I’d go stark raving mad if I tried to write under the killer time pressure they endure.  Not to mention all the restrictions and limitations (both network-imposed, and internal to the show) on what a writer can do.  (Look at all the mid-course adjustments JMS had to do with Babylon 5!)  (more…)

  Read More...