My book is out! Finally! After talking about it, working on it, walking away, coming back, rewriting, etc. Midnight Signs has started. To celebrate the first few chapters will be free1 so make sure you check them out. I also wanted to talk a little bit about writing, my influences, process and things. You're going to get some great recommendations and hopefully some good advice too. But first...
ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!
So, yeah, the book has started. Please check it out at the link above and follow, like, review, all the good things. I think most of you will enjoy it. Plus, it is free to check out so you aren't out anything.
Speaking of new books the new children's Christmas book I'm doing with Chris Nazario is on track to be out end of November/first of December. Keep following him on Instagram for updates and tie-ins.
We will be at the West Texas Christmas Con the weekend of Dec. 11th - 12th when it gets closer I'll have more details.
I'm also working on maybe another show or two before the end of the year.
Ok, back to the show.
If you're reading this you're already on SubStack's website. The best thing I can tell you to do with your life is go follow Chuck Palahniuk's newsletter. He gives great advice on writing, exclusive fiction, startling nonfiction and so much more!
He recently gave a quote on writing that has stuck with me. He said, “What else is writing except your opportunity to create, endure, and resolve chaos?”
How beautiful is that? It is also so simple and true. He really is a master of the craft. Chuck2 has always been an inspiration to me. I've always loved his writing. The style, the voice, the comfort in the uncomfortable, all of it. To the point to where when I write I've had to change stuff because it reads like a cheap Palahniuk knock off. I wish I were that good.
Chuck books to read:
Fight Club (duh!)
Haunted
Bait
Stranger than Fiction
Consider This
Midnight Signs is my first foray into novel/la story telling, but I've been writing comics for a few years now. I've actually been writing as far back as I can remember3. In junior high and high school I won a few writing contest. In college I was an English major for a while but dropped out, we'll say due to creative differences. When I'm not writing I'm usually talking, telling stories in some form with almost every waking moment.
When it comes to influences in comics I think Brian Michael Bendis is one of the big ones. In college I thought I was “too cool” for comics. Spoilers: I'm not too cool for anything. It was Bendis and artist Alex Maleev who brought me back into the medium. They were working on Daredevil under the Marvel Knights imprint, not quite adult stories but more mature than the main books. To this day it is one of the best runs of any comics. Bendis has a bunch of critics for his “talking head” style. Something about the dialogue heavy stuff just works for me. The character is front and center with the action being a development that adds to the story instead of a villain of the week scenario. Bendis also has a really great SubStack you should check out.
Bendis books to read:
Daredevil
Alias
Powers
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Jinxworld books
I'd be a liar if I didn't mention Grant Morrison's New X-Men and All-Star Superman, Mark Waid's Fantastic Four and Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier. All of these are masterclasses in storytelling.4
If capes and powers aren't your thing Blankets by Craig Thompson is the comic I've given as a gift more than any other book. The first collection of Demo by Brian Wood is amazing but turns out he's a jerk so buy a used copy.
Before you read all those and see how writing is really done I want to talk about my process. From creation to execution to publishing I definitely have a way I do things. Now, is it the right way? No. Is it the wrong way? Also no. What I can say is read it all then make your own crazy how-to. You might like Palahnuik's pacing and Bendis's dialogue. Find what works for you.
No matter what though, you have to start somewhere. Ideas can come from literally anywhere5. Sometimes I'll reverse engineer a story. I'll start with the end and wonder how we got there. How did the chicken cross the road? Others, I have a question I can't answer or thinks needs to be answered. Why did the chicken cross the road? I've also been known to just have a random crazy thing and want to expand on it. Chickens are cool! What is something a chicken would do? You might be laughing, but it really is that simple sometimes.
One time I read, and I mention this in every writing panel I host, there are really only three types of stories. Man v Man, Man v Self, Man v Nature. Excuse the pronouns, it was an old book I read it in. The theory dates back to the ancient Greeks and their tales of heroes, but if you think about it, it applies to modern works too. Let's look at Wolverine from Marvel comics. Man v Man: He fights Sabertooth. Man v Self: Should he stop being a murderer? Man v Nature: That time his adamantium got ripped out and he started to devolve into a weird wolverine-human hybrid. You're story will fall in one of these. I like to point this out because, to me, it makes writing less intimidating. My story is going to fall in one of three spots so I don't have to worry if it will resonate with anyone because at the heart it is a story people know.
Once I have my story I work on my characters. Recently I got the advice to do a Dungeons and Dragons sheet for your character. I've never been a D & D guy so this never occurred to me. Usually I like to lay out what the character was doing before the story, their purpose in the story and what they will learn. I also like to break down their individual arc, what is their journey? It's also important to know who they are. What is their favorite movie? Music? Food? What do they not like? This stuff will probably never show it's face in your story but it helps you understand what you're writing.
You'll hear a lot of authors talk about how, when writing, the characters talk to them. This is 100% true! If you know you're characters well enough they will let you know that you're writing against type. You might be making them do something just for the sake of the bigger story but it might break them6.
Next up I write a one page synopsis of what's going to happen. This isn't my pitch or for anyone else other than me. This lets me know that I have a solid arc planned. Beginning, middle and end. I can make notes in the margin and change things as needed.
Probably should have told you, I do all my prep work on paper with pencil. I guess I'm old fashioned but something about it just feels right.
With that one page synopsis the next thing is my beats. Others might consider this an outline, but we'll get to that. This is where I break down when I want the events to happen. In the case of comics it is a two part process. The first is figuring out how many issues in the story and what is going to go down in each one. I like to put a beat per page. It lets you see your pacing and makes it easy to move things around. For Midnight Signs I did it by chapter, which has been a fun challenge. It makes me stay with a certain theme in every chapter and not stray too far.
Now it's outline time. Here I take the beats and just add too them. The beat might be something like “Yan graduates law school7” and from there I expand it to we see him study, being a loner until he ultimately graduates. In comics this description is typically at the top of your page before your panel breakdowns.
Finally, write! Easy right? Seriously though, that's what you have to do. I always tell people who come to my panels that if you do that you've made it farther than 99% of the people out there. Everyone thinks they have or story or wants to tell a story but few ever put worth the effort. Actually, when they find out you're a writer they will want you to write it for them.
In the ancient days of Myspace I was lucky enough to be part of a Q & A with Matt Fraction. I asked him about 2nd, 3rd,4th, etc drafts and he told me something I keep with me still. He said, “Don't get it right, get it written!” An author can be their own worse enemy. I'm not saying run with your first draft but know when to stop. A good indication of when to do that is when you don't know of either a better way or even how to write the resolution to the conflict. Write your first draft, change it, let someone read it, change it, maybe let someone else read it. Done.
The last thing I want to talk about it community. As a writer your most important tool isn't a pen (or computer in this day and age) it is peers. I'm lucky enough to be part of a couple of writing groups. It is a great space to bounce ideas around, get feedback, get help with your story and get help with yourself. Other writers know the struggles you go through and will help you get through all of it. I would be honored to be that person for any of you writers out there, just get to talking in the comments.
Until next time,
Lance
To be fair (to be fair!) everyone’s first few chapters are free, but hey, free!
He almost killed me one time, so I feel like I can call him Chuck. It was at a book signing in New Orleans and the only pictures he would take were either posing for a fight or choking you. My wife did fight so I did choke. As the world started to go black, my eyes rolling back in my head, he let out a laugh and said it was very nice to meet me and thanked me for coming so far (12 hours). At least I think that’s what happened. The oxygen was still coming back to my brain.
I remember, one time not too long after my parents split, I was maybe 11 or 12. I was at church with my mother and I didn’t want to be there. During the sermon I wrote a horrific and bloody story that to this day is one of the most violent things I’ve ever written. Totally not working through emotions and trauma.
Also, sign up for Masterclass! They have some amazing writers on there that give you so much amazing information.
Thank God for smart phones! I used to keep a journal by my bed to jot down those middle of the night thoughts that came to me.
In comics you have the ability to ret-con or go back and change somebody’s history if it is out of character. Blame it on a clone, brain washing or someone from a different timeline.
Legit the very first page of the Embassy!