Posted in: Comics | Tagged:

How Comics Made Me a Better Writer

Published Sat, 09 Jul 2016 12:00:34 -0500

by Andrew Adams

I'm going to tell you the most shocking and appalling part of this article right up front, because I don't want it to dawn on you slowly and leave you feeling betrayed, used, and abused. So here goes (and brace yourself):

I'm currently running a Kickstarter campaign. And we're seeking donations. Yes, I know. It's for a comic book called Revisionaries, which is an insane and over-the-top and raunchy sci-fi action-adventure splatter comedy about terrible time travelers who mess up World War II. You can get a copy by donating here.

This project is very special to me because it's been years in the making and represents, on a personal level, the moment that I came into my own as a writer.

Which might seem like a ludicrous statement, because… Look at that picture. Look at the size of those boobs. Look at the hyperviolence and the ridiculousness and the sheer lack of restraint on any level. This is not the sort of work that wins you a Nobel Peace Prize or a Man Booker (although I'm open to it, judges). So why am I putting such importance on this?

Well… I've nursed hopes of being a big-time writer/director for most of my life. Like any bright-eyed bushy-trailed naive young film school grad, I moved to the big city convinced that it would take about five minutes tops. After a summer of research I was able to track down the address of the 30 Rock writer's room and the day that they were reconvening for Season Four. So, naturally, I arrived at their offices with two dozen donuts and some campaign posters featuring my writing credentials (which were none) and contact information. It was a disaster. The security guard wouldn't even let me into the lobby, let alone deliver stranger donuts on my behalf. Within minutes, I found myself sitting on the steps of a Queens subway station and sharing my Boston Creme with a homeless man. Welcome to the industry, kid.

Note: "Sharing my Boston Creme" is not a euphemism.

During the next several years of getting coffee, standing in the rain, and being yelled at as a production assistant, I wrote feature screenplays with the hopes that I would one day be able to find funding and make them. But I was extremely aware of production logistics and budgets, so everything I wrote was crafted with one thought in mind: affordability. Minimal locations, no special effects, very dialogue-heavy. And, truthfully, they all sucked. Like a lot. Because I was a kid raised on Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park but I wasn't letting myself write genre fiction.

And then one day a dear friend of mine made a successful comic book with his brother, and started attending comic conventions to promote it. He would often invite me to tag along, and seeing the world of comic book creatives opened up my eyes. Here were passionate storytellers living in a medium where their every creative whim was achievable. Because the page rates are the same whether you're telling a story about a couple in a coffee shop or an intergalactic space war. When you come up with an idea in comics, you don't have to wonder "how?" You can just get excited about "when?"

I spent several more years studying the form of comics and writing my first terrible drafts. I learned about the importance of page flips and nestling surprises in the lefthand corner of a spread, which taught me to better pace my story reveals. Research into cliffhangers and act breaks taught me how to break away from Syd Field's three-act structure and embrace more twisty, turny, six-act stories. Limiting myself to 22 pages taught me how to cut away the parts of a story that don't really matter, and how to identify the most important scenes to share. Structurally, my writing increased tenfold.

And in terms of content, I suddenly myself feeling free as a writer for the very first time since middle school, when I wrote Jurassic Park spin-offs by hand. I could pursue anything I wanted. Which is why I wound up cramming every single thing I love into one story: sci-fi, time travel, multiverses, splatter comedy, dinosaurs and vikings and robots and space travel and more. By freeing myself up to write the stories I was most interested in, instead of trying to write for a budget, I wound up writing what I believe is, up until now, a personal best.

That script, as I'm sure you guessed by now, was for Revisionaries.

It's a kind of insane piece, where every single element is dialed up to 11, and I love it. Embracing the comic book medium taught me how to better structure a story and how to chase my passions. That has seeped into everything I do now, and has even begun to open up the doors to genre filmmaking. By following my heart, instead of the market, I started to find my voice and bigger, better doors began to open for me.

Now I just want people to read it!

So check it out. We've got great art by an Argentinian artist named Nico Sucio, who's big in the street art and zine scene down there. It's a dirty, funky, underground style that I think complements the writing just right.

We've already self-funded production of the first issue, so this Kickstarter is mostly our way of sharing it with people. You can purchase PDFs, help us fund a print run, and get some awesome posters. But act now, because we've got some earlybird discounts available that won't last long. And you'll be helping some young creators follow their passion!!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!