Posts Tagged: writing

Scriptwriting Software (That Won’t Break The Bank)

When it comes to writing comic scripts, there’s no “one program fits all” answer. The reason for this is because scriptwriting software tends to cater to the stage or the big screen. Times are changing, however. Recently, there was a Kickstarter (successfully funded!) that promised to produce a program designed for comic book writers. It’s called ComiXwriter, and it’s slated for release in April/May of this year. Exciting news for comic writers everywhere!

(more…)

Where To Begin Your Story: Inspiration

So you want to write a story?

It’s no exaggeration when I say that stories are the lifeblood of civilization. In a world full of uncertainty and insecurity, we turn to stories for understanding and guidance. Religions use creation myths to help society embrace its purpose and identity, while politicians exploit their personal narratives for political gain. In both instances these stories affect our understanding of history. In essence, stories facilitate learning, growth, and empathy. They transport us to worlds we’ll never see and allow us to speak to people who never existed. The greatest stories have toppled empires, and even the meekest have managed to touch hearts. Any story (even yours!) holds within it the power to affect a change in ways you’d never have thought possible. All you need to do is tell it.
(more…)

It’s Called Freelancing – Part 3

Missed the first installment of this article series? Read it here.

So what exactly are fair rates? This is the million dollar question. It’s very difficult to get a straight answer, and everyone will give you a different one. Here are page rates as determined by the Graphic Artists Guild from a few years back:

  • Writers (plot and script) $75-120
  • Painted art $150- 350
  • Layouts/Breakdowns $35-100
  • Penciled Art $55-200
  • Background art $10-25
  • Ink Art $45-150
  • Lettering $18-35
  • Lettering on overlay $20-35
  • Coloring art $75-150

Those are some pretty wide ranges, but it gives you an idea. Depending on your abilities, some employers may offer more, some may offer less. If you’re new to professional illustrating, these rates may be a little bit lower for the first few years as you gain experience. After looking at these, I feel that my rates are are actually rather low in a lot of cases, but they do fluctuate a lot. I take different variables into account before submitting a quote: the time frame involved, the complexity of the art, what style of coloring is needed (digital vs watercolor), who keeps the original art, what my other commitments are at the time of production, and anything else that may be a factor. Don’t forget that communication can eat up a lot of time, too. Sending emails, making phone calls, creating invoices – these things will eat up your time faster than you can imagine! Sometimes my rates are higher, sometimes they are lower. But I always quote what is fair to me based on the needs of the project. And see, writers should be getting paid a fair wage, too. But that’s a story for another time…

(more…)

Don’t Fear the Timer

Fifteen minutes.

That’s all the time I’m allowing myself to write this blog. Aaaand, my OCD just kicked in. There will be no note consultations, no pre-arranged outlines, no bullet points, no thesaurus checks. Just me, a keyboard, and a kitchen timer. Why am I doing this? Because I spent a lot of time this week coming up with an interesting blog topic, researching the subject, taking notes, and making a general outline of what I wanted to say – the problem is…I can’t say it. It’s as if my brain is so excited over the prospect of writing that it’s tripping over itself to get its thoughts out. “My” thoughts out. I used to be able to knock out essay after essay in high school with ease and enjoyment. What happened? Have my writing muscles atrophied? Is there so much information in my head that when I ask it to form a queue chaos and panic breaks loose?

Ten minutes. Oh boy.

(more…)

The Joys of Risk

What separates a good story from a great one? In many ways, less than what separates a great story from a terrible one. The greatest stories I’ve ever read, watched, or played in any mediums were the ones that took risks, that took their characters to new and dangerous places from where they couldn’t easily return.  These were the stories that made me excited to follow the characters, because I couldn’t guess what would happen next, but the intensity of what the heroes endured made me eager to tune in. Even when I didn’t think the direction the story was going in was a good idea, or when I found faults with the writing, I was still interested because the story was so unique and compelling. And I learned this from Chris Claremont, the man who made the X-Men great.

(more…)