"I'm Proud of My Humility"

"I'd Be Happy To Tell You Exactly Where To Screw In That Lightbulb ..."

Back in the day, I worked in a comic book shop.  Well, I ran the place while the boss was off being a landlord.  I gave up taking his tennant calls when one of them demanded my boss drop what he was doing and change a lightbulb.  "Is it in the hallway?  One of the security lights outside?"

"No," the caller answered in full indignation, "it's my personal lamp and I want him down here now."  My Idiot Meter needle went into the red zone, the receiver slammed down on the phone on my end, and the boss got an earful about taking his own calls from then on.  But I digress.

"Okay, I write a college-level manual for light bulb extraction and replacement, then I sell the movie rights ..." Photo courtesy Creative Commons.

 "What I Didn't Do Over My Summer Vacation"

In that same comic shop, we all talked about what we'd do if we'd wrote adventures for Superman, The X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, THUNDER Agents, Miracleman (actually, we didn't talk about books like the last often because we knew we'd never be close to Alan Moore's writing skills), etc.  Some of us even went so far as to dream of breaking into that hallowed market.

Only a handful of us actually worked up samples and made an attempt to reach out to the editors.  Digression #2 (and a possible subject for a future blog).

One conversationalist during one of these bull (and that's just half the story) sessions announced that upon the end of the semester, he would go to New York City, walk into the offices of Marvel Comics, and get a writing gig.*

*No, it's not that easy or I'd have done it, along with several thousand fans at any given time.

He further announced, "And I'll become the writer on Uncanny X-Men ..."

Keep in mind that at the time, this was Marvel Comics' #1 selling book and the writer, Chris Claremont was the main creative force on the title, just like Jack Kirby on the early Fantastic Four or Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man.  He would continue to helm the title for a number of years as he had before.  Chris wasn't going anywhere soon.

Even we poor, frequently-deluded comic fans knew that.  Well, all but one, it seemed.

"-- and I won't take anything else," the person announced with the confidence of predicting the sunrise.  "I'll just take my services elsewhere."  By the way, this person never made it to New York, didn't even leave campustown, and Mr. Claremont kept his job for another decade.

But what's wrong with starting at the bottom?

I spent three years working in Public Broadcasting, but that came from volunteering for the five before at the television division.  I worked in comic retail for three decades, using my endless supply of media trivia gainfully.  However, that journey began with being a customer and building a relationship with the owner -- we'd call that "networking" today.

Not everyone can be a J.K. Rowling, hitting financial paydirt with their first major published work.

Many novelists started out writing short stories.  Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather at night while grinding out copy for men's adventure story magazines during the day.  I can remember John Travolta in a TV ad for Band-Aid Band Adhesive Strips long before Welcome Back, Kotter or Saturday Night Fever.  Jack Kirby, before he became the artistic standard of the comic book industry, worked as an "in-betweener" for Max Fleisher's animation studio, filling in movements between drawings other artists had made. 

But you've got to get your foot in the door, right?

Regardless of the venue, you have to give every work your best efforts because that's part of your resume that shows you are ready for bigger and more rewarding creative challenges.  When was the last time you heard of someone being called into an HR office to be told, "You drove your forklift into the boss' new BMW before crashing both of them through a brick wall ... that's the sort of initiative we're looking for in a Overseas Shipping Manager"

Timely Publications' Martin Goodman hired his cousin-in-law Stanley Lieber as an office boy to run errands for the staff.  One day in 1941, a comic book needed a quick text piece to be written for Captain America #3 (in those days, the Post Office would not allow a publisher to mail magazines at a special bulk rate unless the magazine contained at least two pages of text).

Seventeen-year old Stanley ran to a typewriter and pounded out a serviceable prose tale that kept the comic on schedule.  Goodman allowed Stanley to continue writing and eventually to become editor and art director of the comic book line while writing not just super-hero tales, but also westerns, war stories, romances, horror, and comedy.

By the time Goodman changed the company name to Marvel Comics, and Stanley decided to write the stories he wanted to read before leaving the industry to create The Great American Novel, the writer had long ago left his real name behind.  Now everyone knew the topkick at The House of Ideas as Stan Lee.

Stan went on to succeed Goodman as publisher at Marvel before becoming a media mogul, TV and film star, and perhaps one of the most influential writers in comics history.  And that all started with a two-page short story ... and Stan still hasn't written his novel.

As profiic as he was, Stan didn't scrimp on the effort.  It didn't matter if the story was about Steve Rogers, Simon Garth, Millie Collins, or Johnny Bart.  You shouldn't hold back on the talent either.

Every creative thing you do should be with your dial set to 11.  Every comic book cover should be drawn as if it's destined for the Louvre.  Wrap those SEOs with the most readable, repeatable prose you can conjure up.  Be the ensemble actor that the audience can't stop watching.

And if I had to replace that goof's light bulb, I'd treat the job like I was doing open heart surgery on my best friend.  Even if the pay stinks, the payment you get from a job excellently done can't be put into mere numbers.

Do your best because you never know where it may lead.

Is there ever a reason for not doing your best?  Write me or comment below and let's talk this out.

"We must be doing something ... WRITE!"

As for contacting us, we are in so many places, it's a wonder you don't read this blog on your fillings.

Your comments here and via e-mail are welcome and encouraged.

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Visit the Freelance Words website for your writing needs.  To read my creative resume to show you I can do the work, I make it easy ... see?

In December, expect news about our first Kindle publication and tell your costuming friends to keep an eye out for it.  We'll also have announcements and other insane ramblings on our Facebook page (give us a LIKE while you're there, if you would, please) or on Twitter as @BrianKMorris.  You'll be glad you did.  Trust us.

As we hurtle towards the end of the year -- slipping, slipping, slipping into the future -- you'll hear more about those diabolical Mayans ending the Earth just because they didn't have room on a rock for more years.  You don't hear anyone predicting the end of all existence when we reach the last page of our Hello Kitty Calender, do you?  It pays to research  before jumping to conclusions.

Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and stay creative!

"Think visually? I can see that happening."

Once In a Lifetime

Talking heads do more than pop on the radio to burn down the house and be taken to the river once in a lifetime.  They sneak into our work and dull down a story into submission.

Why are they so attention-draining?  That's because talking heads do nothing ... nothing but talk.  Duh!

But they're so easy to write.  Imagine getting into a typing rhythm as you "hear" the dialog in your head as it happens between your characters.  I wish I could say my knowledge of this was strictly academic.

These are not the Talking Heads you're looking for.  Move along.

Movements (and I'm not talking classical music)

So much of what makes comic books and movies and stage plays work is movement.  Dialogue tickles the intellect, but movement captures the eye.  This is especially useful when the writer gets to "speechifying."

A recent webinar I recently attended on social networking discussed selling to a listener and how we all can get into a habit of sorts where that person is asked again and again to agree to something -- an offer, a concept, a set of jokes.

Take a look at people around you when you are in a restaurant or coffee shop or supermarket or book store.  No one simply stands in place and speaks.  We gesture.  When our feet are tired, we might lean or swap from side-to-side.  We scratch, we grimace, we never remain still.

When reading prose, the eye tends to speed up during dialogue.  Perhaps it's because we don't have to interpret the descriptions into movement inside our mind's eye.  We "hear" the words and don't give a lot of conscious thought about the characters' environment.

It's like reading MAD Magazine where there's something in the foreground that commands our attention, but behind the speakers, there's this world of activity and practically another story altogether taking place. 

You'll find that inserting movement breaks up the rhythm and adds life to the scene.  No matter if it's on stage, on the screen, or held together with two staples, movement helps add color to a scene.

In comic books, taking heads can bring a story to a screaming halt. Thanks to great artist/storytellers like Jack Kirby, Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin, and the like, the reader comes to expect activity on the printed page.  In the still-educational How To Draw Comic Books the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema, the team spends a couple of pages where even the talking heads can be made more interesting by changing the angle of the reader's point of view or by allowing them to pose more dramatically than standing with their hands in their pockets.

For myself, if more than three lines of dialog occur without my adding some sort of movement, then it's because I"m not paying attention.  For a play for the stage or screen, I'll let a page and a half -- which amounts to about  90 seconds -- slide by before I add some movement whether the scene needs it or not ... which it will.

When you write, play what you write in your mind like a movie.  When your own tolerance for non-movement is reached, make the talking heads do something.  Why should YOU be doing all the work?

Sorry for no blog post last week.  We had some consultation to do, one involving an upcoming book from Freelance Words, the other with a new business that will make you feel like a super-hero.  More on that as details firm up.

If you have an insight into the creative process, you are cordially invited to pitch a guest blog.  Drop me some e-mail with some details.

As for contacting us, we are almost omnipresent!

E-Mail: bkmorris56@gmail.com
Website: www.freelancewords.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FreelanceWords (be sure to give us a LIKE)
Twitter: @BrianKMorris, 
LinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/in/morriskbrian 

We are entering a time when we would do well to remember that all isn't lost.  We still have things to be thankful for, people to appreciate, and folks who appreciate us.  Remind someone how important they are, okay?

I am thankful to those of you who let me know you enjoy this blog and that you're getting some useful information from it.  I'm also thankful to those of you who subscribe via Amazon.com and by filling in the box in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Please have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving as well as a safe and thrifty Black Friday weekend.

Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and keep on creating!