Time to Write

Graphic novels, readers, and The Watchmen (Gibbons & Moore)

Writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons are the creators of the “Watchmen” breakthrough series of graphic novels in the 80’s. Now Gibbons, along with Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, has written “Watching the Watchmen,” a book that tells the story of their collaboration. Wired magazine featured an interview with Gibbons in advance of the release of the Watchmen movie. A few tidbits:

 “…people unacquainted with graphic novels, including journalists, tend to think of Watchmen as a book by Alan Moore that happens to have some illustrations. And that does a disservice to the entire form, because comics are stories in words and pictures. To marginalize either aspect shows a misunderstanding and under-appreciation of the form. And Alan is scrupulous about giving credit; there's never been a problem between us.”

 “I think readers are always patient. Look at the Harry Potter series. Some have given up on this generation of kids as game and TV addicts, but lots of people spend lots of time patiently reading through hundreds of pages of dense prose. I think reading a comic by comparison is a lot more immediate. With the Watchmen comic, we attempted to tell it in an accessible way. I deliberately made the artwork very clear, deceptively so. You think you're sucking on a sweetie, but it turns out to be a sugar-coated chili.”

 Writer Moore is not happy with movie versions of his work. In another interview he said, “I find film in its modern form to be quite bullying. It spoon-feeds us, which has the effect of watering down our collective cultural imagination.”

 To hear him talk about Watchmen and what superheroes represent in our world, check out this 5 minute video on YouTube (I like his observation that Batman essentially is a vigilante psychopath).

Use an inspirational symbol for writing more creatively

A study at Duke University and the University of Waterloo (Canada) showed that subliminal exposure to symbols affected how creative test subjects were afterward. One group saw flashes (too fast to register consciously) of the Apple logo, another saw flashes of the IBM logo. A separate study had shown that the Apple brand is generally associated with creativity, and the IBM logo isn't.

Afterward, both groups took creativity tests (based on how many unusual uses they could think of for a brick). The researchers counted not only the number of uses but had a separate panel evaluate how creative the uses were. The Apple group came up with more, and more creative, uses. 

The lesson may be that being exposed to certain images, even subliminally, affects our behaviour.

What images suggest creativity to you? Maybe it's a photo of Einstein, or a painting of Leonardo da Vinci, or the cover of your favourite book. It might be worth keeping those images handy and taking a look at them at the start of your writing sessions. 

(For a monthly dose of tips and techniques for being more creative and productive, subscribe to my free Brainstorm e-bulletin--just send an email request now to [email protected])

Less sleep = less creative (Time to write)

Some people advise you to find time to write by getting up an hour earlier or staying up an hour later, but this isn't a good idea if it leaves you short of sleep. In fact, it could actually make you less creative. As discussed in an article by Leslie Berlin in the New York Times, "Sleep enhances performance, learning, and memory. Most unappreciated of all, sleep improves creative ability to generate aha! moments and uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas." 

Harvard Medical School researcher Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen has quantified it: you're 33% more likely to infer connections among distantly related ideas if an incubation period includes sleep. But when you have your aha! moment you won't necessarily know that sleep helped. 

The moral of the story: instead of sleeping less, find something else you can do less (watching TV?) to make time to write.

(For more tips on how to be more creative, subscribe to my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin--it doesn't take long to read each issue! Just send an email request now to [email protected])

Are you in a rut?

Yesterday I posted an excerpt from an interview with animator Todd Ramsay, creator of the goofy short Honkbarn cartoons, in which he mentioned that an injury caused him to come up with a new style. Here's one more bit from that interview:

“I’ve tried to come up with concepts for shows in the past but every idea seemed so contrived. All of my ideas were influenced by what was going on in mainstream animation and nothing felt true to what I wanted to do. Taking a few months off work was the best thing that ever happened to me. I stopped watching cartoons on TV and was basically locked in my house in the woods without the constant reminder of the rules and regulations associated with animation production. During that time I took a different approach to animation. I began recording idiot noises and found a few royalty free sound clips on the net and started animating a couple of the Honkbarn characters not knowing what would happen until actually drawing the next frame. I didn’t have an idea, a storyboard, or a script. I was just animating for fun, something I had never really done before. It was an experiment in animation, a way to convey my own sense of humor through an art form.”

 Hmm, forced separation from the usual ways of thinking created new insights. 

Do you think you might be in a rut with how you think about the things you do? When's the last time you did something that relates to your work, just for fun?

What could be a voluntary way to force yourself to find a fresh outlook? Why do we find this so hard (me, too)?

 And if you want to see another Honkbarn, here is the most recent one (it's one minute long):

When constraints let you become more creative

Do you sometimes feel that your circumstances are keeping you from being as creative as you’d like to be? I ran across some delightfully silly animations called Honkbarn recently and in an interview Todd Ramsay, their creator, talked about how he came up with these goofy characters:

 “I first got the idea for Honkbarn after a really bad snowboarding accident left me without the use of my drawing hand for about 6 months. There was only so much daytime TV that I could handle so I decided to start drawing with my left hand. I couldn’t draw with the same attention to detail that I had with my right hand so I had to simplify the designs. That’s when I came up with my first character line-up.”

Interesting—it was a constraint that led to greater creativity. 

No need to wait for an accident—what can you do differently by choice that might refresh your creativity?

If you want to see a short Honkbarn, here you go (if you have little kids, they’ll probably love this):

How to be happier

If you’re finding it challenging to keep your spirits up, you might find it helpful to listen to this Shrink Rap Radio interview with Richard O’Connor, author of “Happy at Last: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Finding Joy.” He talks to David Van Nuys, Ph.D. about how to make permanent changes in your happiness level—if you’re willing to make a conscious effort for at least three months. O’Conner is himself a life-long sufferer of depression and has written three books on that topic. You may also want to check out his site, www.undoingdepression.com. Here are a few of his points:

• We have a happiness thermostat but can increase our level
• We believe we will be happy when we get what we want but when we get it we will only want something else very soon
• You can get rich by earning a lot more money, or by wanting less (even though the latter goes against our cultural training)
• One way to increase happiness is to pay attention to the small pleasures and beauties of life—in the moment, a grilled cheese sandwich can make you happy!

a little stimulation for your imagination!

There's a new animated film coming out in February called "Coraline," written and directed by the wonderful Henry Selick, based on the book by Neil Gaiman. He directed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach," two of my favourites. If you're ever trying to recapture that child-like part of your imagination (including the darker bits...) ten or fifteen minutes of Selick's work does wonders. Below is a trailer for "Caroline" (which will be in 3D) and you can also visit the website at www.coraline.com.

Merry Christmas (30-second interpretive dance by S. Claus)

I hope the folks at MooseMouse Media don't mind if I share their short interpretive dance by S. Claus animation with you. It's here.

Merry Christmas, I hope you are able to spend it with loved ones and that the coming year is very kind to you. 

best wishes from Jurgen

Do you need a new strategy for the New Year?

On Jacob Cass’s “Just Creative Design” blog there’s a half-hour video of famous web designer Paul Boag talking about how to get clients to say yes to your designs, as well as a link to the slides Boag used to illustrate his talk.  I found that a number of his points apply to free-lance writers as well, notably:

• we treat editors and publishers and producers like royalty and see ourselves as the servants
• we need to develop a peer to peer mentality
• we are experts and need to get them to see us that way

 Boag’s suggestions for achieving this include:

• be positive
• manage feedback—if there’s a problem, get them to be specific
• talk their language

 The comparison is not a perfect fit, but I think the key point is that we have to stop approaching editors and publishers and agents (before they’ve signed us) like they’re God. They’re not. They’re people who are going to make money from the products we provide. If we respect ourselves, our talent, and our skills, we will approach them as peers and insist on being treated the same way. 

Yes, this sometimes means walking away but in the long run it’s the only way forward. I've had two experiences like this with TV series. 

In the first one, I saw it through all the to its final destruction by the director (and the resulting poor ratings and cancellation) because I'd created it and couldn't stand abandoning my baby. 

In the second, I left as soon as it was clear that the network boss was totally screwing it up (in that one, it never even got on the air and the producer and network ended up in a big lawsuit). Neither was a happy experience, but it felt better to move on once it was clear that my contribution was not respected. (Just for the record, I have had some great experiences with directors and network people as well!)

(For a view of how to get from idea all the way through to production or publication, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available at the usual online and retail outlets.)

What's motivating your protagonist? (Should it be two things?)

What’s motivating your protagonist?

Several people who have seen advance screenings of the film, “Slumdog Millionaire” have raved about it. In a roundup of movies being released this time of year, John Horn of the Los Angeles Times, noted:

“When screenwriter Simon Beaufoy sat down to adapt the novel "Q & A" to the screenplay for " Slumdog Millionaire," there was no love story between the game show's contestant, Jamal, and his long-lost childhood crush, Latika. But Beaufoy couldn't get excited about a story in which a cash prize was the protagonist's reward.

 ‘I just didn't think money was a great motivator,’ Beaufoy says. ‘You don't leave a theater singing about someone who gets a Rolex watch. But Jamal is not on the show to win 20 million rupees. He's there to find the woman he loves.’”

 It’s a good reminder that if you want your audience (or reader) to get emotionally involved with your protagonist, it helps if the character’s quest is appealing. Of course in many stories, the protagonist starts out wanting the wrong (or less worthy) thing and along the way discovers that he or she actually need something else—this is often called the wants/needs plot. In other words, the journey from what you want to what you actually need. It gives an extra dimension of depth and interest--maybe because we've all experienced it at some stage!

You’ve probably heard of the “Write a novel in a month” event that takes place every November, but did you know there’s a scriptwriting equivalent? It’s “Scriptfrenzy” and it happens in April. You can find out more at scriptfrenzy.org. One of the fun features on the site is the plot machine. You click on a button and up pop three plot elements (a bit like spinning a slot machine). They’re silly…but then again, considering some of the movies that have actually been produced… Here are three examples that came up when I tried it:

“In a world ruled by earthworms…a ballerina with a gun…sets out to shave a sasquatch.”

 “In a secret city beneath the Potomac…a narcoleptic bear…wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.”

 “After reading a co-worker’s email…a band of intergalactic spice traders…tracks down a renegade leprechaun.”

 Excuse me, I have to go call Steven Spielberg.

(If you need some inspiration for that screenplay you're writing, get a monthly dose of tips on how to be more creative and productive--just sign up for my free Brainstorm ebulletin by sending an email request now to [email protected].)

How can writers beat the recession?

In The Independent, Claire Beale wrote about how ad agencies are adding more income streams to compensate for the reduced revenue from their traditional activities in this time of economic hardship:

 “Take Mother, unveiled last week as Campaign's Ad Agency of the Year. Mother produced a movie, wrote a play, published a comic and made some great standout advertising.

Or Beattie McGuinness Bungay, an agency that has also stretched the definitions of creativity into iPhone applications, airplane liveries, book publishing, all without compromising its ability to deliver some fantastic advertising for clients like Carling, Wall's, Ikea.

How about Bartle Bogle Hegarty: proud owner of a ready meal range you can buy in Tesco, a rape alarm brand stocked by Marks & Spencer, and also creator of some of the best advertising in the world.”

She says, “These are advertising's visionaries and they're poised to use the economic crisis to drive through a radical overhaul that will redefine the industry and establish a new financial model for adland.”

Specifically, these changes might include “new payment structures that allow them to share in the risks and rewards of brave advertising. And the best agencies will explore ways to retain intellectual property rights for their work, or launch their own brands in partnership with clients, or create content that people will pay to see.”

We can learn from them: “For recession, they read opportunity: the chance for all of us – personally, commercially, socially, politically – to change. And for creative thinking to lead that (positive) change.”

Few of us will be immune to the pressures ad agencies are facing. What kind of changes can you think of in your life that could mimic the adaptability of the innovative agencies?

(for a monthly does of great tips for being more creative and productive, sign up for my free Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request now to [email protected])

How a writer (you) can thrive in these hard times

The hard times have hit the book trade. In the last couple of weeks, many publishers have announced staff cutbacks, and one even stopped considering new book proposals for the time being. All eyes are on the December sales figures to see whether books will keep their status as a good Christmas present. If you are planning to submit your book proposal in 2009, should you despair?

 Well, while it’s not time to crack open the champagne, neither is it time to slash your wrists. The fact is that people are still buying books, but you will have to do some things to make it more likely that they will buy YOUR book--and, unless you are self-publishing, you’ll have to convince a publisher that your book is more likely to sell than the others for which they’re receiving proposals.

 Here are three things you’ll need to do:

• Educate yourself about what’s selling and who is publishing what. I’m not talking about trying to copy a fad, but rather noticing general trends and seeing whether there is a way that your book can fit into them—or offer a contrarian viewpoint. In the UK, thebookseller.com is a good source of information, in the US it’s Publishersweekly.com.

• Do something (even more) different. Something about your book will have to differentiate it strongly. This could be the topic, the style, the format, your unique qualifications, or something else. 

• Be prepared to market, market, market! Be sure that a very strong marketing plan is part of your proposal, because I guarantee that publishers will be giving more weight to what you, the author, will do to ensure that the book is noticed. (See my book of case studies, "Do Something Different," published by Virgin Books.)

Sometime this Spring I’ll be teaching a workshop in London called “Writing Where the Money Is.” If you subscribe to my Brainstorm e-bulletin (just send a request to [email protected]) you’ll be the first to find out the exact date and location. After that, I may be offering it as a teleconference & workbook combination for people who can’t make it to the live workshop.

(You’ll find a lot more useful information in my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey, and the associated website, www.yourwritingcoach.com)

Good films, not-so-good films--all are educational

I’ve been going to a lot of Academy Award qualification film screenings in the last few weeks—a great way to see films, as nobody talks, nobody checks their mobile phones during the film, and (almost) nobody noisily unpacks candy wrappers. There’s also the tradition that you stay in your seat until all the credits have rolled, which gives you some quiet time to let the film sink in.

 It’s fun to just let a movie wash over you, but if you’re a writer it can also be very instructive to return to the film in your thoughts later and figure out why it worked—or didn’t. Here are a few thoughts on the films I’ve seen recently (if they’ve not been released in your area yet, they will be soon):

 “Tale of Despereaux” featured delightful animation but a very muddled storyline. It seems that because it’s a fairy tale the writers decided anything could happen anytime without worrying too much about logic or connections. It may be that kids won’t care and the quality of the animation will make it a hit, but if Pixar had done it the story would have been as good as the animation.

 “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, is about a man who is born old and gets younger as time goes on. The effects used to create this illusion (with Brad Pitt as Benjamin) are fantastic. The core of the story works fine but it’s a sprawling tale (almost three hours long) and it may require patience movie audiences don’t have any more. As with a lot of films, taking out about 15 minutes wouldn’t have hurt.

 One of my favourites so far was “Gran Torino,” starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. Very funny and full of politically-incorrect lines coming from the mouth of the Eastwood character, a troubled curmugeon out of synch with the modern world. It’s as though Dirty Harry had retired and moved to the declining suburbs. Some of the dialogue is a bit clunky, but the story is tightly constructed with enough twists to keep it from feeling predictable.

 Feel free to add your own recommendations!

How to write the perfect disaster movie (sort of...)

There’s a funny article on the Guardian’s Film Blog by Paul Owen  on a ten-point plan for writing a disaster movie. For instance, here’s point 8 (in this case, the disaster is that gravity has started working sideways instead of down):

8. The scientist puts together his team

In a cave underneath Mount Rushmore, the president should introduce the scientist to a crack team dedicated to fixing the problem – which should turn out to include his attractive ex-wife as well as a droll Englishman. The three of them should come up with a plan to stop the disaster – the more unrealistic the better. A good one in this case would be to have someone jump off the Empire State Building like a diving board in order to activate a nuclear weapon that would destroy the moon and thus reset earth's gravity; anything like that, really. Watching a cable news channel as they discuss who could carry out this dangerous mission, the team sees a report from the devastated New York, where the cat burglar is leaping across sideways skyscrapers to save an old grandmother's life. "By Jove," says the Englishman, "I think we've found our man!"

The celebratory mood should be punctured by a brief phone call to the scientist from the head of the army with the upsetting news that "we lost Canada".

(for actual help in writing screenplays, see "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available online at Amazon, etc. -- also check out the associated website, www.yourwritingcoach.com)