Writing for the love of it. #1

By Alverne Ball

So I’ve been trying to think about what to write for this blog, which I have no name for, wait, I think I just discovered what it’ll be called. How about "writing for the love of it".

So that’s what this blog is going to be called and since this is the first of what I hope will be many let’s start with the inevitable.

If you’re going to write comics then you have to first write for the love of it.  I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before and from better writers with accolades that far outweigh mine.  But it’s the truth.  If you’re going to write comic books then you have to right for the love of it because most of the time that’s all you’re going to get from it, along with the occasional headache when you’re trying to put together a creative team, but that’s a subject for a different time.

Now that we’ve got the essential theme of this here blog out of the way let’s get down to the reason of how to write comics books.  When I started out there wasn’t as much information about writing comics as there is now.   But I always advise new writers to take an art class on making comics.  That’s what I did when I was in high school.  Took an after school class on how to draw and make comics.  Don’t think for one minute that I can draw.  I can’t even draw straight stick figures.  But I took the drawing class so that I could better understand what artists were seeing when I tried writing a script.  The art class also taught me about spatial relationships between objects, which is something that I also picked up from my fiction writing classes at Columbia College Chicago.

The next thing I’d advise would be to read both volumes of writers on comic scriptwriting. (http://amzn.com/184023069X)  These two volumes are full of great writing samples from some the best in the business.  It’s a great tool for figuring out one’s writing style, which in some cases can also help you figure out your writer’s voice.

Another great source for reading and some great examples of storytelling would be Dwayne McDuffie’s website http://dwaynemcduffie.com (which I cannot lie I hadn’t enjoyed until he was gone)

These few resources should be enough to get any young writer on his/ her way towards writing comics.

Next week I’ll try to cover the beginning: from idea to the page.

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