CBR: Where The Hell Am I - Mar 9, 2011

[CBR News]

This week, Jason puts into words the difficulties that can pop up and derail a day's worth of writing, from distractions that knock you off course to not saving the perfect idea you have right before bed and more.


Full article here (http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=31232).

[stefano]

thanks, Jason; some days i forget it's normal

[FoxBroome]

I recently starting writing some short stories and have learned quite a bit in a short time about the entire process of writing fiction. To be blunt, it's a grind, and it's appeasing to hear professional writers go through the same thing. My main problem however is that I'm not an idea man. I don't start out with a detailed outline, which already puts you ten steps behind. I wing it as I go, which leaves me shoehorned quite often in a situation with no easy out. Keep up the interesting articles Jason.

[RolandJP]

Godzilla and whiskey. Hell YEAH-- the best distraction Evah!


Watch a Godzilla movie drunk, its epic!

[Steve Broome]

Whiskey is important. Currently Yamazaki is my poison of choice.

[stealthwise]

I'll trade jobs with you on 364 of 365.25 days every year. :)

[ian33407]

Picasso said : " I'm not looking for, I find ".

I think it works for the writing process so far. Sometimes you just have pieces of stories and ideas ( I call them "puzzles") who are just waiting for their frames, sometimes you already have the solution and all your basical work will be setting-up, starting from A to reach B.

What should be the most problematic in comics must be to renew your universe, or the field you're working in, any given character..

Is that what you're talking about ?

[ian33407]

plus :

I saw you've quoted Grant Morrison as a constructive distraction for the "low-days"(as you quoted Matt Fraction too, this I will never understand, or I fear to), did you read his graphic-novel "The mystery play" ?

In it, it is wonderfully explained the two paths of creation for an artist, the two "schools" :

-starting with the "inanimated-stone-for-the-sculptor" allegory, the first path is the artist dominating the material by imposing his will and giving it his finale form. The second path is that the artist is just a mediator between the material and the audience and he's following only the material' wish about his definitive state..


...where do you consider yourself about it ? That is almost an animist theory, I guess it should ring some bell...

to give you my opinion, I think a true artist is always switching between these two possibilities : sometimes he's saying, sometimes he's listening..

[rescura]

Nice insight on a writer's routine! This is real inspiring for an amateur/wannabe writer like me, knowing that the pros don't have it easily on a silver plate too!

[SuperCooper]

As a university student who tends to slack and procrastinate on essays, let me just say this was very helpful, not just for writing prose but other works too. Keep up the awesome work and fun and insightful articles!

[ian33407]

...yes.

the more I read this column, the more I definetely feel insulted..

[TMatthy83]

This is such a great column. Jason has taught me so much in his column that I as an aspiring writer have put to use.

Thank you so much for doing this Jason.

[TMatthy83]

Jason,

Can you do an article about the process of molding an idea into a story?

[Tenacious_AA]

I've found it best to get away from the routine, when I come across that uncrossable bridge.

Find something else creative...a distraction ...draw instead of write...even if it's stick figures. Join a contest.

Write something else... something that you are not use too...then come back to the story that is giving a problem.

Write everything down and be attuned to everyone...some nugget coming out of someone else can inspire you...read the news...watch info channels... related to what your story is about.

Keep that note pad by your bedside or in your pocket. I've heard more then once that Song writers keep that note pad by their side at all times, to capture the that allusive muse. Who said you can use a recorder instead of a notepad, my MP3 records.

Bounce ideas off someone else...

Try to reset your brain... go fishing... go play with your son...
Find out what made you want to write in the first place.