CBR: Where The Hell Am I - Sep 15, 2010

[CBR News]

Jason Aaron takes CBR readers through a week in the life of a professional comic book writer: namely, himself, as he balances the challenges and rewards of working from home and with numerous creative partners.


Full article here.

[JimmyDee]

Working out of order? I did not know this. How many of today's writers work out of order? Or is the better question how many writers actually get to write in order?

[PympMyQuinjet]

Thank you, Jason Aaron, for actually providing what a writer goes through during the scripting process. As an aspiring writer, I've never been able to find first hand accounts of actually writing the book, just the ideas that get thrown into it, or even just the art process. I hear so much about penciling, but not so much about writing.

Another great column, Mr. Aaron.

[Elayis]

Another entertaining and introspective column. It's nice to hear about a comic book writer's process, which is rare since it's the artists that get most of the attention. I'm also glad that Aaron is one of those writers that goes over the finished comic before it prints; too many comics get published with typos or mistakes in the text or art.

I'm wondering, though, do you sometime tailor dialogue to the art if it turns out different than what you scripted? Do you sometime tone-down your dialogue if the art actually tells the story more succinctly than you script did?

I'm also very eager to hear about this new title that'll be announced at NYCC... wonder what it'll be...

[zombietag]

im loving this column. its just a cool real inside look to what its like to write comics. i like hearing about stuff like your kid because it shows me what its like to have the job, not just do the job.

and i have a question jason. what makes you decide to take a writing gig or leave it? how often do you say "no" to an offer to write something? how do you plan things out financially? like do you feel like "okay im doing enough right now where im not overwhelmed but im making enough money" or is it like "i better take this gig because i know this other one will end soon" or maybe even "i want as much as i possibly can because i love writing so much it doesnt even matter"? thats a long and totally overexplained question haha but there it is.

thanks

[Mundungus]

I get excited when I see this column pop up on the front page. I've been using his script for The Other Side #1 as a benchmark for my writing, at least in terms of quality and clarity.

I want to go to NYCC this year. My boss even gave me the days off and I can fit it around my school schedule. But, alas, I have no money. And after finding out that he'll be there, it makes the realization all the more depressing.

Still, this was a good column. Thank you, Mr. Aaron.

I have my copy of Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #3 sitting right next to me so it'll be a good way to end the night.

[greattree]

It's good to hear that such a life is satisfying. Especially with a son and all. It's not your regular 9 to 5. I have weeks just like that playing music and it is hard for me to feel like I've had an "accomplished" week, or that I am being responsible. It takes a bit of the pressure of reading about what you do and how you do it. You really are one of the best we have right now and it seems like you are getting better and better. Good luck trying to get 6 months ahead. I would like to do the same some day.
Thanks for the Inspiration

[chrisgiff]

Working out of order? I did not know this. How many of today's writers work out of order? Or is the better question how many writers actually get to write in order?

i've never really thought about this either. it makes you wonder how much the work suffers with some guys just to meet the deadlines. damn us comic lovers for being some demanding of our monthly fix.

[mastadge]

I don't see the writing out of order thing as troubling. I'd guess that a whole lot of writers in any form write out of order. Many novelists write specific scenes or lines out of order, or have the ending written before most of the rest of the novel, or rearrange large chunks of a story after having written it. We don't tend to think sequentially; why should we write that way!

[Coren]

I don't see the writing out of order thing as troubling. I'd guess that a whole lot of writers in any form write out of order. Many novelists write specific scenes or lines out of order, or have the ending written before most of the rest of the novel, or rearrange large chunks of a story after having written it. We don't tend to think sequentially; why should we write that way!

While what you say is 100 percent true, this is still asking writers to write sequentially...just a different sequence (and with far less leeway than the novelists you mentioned - because if for example, Jason changes his mind about an event in the first arc of Wolverine, he can't have the artist change stuff that they've already done for #6, per se)

I didn't realize they did it this way either, but then I generally think in terms of "teams" so there isn't lead time (like Bendis/Bagley on Ultimate Spidey)

[TheDanHale]

Thanks for letting us behind the scenes Jason, I love Scalped and Wolverine is off to a great start. I think starting with the framework of a simple 1-22 on a document is the best way to envision the issue as a hole and make sure you are are giving the reader the most bang for their buck. I look forward to reading the next column. PS- Shamelss art pug, I draw comics :) http://www.TheDanHale.com

[Mladen]

Thanks Jason for the columns so far, its been fascinating to get an insight into the working routine of a comic script-writer, as others have said on here, artists tend to get more of the attention.

With this sort of schedule and being required to work so briskly, do you ever feel after a script is submitted and underway that you wish you could go back and tweak some elements? I guess I'm wondering if you feel the deadline structure is conductive to creative work, or if you wish you had longer sometimes to write the scripts?

Thanks again for the column and for your excellent comic work.

[Jason Aaron]

I'm wondering, though, do you sometime tailor dialogue to the art if it turns out different than what you scripted? Do you sometime tone-down your dialogue if the art actually tells the story more succinctly than you script did?

Yeah, that happens a lot. It sounds weird for a writer to say, but I actually love being able to cut some piece of dialogue because the art's so perfect that the dialogue isn't necessary.

[Jason Aaron]

and i have a question jason. what makes you decide to take a writing gig or leave it? how often do you say "no" to an offer to write something? how do you plan things out financially? like do you feel like "okay im doing enough right now where im not overwhelmed but im making enough money" or is it like "i better take this gig because i know this other one will end soon" or maybe even "i want as much as i possibly can because i love writing so much it doesnt even matter"? thats a long and totally overexplained question haha but there it is.

thanks

I have an exclusive contract with Marvel, which takes most of this sort of guess-work out of the equation. I'm guaranteed a certain amount of work each month. And there are lots of different factors that could make me say no to a book. The most important one: do I have a good story to tell with this character?

[Jason Aaron]

With this sort of schedule and being required to work so briskly, do you ever feel after a script is submitted and underway that you wish you could go back and tweak some elements? I guess I'm wondering if you feel the deadline structure is conductive to creative work, or if you wish you had longer sometimes to write the scripts?

Sure, sometimes I look at something after the fact and think, why the hell did I do that? But that's just the nature of the beast. I actually like the fact that with comics the turn-around between me writing the script and the book being finished and coming out is such a short one. Unlike in Hollywood, where people slave for years on scripts that may never even come out at all.