The Importance of Fan Ownership

Everyone is looking for that magic bullet that guarantees an audience. While there is no such thing, and in fact it is likely that we will never find it, the closest we have is giving the audience a stake in the project that we're working on. That is, we need to establish some sort of way that the audience feels that it has some sort vested in the success of that project. The problem here is that we need to bear in mind that we need to allow for an audience stake in the project without at the same sacrificing artistic integrity in the same; that can be a difficult point of balance to attain, but well worth the results.

It needs to be noted that we're not talking giving control of the comic to the audience. That has been tried in the past and it predictably doesn't end as well as you would think it does. While some feedback is appreciated, especially if it's reasonably intelligent and constructive, and it is possible to give fan-favorite characters a bigger presence, it needs to be noted the audience should never be put in control of the comic. The takeaway here is that while you should listen to your fans and even implement changes they suggest but keep in mind that you are in control of the comic.

This also means that you shouldn't you shouldn't do fan service just for the sake of doing fan service; it's easy to drive readers to your comic with scantily-clad girls but that doesn't mean you should. This is your call: If you want to draw some sexy characters just for the sake of drawing some sexy characters go for it; it's your comic and you can do what you want with it. Also, it can be fun to just take a break from the regular comic and post some characters in their bathing suits. All I'm saying don't draw sexy characters just for the sake of drawing in an audience; it's a cheap tactic that while it works in the short-run can work against you in the long run.

Merchandise sounds like a weird call, but nothing puts a fan in the zone like reading his favorite comic in a sweatshirt with the comic's hero on his chest. Have some fun with the merchandise; with all of the different print-on-demand options it would be silly to not have some fun with the idea of your logo and characters on merchandise; don't limit yourself to just T-shirts. If you have a table at a convention don't forget the freebies; even if it's just pencils with your URL on it it helps to get the word out about your comic. There are a number of different options; just go a little crazy and have fun with the merchandise. And don't forget to make books available at some point; nothing makes a fan happier than a book he can smell and touch.

The key here is that you want your fans to feel like they have some stake in the comic itself. It's not enough to have a great story, likable characters, and incredible art; while that's a great start the fans also need to see that they are listened to every so often, have some merchandise, and side projects don't hurt. You don't have to change the story or artwork; just acknowledging their comments works. Doing interviews on podcasts helps, as well as having a Facebook page; anything that gives them a little slice of you can be very effective towards your success.

Basically, if you want your comic to be a success then you need to give your fans some way to feel a little ownership in your comic. Public appearances, acknowledging them, merchandise are all great ways to give your fans what they want. Remember that and you should a lot of success with your comic.

Fan Management 101

Fans are always going to be the bane of the writer's existence. The problem is that a writer needs a community in order to succeed; if no one reads what he writes then his projects will remain stillborn. On the other hand fans can drive a writer crazy, especially when they have a fan theory that completely ignores what the writer has written or post some really bizarre fanfic. Ultimately, the problem is that a writer needs to build a community in order to succeed, and that can be a major problem.

The issue is that the writer can't be the only one getting the word out about a project. The success of any project is directly proportional to its support; in a business where everything is a numbers game it's important to have the numbers be as big as possible. This means that the writer needs to do whatever he can to create support for his comic. Unfortunately, this means that he needs to respect his fans as much as possible, and that's not always easy, especially considering that most writers tend to introverts; it's hard for a writer to not be somewhere between hating everyone and wanting to bury under their covers. However, it's also not as hard as it sounds.

[Here's an incentive of sorts: Having fans is the greatest way to deal with writer's block. If you are ever stuck on how to progress you can always go into the fanforum of your project and read the various theories on how they think things should be going. Be warned: A lot of it can be disheartening and make your blood boil, especially when they missed some of what you thought were the greatest moments and that ignores the troll trying to make a name for himself by taking your stuff down. However, it can also help spur ideas as well as offer some great feedback, especially if you remember to stay in the background.]

You're going to need to remember a few things when it comes to your fanbase, and you're going to want to balk at doing them at least once. The first is to let everyone know when you have something new, be it an issue, a page, or even a Kickstarter; your fans need to know when you've done something new. It may sound obvious but you need to keep your fans in the loop; this is Marketing 101. Of course, you may dread doing it, but it needs to be done.

The second is to not post on the fanforums. Yeah, some writers can do this, but in general you need to adopt a “read don't post” policy. The problem is that sometimes you want to appear transparent to your fans, and so you think that means that you need to be part of any conversations about your project. However, this invites the Troll Targeting Principle: Once you're a known part of the conversation someone is bound to want to target you more than talk about your project, and that means saying the insulting things in order to get a rise out of you. Trolls are worse than Hydra: Block one and another takes its place. Don't engage them and they won't derail your conversations.

Third, do things to be nice to your fans. This doesn't mean you need to do things that are against your personal code, like having a character go shirtless or have a sex scene just to make the fans happy. This does mean if a particular character seems to be a favorite then increase the screen time of the character a smidge. Occasionally have fan freebies, like an extra page or two every so often, or even a discount code for the merch site. Heck, mess with them a little on April 1^st. Just show them that you appreciate them a little and they'll reward you with more popularity, fame, and hopefully the rewards that go with it.

Lastly, don't do things specifically to annoy your fandom. This is the one thing that can be the hardest, but that just makes it the one thing you need to remember. If they find out your Big Secret, like a character reveal or a plot twist, congratulate them for following your clues and do it anyway; you'll find that changing things is only going to screw things up (just ask Marvel and DC; every time they change things because of leaks it just screws things up). Don't rant about how big jerks fans are; some of them will take it personally. Yes, you can mess with them and rant about specific incidents, but don't go after your fandom in general; you don't want to alienate them and it usually works against your interest.

Oh, and just as important is that you DO NOT PANDER. Some idiot writers and artists think that being nice is bending over backwards for your fans. It's not. This is the difference between the good cook and the great cook: A good cook will over-sweeten his pastries in hopes that his pastries will fly off thee shelves and they will, but only for a short time. Soon enough they crowd will have enough of the sweetness and go elsewhere. The great chefs use bittersweet chocolate and the minimum amount of sugar; they let the ingredients shine. A writer needs to recognize that difference and just do what they think is best for the story regardless of what the fans think.

Yes, there are some artists that do so all the time. Dave Sym was notorious for nailing fandom but that was part of his charm; it meant that the fans always knew where they stood with him. This does not mean that you should try for the same relationship, but that you should respect your fandom and keep them in the loop. Do that and they will help you grow, antagonize them and see your fame, and therefore your success, diminish. Try to be that great cook and not the idiot one and you'll find your own recipe for success.

If A Scream Is Not Heard, Does It Matter?

If a writer screams in the wood and no one can hear him, is it merely an auditory expression or a noise others can hear?

Writing is a weird profession. The origins of story-telling involve people around a campfire describing what had happened to them; at some point people figured out that they were not just limited to factual retellings and began telling actual stories. That is, our stories evolved as our mastery of language did; we went from “Thag killed tiger” to how the killing of the tiger was a metaphor for how the leader of the tribe over the hill needed to die and how Thag was going to do it.

However, then the audience participated in the telling, and the storyteller took cues from them. That is, even before he started telling his story he read the audience in order to determine what kind of story the audience was looking for and as he was telling the story he was observing the reaction to his story and adjusting it as he went: If the audience reacted well to sex and gore those were emphasized, if the jokes were a hit those would be made bawdier and more exaggerated.

That is, there was a link between the storyteller and the audience that made the storyteller a vital part of the community. This is why bards were considered “holy” and why a good storyteller can always get some free food, drinks, and shelter.

Ironically, the written word began an interesting evolution of storytelling. While it originally allowed for better communication between the writer and actors, eventually the writers realized that that they could write things down and thus have stories for later. In a literate society this meant that those stories became s valuable as gold; after all, this meant the stories could be read at any time rather than relying on the writer.

This would also result in the devaluation of the writer. Unlike in a pre-literate society where a storyteller was a living resource, a collection of the stories and history of the people, a writer was just another skill, an artisan who worked in words as opposed to clay or metal. He was no longer as valuable as that which he created.

As time went on the writer and his audience would be further separated. While the stories got better, as the stories became more elaborate and generally richer, there became a divide between the writers and the audience. The writer no longer needed the audience for input, and so they believed that they could writer whatever they wanted; writers were allowed to write whatever they wanted. This was not necessarily a bad thing; this meant that the writer could concentrate on writing and less on the audience. Thus, writing again experienced new levels but the writers forgot about the audience.

This means that we've hit a weird point writers have forgotten that we need an audience, just like any other artist. In fact, a lot of other artists have forgotten that writers are artists because of that separation. As writers we need to get back in touch with are audience, and thanks to social media we have that as an option. Writers have forgotten the value of feedback, and that can cause us to forget that what we're creating has value to society as a whole rather than to just us. With an audience we are not just an auditory sensation in the woods, but an actual noise that needs to be heard.

With an audience we are creating not just a mere work of art but adding to the wealth of our society. Because of that we need to remember that we need an audience of some sort and that we need to value that audience. After all, when we make noise we need to be heard and if we have no audience then we are just screaming to scream.

It's Not Mary Sue Stark!

A couple of clickbait sites decided to start up a fake controversy that Arya Stark is a Mary Sue. There are two basic problems with that: 1) The definition of “Mary Sue” is pretty vague, and 2) she doesn't match any of the definitions.

The major problem is that “Mary Sue” has become about useful a term as “anime”; seriously, try to get two animation fans to agree on what exactly “anime” is, and start with the question, “Is Avatar: The Last Airbender anime?” Trust me; the blades will come out at some point. The usual bit of history: “Mary Sue” started in Star Trek fanfiction as a term for the insert character that was the center of attention, and who happened to have the answer or skill for any crisis. That is, the author would insert an idealized version of herself into her Star Trek stories, and that version kicked butt.

Over time that definition has fluctuated, but there are several hallmarks of the “Mary Sue” character. While she isn't always an insert character, she does tend to be over-powered; she isn't just the master of one or two skills, but is master, or pretty close to it, of every important skill in the story she's in. She also has some sort of additional perk or three, such as virtually immune to prosecution, the power of flight, or some combination of the strongest traits in her world.

In short, she is one of the most powerful beings in whatever world she appears in.

She is also the emotional center of her universe. That is, she is usually the center of some sort of romantic triangle, is the most popular girl (or is working her way there), and somehow wields a lot of social power, be it because of her father, her popularity, or because she's the teacher's pet. The bottom line is that she is the center of her universe, either because she is just so interesting, she's the Chosen One, or she's basically the sole remaining goddess in an otherwise godless world.

In short, she's pretty powerful, solves all the problems just by showing up, and is surrounded by a lot of fake drama that wouldn't exist if she would just make a bloody decision.

That is so not Arya. She has one special talent: She can disguise herself perfectly as someone she kills. Sure, she can fight, but she is hardly even among Westeros' Top Twenty Warriors. Also, she isn't the series' Chosen One; she cold live or die and nothing would really change. She just isn't the center of her universe, and she's not exactly Miss Popularity; in fact she takes pains to stay out of the limelight. Heck, she only has one guy pining for her, and she put the kebosh on that as quickly as she could.

In short, Arya does not meet any of the qualifications for a Mary Sue character; heck, even if you define it as an insert character, that's Samwell Tarly's job. As such she's hardly a Mary Sue just because she killed a powerful enemy; that's just people trying to drive hits, and such people are a waste of your time.

Arya Stark and That Welcome Uncomfortable Feeling

Fans can be weird when it comes to their favorite characters. Arya Stark made love to Gendry on Game of Thrones and fans lost it. While it was sort of funny considering the usual amount of sex on the show, it did bring home just how emotionally invested people were in the character of Arya Stark. Keep in mind that people have been watching her since early adolescence, so to see Arya going full out with Gendry was discomforting, to say the least. It's not so much because of the setting, but Arya just wasn't seen as a sexual character before that scene; it just felt strange to see someone cross that final threshold into womanhood.

And that discomfort is something we need to strive for as writers. There are a number of things that characters do that cause us to feel uncomfortable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Casting dark magic, having sex, even using an unexpected swear word; there are always going to be weird thresholds that the audience is not going to want to see crossed. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that you have done your job as a writer and have established rules about how your world works, and that you've consistent with those rules. The discomfort of your audience is your reward and it can feel sort of nice.

That's sort of an important point. There are two ways to do character development: Deep end style and frog style. Too many writers have been taught that if you want to develop character you need to do it through crisis; nothing builds character like tossing the character into an emergency and see what happens, much like you would toss a kid into the deep end of a pool in order to teach them how to swim. The problem is that you can't do this all of them; throwing your characters into crisis after crisis gets boring and it makes your writing predictable. It also eliminates any point of reference, and those are necessary for suspension of disbelief.

On the other hand, there's frog style. If you heat a frog slowly in a pan of water it will never feel the rise in temperature; it becomes a major shock to realize that the frog dies from the heat when you saw it doing pretty well. Sometimes you need to have the character develop surely and slowly over a long period of time, and then force the audience to realize that the character has undergone a major personality change over time; the realization that a character has changed before your eyes can be all sorts of fun, especially when the audience has gotten used to a certain concept.

This is sort of where people are with Arya. While we've seen her become more than the frightened little girl of the first season, the changes have been so relatively gradual compared to the rest of the GoT cast; we've seen her mature and become a formidable warrior over the seasons. However, we forgot that she was also maturing and becoming a young woman in her own right. The sex scene was the culmination of a long character arc, and one that needed to happen so that the audience would finally see her as that powerful young woman instead of the girl; it was a necessary scene in order to put the finishing touches on that character.

It was an uncomfortable scene to watch not because we disliked the character, but because it forced us to accept that the character has undergone some major changes since her introduction, and some of us just weren't ready for it. Just like our real-world daughters and nieces, we didn't want to see her cross the threshold into womanhood; no one ever really wants to think about the sex life of teenagers but it's part of their growing up. And that's not a bad uncomfortable feeling...it's also something that we need to use in our own works more.

Controlling Pacing Through Art

One of the problems in comics is pacing. Unlike other media the writer has little direct control over the pacing but has to rely on the artist to change up the pacing. While there are numerous ways for the writer to tell the artist that pacing needs to be adjusted, the problem is that the conventions of the medium work against the writer, creating some artificial handicaps for the writer. By exploring these conventions we can make adjustments in the pacing, and thus making it easier to add suspense and urgency to the comic.

First off, one of the biggest problems is that the pages are usually the same length. In a movie or novel you can create suspense or urgency by reducing the length of scenes; by reducing the length of scenes a little bit over time the incremental reduction of the scenes can create an overall sense of urgency; you effectively quicken the pace of the audience's beats by quickening the scenes, and that creates a real nice sense of suspense. Because scenes are limited to half-pages or full-pages this is hard to simulate in comics; you just can't shorten scenes by a short amount each time to create suspense. Thus this neat trick is pretty much off the table for comics.

However, compare the difference in the length of cuts between a dramatic scene and an action scene in a movie; the more dramatic the scene the longer the cuts while the shorter cuts create a faster scene, making it perfect for action scenes. In comics this can be simulated by splitting the panels in two and simplifying the artwork to speed things up while larger panels of more complex artwork will slow things down. Even adding small Easter eggs and other details in the outlying areas, such as graffiti and sign names, can help slow things down.

You can also use word balloons to slow things down as well, but you want to try to avoid using this as much as possible. While it can be a great way to express character, it just comes off as cheap; even if the audience can't tell the specific trick it can come off as cheap on an instinctive level. The same applies to captions; it works but it comes off as just as sneaky. Nonetheless, if you need to slow things it is something worth doing as long as you don't do it a lot.

You can also split pages to help create urgency as well. The idea is to split the page vertically following different stories stories on each side. By creating parallels between the two actions, you then effective double the stakes by creating the illusion of a double or nothing situation; both actions must succeed or fail. Because of the raised stakes you can create some increased suspense. However, try to avoid raising the stakes through any other means; this way works because you naturally expect friends and allies to suffer equally while other means just come off as somewhat cheap.

Thus, while you need to be more subtle as well as work with the artist to adjust the pace and thus create suspense or urgency, it can be done. This can be a great tool to use but needs to used as subtly as possible in order to be effective; keep that in mind and you should be able to have some fun with the story's pacing.

Characters Without Copyright

Creating a character that doesn't run into someone else's copyright can be a problem. There are so many characters out there that it's a ridiculously difficult task. This is complicated when writers want a specific type of character in order to make a point of some sort and they need to use that particular type of character. Here are some tips on how to avoid them:

Good News: There are some characters that are so intrinsic to the medium that you can't effectively limit anyone else from using the character. A sword-swinging barbarian, for example, or the so-called flying brick would be hard for anyone to sue. However, it is possible; just look at Superman vs. Captain Marvel. The key here is that you need to follow the conventions when it comes to the character but also put just enough of your own twist on the character so it would be hard for someone to nail you.

Avoid Over-Saturation: While you can't help but use the same types of characters, this doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try to avoid the same characters. Do something different, and if you can't do something different try a different character. Your characters need to stand out from a large crowd and if all they do is melt into the crowd then you may going about it the wrong way. It's easy to find a sarcastic pyro-mage and a demonic familiar; why not a fluffy familiar, or a pyro-mage who hates causing damage? How about an idealistic one? Just try something different.

Don't Rely On Having A Comedy Strip: Just because your comic makes fun of a particular genre doesn't mean you have excuse to retread characters. Your comic should have its own unique characters and not rely solely on those that have gone before. Have a flying brick or a sarcastic mage, but make it your own on some level. Your characters need to be able to stand on their own and if they can't then you seriously need to rethink your characters.

Look At It From a New Perspective: Try to figure out a new approach to the character type. A pyro-mage is cliché, but how about one that draws heat from the immediate area? When he throws a fireball, the area surrounding his target chills and ice forms around the target and then the air around him explodes. Or he heats up a little himself necessitating a minimal wardrobe. He could even only exaggerate heat, becoming useless in even the slightest inclemental weather. Just find a new approach and one that works for you.

While there are some cliches you can depend on, you need to figure out new ways of doing stuff whenever possible. Readers are always looking for something new; keep that in mind and your comic will forge its way to success.

Using Emotional Weight To Add Some Texture

Consider some of the best meals you've ever had: They are a collection of different flavors that you enjoy. If you had something that is all of the same flavor, even if it's spicy, is going to get really boring really quick. As such most cooks endeavor to have as many different flavors in their meals as possible. Writers seem to forget this, and so their stories can get boring relatively quickly. They need to learn some better pacing in order to make their stories more interesting.

Most people get a lot of things about pacing right, but there is one thing that they seem to be unaware of that would make things a little more dramatic: Taking advantage of emotional weight. Everyone is aware of the three-act structure and how it can keep a script on track; it can also help with scenes, as each scene should be its own three-act play. However, by taking into account the emotional weight of a scene and using that to better fit it into the script you can help eliminate a lot of problems with the script and produce a far better story.

One of the more common problems with a script is that it is possible to be string together a number of scenes that, in concert, becomes sort of boring. Consider what happens if you string together a number of scenes where nothing but good happens or where the character is hit by a string of disasters; it's likely that this will be extremely boring for the readers. You need to change things up in order to keep the reader interested.

This means that you need to look at the emotional weight of the scene. Every scene carries a certain amount of emotional weight, and that weight should be seen in terms of overall positive or negative emotion. Some are pretty obvious: Ones with love, teaming up, and epiphanies are usually positive while those filled with hanger, hate, or characters being damaged are negative. However, some scenes can feel one way and end up another; a scene where a character gets beat may seem like it's negative but not so much if the character gets catharsis through it, just as a character can be in trouble if he wins a million dollars. That emotional weight needs to be noted.

At that point it is just a matter of making sure that you don't have more than a scene or two of the same emotional weight in a row. This is sort of why you outline your script; it allows you get a feel for which scenes are positive and negative. For some this is a problem; after all, an act needs to go a certain direction and this may not work for that. For example, a second act traditionally goes in a generally negative direction; some feel that it shouldn't have positive scenes. You can have positive scenes even though the act as a whole goes down. As long as the act as a whole goes downhill you should be fine.

By paying attention to the emotional weight of the scene and how it works with other scenes your scripts can become a lot stronger. It is just a matter of paying attention and taking a lesson from the great cooks: Vary your flavors a bit and you'll be a better writer.

A Lighter Shade of Black

The problem with antiheroes is that not usually they are more “hero” than “anti”. That is, while they tend to be on the darker side of the spectrum of heroics they still tend to be basically heroes. Look at Frank “The Punisher” Castle: Sure, there's no question that the guy can get violent and he thinks that a lot of heroes are pansies, but the guy still has a definite code of honor and only breaks a specific set of laws. That is, he's not likely to steal just for the money or kill someone just for kicks. The same applies to a lot of antiheroes; they are just paladins that don't mind getting violent.

What we need are more antiheroes that are actual villains and fully acknowledge it. I'd qualify Captain Jack Sparrow here, as the guy make no bones that he's one of the bad guys and wears his prison record like a medal. The Suicide Squad definitely qualify; if it weren't for the bob in their neck most would have no problem killing others just for another slice of pizza and that slice is optional. You also have Lobo, who brags about the very misdeeds that earned him his rep. These are unrepentingly evil; being evil is just part of who they are. Nonetheless, they usually end up on the right side even if it is just by accident or getting hired by the good guys; they may be evil but they end up on the side of angels somehow.

And then there are the lunatics. The problem is that you have two basic flavors: Accidental forces of good and purposeful forces for evil. Ignoring the evil version, consider the good-aligned psychopaths: The Mask is the former, where he has no problem with violence and such but his actions tend to support the forces of good: He only attacks evil-doers. Look at Dexter: He kills people, but the victims tend to be pretty heinous criminals who would have escaped punishment; he's helping society in his own twisted way but he's still helping society. These aren't really heroes so much as villains with a limited code of ethics; they do things that make them feel good, and punishing those that have slighted them makes them feel good. Their purposes may be selfish, but they still tend to do good.

[This is opposed to evil psychopaths, such as The Joker and Carnage, who do what they do to harm someone, usually the hero. Carnage seeks to punish Spider-Man, for example, just as Joker is trying to teach Batman that life is all about pain; the Joker is all about the thorns and not the rose. Just clarifying things a bit....]

These characters tend to have one of three arcs: Redemption, spiralling, and bouncing. “Bouncing” is probably the most annoying, where the character keeps bouncing from side to side; this character needs to die or otherwise suffers bad enough that he is eliminated from the story. It's just going to hit a point that the character has no credibility as a character and uses up any value he has especially for suspense. However, spiralling can be fun to watch as the character starts becoming more and more evil, and must compromise his beliefs, such as they are, in order to succeed at the chosen mission. Eventually the character must either become an even bigger force for evil or pull back to some former level. It could even put them on a redemption track.

Try to save the redemption track for characters that deserve it. It's just way too overused, and comes off as trite unless the character has actually deserved it. A fun variation is to set the character on the track and then derail it somewhere, as either those around him won't let him forget the past or he decides the struggle isn't worth it. He can then engage in some sort of hard fall as he commits even worse sins than normal as he accepts his place in the cosmic balance, sort of like Mr. Glass in the movies. You can always redeem the character, just don't default to it every time.

When it comes to playing with an antihero, keep in mind that he should be the lesser of two evils, but not by much. It can only help to have some fun with the character, using him to show that the universe is so bad that the hero is almost as bad as the villains. The antihero should not just be a darker paladin, but a lighter villain. Keep that in mind and you may just have an interesting character.