I'm admitting I need to bring some life to what has so far only been words on the page. Form and function need to be happening soon so that others can see what I'm thinking of. Enter what sadly lacking artistic skills I possess. I can probably get away with sketching some art, but not a lot. I don't have the skill to really bring the thing to life. My signature is a strange sad mix of cartoonishly realistic caricatures.
However, I'm going to attempt to bring some idea of what I'm wanting to do with this lovely little tale to light.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Changing gears...
At least as far as my intentions are conserned.
Initially I was wanting to submit to Image, with good reason. They're a good publisher, allow the creators to keep their rights and handles distribution for the creator.
Now that I think of it, the chances of getting Blood Mutiny published through Image is roughly the same odds as successfully navigating an astroid field while being pursued by enemy fighters.
I think I will wind up self-publishing. Not just for the guarantee that I will hold my work in my hands in it's completed form someday, but also knowing I did it myself, worked on getting the book distributed and finding the best sources to work with. I may also see the results of my efforts sooner, which is always good.
In the end, it would be published not because some lofty editor deemed it worthy of their attention, but because I delaired it to be worthy of everyone's attention.
Initially I was wanting to submit to Image, with good reason. They're a good publisher, allow the creators to keep their rights and handles distribution for the creator.
Now that I think of it, the chances of getting Blood Mutiny published through Image is roughly the same odds as successfully navigating an astroid field while being pursued by enemy fighters.
I think I will wind up self-publishing. Not just for the guarantee that I will hold my work in my hands in it's completed form someday, but also knowing I did it myself, worked on getting the book distributed and finding the best sources to work with. I may also see the results of my efforts sooner, which is always good.
In the end, it would be published not because some lofty editor deemed it worthy of their attention, but because I delaired it to be worthy of everyone's attention.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Dancing with myself...
Trying to learn the Tango, but getting it confused with the Cha-cha.
That is the best summary that I can come up with about writing this script. The images are coming across strongly, which is always a bonus, but finding the correct order to put them in can be time consuming.
Literally when I'm writing, I can be akin to an Arabian, fast and with plenty of stamina, but largely when I'm "dumping" words to the page, they can get jumbled. Going back, reading it over and trying to perfect what it is that I'm trying to convey is the most time consuming business. Then I'll find little gaps and holes in the action that could use filling and finally make sure the whole thing flows with ease.
Of course I have to make sure everything is perfectly clear for the artist who would be working on this. That is the most important function a script has to offer. Whereas a screenplay would offer just the barest necessities to convey the action, a graphic novel needs specifics. That's where I do the Cha-cha...whereas I've gotten the gist of the idea down already, I need to fill it in with the specifics for the artist to work with.
Also has the interesting side effect of turning what could be a 120 page screenplay into a phone book.
That is the best summary that I can come up with about writing this script. The images are coming across strongly, which is always a bonus, but finding the correct order to put them in can be time consuming.
Literally when I'm writing, I can be akin to an Arabian, fast and with plenty of stamina, but largely when I'm "dumping" words to the page, they can get jumbled. Going back, reading it over and trying to perfect what it is that I'm trying to convey is the most time consuming business. Then I'll find little gaps and holes in the action that could use filling and finally make sure the whole thing flows with ease.
Of course I have to make sure everything is perfectly clear for the artist who would be working on this. That is the most important function a script has to offer. Whereas a screenplay would offer just the barest necessities to convey the action, a graphic novel needs specifics. That's where I do the Cha-cha...whereas I've gotten the gist of the idea down already, I need to fill it in with the specifics for the artist to work with.
Also has the interesting side effect of turning what could be a 120 page screenplay into a phone book.
Breakdown
How does one step into the work of another and handle it with the respect that it's owed?
In writing this I'm discovering that the real challenges simply lie in the dialog, some I'm deliberately keeping, some is changed for a more modern setting, but holds the same meaning. Finding the balance is an interesting part. What helps is keeping the breakdown of both scripts the same.
The play is broken down to five acts, with anywhere from three to six scenes within each one. Following this plan, the breakdown become somewhat easier. Each act becomes a single book. I'm not worried about the number pages, I'm going to let the story itself tell me how big this will be, and I have a feeling it's going to be massive.
I start off just spilling words to the page, writing down the scenes and dialog as they occur in my head, which page it will occur on happens later. The point of the initial exercise is to get the bulk of the project out of my head and onto the page where I can see it. Once that process is done, it's a small matter of editing it, polishing it, finding all the little errors that occurred, then breaking the content down page by page, panel by panel, adding detail until the panel can nearly be seen in crystal clarity.
This is going to take some time.
In writing this I'm discovering that the real challenges simply lie in the dialog, some I'm deliberately keeping, some is changed for a more modern setting, but holds the same meaning. Finding the balance is an interesting part. What helps is keeping the breakdown of both scripts the same.
The play is broken down to five acts, with anywhere from three to six scenes within each one. Following this plan, the breakdown become somewhat easier. Each act becomes a single book. I'm not worried about the number pages, I'm going to let the story itself tell me how big this will be, and I have a feeling it's going to be massive.
I start off just spilling words to the page, writing down the scenes and dialog as they occur in my head, which page it will occur on happens later. The point of the initial exercise is to get the bulk of the project out of my head and onto the page where I can see it. Once that process is done, it's a small matter of editing it, polishing it, finding all the little errors that occurred, then breaking the content down page by page, panel by panel, adding detail until the panel can nearly be seen in crystal clarity.
This is going to take some time.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Solve one problem...
There is a special problem within Blood Mutiny that I don't believe has happened with any other version of Romeo and Juliet.
A lot of times, someone would change the names to suit the setting. Not me. I'm trying to be faithful to the heart of the script, but I'm also trying to be faithful to the names of the characters.
The twist is Romeo just happens to be a vampire in Blood Mutiny.
There's a reason for this. I've read stories and seen movies of romance between vampires and werewolves and the guy is always and I do mean always the werewolf. I wanted to stand out from that mish-mosh of standardized ideals, so Romeo is now a vampire. Montague, lets face it, just does not make a good vampire name. Capulet, with obvious connections to the word capillary, a sort of blood vessel, does.
So Romeo is now a Capulet and Juliet is a Montague.
This is going to butcher Juliet's balcony monologue like nothing else. But the plot is going to hold up.
A lot of times, someone would change the names to suit the setting. Not me. I'm trying to be faithful to the heart of the script, but I'm also trying to be faithful to the names of the characters.
The twist is Romeo just happens to be a vampire in Blood Mutiny.
There's a reason for this. I've read stories and seen movies of romance between vampires and werewolves and the guy is always and I do mean always the werewolf. I wanted to stand out from that mish-mosh of standardized ideals, so Romeo is now a vampire. Montague, lets face it, just does not make a good vampire name. Capulet, with obvious connections to the word capillary, a sort of blood vessel, does.
So Romeo is now a Capulet and Juliet is a Montague.
This is going to butcher Juliet's balcony monologue like nothing else. But the plot is going to hold up.
Working an issue
As a writer I like solving problems.
It can be something to do with the characters, the plot, making a twist work or something about the setting.
The thing that bugged me about Romeo and Juliet was the simple fact that everything just was happenstance. No real subplots going on. Happy seridipidy that the stars lined up and the illiterate messenger just happened to run into Romeo and Benvolio when Romeo was in dire need of lifted spirits.
That little thing called "fate" was bugging me like you wouldn't believe.
I put a supernatural twist into Blood Mutiny mostly because it was an interest of mine. Now it serves a deeper purpose. It gives a reason why the things happened the way they did.
Am I trying to improve on something? No. I am trying to tell the story my way, which is the only thing a writer could ever hope to do.
It can be something to do with the characters, the plot, making a twist work or something about the setting.
The thing that bugged me about Romeo and Juliet was the simple fact that everything just was happenstance. No real subplots going on. Happy seridipidy that the stars lined up and the illiterate messenger just happened to run into Romeo and Benvolio when Romeo was in dire need of lifted spirits.
That little thing called "fate" was bugging me like you wouldn't believe.
I put a supernatural twist into Blood Mutiny mostly because it was an interest of mine. Now it serves a deeper purpose. It gives a reason why the things happened the way they did.
Am I trying to improve on something? No. I am trying to tell the story my way, which is the only thing a writer could ever hope to do.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Title trouble
How does one tell what is going to happen in a story?
Mostly in the title.
Mixing a little horror into a romantic tragedy is something of a burden to be honest. You have to be careful to not have the wrong connotations otherwise the wrong impression will be made.
That said I can assure you that Blood Mutiny was not the original title of this particular work. In fact the original title is so embarrassing I'm not even about to mention it. Literally it gave me nightmares, haunted me, tormented me. Why? Simply because it was grade "A" ridiculous.
Thank heavens for the sudden brainstorm that came up with Blood Mutiny
Mostly in the title.
Mixing a little horror into a romantic tragedy is something of a burden to be honest. You have to be careful to not have the wrong connotations otherwise the wrong impression will be made.
That said I can assure you that Blood Mutiny was not the original title of this particular work. In fact the original title is so embarrassing I'm not even about to mention it. Literally it gave me nightmares, haunted me, tormented me. Why? Simply because it was grade "A" ridiculous.
Thank heavens for the sudden brainstorm that came up with Blood Mutiny
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