I was recently invited to take part in a Writing Process Blog Tour that’s been traveling around the internet for a few months. I was tagged by awesome cartoonist Hannah Blumenreich, who I got to meet at TCAF this summer. If you don’t know Hannah, you’re missing out. Click on that link up there to check out her work. Now, onto the questions!
What am I working on?
I’m currently working on two different projects that I didn’t write. “An Analysis of Multi-classing between Subcultures: Where the Tautness Between Anarchism and Nerd Bullshit sort-of, kind of, not really Worked Out for One Scam-Happy Level 9 Queer” written by Ion O’Clast for the Ninth Art Press Subcultures anthology; and a Garfield back-up story “Only Human” by Scott Nickel for BOOM Studios.
I did, however, just finish a short story “Spiraling” for the June issue of Symbolia that I wrote and drew myself. I’m also working on my first graphic novel (that I’m writing and drawing myself) but I can’t talk about it at length in public yet.
How does your writing process work?
I usually get ideas for longer stories while I’m listening to music or traveling. I’ll write down the bits and pieces of information that I have - key scenes, notes, characters, and themes - and sketch out important shots that are in my mind.
Later, I’ll isolate myself somewhere quiet to write at length. I’ll put on my headphones and spread out my notes and sketches around myself, transcribing everything in Word on my laptop. I’ll reread that initial scripts a few times, adding and removing scenes and dialog until it feels right. I’ll often get a second opinion from friends (“Is this done? Is it affective?”) and then I’ll move forward to thumbnails and finished art.
A project can often take a few weeks to months to finish (from concept to completion) and I’ll often listen to the same album(s) over and over again while working on a project (to remain in that same headspace and not get distracted by other ideas)… so, by the end of a project, it’s a lot like coming out of a cave.
For collaborative work, where I’m drawing someone else’s story, there’s a lot more back and forth. I don’t usually do much editing on the writing, to allow the writer to tell the story they want to tell, unless I feel like there’s too much happening on one page. I do talk with the writers about what I’m stoked on and the overall feel they’d like for the piece. I send them character sketches and artwork for approval while they’re working the script… we’re building the world together but from different angles.
For Frankie Comics, I’ll sit down and write about ten strips at a time; thumbnailing and sketching simultaneously as I script. Then, once I have some free time, I’ll sit down and draw the final version.
Why do I write what I do?
I write as a way to process emotions and understand the world. Stories about loss are almost always written for me to process my own feelings of loss or detachment (though the content is rarely directly autobiographical). I write cat stories/gags (like Frankie Comics, Frankie’s Busy Day and Coffee Cats) to entertain myself, for fun. I use anthologies (like Beyond or Subcultures) to create work with my friends.
Ultimately, I’m creating comics for myself that I hope readers can relate to and enjoy. There’s still a large “write the comics you’d like to read,” aspect to my work.
As I get older, I find I want to cross comics over with my other interests (safety and rights for queer youth, safety and rights the homeless, sexuality and gender education, etc.) more and more… but I haven’t decided how I’d like to go about that yet. For now, creating comics is still a very personal and entertainment-based part of my life.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
This is a tough question for me to answer because I’m still finding my voice as a creator and dabble in a lot of different types of stories. I create all-ages work, adult work, young and new adult…
I’m not sure that my work does differ greatly from other creators of my generation. I feel like my influences are still very apparent… I’m not sure that I particularly shine in one area just yet. Though a lot of people have told me I’m very good at drawing cats.
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Up next week on the Writing Process Blog Tour, I’m nominating cartoonists Laura Terry and Mike King, and writer Gabby Reed. They should have blog posts answering these questions up sometime next week. Go check out their sites for more creative content to enjoy.