Character Trifecta
Pop quiz hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour the bomb is armed. You’re sitting on the bus on your way to […]
Author: nickmac
3 Act Structure-Friend or Foe?
People were arguing about three act structure in social media the other day. So I figured I’d chime in “real quick”. “You take the blue pill, the story ends. You […]
Pass the Passive Writing
One of the top three problems I see from new writers is passive writing. Because fixing it dramatically improves a work, it’s also one of the first things I tend […]
Death of the Super Hero Genre
The Super Hero Genre is Dead… Long Live Super Heroes! In the brief Q+A back section of the Writer’s Guide, I blab a bit. One of the things I blab […]
Master Theme
This picks up after I make an analogy of writing and cooking. That said, there are a couple of ingredients in a story that if done properly, can compensate quite […]
High and Lows – TIP
Creating the highs and lows of the emotional roller-coaster ride is not done by contrasting flat, dull panels against exciting ones. <<which is what most people think>> It’s done by […]
In Media Res (*Updated 12/19*)
When starting your story remember thy Roman poet’s advice, ”IN MEDIA RES” or “In the middle of things.” This is especially important with ORIGIN stories which tend to have very […]
Anchoring Sound Effects
When scripting sound effects I always specify the source of the sound, like this; 2 SFX (ENERGY) SSSSHHHHHSSSSS 9 times out of 10, your panel description is going to do […]
Time Management and More
Time Management, Writer’s Block and Hitting the Wall… Writing is a personal process and sometimes the best tips we can discover are not ones dictating specific format or practical technique […]
Threat of Violence
A critical concept in writing (comic or otherwise) is understanding the difference between “Threat of Violence” and “Violence” itself. The former creates tension, a cornerstone of good storytelling (and a […]