About Jeffery Stevenson
Location: Austin, TX
Occupation: Database Consultant/Writer
Bio: Pop Syndicate's Creative Adviser is also the writer and letterer of the long-running twice weekly webcomic, Brat-halla (following the Norse gods during their elementary school days), which ran for a few years at Kevin Smith's MoviePoopShoot.com (and later, QuickStopEntertainment.com) and is currently hosted over at Graphic Smash. He was also the hired wordslinger for Jim Valentino's Task Force 1 from Shadowline/Image Comics.
To keep up with the rest of Jeff's insanity, feel free to check out his personal blog at Dark-n-Dam'd.
Posts: 36
More from this author
A question about learning how others broke into writing...
I'd like to know how famous writers like William Goldman, Stephen King, and Joss Whedon got their big break. Ya know, learn by example and see how the famous writers did it.
Josh Joshington, Turnpike, NJ
There's a saying out there when it comes to breaking in... "if you find a way in, they'll patch it up the second you get through."
What works for one person doesn't always work for someone else. But failure... well, failure is pretty universal. Learning to avoid failure means learning from mistakes. I've always found it's better to let other people make those mistakes, and after you've finished laughing at their misfortune, you can analyze their approach to determine better ways of reaching your goal. To show how this principle works, The Creative Adviser worked around the clock (okay, you got me--it actually took a couple minutes on Google) to track down someone complaining about their failed writing career for this special interview.
For reasons baffling to me, the writer wished to remain anonymous for this interview, and as a journalist with some integrity, I'll honor their request.
The Creative Adviser: How long have you been writing?
Writer from Montana: I've been dedicated to this writing thing for quite a while now. I've slaved over learning and perfecting my craft for weeks and weeks ever since I read that advertisement about how you can make $100,000 a year only working a few hours a week as a writer.
The Creative Adviser: How many stories have you written in that time?
Lives in a City Rhyming with Willings... Except It Starts With a 'B': One. One-twentieth actually, but since it's a fractional amount we can safely round it up to one.
The Creative Adviser: Has that manuscript been read by anyone?
Graduate of Central Catholic High Class of 2005: Oh, sure... lots of editors and publishers have read the first draft of the first chapter of my completely original novel. And I know I'm good because they take the time to write personal notes about my work in their rejection letters. Even though my project doesn't fit with the stories they publish, they think I should continue to hone my craft while shopping it around to other publishers who deal with those kinds of stories. And that's just what I did... sent the first chapter out to every publisher around. I even took it a step further and sent copies addressed to both the "Submissions Editor" and "Assistant Submissions Editor" at each publisher.
The Creative Adviser: Okay... let's try a different line of questioning. Who's your inspiration?
Last Name Starts with a 'K': Donald Trump. I think you should always have a goal for writing, and my goal is to be rich just like Trump. I figure if I mix my great writing with his knack for butting heads with celebrities and generating lots of publicity, my books will be bestsellers making me richer than the guy (is J.K. a boy or girl's name?) who wrote those Potter books that became a money-making film franchise.
The Creative Adviser: What's your process for writing?
First Name Starts with a 'B': Get original idea. Write original idea. Send out original idea as soon as you have enough for people to read. Keep pushing that original idea until it sells for a bundle. Write the rest of the story. Retire early enjoying your riches.
The Creative Adviser: How do you determine whether your idea is original?
Wears a Funky Smelling 'I brake for commas.' T-Shirt (a lot): You just know. Personally, I try to minimize my exposure to other stories to keep them from influencing me, which helps make my idea original. A lot of writers go in watching tons of TV, hundreds of movies, and dozens of books similar to what they want to write, and they wind up writing stories like something else. Fans of movies like The Matrix will write a story like The Matrix. How original is that? So yeah, I stay away from TV, movie theaters, and libraries as much as possible to keep my idea fresh... to keep it from just being some recycled, rehashed former bestseller or blockbuster.
The Creative Adviser: Do you prefer plot-based stories or character-based ones?
Drives a Rust and Blue Colored 1992 Chrysler Lebaron: I have the coolest character in the world. When you have a cool character like that, you need to show him off, and you can't do that if you cram him into some crazy plot. They have to be free to explore and do whatever cool thing comes to mind. Besides, your idea becomes more original if you don't plug it into one of those plot formulas used by a gazillion other stories.
The Creative Adviser: How do you develop your characters?
Hangs Out at Starbucks Every Friday Night Playing Solitaire on his Laptop: It's all about making him cool. Give him cool clothes and cool job skills like kung fu fighter, espionage agent, Hollywood actor and rock star musician. And that's it. Now, you can kick off your story right away and get to the tough job of writing that important first chapter to send out to publishers.
The Creative Adviser: Rhyme time! Let's end with a quick rhyming exercise. Could you rhyme the line, "About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news..."?
Anonymous Writer: A sneeze has a lot o' "achoos"?
All material in The Creative Adviser is fictitious and intended solely for the purpose of entertainment. Names are fabricated and any similarity to real people or places is purely coincidental except in those cases where public figures are being satirized.
Josh Joshington, Turnpike, NJ
There's a saying out there when it comes to breaking in... "if you find a way in, they'll patch it up the second you get through."
What works for one person doesn't always work for someone else. But failure... well, failure is pretty universal. Learning to avoid failure means learning from mistakes. I've always found it's better to let other people make those mistakes, and after you've finished laughing at their misfortune, you can analyze their approach to determine better ways of reaching your goal. To show how this principle works, The Creative Adviser worked around the clock (okay, you got me--it actually took a couple minutes on Google) to track down someone complaining about their failed writing career for this special interview.
For reasons baffling to me, the writer wished to remain anonymous for this interview, and as a journalist with some integrity, I'll honor their request.
The Creative Adviser: How long have you been writing?Writer from Montana: I've been dedicated to this writing thing for quite a while now. I've slaved over learning and perfecting my craft for weeks and weeks ever since I read that advertisement about how you can make $100,000 a year only working a few hours a week as a writer.
The Creative Adviser: How many stories have you written in that time?
Lives in a City Rhyming with Willings... Except It Starts With a 'B': One. One-twentieth actually, but since it's a fractional amount we can safely round it up to one.
The Creative Adviser: Has that manuscript been read by anyone?
Graduate of Central Catholic High Class of 2005: Oh, sure... lots of editors and publishers have read the first draft of the first chapter of my completely original novel. And I know I'm good because they take the time to write personal notes about my work in their rejection letters. Even though my project doesn't fit with the stories they publish, they think I should continue to hone my craft while shopping it around to other publishers who deal with those kinds of stories. And that's just what I did... sent the first chapter out to every publisher around. I even took it a step further and sent copies addressed to both the "Submissions Editor" and "Assistant Submissions Editor" at each publisher.
The Creative Adviser: Okay... let's try a different line of questioning. Who's your inspiration?Last Name Starts with a 'K': Donald Trump. I think you should always have a goal for writing, and my goal is to be rich just like Trump. I figure if I mix my great writing with his knack for butting heads with celebrities and generating lots of publicity, my books will be bestsellers making me richer than the guy (is J.K. a boy or girl's name?) who wrote those Potter books that became a money-making film franchise.
The Creative Adviser: What's your process for writing?
First Name Starts with a 'B': Get original idea. Write original idea. Send out original idea as soon as you have enough for people to read. Keep pushing that original idea until it sells for a bundle. Write the rest of the story. Retire early enjoying your riches.
The Creative Adviser: How do you determine whether your idea is original?
Wears a Funky Smelling 'I brake for commas.' T-Shirt (a lot): You just know. Personally, I try to minimize my exposure to other stories to keep them from influencing me, which helps make my idea original. A lot of writers go in watching tons of TV, hundreds of movies, and dozens of books similar to what they want to write, and they wind up writing stories like something else. Fans of movies like The Matrix will write a story like The Matrix. How original is that? So yeah, I stay away from TV, movie theaters, and libraries as much as possible to keep my idea fresh... to keep it from just being some recycled, rehashed former bestseller or blockbuster.
The Creative Adviser: Do you prefer plot-based stories or character-based ones?
Drives a Rust and Blue Colored 1992 Chrysler Lebaron: I have the coolest character in the world. When you have a cool character like that, you need to show him off, and you can't do that if you cram him into some crazy plot. They have to be free to explore and do whatever cool thing comes to mind. Besides, your idea becomes more original if you don't plug it into one of those plot formulas used by a gazillion other stories.
The Creative Adviser: How do you develop your characters?Hangs Out at Starbucks Every Friday Night Playing Solitaire on his Laptop: It's all about making him cool. Give him cool clothes and cool job skills like kung fu fighter, espionage agent, Hollywood actor and rock star musician. And that's it. Now, you can kick off your story right away and get to the tough job of writing that important first chapter to send out to publishers.
The Creative Adviser: Rhyme time! Let's end with a quick rhyming exercise. Could you rhyme the line, "About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news..."?
Anonymous Writer: A sneeze has a lot o' "achoos"?
####
Got a question about breaking in for The Creative Adviser? Ask away! It might even get answered!
All material in The Creative Adviser is fictitious and intended solely for the purpose of entertainment. Names are fabricated and any similarity to real people or places is purely coincidental except in those cases where public figures are being satirized.
Syndicate this story
Post a Comment