Maureen McHugh has started to blog about the process of her novel-in-progress. She drew this hilarious chart to illustrate the steps:
I have all but abandoned my graphic novel. If you were to plot my stage on the chart, it’d be “dark night of the soul,” only that dark night was months and months ago. Maybe last year. At this point, I’m way past it, and thinking of a new project, and thinking about how I might be able to actually put out a book-length comic.
I got a lot of advice when I was trying it the first time around. Some told me to just plot the whole thing out, and then draw. Do an outline. I was even told that with 20 pages of artwork and an outline, I might even be able to sell the thing.
This really made my guts churn. I’m with Maureen on this one:
I don’t outline. Outlining is for hacks. I believe in the difficult but fulfilling process of finding my novel as I write it; letting inspiration and the shape of what I’ve already written shape what comes next. Which is why I’ve thrown this novel out five times already.
My wife, who always has the best advice, if only I’d listen to it, suggested I just draw the whole thing out in my sketchbook, with nasty, sketchy thumbnails: the drawing equivalent to a “first draft.” Turns out this was the advice that I should’ve followed.
You don’t get a graphic novel much bigger than Craig Thompson’s Blankets. That was almost 600 pages, and his new one is going to be even bigger. Even bigger? How does he do it?
“I draw the entire book in this loose ballpoint pen format and edit, before ever starting the final pages. BLANKETS was thumbnailed for a year.”
A YEAR of thumbnails. This makes me very hopeful.
My wife, again, came in with more advice: “You just need to FINISH something?” Ah yes, finishing. Getting to the last of Maureen’s stages, “It’s done and it sucks but it’s better than I thought.”
…just…finishing things is a good idea! I had started a lot of projects before then where I’d get 20 pages into it and then I’d lose interest, then a couple months later start up a new project. I was never finishing anything. And so, whether Good-Bye, Chunky Rice has limitations or weaknesses or whatnot, just the fact that I finished it was a big deal, and it ended up being quite successful for that point in my life. So Blankets was a lot easier. Even though it was going to be a much bigger book, I was like, “Well, all I have to do is finish it.”
Because I’m into this Myers-Briggs gobblygook, I should note that my particular personality type, ENTP, is notorious for starting projects and then abandoning them once it figures out how they should be executed.
“ENTPs are less interested in developing plans of actions or making decisions than they are in generating possibilities and ideas. Following through on the implementation of an idea is usually a chore to the ENTP. For some ENTPs, this results in the habit of never finishing what they start.
The “secret to success” for me that my career book gives me?
“Prioritize, focus, and follow through.”
Trying.
Maybe the key is having projects that are short enough that you can complete them before the itch sets in? I think that’s some of the appeal of a sketchbook – each page is totally fresh and its own little story, but it only lasts until you fill up the page. (That’s also why I think you shouldn’t feel limited to one “style” for a whole work. Drawing with different tools in different styles, or incorporating elements of collage for different parts can trick your eye into making it feel fresh.)
yes, FINISHABLE projects. that’s what i need. little hills that make up a mountain!
You may be interested in Lewis Trondheim’s Lapinot et Les Carottes de Patagonie:
http://madinkbeard.com/blog/archives/lapinot-et-les-carottes-de-patagonie (my review)
Trondheim drew it straight to ink, no real planning as his way to learn to draw. 500 pages! His longest work.
oh cool: that looks great. gotta bone up on my french, though
Heh. Been there. Done that! I originally made My Life in Records as a weekly web comic and “found my way through it” so to speak. I re-learned how to draw in the process and how to design webpages. It was a good incentive to have the weekly deadline and more often than not, I do think I rose to the challenge.
However, afterwards, I realized that I wanted the print versions to be square like little album covers, so I decided to completely re-work the stories for this format and I took down the archives. I saw the post by Craig Thompson and I’m now making pretty detailed thumbnails and running them by people before I make the final pages and post them on the web.
This seems to be working out pretty well for another project I’ve been doing. It’s stretched the work to be better than I would have made it on my own.
I think having a weekly comic is a great way to make sure no matter what, you’re putting some work out there. I’d love to have a weekly strip and also a graphic novel I was working on–it’d be a nice balance.
I’ve found that without a schedule I don’t get work done. Putting out two pages a week (And taking that schedule seriously) forces me to get the work done, regardless of what else I have going on. It’s really helped me not only produce a body of work, but improve my various comics skills. And if I’m not always thrilled with the product, I know another page will be up in a couple days.
Hey, I said that outlining was for hacks like William Faulkner, too.
I know that thing about ‘if I know how it’s going to turn out, I’m not interested anymore’ but I’m really really thinking about doing an outline. And maybe even posting it.
When you come to Austin, we should meet in coffee shops and talk about this stuff instead of working.
Derik,
I totally agree about the schedule. With our upcoming move, my work has been pretty much crippled due to no kind of regular schedule. Schedules, deadlines, CONSTRAINTS…it’s really the way to go.
Maureen,
We definitely need to get the Cleveland ex-pats coffee shop shoptalk going.
Here’s a picture of that faulkner outline! http://www.austinkleon.com/?p=521
Hail, brother ENTP-er!
“My wife, who always has the best advice, if only I’d listen to it, suggested I just draw the whole thing out in my sketchbook, with nasty, sketchy thumbnails: the drawing equivalent to a “first draft.??? Turns out this was the advice that I should’ve followed.”
Your wife is wise. But you knew this.
This past week, I’ve written probably 70 pages on various projects — fiction of various types (horror, even!), nonfiction of various types. So I just write-write-write every day, and keep cycling through what I have to make it better. Outline or brainstorm or jump ahead or go back and expand something, so long there’s forward movement, it’s all good. Like someone said above, keeping to a rote level of production is a key — whether it’s 2 pages or 20 doesn’t so much matter, so long as you keep at it. (It’s the same as in weightlifting: “What’s the best way to get stronger?” “Don’t miss workouts.”)
My overriding goal for the next six months: keep up this pace of work and get a lot of separate things (longer, shorter, whatevs) DONE. For the purposes of satisfying that inner critic that says “But I’ve never DONE anything!” there are only two states in which a creative work can exist: (1) finished and (2) nothingness.
Believe me, “I have extensive files” of nothingness to draw on. (Bonus points for identifying the movie the quoted line comes from . . .)
Start finishing s**t now, when you’re young. Don’t wait another dozen years ’til your my age. Give yourself permission to write crap as necessary until you win.
Tim,
That’s thrilling that you got so much work done last week. I really need to quit using the big move as an excuse not to be working. And I feel like writing/drawing is a lot like what they say about saving for retirement: start now.
I used to have this Isak Dinesen (via Ray Carver) quote above my desk:
EVERY DAY, WITHOUT HOPE AND WITHOUT DESPAIR
Need to put that card back up.
I’m not sure where “I have extensive files” comes from, but it reminds me of Terminator 2, where he says, “I have detailed files.”
1. You’re memory of the Terminator 2 line is obviously better than mine. Spot on!
2. Isak Dinesen = a big fave. I love that quote and will use it.
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”
Ive just started writing a comic book/graphic novel thingo… (6 pages yay) and i am already prioritising it above my school work :D
I have the whole story set out in stone in my head, and Ive found that its so much easier to write about a character if you make their personalitys “complete” (by complete i mean that if they were to suddenly appear in the real world they would be able to function emotionally as a whole human)
This helps because if you know EXACTLY how a character would react in a paticular situation, you can put them through just about anything without too much trouble at all – thus combatting the dreaded “writers block”
I might have to start thumbnailing too, instead of just writing out the next chapters script in words and actions….
I hope to get it published one day, but i have no idea about how to go about doing that…. :D
i like your idea. letting one’s mind just go. I will be taking your advice and perhaps finish that graphic novel i was suppose to finish 4 years ago..lol..
Hi Tim Walkers —
the quote “I have extensive file”
too easy for us science fiction buffs: Arnold
Schwarenegger as The Terminator, in the movie
Terminator 2: Judgement Day, talking to Sarah Connor
about Judgment Day …
cheers
Chris