| Level: | All Levels |
| Tone: | Casual, Blog-like |
| Pages: | 216 |
| Published: | 2012 |
| Arbitrary Rating: | 5/5 |
| Plan to Reread: | Yes |
My opinion:
Dirk Manning's "Write or Wrong" was the main influence that pushed me from just thinking about making comics to actually trying to make comics. I picked up so much from this book that I originally planned to use it for my first review but I didn't want to start a blog about drawing by talking about writing. That being said, learning how to write is an important part of writing comics so I've tried to collect good references for plot development and scripting.
The bulk of "Write or Wrong" is a collection of columns written by Dirk Manning for www.Newsarama.com. The casual style used made it easy to read through each chapter without feeling like a research project. A plus for me is that I didn't need a dictionary or industry lexicon to understand this book since each chapter was written to be easy to follow. Instead of taking an instructional approach, the author provides some examples of the successes and failures he's experienced.
Two pieces of advice that Dirk gave really hit home for me. The first was his suggestion that aspiring artists be patient and take the time to hone their skill in private. Sure, taking the "learn by doing" approach can help you pick up a lot. What would teach you to make a comic faster than making a comic? The problem is that people will start to associate your name with that developmental phase and that image can be hard to shake when you finally reach a professional level.
The other major theme I picked up was that you don't have to be a one-man show. Even if you can't draw, you can write. If you're not talented with laying down lines you can still ink or color. I have hundreds of comics with the contributors clearly printed on the cover page but for some reason that didn't click until I read this book. Knowing that there are different paths to creating a comic makes it feel doable and believing that something is within reach can give a huge boost to motivation.
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