General writing discussion.

AHR

There is a template for it?

Whoah.

The_Edge

Yeah. I used Movie Magic Screenwriter. I needed it for my screenwriting classes in college. It comes with several templates in addition to comic script, like manuscript and stage scripts. Pretty handy actually.

All Nines

So, I have something else lying around that I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. From the POV of a rather excitable, inept teenager. It eventually ties in to something more fantastical (or at least, I kinda just got the idea to do so two minutes ago, after remembering that this character was going to be the brother of another, with his own special importance to the plot of what is now both stories), and really, it doesn't make a shitton of sense. It's kinda stupid in a way, because the character's kinda stupid, but it's meant to amuse. Can anyone tell me how well I did with that?

----

I wish this goddamn spider would quit giving me that funny look. I mean really, the stupid bug-eyed bastard hasn’t even blinked, I don’t think. I don’t feel comfortable turning my back to it. It’s huge. Like, size-of-my-fist huge.

I could be eating chicken right now; mom called me down to get dinner three minutes ago. Instead I’m fretting and sweating over a furry beast that doesn’t even seem to be moving. If I weren’t so stiff  with terror myself, I’d poke it, just to see what happened. But no. Not in this darkness. I also need to crack a window.

I have an idea. But I’m a little paranoid that this thing will jump at me.

What am I, stupid? It’s a tarantula. For some reason it’s in my room, but it’s a tarantula, not a jumping spider. Jeez Louise.

Okay. So. I get up out of my chair, and, big surprise, the spider doesn’t react.

I edge back, not averting my gaze, much as that might relieve my tension. I press against a wall and start patting it, seeking a doorknob.

I find it, and I open the door, and I edge out.

Still nothing. Awesome.

Jeremy Highland figured that an animal of that size could not very well hide in his room, as it was tidy and nothing was covered except the bed. He simply wanted a mug large enough to cover the entirety of its hairy body and heavy enough to keep it restrained. As immobile as the tarantula already was, maybe he could do it.

Stop being spineless, Jeremy. Hmm. Maybe some fried chicken will raise my spirits.

In the kitchen, his mom leaned against the countertop and tapped her foot at him.

“Jeremy, I called you down five minutes ago,” she said. “What’s the problem?”

“Sorry,” Jeremy said. “There’s a huge-ass spider in my room. I was a little petrified.”

“Oh, you! No, really, how big was it, ya little baby?”

“It’s a tarantula. I’m serious.”

This got a reaction of incredulity out of Mrs. Highland, and she began moving for the stairs before saying, “No. Not right now. First, you eat. A little spider isn’t going to harm anything in your room.”

“Fine, fine.” Jeremy took a great, big sniff of the room and felt significantly better all of a sudden. He found the chicken on the counter and stacked three wide wings on a plate.

Finishing his meal in eight minutes, Jeremy made to revisit his room, keeping the enormous mug that he had used for his milk. “Wait, what do I do with it,” he asked as he went for the stairwell.

“You could probably just flush it down the toilet, Jeremy.”

“But it’s huge!”

“It can’t be that huge. Just flush the damn thing.”

“I-I-I’m serious, it’s that big.”

“Fine. Just, uh, I dunno, take it outside or something. Or, better yet, grow a pair and crush it beneath a book or something.”

“Gee, thanks for the emotional support, ma.”

“Any time.”

Once Jeremy was in his room again, the first thing he did was open the blinds on the window next to his bed. He squinted at the sudden, radiant influx before grabbing one of his binders.

He placed it parallel to the desk the spider was on, keeping his mug behind his back, out of view of the eight eyes that had suddenly fixed themselves on him again. (Damn, it can move after all. That might complicate this procedure. But when did it even do that? Damn it).

With one desperate swing of his arm and spin of his wrist, Jeremy almost had the spider beneath the mug. It sidestepped, having anticipated him.

Motherfucker. It’s craftier than I thought. Like a ninja or something, analyzing me with those abyssal black eyes. This probably isn’t your run-of-the-mill tarantula.

He swung again, this time not really caring whether he captured the tarantula or thwacked it off of his desk. It dodged, jumping first onto the mug, and then cancelling the mug’s momentum and landing without a sound, as if it had been dealt a glancing blow and recovered.

“Bastard!” Jeremy swung again, this time with the book. The tarantula spun sideways and clung to the book, which Jeremy then dropped. It hopped off the falling book and landed on his bed, spinning like a cat. It crawled up over his pillow and onto the head of the bed. It spun around once done and ducked as low as it could to avoid an inept, panicked swing of the mug.

This is bad this is bad this is bad, thought Jeremy. He grabbed his binder off of the floor and started swinging again. The spider leapt onto his shoulder.

Mrs. Highland heard Jeremy’s wail of terror and bolted up the stairs, fearing a severe, accidental injury.  When she opened the door and found the tarantula on her son, she stifled a gasp of shock and grabbed a hardcover book off of his desk. The spider was caught off-guard and taken in the abdomen. It rolled and spun across Jeremy’s torso, bouncing as he buckled under the weight of the book, and laid on the floor.

Jeremy backed away on his hands and feet and swatted the spider with his book until it was quite flat.

“Oh, my,” said Mrs. Highland. “Look at that thing. I didn’t even know they had those in Maine! Are you all right, Jeremy?”

“I-I’ve been better, thanks for asking.” Jeremy had recovered his wits by then, and his mother got some paper towels and flushed the dead tarantula’s remains like she had suggested before.

----

The_Edge

Well, that was pretty funny!

All Nines

In a good way? >.>

If so, thanks!

If not, I understand.

The_Edge

Yeah, in a goofy way.

AHR

Is this a good way to visually portray mind reading?

Panel 3. We see Jasper, Leo and Nia through Diplo’s perspective. Surrounding each one is a collage of words and images. The boldest and most visible words and pictures have to do with what’s happening right this second, while more faded words and images consist of less related thoughts. Jasper’s top thoughts are still on the talism, while his lower thoughts have more to do with his worries for the troupe as a whole. Leo’s top thoughts are about Diplo, a mid layer of Nia, and a bottom layer of being hungry. All of Nia’s layers are mostly HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP THAT’S THE DIPLOMAT.

The_Edge

Hey, I like that idea!

AHR

...:D

The_Edge

I think it's unique and creative. It's a plus that I haven't seen it before.

AHR

Now if only the REST of the comic didn't suck, I might have something.

The_Edge

I have a few ideas for scripts in my head. One of which.

Office Assassin - an unlucky Iraqi veteran working as a data processor befriends the office's quiet guy, who turns out to be an assassin, and both are pulled into a conspiracy revolving around assassins forming a labor union.

All Nines

Hm. Assassins, therefore I approve.

The_Edge

It's a spin-off of a short story I wrote a few years ago called Assassination Art Club, about three assassin who meet monthly to give each other ideas for creativity ways of killing their targets.

I'll post it one day, if I can find it.

Vorpy

How popular is non-fanservice-based lesbian romance currently in America?

MillerCross

@AHR: It is pretty good. You'll need a damn good artist to pull it off. Also, it can play on intertwined thoughts and stuff and it helps to give pretty darn good visual imagery. 

AHR

JC: Yeah. I know. It saddens me to know that I'm writing a subpar story with such high artistic standards. 

mostly because I have no clue how I could possibly find someone who could draw it. I have, so far, only seen one person ever whose style I thought actually fit, and that was just barely.

IJBM: Idea spammers in the Writer's Block threads.

The_Edge

I find it difficult to find idea-less artists with the kind of skills I need. My long-time partner in works is an artist with very cliche ideas, so I basically refine his ideas while adding my own. It probably wouldn't work on a long-running thing of mine though. Then my wife would do that, but she doesn't have the kind of skills it would take. For example, my author avatar, also called The Edge, can summon masses of chains and that would be a lot of work. Also, she isn't good with drawing guns.

AHR

I find it difficult to find idea-less artists with the kind of skills I need. 

That. That soooo much. 

Anyone can come up with an idea, it seems.

The_Edge

Well, I guess, us writers just need to impress the artists with our awesome storylines and characters.

AHR

Hah. 

>>implying we have awesome storylines and characters.

The_Edge

I can't speak for everyone, but I know I do.

AHR

How do you know, though, honestly? How do you know it's not just your own delusions?

The_Edge

I have shared them with people. However, those people being my friends, they could be just as delusional as me.

AHR

Friends tend to be easily pleased, from my experience. 

The_Edge

Even so, I am really confident about some of my ideas. I am damn near a breakthrough in my "career" though. It's really about who you know, as they say.

AHR

How old are you?

The_Edge

Very nearly 27

AHR

Ah. I don't know anyone. I'm just hoping one day I can submit my stuff to darkhorse.

The_Edge

Once you get yourself out there, it's amazing the connections you can make. College helps, because some of my proffessors are in the film industry. Through my magazine work, I have some connections in indie film and music. My partner in FL has connections to some voice actors in the domestic anime industry, which will plug our game once it is out.