Hi Heroes!
Remember a long, long time ago
when kids wanted to grow up and
become policemen, firemen or
cowboys? Well, judging by the way my mail
keeps pouring in, it seems as if a whole
kaboodle of young people now want to
become comicbook writers! Even
though I've written many columns over
the years trying to explain how comics
are written, we keep getting requests for
more info!
Obviously, there's no way to clue you
in to the whole ball of wax in the small
space available here, but let's see if wee
can zero in on one of the most important elements of
any type of writing.I'm referring to
something that's too often overlooked in
the continual effort to squeeze action
and excitement into every panel. That
something is -- characterization!
Look at it this way. Every writer
wants his or her readers to care about
the story. Well, in order to care about a
story you have to care about the hero or
heroine. And in order to care about
them, you have to feel as if you know
them. If something happens to a
stranger, it won't affect you very much.
But if that same thing happens to a
friend, to someone you know well, then
you really care about it. The same rule
applies to stories. The more you feel
you know the principal characters, the
more the story touches you.
That's where characterization comes
in. You've got to write dialogues that's
believable, that sounds the way people
really talk. You've got to make your fic-
tional little repertory group react to situa-
tions the way people would in real life.
In other words, you've got to strive for
as much realism as possible in every-
thing that's said or done. Sure, the plots
maybe far-out and fantastic, but the
characters must be true to life.
I could go on and on, but DeFalco
just whispered, " Cool it, Stan! What if
one of our competitors reads this stuff
and learns something?" Tommy's got a
point, so that's it for now, gang. You
take it from there!
Excelsior!
Stan Lee
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