Episode 237: Fixing Story Problems

This week, we visit with Scott Serkland (Young and the Dead) and talk about getting clarity on present and future writing priorities (4:00), sound effects for a book (10:40), and the excitement of a new start for a new comic (19:00) before we have a creative round table (34:00), including why comics inspire us, (49:00).

This week, we give a recap of Phoenix Fan Fusion (3:00), covering behind the scenes logistics and exhibit hall energy (14:10), and a few stories from the table (28:00), then discuss lettering (39:00), gaining clarity on future projects (42:20), and finding time to thumbnail a story (50:30).

This week, we talk about finishing scripts (3:00), running story opinions by fellow creators (13:20), hitting the due date on a commission (21:30), choosing a future project (24:45), giving writing notes (34:15), and the magic of comic art (53:00).

This week, we talk about bringing a future idea into a present story (3:00), Adding a last-minute page to a comic and finalizing a cover (13:50), remembering your most important audience (23:15), surprise additions to a project (32:20), and thinking through your projects to design a near-term release schedule (38:15).

This week, we talk about problem-solving a cover with a lot of characters (3:30), taking the best pieces of different cover treatments to build covers (19:00), forcing your way through a story problem (35:20), generating ideas for an anthology (42:15), and getting the courage to make a major project "final" (52:00).

This week, we discuss brainstorming a special cover (3:00), when multi-issue storylines mess with trade paperback continuity (12:30), when a craft lesson resonates with you (30:30), finalizing a cover (36:00), tackling a story idea that's been on the backburner (43:40), and getting in the right headspace to give feedback (46:30).

This week, we talk about finishing the art for a comic project full of twists and turns (3:00), getting the creativity you can out of feeling under the weather (20:40), Free Comic Book Day (29:15), finalizing a cover for a future project (37:00), and how the details matter (51:30).

This week, we recap the LA Times Festival of Books (3:30), rethinking a key splash page (13:40), when the "pantser" method of writing goes wrong (24:20), and thinking ahead for a 2026 project (35:30).

This week, we talk about regaining your artistic rhythm (4:40), expanding your craft through study and mimicry (10:45), understanding the essence of your influences (21:00), writing to understand what you're writing (35:40), and formatting nightmares (49:15).

This week, Jim Lujan (The Full Fungus) joins us (Go watch the Full Fungus)! We talk about repurposing archived material (4:20), working with a printer to meet key dates (11:30), the excitement of starting a new project (21:45), the role music plays in projects (28:30), how improvisation connects different creative forms (54:30), and the feeling when you finish an ambitious project (59:20).