Today I discuss what could be considered a character archetype: The Small Soulful One. Many of us think of characters like Yoda as a good representation of that type, but I explain why I think characters like Paddington Bear and Pippi Longstocking are even better at exploring what makes that kind of character special.
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Thunder Punch Daily 16 – The Small Soulful One Read More »
Some more talk about characters and why we might consider using compassion when writing them. It’s my belief that if you treat your characters as human beings, others will respond to them as such. Even if they’re not human. A high ideal in writing is to name your characters’ faults with love, so as not to be a snob, or worse, create characters meant merely to be hissed at by the audience (though that can be fun as well).
Also threw a shout-out to Brandon Dayton’s blog. Some terrific reading on writing there!
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Thunder Punch Daily 14 – Compassion For Your Characters Read More »
The Chase is a terrific go-to option when trying to get the ball rolling with your story. In today’s episode I describe how I’ve used it as a means to quickly introduce readers to characters, and how one can use it as a microcosm of an overall thematic exploration of your characters.
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Thunder Punch Daily 08 – The Chase Read More »
Today’s thought comes by way of Jose Gonzales, who posted a casual wondering on Twitter recently about whether or not it’s useful to channel dark feelings into one’s cartooning work. I leap off of that to share some of my thoughts on using anger, outrage, or dissatisfaction to inform one’s work, how I’ve misused anger in some of my past works, and how Joseph Campbell’s thoughts on Erotic Irony can be a way to use those dark feelings with compassion in our comics.
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Thunder Punch Daily 07 – Darkness and Compassion Read More »
I’ve talked quite a bit about using themes in past Art & Story episodes, but in this episode of Thunder Punch Daily I describe a strategy I use quite a bit in building a story that expresses my themes; namely, using my characters as advocates for different sides of the theme’s “argument”.
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Thunder Punch Daily 06 – Argue for your Theme Read More »
Today I use some examples from The Replacements to explore the role of opposites in storytelling. Even if they start out as bitter enemies, opposites can find themselves forging unexpected and lasting friendships!
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Thunder Punch Daily 04 – Opposites are Mighty Read More »