To Script or Not to Script

I have been trying to brainstorm what my comic is going to be about. I want to write something that is going to be interesting to read while being fun to draw. I thought I might just start drawing and let the pictures lead me through the story. I am not sure that is the best idea for this project.

I think I have finally decided that I want to script out the comic. I think the script will help me when  go to draw the images. I won't have to second guess what I am doing. All I will have to do is make the images fit the concept of each page. Page after page will begin to shape a complete book and hopefully I will not have to go back to change anything when I am done.

How do I script the comic? I have done a little scripting in the past. None of which was ever turned into anything. I have looked though books like the one above and have determined a simple way to script my book. The first thing I have to do is determine the arc of the entire issue. Once I know that, then I can focus on each of the pages. Each page should have some sort of point. The page acts almost like a scene, a movement that leads into the next page.  

The easiest way to script the page is to go cell by cell. I usually thing about how I want the page to flow. I will sketch out the layout of the page. Then next to that little thumbnail I will write out "Cell One: Whatever happens in this cell." Then I will go on to Cell Two. Sometimes there is only one cell. Sometimes there are six or eight cells. It depends on what I am trying to do.

I think I am going to spend the next few posts brainstorming my ideas for the Meeting Stephen King Comic. I figure since I will not be trying to make money on this project, It doesn't really matter if the world sees my process. In fact making the process public might help someone else who is trying to create a book of their own.

Setting a Solid Deadline to Meet King

Everything I have read about accomplishing a goal says that I need to make a specific deadline for it's completion. If you make a goal without a deadline, then you will continue to push it off to the point of ever doing it. If you can give yourself a deadline to accomplish something, you will have a finish line, a time frame to shoot for.

To advance the concept of the deadline, you can make the finish line more effective if you can offer yourself a reward for completing the goal, and a punishment for not making it. You will find a way to make something happen if you desire the reward or dislike the punishment.

Now you can have people help you by reminding you of your deadline and the self imposed rewards and punishments. If you state your goals to others, then they can hold you accountable. They can be your cheerleaders. Some of the books say that you should not tell anyone, that your goals should be driven by your own personal desire. If you let others in on the secret, your results will be swayed by their opinion.

I think my Goal to meet Stephen King should be something public. I want you to know about my journey. I want to be able to read your encouragement on this blog or on my Facebook Page. Maybe you will have ideas that will help me meet the man. Maybe you will have suggestions to help my project be even better. Whatever the case, I want you there to cheer me on.

Here is my Deadline: I want to meet Stephen King by June 30, 2013. I want him to see my project and want to meet me. I want to be able to sit down and have a beer with him and talk about writing, baseball, music and anything else that comes to mind.

"The Reach" Movie & "The Shining" Sequal Novel

We have a new movie coming out in the theaters, hopefully sooner rather than later. If you are a fan of King's older work, one of his shorts, "The Reach" from The Skeleton Crew is about to be made. King is most proud of this story. He is often quoted as saying this story is the one he would "most like to be remembered for after his death"

The story is about an old woman who knows she is about to die and her visions of what she knows to be ghosts of people she once knew. It is a story that follows her and her journey to be with her dead husband.

I also found out the King is working on a sequel to "The Shining" called "Dr Sleep". This is exciting. I don't know if they should bother making a movie from it, unless it is undoubtedly better than the first movie (personally I love both renditions of the "The Shining". Nothing can beat Jack Nicholson and that crazy face through the door. The Miniseries was closer to the book and was interesting to watch.)

The following is a short clip of King talking about the book and what he is trying to do with it. I enjoy when he speaks to students. I am not sure why he relates to well to that demographic. Maybe it is because he has a teacher's heart. Maybe it's because those are the people who are reading his books the most. They want to know someone else is having a harder time in life than they are at the moment.

2 Deals on King Books I Found Today

I don't like buying books at full price. You will usually only find me at good will or at a used book store when I am looking for new books to read. I love going to Good will because their books are almost always less than $2.

Today I decided to stop by the big chain store Books-A-Million to see what they had in their clearance section. Every once in a while I will find something that I am interested in. Today I found this little treat called "Blockade Billy".

At 132 pages it is a small book containing 2 short stories.  Mr King was able to release a hard bound copy of two short stories all by themselves. Not many people can do this and actually make any money doing it, but King has the following when he decides to release something, hundreds of thousands of people immediately run out and buy it.Because I waited for the masses to get their copy and for the interest in the book to die down, I was able to get this $15 book for $4.

The other book I found, I wished I had the money to buy was the Collectors Edition of "Under the Dome." This book is massive.I am sure it is more than 1000 pages and the cover says it is illustrated. The price at Books a million said $25.

When I got home and looked it up on amazon, I found it for about $10 including Shipping. This was one of those moments I wished I had a few extra bucks in my pocket to make a spontaneous purchase.When I got home I sent the link to some of my family members who are going to want to know what I want for my birthday this year. I love it when I find great deals.

A Hand Drawn Stephen King Comic

I have decided to put together a comic to send to Mr. King. I don't know if he will appreciate it or not, but I will at least give it a try. I am kind of thinking about doing a piece of fan art that might get his attention. I want to do something like the people who made this independent film called, "You Can't Kill Stephen King."

They were able to write and shoot a fan film about the stories by Stephen King. Then they showed in at Film Festivals. Now they have the rights to sell the film, finally getting Mr. King's blessing. I want to do something similar. I don't care if he ever allows me to sell the comic. I just want him to see it and acknowledge it. Maybe even sending me a thank you letter or something.

I think I am going to stick to the 22 page format and make a self drawn, self bound comic book to send to the address he gets all of his fan mail. The hope is that his secretary will look at it, get a laugh and think Mr King might actually want to read it, passing it along to his inbox.

What is it going to be about? I want to write about me, a cartoon overly dramatized version of me trying to figure out unusual ways to meet Mr King without getting in trouble with the authorities. I might go back into my file where I take a road trip up the east coast to see his home town in Bangor Maine. I actually took that trip in 2003 as a vacation for 2 weeks. I got to visit some friends and family along the way. I stood outside the red mansion and took the Stephen King city tour. I never did see him, but it was a fun trip.

Brainstorming Ideas to Get Stephen King's Attention

This blog is one of the ideas I had to get Stephen King's attention. I thought if I could keep a record of what I am doing to meet the man and make sure it was out there on the web for him to see, he might, just maybe, try to contact me and invite me to meet with him. It's unlikely, but the blog will help me keep track of my endeavors.

I have tried to write Mr King in the past, asking for an autograph. I always get a response stating that he is uncomfortable with that concept. He only signs in person. If I ever get the chance to go to a signing, I am going to take my dark tower books for him to sign. This kind of venue is not what I want when I say I want to meet him though. He will not remember me being one of thousands of people he would shake hands with and sign books for in a book store or some larger venue.

What I want to do is create something that I can mail to him, that will make it past his personal assistant, something that will make her say, "Hmmmm. Mr King would get a kick out of this one. I think I will leave it on his desk."

My thought is to make some sort of comic book or sketchbook that will star myself and fictional accounts of me trying to meet Mr King. Then when I finally meet him, he is not exactly what I thought he would be. He would be a crazed maniac or an alien or something even more off the wall. We will see what I can come up with.

Taking the First Steps to Meet the Man

I have been a Stephen King fan for as long as I can remember. A friend of mine introduced me to "Pet Sematary" when I was in Middle School. I grew up reading his work. Every time a new book would come out, I would go out and buy it. I had designated space on my bookshelf just for his books. For many years I was proud that I had every single book he had ever released. Then after I got married and moved into a house in another state, I made the hard decision to sell my collection of Stephen King books. The only ones I kept were the Dark Tower Series and my first trade edition of Carrie. To this day that decision still stings a bit.

A couple of years ago I discovered 43things.com and started making goals about things I want in my life. I wrote down things like becoming debt free and putting the kids through college. One of the things I have always wanted to do is meet Mr King. I started getting monthly reminders via email from 43things.com one of which wanted to know if I had met him yet. Of course I have not. The reminders did however make me wonder, "What can I do to get myself in the sights of the great author. What can I do to make him want to meet me?" To help me figure that out. I started this blog.