Don’t let goofy punctuation trash your manuscript.
1. Please don’t use multiple exclamation points or question marks. It’s far less likely to suggest that the character is really surprised than that the author is really inexperienced. It’s cheesy.
REJECTION: “I hate you, Martha!!!!”
REJECTION: “How could you do that to me??”
2. I recommend against giving the narrator exclamation points. “John turned around. Then a ninja burst through the ceiling!” And then the editor rejected the manuscript!
3. SMILEY FACES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN PROFESSIONAL WORK. If your novel manuscript, query or proposal use any kind of emoticon, your submission is definitely (X_X).
4. Please use exclamation points sparingly. Strings of exclamations are generally disorientating and hard to process. “I’m surly! You’re not listening to me! That is unacceptable! I’m getting even surlier!” If you use exclamations too often, they will become diluted and lose their zing.
5. Please be REALLY careful about capitalizing sentences for emphasis. “AND NOW YOU DIE, MR. BOND!” I wouldn’t even consider doing it more than once or twice per novel. And even that might be unnecessarily risky.
Magical superheroes are rare and haven’t sold very well since the Silver Age of comics (late 1950s and 60s). Here are some tips to help you write a magical superhero story that a publisher might take seriously.
1. Do it as a novel, not a comic book. Comic books depend on male readers aged 13-25. The problem is that the people that are most receptive to magical superheroes (kids and women) generally do not buy comic books. This is one reason that magical superheroes are very, very hard to publish as a comic book. The magical superhero stories that tend to sell even remotely well tend to be TV shows (Sailor Moon or Jake Long) or novels (Dresden Files).
2. If you are absolutely dead-set on a comic book, I recommend using Japanese-style art. American teens are somewhat more tolerant of magic in anime stories like Sailor Moon than they are of American-style stories like Dr. Strange or Zantanna.
I’m writing a fantasy manga. It’s mainly about three teenagers named Cyrus, Wes and Logun. They join a school to acquire and develop their own special techniques. As these boys advance though the ranks of this school, they will find out the dark secret of their rival school, Theta C Academy. This school only accepts students that already have their etching power. This manga will have action, drama, betrayal, love and hatred.
I’ve been getting a few questions like this, so I think it might be worthwhile to offer some untrained advice. For the love of God, please do not use this in lieu of professional advice from a medical professional.
Hello, B. Mac. I suffer from [mental condition X.] How will that affect my writing career?
1. Get yourself diagnosed and treated by a professional… self-diagnosed conditions are not credible. If you really believed that you had something, you’d be an idiot not to have it looked at. If you tell a coworker that you have a self-diagnosed condition, you’re pretty much admitting that you’re idiotic or dishonest. (If money is an issue, the good news is that professionals tend to be pretty accommodating of financial need).
2. Your medical history (including psychiatric conditions) should be provided only on a need-to-know basis. Telling your boss or coworkers more than they need to know will create barriers between them and you, particularly if they don’t know you very well. It could also creep them out.
“Please enjoy our authentic tapas. I am afraid they are not like that Taco Bell stuff you Americans like so much, sir, but if you want I can smother them in sour cream and you will hardly be able to tell the difference.”
I found this dangerously amusing. “Ah, excellent. Simmering sexual tension is my specialty.” Please look past the awful production values; they’re part of the humor.
Query Shark: Condensing a 300 page novel into an intriguing page is difficult, but this site provides excellent advice about how to write queries effectively.
Pub Rants. The author of this site is friendly and patient. That’s a refreshing change of pace for the publishing industry.
Evil Editor. This is maybe a bit more humorous than helpful, but it’s quite entertaining. Written by the author of Why You Don’t Get Published.
Patricia Chui did an article for Salon about her experience reading unsolicited manuscripts. Here are some choice excerpts.
To our credit, we readers did give every single submission, no matter how ludicrous, a fair and honest appraisal. During my reign as slush handler, a few projects garnered further consideration from our editors; one was even published. [emphasis mine] …
The slush pile [is] a teeming smorgasbord of mediocrity sprinkled with healthy doses of the awful and the insane. Fair or not, there’s a kind of self-selection process that governs the pile, the perception being that good writers are the ones who manage to stay off of it in the first place. The job of our readers was to sift through the pile and find the exceptions to the rule. It was a Sisyphean task at best. Every day, boxes of self-help, pet-inspired wisdom and near-death experiences would cycle through my office to be read and rejected in what seemed a never-ending stream of futility. Being on the slush pile was the literary equivalent of being on death row…
It was the phone calls that were the bane of my existence. Most of those who called were probably hardworking folks who showed courage just by picking up the phone. By God, I hated them…
The callers who irked me most were those who hadn’t done their homework and were using me as some sort of research tool. They asked me how to publish a book, how to get an agent, what kinds of books we published. One gentleman inquired, “When you publish my book, how much will you pay me?*” Another wanted to know, “How many copies of a book do you usually print?**” (When I said it depended, he countered, “So, what then? Millions?”) I was astonished at these questions; I couldn’t imagine dialing the general number at Miramax and asking how to make a movie. There’s a place you can find this information, people. It’s called a bookstore. Look into it.
Gigantic #1 is an issue that starts out spectacularly. I can’t think of any series that are as immediately engrossing. But, aside from the beginning, it was a disappointment. The main character has to be likable and stylish, and Gigantic is neither.
Invincible is an ambitious and wildly uneven superhero series. A lot of it is awful and a lot of it is incredible. If you’re interested in what went horribly wrong, please see this separate review.
The plotting is generally quite good. The plot progresses in a natural and even way, which is almost unheard-of for an ongoing series. Most ongoing series pace themselves something like this: plot point! Filler arc! Filler arc! Plot point!
There is filler material, but it’s generally well-integrated with the recurring threads. Although characters are interrupted frequently by random events, it rarely feels like a “creature of the week.”
I’ve read the first thirty issues or so of Invincible. A lot of it is awesome and a lot of it is an absolute trainwreck. This is what went wrong. (I’ve detailed its positives here).
Especially by issue 20, the story felt like it had ADD. The story flits around a lot; a character might be introduced for a few pages in issue 15 and he might make his next appearance a few issues later and actually matter a few issues after that. This storytelling style is often effective, but it can get grating. Let me demonstrate that by doing this review as a random series of paragraphs. Take that, transitions!
1. Shrinking. First, this is a horribly cliche type of story. Second, it is pretty much impossible to do anything fresh with it. The characters get shrunk, deal with some tiny obstacles, and then get their size back. What else could you do with it?
How can I do it right? Please don’t even try it. I’m familiar with around 30 TV shows or comic book series that have used this trope, but every shrinking episode/issue has sucked. The ones where the protagonists discover a microscopic civilization have been particularly bad.
2. Mind-swapping. One character switches minds with another, usually involuntarily. The drama usually comes from the characters having to survive despite having different powers or having to play different roles than they’re used to.
How can I do it right? It tends to work best if the characters have to keep their identities secret. If Jim and Luke can just tell everyone that their minds have been swapped, it’s not really an interesting obstacle. But if Jim and Luke can’t talk about magic– because that would break the masquerade– then they have to roll with it. Give them difficult situations they can’t duck. For example, “Luke” suddenly has a piano concert and “Jim” is now the starting quarterback. The only way for them to protect the secret is to feign competence in something totally new. Good luck!
Also, I strongly recommend against switching characters of different genders or species. It’s got a lot of potential for creepiness.
CNN published an article titled “Superheroes rise in tough times,” which claims that superhero stories are most popular during rough economic times. It’s a plausible theory, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
All of your posts and interactions with readers should be professional.
Be genuine, approachable and friendly.
Let your readers know that you appreciate and value them.
Except for #1 (which is too vague to be useful), these focus more on how to treat your fans than how to create content for them. So how do we create content that will attract and build enthusiastic fans? Here are some ideas.
1. Make it clear who’s narrating which chapter. The biggest problem with multiple narrators is that it’s hard to keep track of who is narrating a given chapter. One way you can fix this problem is by placing the character’s name below the chapter heading. Or you can use blatant demographic cues. (For example, someone that starts a chapter by saying “Damn, I hate high-heels!” is probably not a male). Some publishers even sign off on a tiny picture of the character below the chapter heading. Do whatever it takes.
If you’re a blogger interested in accumulating a large audience, it’s really important to do posts as regularly as you can. But life sometimes gets in the way. Anyway, I’m back!
Your hero should be accountable for his actions. If his actions don’t have consequences for him, the plot will be much less satisfying.
Guardian angels are characters that remove accountability and make the hero’s actions meaningless. For example, Heroes’ Claire had at least three guardian angels (Noah, Peter, Nathan and possibly her mother). That’s really undramatic. By giving your character guardian angels, you remove opportunities for them to deal with the repercussions of their decisions. That usually makes them boring and less impressive. For example, when the feds come to lock the mutants up, Nathan has Claire removed from the wanted list. Repeatedly. If Claire is meant to seem like an interesting, proactive hero rather than a helpless damsel in distress, it would be much more compelling if she solved her own problems.
Another problem with guardian angels is that they tend to sideline the hero. Children protagonists are particularly vulnerable to this. If the parent swoops in to solve the kid’s problems, why are we reading about the kid? No one wants to read a parentis ex machina, especially young readers.
Also, I like that they casted Zachary Quinto (Sylar from Heroes) as Spock. Except for James Lee (Ando), he’s the only Heroes actor that strikes me as remotely talented. However, Quinto will probably go farther in Hollywood because he has the crucial advantage of being non-Asian. Nobody’s Asian in the Movies, except for kung fu stars and ninjas.
1. A hero’s gadgets are only interesting when he uses them in an exciting and/or unexpected way. No one will say “Wow, he had shark repellent!” But they will be impressed if your hero comes up with a clever way to apply a general tool. Versatile, general tools tend to be more interesting than gadgets that are only useful in a particular situation.
2. Narrow tools may force you to write an Eigen plot. Eigen plots are contrived set-ups where the superhero gets opportunities to use gadgets and/or superpowers that are typically useless. Eigen plots typically come off as cheesy. When the hero catches a golden opportunity to use his shark repellent, it won’t make him look good… it will probably just make you look bad.
3. Tools tend to be more creative and versatile when they draw on the scenery. For example, a grappling device lets the hero use the setting and scenery in ways he couldn’t before. He can set ambushes, try alternate entrances and exits, etc. A cutting tool can do many things depending on the situation. The hero may be able to cut through doors and other hard obstacles, or fashion bandages out of a shirt, or maybe even knock a streetlamp onto an enemy.
4. I recommend sticking with gadgets that are easy to understand. Gadgets that are really high-tech may require more explanation.
Your proposal needs to accomplish two main goals: 1) show that there are readers out there and 2) show that you are well-poised to grab them. First, sell your strengths, the factors that make your concept more likely to succeed. Second, cover your weaknesses. There probably will be some, particularly if you’re a first-time author.
To get you started, I’ll run you through how I would go about planning a proposal for a nonfiction book about how to write fan-fiction. (If you’d like to write such a book, go for it).
Writing Prompts– Writer’s Digest provides a list of prompts to stimulate your writing processes.
The Teen’s Guide to Getting Published. It’s well-written and professional, but poorly-aimed and unfocused. My book about how to write superhero stories has to be better.
1. Make it clear what you offer and why readers should stick around. For example, if you wandered across Superhero Nation, you might stick around because you wanted superhero writing advice or because you want my observations about writing. The trick is to make this as blatant as possible: for example, I repeat myself in the title, in the header art, in the page headings, in the side-bar, etc. Everyone focuses on different elements of the page, so it pays to be redundant.
2. Stay away from adspeak and flowery language. For example, our title includes the phrase “how to write superhero novels and comic books.” That’s much more user-friendly than something like “superhero writing insights.” What’s an insight? Don’t make readers struggle to translate what you’ve written.
It describes an interesting phenomenon: how superhero stories can brazenly delve into politics without turning off at least half of the audience. For example, The Dark Knight and Ironman and Team America all brought up political issues without infuriating either conservatives or liberals. In contrast, political polemicists like Michael Moore and Ann Coulter can’t even blink without angering the other side.
How is it that superhero stories can do what political writers can’t? Here are some explanations.
I started this website to market a superhero novel I was writing three years ago. 150,000 readers, 6000 hours of writing and editing, 1100 articles, 35 months, four query drafts, three trolls, two changes of genre and one manuscript later… I finally sent a nonfiction proposal to a literary agent today.
If that goes well, I will probably find an agent and a publisher within several months. Then the hard stuff begins. Hopefully you will be able to buy a copy of Don’t Forget the Death-Ray! How to Write Superhero Novels and Comic Books within a year.
Have I mentioned that getting published is pretty hard?
I finally came up with a title that I like enough to use in my proposal. Don’t Forget the Death-Ray! Everything You Need to Write Superhero Novels and Comic Books. What do you think?
This isn’t as awesome as Janet Reid’s rejected-author-turned-nutjob, but I think I have my own pet loony. Earlier today, I received the latest e-mail from a particular troll asking to be unbanned. See if you can guess why he got banned. SUBJECT: Shut up and listen for once. A master of diplomacy, this one. Here’s a brief [...] […]
If you’re looking for a low-stakes way to get a short story (up to 6000 words) published, This Mutant Life might be worth looking into. You can see its submission guidelines here. ”Stories which deal with the everyday lives of people with unusual abilities or physical characteristics are ideal, and there will be a definite [...] […]
One of the more frustrating things I see is when an author tries to give a character a guilty backstory but one he is utterly not responsible for. For example, the character’s powers might manifest by killing the town and/or pretty much everybody she knows. (Please see the TV Tropes Power Incontinence page for more examples). If [...] […]
Hello. If you haven’t seen my comic book’s five sample pages already, please check them out here and sign up for a chance to win a free signed copy when it comes out. Thanks! Having more interested readers will help me get published and I really appreciate your time. […]
Check out Fraggmented’s “Comic Book Insanity” category. Here are some choice excerpts. Then, while passing a volcano, Carol comments that Wonder Woman’s invisible plane obeys her every command “like magic!” To which WW responds, “The magic of science, Carol!” This is bitterly ironic, given that less than ten issues earlier Kanigher had explained that Wonde […]
If you’d like to suggest any, I’d appreciate that. Here are some of the questions we’ve previously answered. How long should I wait to introduce my main character? How can I do accents well? What are some common day-jobs for superheroes? How can I write a good opening? How can I do fight scenes? […]
