Oct 30 2010
Contact
Please email me at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com. If you’d like a story reviewed, please attach the story as a .doc or .docx file. In most cases, however, I only have time to review 5-10 pages. (Sorry about that).
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Hi, I am a teen hoping to be comic writer in England. I`ve got quite a few ideas for things in the works its just the artwork i mean im not bad at art but im not confident. I might be able to get the plans that are pretty rubbish. I wonder if you could help with maybe artwork side maybe someone might be interested or something, i might have a friend who is into comics and G novels but is more on manga style She is an Amazing artist though and so is my brother. Thanks Dan just call me Dan
Hello, Dan. Some ideas…
Unless you’re planning on becoming an artist yourself, I’d recommend focusing on your writing at this point. Like art, it takes a lot of time and practice to become an incredible writer. Do you have any writing samples you’d like me to look at? (A script? A synopsis?)
Most authors are neither super-skilled at art nor willing to put in the large amount of time to become good enough to get their art published. So writers usually collaborate with artists, usually by paying a freelancer upfront or by collaborating with a friend/colleague on spec (for a share of prospective profits).
Realistically, the book will only get published if the art and/or the writing are exceptional. It usually takes a lot of time to become that good. Here’s an artistic progression from my colorist, Emily.
Improvement Meme. Weirdness. by *Foxbane on deviantART
Thank You,
Yeah, I see what you mean with the bit about a friend or colleague that is what ive kind of got. Your colorist is Amazing as well!
With were Scripts and a synopsis are concerned ive got a few plans i lost a few in a special pad i made dedicated to things comic including my ideas if i find them ones i will send you them at the minute im starting a new project so i could give you that now if you would like that. Its just being Unconfident,Young and Awkward if you see what i mean. the trouble with me is i have no (forgot the word) in my work.
Dan Lee
Oh, feel free to email me.
I don’t think that publishers necessarily hold your age against you, but I think that young people generally haven’t had as many years to practice. However, you might be able to overcome that with diligence. (For example, I think that the blindfolded redhead Emily illustrated at 15-16 looks publishable).
As for confidence, I can only assure you that your skills will improve with practice. Check out what I was writing in 2007. Not pretty. In the three years since, I think I’ve matured a lot since I’ve had time to read more, practice my writing, participate in online workshops, and work briefly in the industry.
As for awkwardness, I think that many (if not most) of the people in this industry are very introverted. As long as you’re able to get along with your team and are at least somewhat pleasant to work with, I don’t think that awkwardness would be a major problem in publishing.
ok thanks
what way would you prefer me to send you some of my plans and even a little bit of script/synopsis that ive done. the thing im working on now is about a young male slayer having to deal with the trials and tribulations of an everyday adolescent teenager. im sort of doing this at the minute because i love Buffy and Vampire stuff so i thought it was just right. its in alpha sort of stage at the minute and is still yet to become a full draft.
i can see what you mean with mike-catastrophe its not too bad though ive definitely seen worse don’t worry
I think I might have an idea of were I left/lost my plans and stuff I will check at some point today
I can look at a synopsis or plans, if you’d like, but my advice is usually most helpful when I’m looking at a draft of the story (even if it’s a rough draft or the first few pages of a comic script). I can be reached at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com.
Also, in terms of professional development and getting published, I’d generally recommend working on original stories rather than fan-fiction because it practices more writing skills and because an original story can be submitted for publication.
You wouldn’t mind setting up a review forumn either would you it would probably be very useful,thanks
How does this sound for a charcter name – FallenAngel
Good or what?
Okay, Dan. I’ve set it up for you here.
Hey B. Mac,
You have email.
From Herojock
I need ideas for my super hero/ vilians look what should I do. This is a writing assiment and I have writers block. I also got stuck in my story, my mom told me that working on illistrations will help and guess what!? Im stuck on that TOO!!!
I dont know what to do!!! I have writers block in both subjects!!
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
please
Mark, I tried to respond to your question, but Gmail told me my e-mail was “was rejected by the recipient domain.” Could you send me your e-mail address again? I think there might have been a typo.
Hi. I was just wondering, is it bad to use a name that is already a character in a comic? I was going to call my character Elektra. But then I found out that name was an assassin in a comic.
@ M-Rod
Try to avoid using names already used in other works, unless those names are fairly common; for example, if there is a Dan the Destroyer comic, you can safely use the name Dan, but a name like, say, Naruto, is out of the question.
As for your example, I suggest changing the name Elektra to something else. Elektra seems too distinctive.
Okay, I see what your saying. Thanks. Just out of curiosity, what name comes to your mind when I say red lightning? I’m having trouble coming up with one. I want it to be unique and creative. (female)
@ M-Rod
How does “Crimson Bolt” sound? For a more “normal” sounding name, how about Luca? It does mean something like “light.”
Sorry, B. Mac; the revision to Alien Frontier is taking longer than expected. I had to add a bit more to it.
Maybe…it is pretty creative. How about Ashni? It means lightning.
They* are pretty creative.
I like Ashni, but it sounds pretty masculine… The character is a female, right?
@M-Rod
Are you looking for hero names or birth names?
“Sorry, B. Mac; the revision to Alien Frontier is taking longer than expected. I had to add a bit more to it.” Don’t worry–work at your pace.
Yes the character is female. I’m looking for hero names but I was trying to be creative. A name that no one has really thought of yet.
M-Rod
Veton, and Borak mean ‘lightening’
Kepi, and Corentine mean ‘tempest’
Jasu means ‘thunderbolt’
Elysia means ‘lightening-struck’
And then;
Scarlett, Ruby, Akane, Kamala, and Shani mean ‘red’
Hope this helps!
Oh my goodness I love those! Yes those do help! Thanks so much!
Hello there, everybody at Superhero Nation!
I’m in a bit of a pickle and wondered if someone could offer a bit of advice.
What advice would you have for someone attempting to write a first novel about a team of superheroes without it turning into one giant X-Men ripoff???
- B
Um…that’s very vague. There are a lot of “Team of Superheroes” that aren’t X-Men ripoffs. What’s the plot, the powers, what is this story? You can’t ask for help and not specify.
Hmm. One way to differentiate your group from the X-Men would be to give them different methods or a different goal. The main goal for the X-Men is ensuring peace between humans and mutants. In contrast, the Fantastic Four mix in a lot of scientific exploration into the standard superpowered crime-fighting. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense guards against mystical and occult threats. In The Taxman Must Die, my Office of Special Investigations focuses mainly on massive crimes of a decidedly wacky nature, like an invasion of the Hudson Bay by space slugs and a cosmeticist trying to destroy humanity.
Another approach would be to use different sorts of teammates. I’d say most of the X-Men come from mostly mundane civilian backgrounds before they developed their mutant powers. If you wanted, you could work in more teammates that had specialized backgrounds in their field, like most of the protagonists in G.I. Joe. Relatedly, you could try teammates that focus more on skills than their superpowers.
I think you could also try varying the team culture and/or leadership. I think teammates on a team like the Doom Patrol will interact in a different way than, say, a Delta Force squad or the Teen Titans or a criminal gang. One thing that differentiates the X-Men and Xavier from Dynamo Five is that Dynamo Five’s members tend to conflict a bit more with each other and with their team’s equivalent of Xavier. Also, in the cartoons and movies, Xavier is almost uniformly nice and not particularly interesting. In contrast, Dynamo Five’s leader is always tough and occasionally ruthless. (The X-Men comic books flesh out Xavier a bit more in that regard, I think).
…
I hope that helped! Please let me know if I can flesh out any of this more or help in some other way.
The website keeps eating my chapter postings. It takes short posts like this one, but when I try to post a longer piece of text, it doesn’t show up — it doesn’t give me an error or anything, it just doesn’t show up at all.
What’s going on?
It got caught in the spam filter. I’ve freed them. I’ve adjusted the spam filter so that hopefully it won’t happen again, but please let me know if it does. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Thanks, B. Mac. If at all possible, could you please get rid of the duplicates? I kept re-posting the chapter because I wasn’t sure what was going on.
Could you release my third chapter from moderation, then eliminate all but the most recent copy? I had been posting it over and over when I didn’t know what was going on.
Thanks for freeing my chapter. When you have time, could you look at it?
Just a friendly reminder regarding my new chapter.
Let me take this moment to say that I am still writing the story — I haven’t forgotten about you all. It’s just that finding time can be difficult.
No worries, Contra! Feel free to work at your own pace and, if you feel your own pace isn’t fast enough, check out my articles on writers’ block.
A revised Chapter 3 has been posted, as has Chapter 4. Had to make up for my long period of inactivity, you know.
For those unaware, my story, Alien Frontier, can be accessed here.
Think you can do my chapters, B. Mac? I’m not expecting them right this minute, so if you have other commitments, don’t worry — I’ll give you a whole week before I say anything.
Are you on Twitter, B. Mac?
I have a Twitter account (SuperheroNation), but I don’t tweet often.
Could you take a look at my Chapter 4 now? I know you had to get your teeth dealt with that one time, which is why I waited until now to ask.
Oh, Jesus! I didn’t get that back to you already? Sorry about that–I’ll get right on it.
Thanks, B. Mac.
Hello. I have something I’ve been looking for advice on, and I would be flattered if you’d help me out. A technique I use sometimes in my fiction writing is impassivity. Like, if a ‘haracter breaks their arm, for example, the narrative voice would be something like ‘Her mind was so focused on the book that she almost didn’t feel it when the bone broke’ to give kind of a chilling effect. But I was wondering if it shows a lack of empathetic writing on the author’s part. Help me out?
Vendetta, my initial impression is that it’s not as immediate, but I’m guessing that’s sort of the point. I’m not sure about this example in particular, but I think it’d be possible to use this style in a chilling way.
…
One concern I have with this example is that I feel there’s a disconnect between “Her mind was so focused on the book” (which is from her point of view) and “she almost didn’t feel it when the bone broke” (which sounds more like there’s an intermediary between the character and the reader). As a minor tweak, something like “…she almost didn’t feel the bone break” may be a bit smoother and more consistent.
B. Mac, I have a question.
Would you say that anime and manga have ruined Japan as a setting for genre fiction? I have no evidence to back this up — just a hunch, since the anime/manga boom in the late 90s and early 2000s has resulted in a deluge of poorly-written fanfiction stuffed to the gills with misused honorifics (I know they’re misused because I have actually studied Japanese) and horrendous art with freakishly beady eyes and octagonal faces (actual anime and manga is considerably more varied in art style — and that’s just looking at the commercial stuff.)
I get the feeling that sending a publisher anything set in Japan would make them take one look at the manuscript, think of a cavalcade of Satoko-chans and Yoshida-kuns saying “Aishiteiru yo” and eating onigiri amid an ignorantly-written slew of otherwise English words and American attitudes, then send the thing to the circular file as they mentally erase bad deviantArt imagery from their minds.
Mind you, I’m saying this as someone who genuinely enjoys it, though not as fervently as when I was in high school. And sorry if this comes off as a bit angry — it’s not aimed at you or this site; I just really want to write an SF/F story set in Japan without any of the otaku culture hanging over my head like a katana of Damokuresu.
“Would you say that anime and manga have ruined Japan as a setting for genre fiction?” No, I don’t think so. I would REALLY hope that a publisher would be able to tell the difference between a good story set in Japan and a bad one. If a publisher was unable to make that distinction, you probably wouldn’t want to work with them anyway.
You’ll probably mention your Japanese studies in your query (in the few sentences you spend on your authorial bio). That’d allay any potential concerns you were a clueless wannabe, I think. I don’t think that setting a story in Japan would be markedly more risky than setting a story in the UK, US or Canada.
It would be unusual to set an English-language story in a non-Anglophone country, but 1) I’m guessing that you have a compelling reason to set it there and 2) Thanks to the anime/manga boom, there’s a larger market for a work set in Japan than, say, Indonesia or the Philippines.
If the story was otherwise publishable, I don’t think publishers would turn it away because it was set in Japan. If the Japanese research you incorporated was so dense that you’d have to be a hardcore Japanophile to enjoy the story, that could be a problem.
One potential concern I’d have is that setting it in Japan–really, writing any story related to your expertise–gives you more chance to lose your readers in the details. For example, Tom Clancy has a MAJOR hard-on for submarines, and pretty much every one of his books has a submarine described in almost erotic detail. Please be careful that your details are actually advancing some story objective or contributing to the reading experience rather than just showing off how much you know.
…
“…think of a cavalcade of Satoko-chans and Yoshida-kuns saying “Aishiteiru yo…”" Personally, I have no idea what’s wrong with Satoko-chans and Yoshida-kuns saying “Aishiteiru yo” and I don’t think that getting it right would add anything to my reading experience. Please see the above note on Tom Clancy’s fascination with submarines.
Thanks for the response. I wouldn’t do something as foolish as lose readers in details to the detriment of the plot. And of course, I’d write it with Americans in mind, so I’d try hard not to make it inaccessible.
I see. Thank you so much!
Yeah… the example sentence was written pretty hastily because I just wanted a quick reference point.
I’ve e-mailed you Chapter 5, B. Mac.
I know that an actual review would take time, but did you at least receive my chapter, B. Mac? I’m afraid I might have mistyped my e-mail address in the “Your Email” field.
I received it and anticipate that I will have it ready within a week.
Thanks. Keep up the good work — you work hard for all of us!
How’s the review coming?
CG, I just sent you the review. Thanks for the reminder.
If you send the review again and I still don’t receive it, just post it in the review forum instead.
I’m posting here to confirm that I received the review in my e-mail. Thanks, B. Mac.
Ah, cool. I sent it to the wrong e-mail address originally.
When do you think you’ll have a review of the chapter I just sent you? I understand that you still have to prepare for your trip to Korea, so I know it will take some time.
Ideally within the next week, CG.
All right, B. Mac.
How’s the review coming along?
Hey, I still have a few days!
That’s true. Take your time.
I keep trying to use the contact form, but it never actually goes through. Is there any other way to contact you all?
I can be emailed at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com. Sorry for any inconvenience!
I’ve sent the e-mail.
I know I wrote a lot, but did you at least receive the e-mail, B. Mac?
Yeah, CG. I’ve responded.
I’m posting here to confirm that I read it. Thanks.
I hope you’re having a great week! My name is Harrison and I work with SnagFilms.com. We are an online library of over 2100 films, free for audiences to stream. I just wanted to let you know that a film that you may be very interested in, “The Mindscape of Alan Moore”, is now available for free streaming via this link: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_mindscape_of_alan_moore/
Please consider spreading the word about this film either on or through your website. There is an embeddable link on the linked page I’ve provided. Feel free to also email me back with any questions, and if you decide to use it so we can send it out through our network for cross promotion. This could be a tremendous opportunity for both of us!
Looking forward to working with you!
Harrison
Hi, my name is Patrick Harris. I am a young adult working my way through college and also a previously published author. During the past four years, I have throughly used the resources of Superhero Nation to refine my new book, Waterman. I have drafted a query letter for agents and a synopsis, and the manuscript is ready. However, I figured I would use the one last resource here at Superhero Nation. Could you put up a spot on the review forum I could post Waterman for people to read and critique, by chance? Additionally, would you be willing to read through my query letter and synopsis and provide critical feedback so as to improve my chances of interesting a literary agent?
Thanks in advance, and thank you for all of your help from this site.
Patrick
Sure, Patrick. I’ve set it up for you here. I’ve used the default “Please see the comments below” as the text at the top, but please let me know if you’d like me to replace that with a summary of the novel.
As for the query, you can either email that to me at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com or post it along with the story proper in the forum.
Thanks a bunch! I’ll send that right your way.
Is there a forum for how to write car chases correctly, its just my novel involves a freeway chase and I want to make it realistic, paced and yet still intense.
I would like a review forum, but i have not yet recieved one. Could it be possible for me to obtain one? Thank you.
hey B Mac, its Dan Lee and im back and im scraping my other ideas and starting from scratch im going to try and give more information on were i want to go with it now aswell, thanks
can you make me a different review forum also if thats ok
By different i mean a new one?
Alright. I’ve set it up here, Dan.
Hi. I need help coming up with a team name for 6 people. Three boys and 3 girls.
one boy has ice, the second water, and the third super strength
one girl has mind control, the second lava, and the third energy (its kinda like lightning)
Hello? Can you help?
This article might help, Red16.
I registered at this site but I never receive a password e-mail. Will that be a problem if I want a review forum?
“Will that be a problem if I want a review forum?” No. You don’t need to sign in to access the forum.
any way we can get a forum page where we can post info on looking for people around us to collaborate with? like posting our email address, state and city and such? (no not phone numbers or exact addresses) but to just find people in our area to help each other out, like illiterater looking for a writer
I’ve set one up here, Ehrich. I’d also recommend checking out deviantArt postings and LinkedIn.
Just reminding you of that story I sent you.
McKenzie, can i get a forum to discuss how to write a great Interrogation ? im kinda stuck on this part of my comic to get it to move forward
Alright, Ehrich. I’ve set it up here.
Hello There,
My name is Sandra and I’m a professional blogger.
I have over three years of experience writing for the web and have covered plenty of topics about Automobile Industry.
I noticed that you have a blog and was wondering if you would be interested in allow me to write relevant, useful topics about Automobile Industry on your blog at no cost.
At this point in my writing career, I simply want to get more visibility for your writing and I will write for free as long as you are okay with me adding a small author bio section next to each blog post about myself.
Please let me know if you’re interested and if you’d like for me to submit a sample blog post for your approval.
Thanks a bunch,
Sandra
Hello, Sandra! I happen to be a writer/blogger myself and, seeing as this is a writing advice website, hopefully it would not be presumptuous for me to share my thoughts on your proposal. First, I’d recommend putting more individual thought into your pitches–pitching a car article to a superhero writing website is a bit counterintuitive. If you do have to pitch a car article to a superhero writing website, I’d recommend doing something to make it relevant to the interests of the site’s readers. For example, I’d consider an article about why the Batmobile is or is not plausible, how much it would cost to build an incredible car, or 5 Ways to Use Cars as a Literary Symbol if your writing tastes run more literary than superheroic. I’d also recommend including the recipient’s name in the proposal–in SN’s case, literally every page has an author’s name, so including a name is both a nice touch and very easy.
Additionally, as much as possible, I’d recommend conveying enthusiasm in your work. A fun article idea or two would probably help a lot there. Spending AT LEAST five minutes reading the website before writing anything would probably help as well–e.g. check out the WRITE FOR US button in the main navigation tab of the website.
hi, i am writing a pitch for a superhero film, for film studies at GCSE, i need help designing a name for my superhero, she is a greek female, her alter ego’s name is elizavet samaras meaning god is our oath, she is a christian, her fighting style is using two knives, her superpowers are supervision, mind-reading and extremely good free-running which includes far jumps. she is slim+toned who is tanned.
What is her personality like? How did she get her powers? What is her motivation/goal? Tiff, I need more to work with here.
“hi, i am writing a pitch for a superhero film, for film studies at GCSE, i need help designing a name for my superhero, she is a greek female, her alter ego’s name is elizavet samaras meaning god is our oath, she is a christian, her fighting style is using two knives, her superpowers are supervision, mind-reading and extremely good free-running which includes far jumps. she is slim+toned who is tanned.”
Some thoughts:
–The character could be developed a lot more beyond demographics and visuals. For example, what are some major decisions she’d make that 95%+ of superheroes wouldn’t make in the same situation? What are some major decisions she’d make that 95% of cinematic Christians wouldn’t make in the same situation?
–I think the proofreading could be stronger. Keep in mind that most film pitches ask a Hollywood professional to risk probably $100,000+ on the screenwriter’s writing. It would really help if the professional is confident in your writing, and the first step there is demonstrating a strong grasp of the mechanics.
–I don’t think her superhero name is all that important, but if the Christian element is very important to the story, perhaps something biblically themed like Jael (a heroine who defeated an enemy commander with a hammer to the head and trickery, but mainly the hammer).
– Dragons? Vampires? Aliens? Superheroes? Pirates?
Yeah bro, they’re all here, seamlessly meshed into an Awesome Tale of Destiny…
~ This is a series about a young hero with the heart of a Dragon, capable of seeking out sacred artifacts, this heart guides the hero to their whereabouts so that he may neutralize them before they distort the planet into a twisted black hole.
Howdy there, Superhero Nation!
I’m wondering if there are any peoples here willing to stretch their themselves over to my facebook group for a look at my upcoming novel, Fragment of the Sun.
You see I’m trying to get this book off the ground by bringing a bunch of awesome peoples ready to be seen by the world. This book series is my long-time dream, but I can’t bring it up by myself. I need fresh faces willing to put some elbow magic on this fantasy project.
This book series is in serious need of some good writers and I find this place to be quite the home base for some! So if you would, please hit me up for more information, the detailed Synopsis, and even a sample of what I’m workin’ with. I’m sure together we can bring this about the world and help those in need of a really good book.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FragmentoftheSun/
B. Mac: You’ve got mail.
Thanks, gurls — I’ll get on it this week.
Still waiting on that response.
Yo, B.Mac I sent you a story idea that I would like you to look at and get a review forum for. Have you gotten it?
Thanks for the reminder, Jay. I’ve set it up for you here.