Jul 20 2006
Site Explanation
This site offers advice about how to write, edit and sell novels and comic books. I also provide superhero-specific resources, but most of my content applies to fiction-writing in general. If you’re looking for in-depth reviewing, please leave a comment and I can set up a review forum for you.
The comic book series I’m working on now, The Taxman Must Die, is a wacky mix of an office comedy and a national security thriller. Two unlikely secret agents– an accountant and a mutant alligator– have to save the world. From themselves, mostly. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so easy for supervillains to break out of prison or why black heroes die so quickly, you will probably enjoy it.
Please sign up for my mailing list so that I can remind you when it comes out. Thanks!
This website is rated PG-13 for language and mild violence.
About the Author
I’m an assistant editor-turned-copywriter. (Legal disclaimer: this website is purely my own, not my company’s). If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to take them at superheronation[at]gmail[dot]com . I also beta-review comic book scripts and novel manuscripts pro bono, but my waiting list is several weeks long.
Hi. I found your site pretty interesting. Can I be a member?
Hello Abhijeet,
Well, there aren’t really members, but there are recurring posters, like me, Brett, ReTARDISed Whovian.
B. Mac, Jacob, and Cadet Davis are the head honchos, they will help you write your story, if they don’t confuse you with an array of big words. Haha.
If you’re working on a novel or a comic book, let me know and I can set up a forum where you can post excerpts and get feedback.
Hello, I’m Wings…..
I discovered you today and decided to join. I’m writing one story and planning a sequel, so I am here for help. I’ll try to help others too, of course…..
I’m a little afraid of flamers, but please tell me what you really think.
-Wings
Don’t worry, Wings, I’m pretty sure we’re all mature enough to give fair criticism (though I can be harsh sometimes, I’ve been told).
This is completely unrelated, but I just got the freakiest sense of deja vu from your post. O_O;
Oh, you’re the one who’s helping me with my character!
Don’t worry, you seem pretty nice to me (and to others, from old comments I’ve read).
As a fanfiction writer, I’ve been flamed pretty badly (I almost gave up writing once, it was so bad) so I’m a little worried.
I’ve been told many times I have to relax more, though….
- Wings
Yeah, sometimes flames do happen on the internet. Don’t worry about it. You seem to have some really good ideas! Don’t give up writing, whatever you do! We need more writers in the world, in my opinion.
I’m glad other people feel the same way I do. Thanks for the compliment…..
By the way, why do you get deja vu from my first post? I mean, what’s the feeling like?
-Wings
I just have the really weird feeling I’ve seen it before. It happens sometimes. >.< It can be really freaky sometimes, though.
NOTE: I shall be very weird in the next paragraph.
I get that feeling a lot, except with PEOPLE. Trust me, it’s scary to walk past someone and feel as though you know them. My answer? *drumroll*
REINCARNATION! Suppressed memories from past lives!
END WEIRDNESS MOMENT FOR WINGS
Do you visit any other fourum type places? I never use the same screenname, maybe we’ve chatted before.
-Wings the Strange
Sorry, I’ve been gone so long.
Wow, we’ve got new people. Hello Wings, I’m Ragged Boy aspiring actor and writer and faithful devotee of Superhero Nation.
Oh, hello Ragged Boy! I’ve read your comments.
I only just joined today, and people already notice me! YES!
You want to act, then? Excellent!
-Wings the Overexcited
So you haven’t started writing your yet, how much do you have planned out? Don’t worry, I know you have writing theif fears, so disclose what you please.
For some reason I’m not at all afraid that people will steal my ideas. Even if they do, I’ve got a TON more, so hakuna mutata. I guess that what’s good about being 17, I’ve still got all my creative juices flowing at peak level.
I go by Holliequ in most places, Wings. If we’ve met before it would be under that name.
Unless we go with your reincarnation theory. In which case, it probably wasn’t.
My prob is that as soon as I plan out an entire plot (plots are my specialty, I’m weak with characters). I grow bored with it. So I have to type as much as I can, although I don’t even have a typewriter to call my own.
You’re lucky to be 17….No one takes me seriously.
I’m nervous that “Special” (working title, Sparks is from here) is going to be pushed away when I’m done with the plot. So I’m dragging it out slowly. At least I still have lots of work to do on it.
(Seriously. Once I finished a plot, then left it for OVER THREE YEARS.)
-Wings the Forgetful
I once heard that if you listen to little children when they sleep talk or speak in free association, they speak of how they died in heir previous lives.
I don’t have a strong opinion on reincarnation. My only question is, If the world was completely destoryed and everyone died, where would everyone come back to live? Would there be an endless cycle of death and rebirth?
(I’m also pretty dark)
-Ragged Boy (I’m stealing this from you Wings, I like it)
I used to suffer horribly from starting stories and dropping them, I did it here twice I think. Fortunately, I’ve finally found one that I haven’t gotten bored with.
Don’t be afraid because of your age, we have another youngster here, but she never gives up, so neither should you.
I can sympathise, Wings. You wouldn’t believe how many plots and story ideas I have scattered about on my hard drive. Also the amount of unfinished stories. I can’t finish anything. >.<
Yawn….Good morning!
I’ve found out one thing about myself when it comes to stories: I cannot reuse characters. If one story flops, then the characters are DEAD. And, as I’ve said, it’s hard for me to write characters.
-Wings the Tired
Ooh, yes, I can’t reuse characters either. Unless it’s a sequel, but I’ve never written a sequel yet . . .
Hi Wings! I’m Luna Jamnia, I’ve written some fanfiction as well.
Fanfiction can be really fun to write.
Lunajamnia…
Fanficion, eh? I’ve tried to write some, but I’ve had trouble. How do you write them, as in novel, or script-format?
As a novel. I’ve written a LOTR fanfiction that is 116 1/2 pages handwritten, probably around 55 something typed.
I’ve also added a twist to the Superman story (adopted sister, also superhero, from another planet) and though it’s really about Luna Jamnia (the sister) coming ‘home’, since it does talk about the family and Superman a little, it must count as fanfiction. It’s about … 50 something pages, I think.
I’ve tried writing Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction but that hasn’t worked out well either time. I always end up screwing up what I’d like to happen (I add this one character and … well it’s hard to explain).
Also started a Star Wars fanfiction type thing a loooong time ago, never finished, and threw it away.
*the Luna Jamnia is 50 something pages typed, I mean.
Handwritten it was also around 116 pages. (I had huge handwriting at the time)
For shame…! Don’t thow things away! Keep them… you never know when they’ll be usefull. lol
Ah… so script formats are no-nos, then?
Well, they tend to be if you’re not writing a play or something . . .
I haven’t heard of fanfiction being done in a comicbook script before, if that’s what you mean, but it’d probably be alright . . . I don’t think fanfiction.net accepts it though.
Dforce .. truth.
I usually throw things away when I am SURE I will not finish them though, and usually I am right.
There have, however, been three or so times (out of 50 ish) that I have thrown away a story I should not have, and I did not realize it at the time, so I cannot get those stories back and if I wrote what I recall down they would not be half as good.
I used to write and drop stories all the time! I have forty-something files on my computer with first paragraphs that never led to anything else. Haha. I tend to recycle though, much of the imagery I’ve used in Isaac’s story so far was in my earlier stuff, along with some names. Kamari was originally a blonde, green eyed US government supersoldier used to combat the growing supervillian threat. Now she’s a red haired, brown eyed teenager. She gains powers through a stolen vial of liquid that her father bought in an attempt to save her from her terminal illness. It worked, and now thanks to the key ingredient – Isaac’s “power gene”* – she has gained his powers. I haven’t decided whether it should be temporary or permanent.
*The “power gene” (I’ll rename it later) is one of the few physical differences between his species and humans. The Yinyusi have an extra cell in their blood that contains their DNA, plus an extra attachment that gives them their powers. The amount in the blood so minute that it would be extremely hard to detect in a test unless they knew what they were searching for. I’ll flesh it out later, but that’s the gist of it.
I’d recommend sticking to novel format for fan-fiction. Scripts are never fun to read. The only advantage of a script is that it’s easier for a comic book editor to assess the quality… but since it’s fan-fiction that doesn’t really matter.
… i like reading scripts; well anything dialogue heavy… if I already know how the characters are going to act and where they are, I don’t really need elaborate descriptions…
… and, I meant movie/episode-esque script formats, not comic book scripts…. and I have found one or two of those at fanfiction.net (I enjoyed reading them more than the novels; maybe the descriptions and the “she said… he said” just get in the way for me)… oh, well…
I really love this place! It’s not often I find writers who love it like I do.
I can honestly say I’m thankful for finding this place, Chi.Rho. I’d like to think we’re a unique bunch… (bonus points with me if you can draw).
I’ve loved this site ever since finding the writer’s exam. It’s so much better than other places because it’s much easier to interact and there are so many other writers here, the majority of whom are in my age group.
And the authors are so insightful! Heh heh.
I’m happy to hear that you guys enjoy the site and I’m really pleased to see that there’s a lot more discussion than there was a few months ago. (For example, yesterday we got 100 comments). When I graduate and get a full-time job this July, I’m going to have to drastically cut back on the amount of time I can contribute here. So I may need to look into ways to spread around the work. For example, I’m looking into the feasibility of volunteer moderators.
Cool.
Yeah, you guys are great.
I was a little skeptical about this site at first, but now I don’t know what I’d be doing without it. I probably wouldn’t be writing a comic or a novel.
I find this site amusing and I love the personalities here.
BTW, has anyone else read my bits of comic script in my forum? I’d like other people’s opinions and input too.
I also enjoy reading play scripts and whatnot, once I’m a famous actor, I hope to write a few broadway plays (maybe musicals), but that’s a dream I’m saving for later.
If you don’t mind me asking, R.B., why were you skeptical about the site at first? (I’m not trying to interrogate you, but I’d like to know if there’s something I could adjust to make the site more welcoming).
B. Mac,
Oh noes! If you’re cutting back on time, please train your successor(s) well!
I am grooming a few successors, although they don’t know it yet.
Well, maybe “successor” isn’t the right word. The only thing that would change is who’s editing the comments. I’d be authorizing moderators to edit for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc. From time to time, they might need to make a comment more polite but that hasn’t been much of a problem so far.
Since this is fairly basic proofreading, I think that one skilled proofreader is pretty much interchangeable with another. Now, the only question is whether I can get them skilled enough by July.
Realistically, I don’t think we have until July. It’s February now and we’re getting maybe 75 comments a day. Two months ago, we only got ~15-20, and two months before that maybe 5-10 per day. Anyway, my numbers are rough but it’s obvious that traffic is burgeoning well beyond what you (or any other individual) could be expected to handle. You know your workload better than I do, but I’d shoot to recruit the volunteer moderators by April at the latest. I figure it’ll take at least a month to prepare these individuals enough that you can leave most of the editing to them.
In considering candidates, we’d look at the following traits:
–meticulousness. If their comments aren’t tidy, they probably won’t make a good proofreader. I can think of ~5 commenters here that are meticulous enough that they might make a good proofreader.
–commitment. Obviously, someone’s that both committed to writing and committed to this website in particular would be ideal. I can think of at least 4-8 regulars that are qualified enough to meet this criterion. (I’m not naming names, but I figure that anyone that’s posted 50+ comments over the past three months is probably on the list).
–modesty/restraint. A lot of people let status and power (even something as trivial as a moderating position) get to their head. You need someone who’s likely to handle this job in a professional manner. If he’s likely to stick it to people he disagrees with, it won’t be a great fit. The main criterion for evaluation here is how well they’ve handled disagreements in the past.
–good stylistic sense. Most of the editing changes are purely grammatical, but sometimes we do things like change words or the organization of a comment (like adding paragraph breaks or transitions).
–a professional attitude. We don’t have the time to hover over this person’s shoulder, so we need someone who’s confident enough to function without much guidance.
I was skeptical because I had seen a few writing sites before that weren’t friendly and didn’t really have a purpose. So, I judged you guys too quickly, I also felt a little unwelcomed, but we got over that.
I thought the site was great when I first heard about it . . . the superhero writers at NaNoWriMo seem to have nothing but praise for you guys.
Or they did when I last saw them (um, October probably). It seemed a little um, exclusive at first glance (what with most of the commentors being regulars) but you were all really friendly and helpful so that didn’t last. I haven’t really been to many writing sites before this one. It was only relatively recently (in the last couple of years) that I’ve become so enthusiastic about writing.
I always said that I sometimes write the wrong words or mispell things because I’m a “clumsy writer”, haha. Does that count?
Hey, guys, it’s Wings.
I’ve been officially banned (long story), so I won’t be able to get on often. I’ll try to as much as I can, though.
-Wings the Banned
Hmm. I’m sorry to hear that, Wings.
Oh dear. I sense parents issues . . . I have another online friend who suffers from a similar problem. Good luck, hope you can work things out.
Hmm. I guess that makes sense, Holliequ. When I read “I’ve been officially banned,” I got very confused. My first line of thought was that “But we haven’t banned anyone since that 8-year-old freak!”
Wings, your absence will ring bells… my sympathies and condolences…
Now, what about this “8-year-old freak?” Or is it a taboo topic, never to be mentioned again?
I believe anecdotes bring people together, but that’s just me.
We had a very dedicated 8-year-old troll who turned very nasty after we refused to do her homework for her. After we got ~25 abusive and faintly threatening comments, we did an IP track and then contacted all four of the English teachers at the local grade school. “Hi, one of your students got kind of surly after I refused to do her homework. I don’t know her name, but I figure one of y’all assigned a superhero assignment and she’s doing the Hulk. Maybe you could suggest to her parents that she look into counseling.” We haven’t heard from her since.
lol. Holy Shazam, what an anecdote! Why are some people senseless?… granted she was a child, but still…
Well, thank you for sharing, B. Mac.
That’s got to be one of the best anecdotes I’ve ever heard, haha.
Ha, take that overconfidence of children!
B. Mac, that is awesome! Well, not awesome. Just … well, it sounds like something I would do if I could and I was your age and in a position where I could do that, along with having a reason and not just contacting English teachers randomly. I mean ‘awesome’ in that you actually did something about it and it was original and it worked, instead of simply banning her.
Anyway, I tend to be slightly ADD-ish sometimes as well as suffer from short-term memory loss. What do you guys do with review forums no one has posted in for a while? Because I still have writer’s block and everything and feel very guilty for not posting in my own review forum but at the same time I’d still like to comment on a ton of other topics and not feel guilty. Point: I forgot my point. Just that I hope you guys don’t mind/shall not be disappointed if my review forum grows old, gathers dust, and is forgotten.
LJ! Don’t let it gather dust! That is your work! I say, even if it takes a while, come back to it. The characters will miss you!
We’ll leave review forums up indefinitely. There are incentives to stay active, though.
1. Posting material is the single best way to attract and retain reviewers. Most of our reviewers use the Recent Comments widget, so being active is one way to keep yourself visible.
2. If an author hasn’t posted to his forum within the last few months, we may move his forum lower in the list. So, if you stay active, your forum should gradually migrate towards the top. That will make it a bit more likely that readers will notice you.
… but I like being #10…
Don’t worry, Luna, my story seems to be digging its heels in too. I’ll probably move down the ladder soon.
Well, you’ve got at least three months. I think you’ll do at least a token update by then.
Oh no, it’s a contest now. Who will claim the top of the list?
Horray, I’m #2, wait, eww…
I’m not so sure though, B. Mac. I’ve had stories that I started and haven’t picked up for 6 months. A couple I managed to finish because of a burst of inspiration, and others I realized I would never finish.
As for readers noticing my work … well, that is awesome, to be true (which means it gives some incentive, as you said) but at the same time I have other finished works I’d rather have them see than unfinished still-not-planned-out work.
Oh yeah–does my review forum have to focus on just one story? Or can it be for other stories I’ve started but not finished, or haven’t started but are still in the works?
All of your works are welcome in your forum. I’m writing a comic and planning a novel in my forum.
I think coming back to old stories or old characters after a long break can help give you a fresh perspective. I like doing that. My characters become quite different from how they were originally created, but they turn out great.
I always just dropped stories completely, I never come back to them. Fortunately I’ve started a Literary Salvage Yard where I hold characters and plots I may want to use later.
Luna, feel free to do whatever you’d like with your forum. As a practical concern, though, readers may find it easier to work with one story and finish that rather than hopping around.
For example, I notice that the people that comment on my forum (which hops around incessantly between scenes) are long-time readers with whom I’ve built up authorial credibility.
If you want to work on different stories in here, Luna, I’ll try and keep up.
I’m not sure if the others are comfortable with keeping several stories from the same author seperate, but I think I can manage.
Yeah. I’ve done a lot of reviewing on a few of RB’s stories as well.
Interestingly enough, I thought of a new story idea. The MC wakes up one day and the school system as well as the city has changed drastically. People wearing odd collars, everyone is scared, but no one will talk, numerous planes and helicopters flying overhead, etc. But the MC doesn’t know what’s happening.
I’m pretty sure I won’t write this one, but I thought it was interesting enough to share.
That does sound like a really interesting idea, RB. If I remember it, I might put it up for adoption at NaNo in November (if you don’t mind, of course . . . and the chances of me remembering aren’t great).
Feel free to use it. I don’t mind.
I have returned!!!!!!
It is I, Wings, back from a loooooonnngggg punishment!
Hello everyone!
*reads old posts*
Geez….What did that little psycho eight year old say anyway? She wanted you to do her HOMEWORK!?!?
This planet is full of PSYCHOS!!!
(no offense, psychos!)
- Wings the Returned
None taken!
You’re back! Huzza! Hope all is well once again.
Yes, all is well! At least, I hope all is well.
How’s life for everyone else? I’ve been out for ages.
- Wings the Questioning
Boring, Jacksonville is so lame. I should be in New York walking runways, doing photoshoots, and acting on broadway. But I’m stuck here, wasting my talent on an uncommited drama club and lackluster modeling agency.
I feel sorry for you, RB…..
- Wings the One Who Cannot Find Anything Rlevent or Witty To Put Here
Don’t feel sorry, just help me find a productive modeling agency. Haha.
Come to California and visit me. I’ll find something eventually…..
- Wings the California Dweller
California!! You’re so lucky to be born is such an opportunity rich place. Jacksonville is in between Atlanta and Miami, why couldn’t I live in one of those places. I plan to move to New York after high school, whether Mumsy likes it or not.
I want to move to Jacksonville or Atlanta later this year.
me im happy over in scotland
I’d love to live in London one day. It’s so expensive, though. At any rate, I definitely do not want to live here my whole life.
What is this? Mostly everyone seems to want to switch Headquarters! (Save one Mr. David).
To chip in, I’d say I’m happy here in (say it with me) Waxahachie. But it would be nice to visit here and there.
Go to Atlanta, B. Mac. If you don’t mind a bland city, devoid of culture come here to J-ville. I have more of a fast paced personality anyway.
I like at the male standards for models under Elite Model Management, and I’d fit in so perfectly there. Too bad it’s in New York.
I’d love to live/go visit for like 1 year Scotland, Ireland, or Italy. OR live somewhere down south just the right temp. not muggy, not like New York in winter. (*becomes ice statue*)
Midwestern winters are just as bad. Complaining about them is a regional pastime.
I’d love to go to the Gold Coast. I’ve been before and it is so modern and cute at the same time.
Which Gold Coast are you referring to? As far as I know, there are Gold Coasts in Queensland, Las Vegas and Chicago.
The Queensland one. It’s awesome. It has gorgeous white sand beaches, theme parks galore, and some of the coolest shops around. I bought a million souvenirs when I was there.
Hey! I’ve been going through this site for a while, and I really like it. Could you help me review Chapter 1 of the story I’m working on?
Sure. Post it somewhere or e-mail it to us at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com.
I’m back!
Hmm….
I’d love to go to Ireland myself……
I’ll be around for a little bit today, but not long…
*curses stupid ban*
- Wings
I’ve already emailed it to you.
Question:
What’s the difference between conservatives and liberals? And why are most white people conservative?
I’ve been hearing the terms for a long time. But I never really knew what they mean. It seems like liberal are for individual freedom, I think I’m a liberal. It also seems that conservative are very traditional. Politics are usually annoyingly controversial which is why I usually plead apathy. Although this time is different, I’m trying to come up with a character with political views for a short story.
Speaking very generally, conservatives/Republicans want the government to regulate social affairs but not the economy, and liberals/Democrats want the government to regulate the economy but not social affairs. For example, a pure liberal would think that minimum-wage laws are good but that prohibiting abortion is unacceptable, and a pure conservative would think the opposite.
In most cases, I think that politics is about people trying to create appealing values that justify their self-interest. For example, most whites suffer from affirmative action and most blacks benefit from it, so it doesn’t surprise me that most whites oppose AA and most blacks support it. However, when it comes to racial profiling, the positions tend to reverse: blacks oppose racial profiling (because they get profiled negatively) and whites favor it because it’s not likely to affect them.
I think that discrimination and the perception of discrimination play a very important role in the political consciousness of African-Americans. Most whites can’t relate to that. For example, recently the NY Post did a cartoon where two cops shot a monkey and said that “they’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” Many liberals, particularly black liberals, thought that was insinuating that Obama is like an ape. A white conservative would almost certainly find that interpretation preposterous. (For one, it was Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi that controlled the writing of the stimulus bill, not Obama). Additionally, the white conservative might mention that liberals didn’t seem to have any problem with portraying then-President Bush as a chimp.
I hope that helps.
Hi everyone,
It’s Wings, I just wanted to say that I’m not able to get on very often, but you are most likely to find me on Mondays. I still need a lot of help, so please drop by my forum if you feel like it.
- Wings the Infrequent
Soon, I plan to begin dropping by several review forums to lend unsolicited opinions or suggestions. I hope they help in the very least; and, Wings, your forum shall be on my list… well, more of a note, really.
Oh dear, well best of luck Wings. See you around when possible.
Good luck Wings, maybe you’ll stumble across something to help you elsewhere.
Hey Dforce, check my forum first I’d like some opinions, preferably negative.
Sure thing. One quick question tho: Which page do you want me to start from? (Page 1, 9, or whichever the last posted page was?).
Start at page one. My whole script is posted at the top of my forum.
Just wondering, can I suggest an article, and where do I go if I can? I can’t write good humor, so I think and article on how to make a novel funny would help a lot.
- Wings the Horrible Humor Writer
You can suggest an article here.
I wish I could have met this horrible eight year old… Sounds like a horrendous adventure.
Quick Question: How do the review forums work?
Hi! So I think I’ll start stopping by, this is a really cool site. It’s somewhat embarrassing, but often I imagine myself in a world where I have superpowers. Sometimes I think of adapting it into a story of some kind, but I’m too lazy. However, this is a very enlightening site. Maybe I will do it when I get some free time… ah well.
*Note: the rough, rough character I have in mind is not a Mary Sue according to your test.
Welcome, Lima. I hope we’re of some help to you.
Ola, Lima! (Lima like in Peru?)
I imagine a world with superpowers all the time. And I’m the star hero, who whoops everybody and gets all the glory.
Superpowers in real life would be cool, but imagine all the strange stuff happening. Extreme road rage!
MAN: Ah, that jerk cut me off! (Jumps out of car, picks up other guy’s car, throws it in river) HAHA! That’ll teach you!
Hiya. I’m back for spring break! I can get back to work on my novel now!
Another check mark for my to do list:
1. Blurt out something random. (Done: I came to the shocking revelation that donuts and bagels are extraordinarily similar. Bonus points for doing so in the middle of math class.)
2. Unravel one of life’s mysteries. (Needs to be done. Does anyone know why they put car insurance commercials on Disney Channel?)
3. Avoid injuring myself. (Check. If it’s not bleeding, it doesn’t count!)
4. Work on novel(s). (check check check!)
- Wings
I too have achieved number one on your list. Several times each day. For example: watermelons are green! Haha.
I fail at three. Every day I fall over, walk into stuff and bruise myself. Just this morning I went to open my bedroom door, but I walked as I turned the handle and smashed my face on the door. Sigh. (Puts on dunce cap and sits in corner) It’s a wonder that Darwin’s theory hasn’t already wiped me out. Haha.
They put car insurance commercials on Disney because two of the main demographics are watching: young drivers and parents. A lot of parents watch with their kids.
It’s pretty funny when I-other people are watching Cartoon Network and I happen to be in the room… and there’s an advert for a company that claims it can get you compensation for a work accident right after an advert for Hot Wheels and right before an advert for new episodes of Ben 10: Alien Force.
Still, has anyone else ever realized how similar donuts and bagels are?
They’re both round, about the same size, and have a hole in the middle. The only difference is, when you put something on a donut it is on the outside (frosting) but when you put something on a bagel you put it inside (cream cheese).
It was pretty funny when I blurted that out that little fact in the middle of Algebra.
(But it wasn’t me who decided that the opposite of a bagel was a strawberry.)
- Wings the Random
Say, guys-
If your book/comic/whatever you’re writing was made into a movie, what songs would you pick for it’s soundtrack?
For How to Save the World, I’d probably use:
If Everyone Cared by Nickelback (for the scene where Ian and Jazz are on the search to find the Titan’s Diamond, and end up pondering life’s meaning.)
All These Lives by Chris Daughtry (for the sad Connor and Darren-centric scene right after Meg’s capture)
Breakdown by the Plain White T’s (Pierce’s theme song, practically.)
Dare You To Move by Switchfoot (this song seems like it would fit somewhere)
Beautiful Day by U2 (end credits perhaps)
Real World by Matchbox 20 (one verse “wonders what it’s like to be a superhero” for the beginning)
And probably some other stuff. I’ve been using music to help me write some of my best scenes.
Well, what about you guys?
- Wings
Oooh, I think that’s a difficult one. Probably rock music. I think ‘Journey’s End’ by Serenity would be really good for the closing credits.
‘What A Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong for some point. Hey, it sorta fits and it’s an awesome song.
‘Haunted’ by Disturbed might work well. (“I’m haunted by your world . . .”)
‘Infa-Red’ by Placebo for a tenative scene when Victor has to escape from a bad guy. (“There is no running that can hide you.”)
Pretty much anything by Tyr would be good for a battle scene. They do really nice “epic” songs.
Actually, the scene that I am most proud of creating is the Connor-centric scene where he starts to grasp how dangerous everything is, right after Meg gets captured. His powers go haywire because of his emotions, wand he ends up destroying a room.
Meanwhile, Darren has just seen Pierce in the enemy lines, and he’s starting to discover what his brother is being used for, and he muses on how useless he feels. When Connor destroys the room, he and the window his wheelchair is parked next to are unharmed, and he hurls a piece of rubble at it with his telekinesis, “to destroy the reflection that was before him”.
It’s a sad, sad scene, and it actually was created when I listened to the song, “All These Lives” and it seems fitting that it takes its place in the movie as well.
“Dare You To Move” might be difficult to use because of the Catholic connotations, but if you look at the lyrics: http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/52954/
To me, it can describe the majority of the story: first, a normal life where people watch over you and care for you, then a “resistance” (the fight against Scarlet). The Special could take life’s punches and surrender to Scarlet, but they “dare to move” and fight back.
“I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move like today never happened
Today never happened before”
Yes, it’s cheesy, but that’s how I see it.
- Wings
I love that song! It’s the song that got me listening to Switchfoot, and Shut Me Out or whatever it’s called by Kutless is awesome too.
A friend of mine told me about it. I’d heard it before (I can recognize nearly all music I’ve heard before, even just by instrumentals).
It’s a little sad that Breakdown is Pierce’s theme (It’s a very, very dark song) but it is, really, his song. I love it (slightly scary I know) just because it’s so real. Here are the lyrics: http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858508475/
- Wings
Sorry I haven’t been around lately. I’m without internet for the time being. I’ll let you know when we get linked back up.
I’ve been working on my synopsis for Showtime and it’s coming along okay. A little bumpy, but I’ve got it under control.
Good for you Rags!
- Wings
Also, I’d add:
The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (it has an interesting beat, it’s a fun song, and I think it would fit well.)
- Wings
Hi, I’m Frost. I’m a friend of Dforce’s. We’re working together on a few things and he’s given me helpful advice that he’s received from this site. He’s the one that referred me to this to begin with.
I’m an aspiring novelist and I have a handful of stories that I have come up with. I’ve read the articles on this site and I’ve learned a few things about the way I write. I have become more confident as a writer thanks to those articles. Thanks a lot! I tend to write fantasy, but there are times when I feel a “real life setting” to be a great way to write. I started writing in my 10th grade year of high school and I’ve come a LONG way. Dforce has been, for a while, my only critic and I’d like some constructive criticism.
Icily yours,
Frostbytte
Welcome to Superhero Nation, Frost. I hope we can help you out.
Hey there! I’m writing a fantasy too right now (sort of . . . I’m a little stuck at the moment). Good luck with yours.
Welcome, Frost! ^_^
Hello, Frost. I’ve set up a review forum for you here, in case you’re interested. If you’d like more information about what a review forum is, please see this.
Wow, that’s gotta be a record. Setting up the review forum before it was asked for! It’s like… retrocausality or something!
He did say he was looking for constructive criticism… I inferred that he could use one.
Hello Frost! Welcome to the site! When I saw you comment I just knew I had to give you a warm reception. Ha ha.
I am very interested in the review forum. I will put some things some things up when I get the chance. Thanks guys!
Hello Frostbytte. Welcome! I’m also writing some fantasy on the side, but nothing on SN yet.
Man, this site has grown since I joined in January. Now, we have more than twice the amount of review forums. Now, if only some of our new recruits would post more often…
- Wings
I figure things will pick up in the summer.
Sorry for not posting on my review forum yet, guys. Most of my work is written in a notebook and it would take a couple decades to type it up with my busy schedule. I’m in college and the amount of essays my professors have me writing has given me severe writer’s block. My summer break is coming up soon and I’ll have time to write for myself. But until then, I’ll get to work typing up my works. Thanks guys.
-Frost
Say, everyone:
What do you guys want to do in addition to being a writer when you grow up? I know Ragged Boy wants to get into modeling or something similar, and I myself would like to become a musician (American Idol, find me!), but what about everyone else?
- Wings
I have no idea. I’m planning for a social sciences or history degree at university, but I don’t know what I want to do apart from write. I may go into broadcasting, or something along those lines. Failing that, I’ll probably just end up being a freelance writer. Or a teacher, but that will definitely be a last resort.
Psychologist/professional author/horse trainer.
Though only the first is going to be full-time, officially. The other two are just going to give me a well-deserved wad of pocket-cash.
I have absolutely no idea. I shall probably end up stuck in my little town for the rest of my life, unfortunately.
Not that I hate little towns. There’s just nothing to do and I’d like to see more of the world and go to different countries without it having to be a missions trip.
Submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.
Submarine crews have short tours and relatively high pay… the living quarters are a bit cramped, though. One of my friends told me that he slept on a torpedo and I’m not sure he was being hyperbolic. Also, an acute lack of sunlight and fresh air can really mess with your mind.
Good luck with that.
“What do you guys want to do in addition to being a writer when you grow up?”
I shall never grow up!
I’m thinking of being a journalist. I’m not sure what they’re called, but I want to be the person who writes the transcript for the news reporter. Failing that, there’s always the rock star/astronaut/Prime Minister/ninja path. Think about it! It’s the perfect cover for a superspy! Haha.
“What do you guys want to do in addition to being a writer when you grow up?”
Actually, acting is my first passion, but I also want to model and design. I plan on majoring in telecommunications, that way if I don’t get into acting before college, afterwards, I’ll have a foot in the door. Plus, working with people in the industry will give me an extra plus to my career. You know what they say: It’s not what you know, but who you know.
Mild-mannered scientist by day, crime-fighting superhero by night.
I’ve said too much.
Hello, I’m new here but I’ve been lurking for a few days. I really enjoy the website. Just that it’s a bit messy at times. I’m probably the youngest around here, but I’ve had ideas to write a comic book. Only thing: I can’t draw. Recently started trying to learn how to draw and stuff, but I’ve always been horrible in drawing/painting etc. I do enjoy practicing, not sure if I’ll ever get good enough or that I have enough time to practice. I thinks this site has a great community, I’m hoping that I can get good advice around here and that I can provide the same for others. Oh, I’m still working on my story and characters, but when it’s done, I will most definitely show it here.
Welcome!
“It’s a bit messy at times.” Hmm. Could you give me some examples? I think that would make it easier for me to fix it.
This site is awesome! I’ve always loved superheroes even as a little girl. People thought I was weird because i wasn’t to wild about Barbies.
I would do anything to work with DC Comics. The comic business has become so much more exciting! This site can help me with my superhero. I’m always so afraid I’ll make her too cheesy or too perfect.
I like DC, particularly its television shows. Justice League, Lois and Clark and Batman: The Animated Series were all excellent.
I feel that Marvel generally produces better comic books and movies, but DC shows are distinctly better.
Please let me know if I can help with the job-search.
id love to work for eaither comic company id even move to America to do so dont supposes u could help me could u?
i can create the heros and get help doing the storys and artists
Wait! B. Mac I thought you said you didn’t like DC. Maybe I misinterpreted.
Hooray for more DC fans! Welcome Quidam!
The last two Batman films are generally regarded as pretty good. However, feel like its other recent movies (The Watchmen, The Spirit, Catwoman and Superman Returns) are closer in quality to 1990s superhero movies like Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Steel and Batman & Robin.
That said, I thought that Catwoman was okay. I appear to be the only one, though.
Hello everyone, it is interesting to finally meet you all, and I thank you for all of the comments you have given to Wings, a friend of mine.
I am Pierce’s Creator.
Bow before my might! Just kidding, I am not all that special, but I do sport the leather jacket and sun glasses. (Booyah…)
Anyway, I would like to get involved in reviewing the so-far-great work of those who are writing on this site.
And I gladly donate my “Hay in a needle stack comment” (Look in bad writing question) To anyone who wishes to use it.
Yes, the above poster was my friend and not an impostor. Finally, I have gotten him to read you webcomic, B. Mac. (He says that he finds it extremely funny and that it should be made into a TV series). Anyway, I hope that he will keep posting on this website (I shall force him if I have to).
- Wings
“Death threats, huh Wings?”
“Haha! You will have to try harder than that!”
*Wings beats me over the head with a lunch box.*
“OK, I’ll do it!”
*Wings places her novelty machete back into her lunch box.*
Liar! It was NOT a novelty machete, it was simply a machete!
Just kidding about the machete thing in general, although I did hit him with my lunchbox.
- Wings
“…Help… me…”
*WHACK*
*P falls unconscious.*
*pokes him with a stick*
This is fun!
Anyway, we are going to go comment on the webcomics now… *threatening voice* Right, P?
- Wings
Err, of course…
But Wings is actually a very kind person. But she occasionally uses a lunch box as a lethal weapon.
Suggestion: create a lunchbox-wielding super villain.
…Scratch that, it sounds terrible.
Shush, you! I don’t want them to KNOW I’m a nice person!
- Wings
Go Wings.
What does she keep in her lunchbox?
By the way, feel free to have a look at my story. I have it in order here.
Probably lunch…..
I keep pain incarnate in my lunchbox!
Umm, hello there, everybody!
I’m Trolli, and I came across this website a few days ago while investigating Mary Sue issues. So I stuck around and read all kinds of really helpful articles, and I really think you all have good things to say in the “constructive criticism and suggestions” department. ^_^ I would love to ask some questions of my own, and maybe try to offer some handy critique to writers who need some input, but I’m really not sure how to start. ^_^;; Is there a specific place I need to go, or a registery that needs to be done?
My sister and I have been writing a story for almost six years, and now that it’s nearing completion, we’ve been putting serious thought into how we can revise, revamp, and rewrite this thing. Although the story is close to our hearts and WE love it in spite of its flaws, no sensible human being would read it! xD The plot is utterly ridiculous (due to being randomly developed over SIX YEARS), half of the characters have some serious Mary Sue traits, and we’re not sure how to get everything into shape for a revised version.
We’re doing great with our brainstorming so far, but I’d love to ask for outside opinions, if it’s okay. ^_^ I want to fix those Mary Sues, and hopefully push the storyline into being less cryptic and hard to follow… without ruining the whole essence of the novel. ^_^;;
Please forgive the long post. O_O I am incredibly long-winded.
Well, what you need is a review forum. If you don’t ask B. Mac for one it’s very likely he’ll see this and set one up for you. (if you haven’t already, B. Mac, in which case, delete this post)
I’m sure we’d all like a brief outline of what it’s about. E.g. ‘a horrible lab accident leaves John Smith with a horrible disfigurement and the power to turn people blind, he becomes the superhero ‘Uber-Man’ and decides to fight crime’ (not a real story BTW, just went for the most generic thing possible). Sum up your story like that.
Have you tried the Mary-Sue quiz yet? It’s very helpful.
Hello, Trollitrade. I’ve set up a review forum for you here. Good luck.
Hello, Trolli. Welcome to the site.
The best advice I can give right off the bat is to not worry about the length of your comments. Our definition of long had been severely stretched since joining this site. 1000-2000 words is what we’re used to.
I’d be interested in reviewing your story and getting your opinions on mine.
Hello Trolli,
I’m Wings, nice to meet you. I’d like to learn more about your story (I feel a sort of kinship, since my first novel took over three years
).
Have fun!
-Wings
Hello, everybody!
+++To Tom,
Thank you! I’ll definitely describe the characters, storyline, and severe plot issues, though I guess I should start slow at first. The review forum sounds like a great place to start. The story I’m trying to fix isn’t technically a superhero story, but from what I’ve read on the site so far, it’s nothing you guys wouldn’t be familiar with. Fantasy/Sci-Fi adventure/journey/quest type thing. And yes, I did take the Mary Sue Test. I scored miserably on multiple characters. I’ve taken other Mary Sue tests before, and read a lot of info on them. I’ve got a decent handle on what constitutes as a Mary Sue, though I would love some help fixing the problems my characters have.
+++To B.Mac,
Thank you. I’m busy studying for finals right now, but once I’ve got some free time, I’ll definitely jump into the review forum and get started. Then I can go around and try to offer some critique to others as well.
+++To Ragged Boy,
Thank you very much for the welcome! That post I wrote was nothing compared to the wind-bag posts I am capable of. I’ll try to write what’s necessary and not ramble too much, though, to avoid making people bored. I would love to offer some critique or input on your story, too! I just need some more free time to really get started here. Constructive Criticism is crucially important even for pro’s. So I would love to give and recieve it, especially ’cause I’m a great, big amateur.
+++To Wings,
Hello! You seem really nice from the comments of yours that I’ve read. Actually, I’ve been following along in your Review Forum since stumbling upon the site, but I was too nervous and “late-starting”, so I didn’t actually comment. I definitely will try, though, since I read half the comments in your forum and The Specials seemed very interesting.
THANKS EVERYBODY!
Umm, here’s me begin ridiculous, but I didn’t know where else to ask this question. I’m not sure how to break my text into paragraphs when I post here. Obviously, it’s possible, because I see B. Mac do it all the time. How many times do I need to press “enter” before the paragraphs will look separated when I post? I’ve tried once, twice, AND three times, but it doesn’t seem to split up right. Let me try again, and do a test post…
This is just one space.
Now I did two spaces.
There are three spaces, but will it show up?
Alright. That’s four spaces. ^_^ I’m gonna see if it shows up when I post this way. Thanks, sorry for being random and useless! xD
Oh nooo, it failed! But Ragged Boy, P, and B.Mac are able to separate their paragraphs properly. What am I doing wrong?Um, is there a better place for me to ask these kind of “n00b” questions? Also, I’m getting the idea that code is used here, but I’m not sure which kinds. Sorry again for being utterly useless, but I’m gonna see what kinds of code can be used.
–> Smilies? I can only think of those three…
[b]Can I use bold?[/b]
[i]How about italics?[/i]
[u]Underline?[/u]
Okay, I’m done.
Trollitrade, HTML works if you replace the brackets with less-than and greater-than signs. (Umm, they’re probably just to the right of the M key on your keyboard).
The command for line breaks is (less-than-sign)br(greater-than-sign), without the parentheses. I’m not sure if it’s accessible to our guests, though. If other people have line-breaks, it’s usually because I added them as I was proofreading.
Thank you, B. Mac. ^__^;; Let’s see, as a guest, if I’m able to use the HTML… I might do it wrong at first, but this is handy stuff to learn.
Trying out the bold…
Do I need to do both sides?
Or like this?
That should work, unless I goofed or HTML is not available to random guests.
Don’t forget to do (less-than-sign)/b(greater-than-sign) to turn off the bolded letters.
Hey B. Mac,
I just wanted to say that I am a big fan of your site. You’ve given me alot of helpful hints.
The only problem I have with writing is staying power. I get so many story ideas in such a short time that I can never stick with one until the end. Typically, if I have a deadline assigned by someone else, that helps me. It really sucks most of the time, though, because I have some really cool ideas that I want to finish. Any tips on how I can keep my focus?
Thanks alot.
Hello, Educated Amateur. Great question.
At some point– not necessarily at the beginning, but hopefully before you’re halfway done–I would recommend figuring out what the central question is. For example, Spiderman’s central question is “can a regular teen be a superhero without giving up the people and values that matter to him?” The central question of the Superhero Nation comic book is “what sort of changes would a regular accountant have to make to survive as a superhero?”
Once you know what the central question is, it’s easier to decide which ideas are relevant. Ideally, everything– the villain’s plot, the side-characters, the side-plots– somehow relate to the central question. For example, pretty much everything Spiderman does endangers his family and makes it really hard to enjoy a normal life. The plot frequently puts him in morally difficult situations to test his values. Does he kill the man that killed Uncle Ben? Does he save Mary Jane or a bus full of kids?
It’s easy to get discouraged because you have a lot of ideas that don’t seem relevant. However, please consider whether they could be relevant. For example, let’s say you have a cool idea for a romantic sideplot. Make it relevant to the central question. For example, the Spiderman movies made Mary Jane relevant by using her to create moral dilemmas. Is it possible for him to keep seeing Mary Jane and work as Spiderman? Should he tell her? How can he keep her safe?
I’d also recommend making sure that the villain’s plot is relevant to the central question. In the first Spiderman movie, the climactic battle between the Green Goblin and Spiderman shows that Spiderman can be a superhero without compromising his values. Spiderman manages to beat the Goblin without killing him. The Goblin dies only because of his flawed morals. (He tries to kill Spiderman and ends up offing himself instead).
Here are some other miscellaneous thoughts.
–Write at least 1-2 pages every day. The more material you have, the easier it will be to find common threads to make a coherent story out of seemingly unrelated scenes and characters and plot-twists.
–If you perform well under deadlines, I’d recommend joining a writers’ workshop. You might want to check out the Critters online workshop (free), our review forums (free), or a workshop at a nearby bookstore or library (usually cheap).
–Most coherence problems are caused by unnecessary characters. Please try to keep every character strongly linked to the main character and/or the main character’s quest.
Hello, B. Mac!
If it’s okay, I’ve got an idea for a new superheroes writing article, if you have time. ^_^
“How to Make a Cohesive Superhero Team”
How do you make a team of three, four, or five characters really mesh well together with their powers, personalities, and roles in the story?
What does every team NEED to make them interesting for the reader?
How do you AVOID making a team of five actually feel like two smaller, less related groups? (Like the “love triangle” and the “other two guys”, lol)
This sort of springs from the comments above.
“Try to keep every character strongly linked to the main character and/or the main character’s quest”
So that means that whoever the CENTRAL hero is (I guess in Teen Titans, that’d be Robin…?), you have to make sure the other four heroes (Starfire/Raven/Beast Boy/Cyborg) have a direct relationship with him/her?
And in fight scenes, all five characters (or four, or three) need to have a role to play?
Hopefully the question makes sense… ^_^;;
Thank you!
I’d like this article for my six as well.
-Wings
And my seven. xD
Nah, I think I’m doing fine, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to count (five, six, seven).
Still, I’m sure there’d be a few points in there that I would be like, “Hey, I never thought of that.”
B. Mac addressed the subject here. He was in a rush to class so he didn’t develop it as much. Hope this helps!
B. Mac says:
—On a team, it’s more important that characters have simple origin stories and simple, generic superpowers. There’s just not enough space to explain five separate radioactive lab accidents. (Also, in a fight scene it’d be ridiculously hard to choreograph many complex powers). Realistically, it’s probably best to focus on the origin story of just one character, or of the team as a whole. For example, Soon I Will Be Invincible focused on the origin story of just Fatale and skimmed over her teammates. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a team origin (they were all hit by mutagen at the same time).
—I recommend 3-4 characters. 5 heroes is doable but usually means that at least 1-2 of the characters will be some variety of unsatisfying (underdeveloped, bland, redundant, etc). I wouldn’t recommend 5+ teammates for a first-time author. I feel it works better in TV, where viewers will accept one-dimensional heroes like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fairly readily. In novels and comic books, not so much.
—Interesting relationships between the teammates are important. That usually means that you need a bit of tension, but it’s very tricky. There’s a fine line between a dramatic conflict and a wangsty soap opera. For example, I’d say that Justice League Unlimited handles the Green Lantern-Vixen-Hawkgirl love triangle pretty well. In contrast, I find the Robin-Cyborg and especially the Leonardo-Raphael catfights kind of annoying.
I think it helps to have a few rules that characters can’t break. For example, even if Agent Black thinks that Agent Orange is completely loony and unfit to be a government agent, he’s still contractually obliged to be Orange’s partner. He can’t just go off sulking whenever Orange is in the room. In contrast, there’s not much forcing Leonardo and Raphael together.
Thanks, Ragged Boy. xD
That does help somewhat, but a more in-depth article would be pretty cool!
For instance, B. Mac mentioned the Green Lantern/Vixen/Hawkgirl love triangle, and also Robin-Cyborg catfights.
How would someone use all five of those characters as a coherant GROUP?
Like I asked, how do you avoid making a group of five split down the middle?
Hence, the “love triangle” and the “other two guys” issue? xD
Say the central character was the Green Lantern.
How do we get “Robin and Cyborg” to be more directly related to him, or to the other characters in the love triangle?
Does Robin have to be Hawgirl’s unrequited admirer, so he feels resentful towards Green Lantern? xD
Does Cyborg have to be Vixen’s cousin or something? O_O
How do you make a team like that WORK in a novel, without getting too cheesy or soap-opera like?
(I’ve never seen the Green Lantern love triangle before, so a little explanation of WHY/HOW it was pulled off well would be nice)
I’d imagine in a show like Justice League Unlimited, with so MANY heroes, it’d be hard to portray them all very well. O_O
I’m blanking on a team with more than three characters. Three members is the highest I’ll go, that way I can have three strong personalities that conflict/compliment perfectly. I’m guessing just make sure everyone has a definite relationship. I’d say the most weakly developed one in Teen Titans was Cyborg and Starfire I don’t know how they feel about one another.
“I’d imagine in a show like Justice League Unlimited, with so MANY heroes, it’d be hard to portray them all very well.”
That would be true, but before JLU many of the main heroes were already well-known. You wouldn’t have to worry about developing them because they were already developed.
Good point about JLU. O_O
I agree on Starfire/Cyborg having the weakest character relationship.
I can only think of one episode where they interacted directly, and that was in “Troq” when their new superhero friend Valior was discriminating against her, and Cyborg was making her feel better because he’d been discriminated against by people before, too.
…Except it could’ve just as easily have been Robin, Beast Boy, or Raven in that situation.
There’s no specific reason why it had to be Cyborg.
So developing a distinct relationship between all three/four/five characters is probably the most important thing?
And providing enough storytime to let those relationships SHOW, even if some of them are very minor?
(If you took too much time developing the relationship between all five characters with EACH of the others, that’d be like, 10 different combos and could get seriously distracting…) O_O
Obviously, some relationships will have to be more important than others…
*ponders*
Published “five-man teams” I can think of are from…
1) The Teen Titans
2) The Land Before Time
3) Inuyasha
4) Sailor Moon
5) The Animorphs
In most of those, I don’t think the team was pulled off well. O_o
Teen Titans did pretty well, though Starfire/Cyborg was an almost ignored combo.
In Land Before Time, the non-speaking stegasaurus guy, Spike, almost didn’t count as a character because all he ever did was eat and look dumb. O_O
With Inuyasha, it started out okay, but I thought Shippo got shoved off in the background a lot and became useless to the plot, because Inuyasha/Kagome and Miroku/Sango got paired off early on.
Sailor Moon (the anime) did a terrible job with this. ^_^;;
Basically, the titular character did everything, and none of the other characters’ personalities or relationships were really explored.
The Animorphs was okay, I think…
Jake and Cassie had a crush on each other, and Rachel was Cassie’s best friend AND Jake’s cousin.
Marco was Jake’s best friend, and Tobias was some random guy they found…
Until he became something of Rachel’s love interest.
Mostly everyone is linked to the main character more than the other characters…
Perhaps that’s the way to go?
I’d like to find GOOD examples of a five-man team, though.
Half of mine weren’t good role-models.
Trollitrade: Hey, I hope you’re not trashing the Animorphs there, I love that series
. For a YA series, I always thought it was very very good, particularly mature not only in terms of actual universe, but also in the portrayal of the characters.
But if you’re looking for an example of a good five-man team, I would suggest looking at Star Trek particularly TOS and DS9. While the main cast is a bit bigger, a lot of the character relationships are very well done. Now, it’s not superhero related, but I think the principle still applies. Some good relationships that I can think of off the top of my head is the classic Kirk-Spock-McCoy, Bashir-O’Brien, Bashir-Garak, Garak-Odo relationships. Not quite classic Five-Man teams, but I think they’d be a good place to start.
Hello ‘B.MAC’. My name is Eddie. I’m new to this site. I am a maverick screenwriter who passionately loves writing superhero stories for film production. I also write moral films that deal with topical issues affecting the world by trying to solve them through entertainment. I want to continue the works of Michael Jackson to change the world through creativity.
In the past, there were not many blacks represented in most of the superhero films all over the world. Today, however, with success of series like X-MEN- which includes Storm, a heroine of African descent – the diversity of superheroes has translated into higher sales for film producing companies like Marvel, DC, and Image. Also, Hancock stars Will Smith as the main character of the film.
Nowadays, black characters usually have some sort of stereotypical spin, which is one of the reasons I started writing didactic superhero stories. I enjoy seeing people from the black color in the mainstream of superhero films and my primary objective is to solve topical issues affecting the world through entertainment films.
I vividly remember some six years ago, when a friend of mine who used to have good health suddenly began to fall ill daily. His health deteriorated everyday and he bluntly refused to go see any doctor. He used different drugs to treat himself, but unfortunately the anonymous ailment defied all his entreaties. Five years after, his family got tired of his mysterious ailment, then came together and talked to him, forcing him to go to the hospital to see a doctor. He was diagnosed and found to have contracted full-blown AIDS. His family was devastated because he would have controlled the virus earlier but he was stubborn and ignorant. Some few months ago he kicked the bucket.
Sex is a gift from God which should be enjoyed responsibly and maturely, but unfortunately most people are ready to risk their dear lives just to satisfy their lust or sexual desire. In most cases unprotected sex gives birth to HIV/AIDS, STD’s and unwanted pregnancies. The issue of HIV/AIDS has become a major spotlight in the health sector and to the entire world which we all should not exonerate ourselves from fighting this scourge. This pandemic infection has killed millions of people all over the world and we must continue to use whatever remedies available to dwindle the spread of the virus.
Notwithstanding the fact that HIV/AIDS has reached an epidemic level I believe this sexual mayhem can be controlled if we all set our sexual priorities right.
However, we all should not allow our sex drive or lust derail and turn us into sex maniac, because whatever controls a person makes that person a slave. We must not just imagine, but believe we surely can achieve the possibility of an HIV free generation. As we all know, Africa is the pivot of HIV/AIDS with a daily increase of the virus, so time is of the essence when it comes to the issue of HIV.
In an interview I watched on television about celebrities, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith asked the question ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO CURB THE HIV PANDEMIC? ‘Everyday I wake up and I hear that question echoing in my ears. Also Kelly Rowland of destiny’s child come to Africa to a country called Kenya to campaign against HIV, where she stayed for sometime. She gave a remarkable and heartfelt speech talking about curbing the HIV menace. Her eyes filled with tears when she talked on people being the solution by helping to decrease the population of people with the virus in every possible way rather than increasing it. There’s an adage which says ‘ The journey of a million miles starts with a step’ and another one says ‘Tiny drops of water makes an ocean’. If we want to positively change our world we have to start today by taking steps. I carried out an extensive research on human behaviors and found out a lot of things.
Nowadays, parents tend to shy away from educating their children about sex which makes these ignorant children vulnerable and fall victim to sexual harassment, that is one of the reasons I feel it’s a duty to do my own little part to stop the spread of the virus, which is why as a maverick scriptwriter I came up with a unique concept and taking time to write vibrant superhero stories for film production where I merged education and entertainment, which in an entertaining way will teach some rudiments about sex and ways of contracting HIV.
This will be a versatile moral film aimed at educating people about sex on an entertainment platform which is a related to films like Superman, Spiderman…This will be a film which parents can use to teach their children about sex education. It will uplift the human spirit by changing their mindset because this project will provide the main impetus for positive change in the health sector and beyond.
Moreover, the media is a superb way to reach out and affect people in a positive way. These days films/movies should not just be hilarious and entertainment, but also to be able to exert a positive message to the people watching. Accordingly, teenagers, youths before the adults are the most vulnerable sets of people that contract HIV, STD’s and get unwanted pregnancies. These sets of people love watching entertainment films/movies and I believe we can teach them through what they love.
Some parents and people have the mindset that being strict is the only way to talk to a child or someone to change his or her bad ways, but I say ‘ NO ‘! You can be jovial and entertaining to change someone who has been a hard-nut.
This project will help promote more public awareness and with a unique initiative aimed at curbing the menace of HIV/AIDS on an entertainment platform. The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. said ‘ INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER -THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION’. Despite the fact that I want this film to be shot in Africa because presently Africa is the continent with the highest rate of people living with the HIV/AIDS virus. This film is not just for African’s but the entire world, besides it will have amazing and different characters which will feature people with different colors and a great celebrity from South Africa by the name ‘Yvonne Chaka-Chaka’. I also believe this film will help stop HIV discrimination and stigmatization. The concept of this film will be the prototype to other related films all over the world.
Every investor, businessman and entrepreneur’s aim is to make money. A simple strategy to make money is looking out for the demand of the people and use that to create wealth by supplying their demands. Financially, this project will have a Midas touch, but we all should not be concerned about just making money but also changing lives.
I believe the production of this film will be a sure-fire because this is the first time a ‘SUPERHERO FILM’ will come out of Africa which will capture people’s attention, and also because the objective of the film is to change people’s lives and mindset about HIV/AIDS which is a very distinctive issue in the world. As a man of creativity I believe Creativity is a concept we can use to solve this problem of HIV/AIDS and other topical issues affecting the world like Cyber-crime, Militant Kidnapping, Pandemics and other vices by merging education and entertainment to produce moral films. The world premiere of such conceptual moral films will have an outstanding effect on the people.
Mr. Nelson Mandela the former president of South Africa was jailed for years because he fought for apartheid in South Africa.46664 (pronounced as four, double six, six four) was also the prison number for Nelson Mandela from his imprisonment in 1964 to his release in 1990. 46664 is also the name of the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign started by Nelson Mandela, which has held a series of charity concerts. Shortly before Joe Strummer’s death, he and U2′s Bono co-wrote the song “46664″ for Mandela as part of the campaign against AIDS in Africa . Moreover, the number 46664 stars as a highly significant number in my story called ‘…-The birth of a legend’. Nelson Mandela said “Development can no longer be regarded as the responsibility of the government alone. It requires a partnership of government with its social partners: private sector, labor, and non-governmental organizations.”
I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle victorious ! We can win the battle of HIV/AIDS if we never give up and keep fighting the good fight with whatever form of resource’s and weapons we can use.
I started working on this project three years ago, and since then I’ve been investing my life to make the story a phenomenal success. This project gave birth to an NGO called ‘LIVING LEGENDS AGAINST PANDEMICS’. I finished writing the story lately and I had contacted two film producers the United States who are very much interested to work with me in producing the film. He said the production of such superhero films is estimated more than a million US dollars, and South Africa is the best place to shoot such special effects films.
I also intend this film to be the real McCoy which will serve as the official film to help fight HIV/AIDS in the world. My next step is to internationally collaborate with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) in the health sector and beyond to work with me. However, every step I take and every move I make involves finance, which is why I am humbly calling on distinguish and reputable personalities like you to kindly support, promote and sponsor the success of this great project.
Remember your support will go a long way to help produce a moral film which will change people’s lives, both people who are infected with the HIV virus and people who do not have the virus, and also to educate the younger and unborn generations.
I wish to dedicate this film in remembrance of a great man who really entertained me as a young child. A man who touch millions of lives all over the world with his music and his mellifluous voice, the great ICON – MICHAEL JACKSON.
I am just one man trying to continue the works of Michael who healed and changes the world by making it a better place. He was a lover of children and I believe he is in heaven right now smiling down on us to continue changing the world.
Michael’s best superhero was ‘Morph’ of the X-MEN.I will really appreciate if we all can join our hands together to produce this film in remembrance of him.
Finally, it has gotten to a time we all should be inspired by the content of our character. Let us put our hands together and make this awesome and effective by supporting this propitious unique project in changing the world and touching lives.
I can best be contacted through my mobile number (+234-8026434427),I dont get online regularly.
If anyone can help me go about this by finding people who will love to invest in this project or work with me i will appreciate very much.
Thank you and God bless us all.
Eddie Macaulay
+234-80-264-344-27.
Hello Eddie, you’ve posted the same message in several different places, I’d say that’s borderline spam, especially considering the size of the message. I’m going to delete all but one of the comments, so I’d like to ask you which one you’d like me to keep. That is to say, which place do you want the comment to be? I’d recommend keeping it here, and definitely NOT in someone else’s review forum. The reason I’m asking you which one you want to keep is that you seem to have posted something slightly different in each place.
I appreciate that you want your message to be read, however it is only necessary for you to post it in one place, I assure you that B. Mac will see it.
I, and the other people at this site, will be glad to discuss the actual content of the message, however first you must tell me which place you would like me to keep the message.
Also, feel free to post a new version of the message in the place you want it to appear, and I will happily delete the other versions of the message.
Hi, my name is Kendall and I thought this would be a cool place to get help for my superhero story. Right now, I don’t even know if it’s a comic or a novel…I can’t draw, so It’ll probabaly be a novel. Or maybe it will even be TV show. I’ve never really been in the comic book scene, so I probabaly will need help. Basically, my knowledge of superheros comes from TV. I’ve seen cartoons and movies of comic books [Spiderman, X-Men, Justice Leauge Unlimited, Teen Titans, etc..] but the only luck I’ve had in my town of finding comic books is an old issue of the Teen Titans from about the ’50′s…and I didn’t like it. Robin called Batman a square, and that’s when it started being a bit ‘eh’ for me
It just all seemed out of character, of course all I’ve seen of Robin is in Teen Titans.
So, basically, no, I’m not a comic expert. I do sometimes search Wikapedia for superheros and villians I see on TV though. Basically, though, most of the comics I have and read are things like Archie, Peanuts, Calvin And Hobbes, etc…so, I do know what a comic is like, just not a very good background to what a superhero comic is like. I hope this site will help me develop my own superhero characters and figure out what excatly I wanna do with them
Welcome to Superhero Nation, Kendall! B. Mac is away at a wedding at the moment, but I’m sure he’d love to set you up a review forum when he returns.
You don’t need to worry about your lack of superhero exposure, I’ve not read a single comic in my life and get along fine here.
Feel free to comment in any of the entries where you feel you need work, for now (maybe some on characters? You said you needed help there), and we’ll offer what advice we can.
Please Tom delect the other post and leave this one here .
Okay, erm… it’s been done. I’ll assume someone else deleted them.
Now we can discuss the message itself.
There’s something I don’t understand about your post. Specifically, I don’t understand why you are here at this website. You’ve mentioned that you’ve finished writing the story, and if you’ve finished the story I don’t see how this site can help you.
However, if you would like a review forum you’re more than welcome to one, B. Mac is away at the moment but when he returns he’ll be glad to set one up for you. I’ll make sure that he gets the message.
If you don’t want a review forum then I’d like to know what you hope to gain from this website.
No, I’m not finished with my story…I haven’t even started; sorry, I thought I made that clear. :/ Sorry if it wasn’t, sometimes I say things and it makes sense to me and not for others
I have ideas for plots and characters, but no idea if I’d wanna do a novel-type thing or a comic-type thing. I can’t draw, so it may be a novel. And just a question; I don’t know a lot about the comic making process; but does the comic script writer have to be the same as the drawer; or, is it sorta like a book, where you write and someone else draws? If so, I may be fine on the comic thing.
Hello, Kendall! I’ve set up a review forum for you here. Good luck.
By the way, it’s okay if you don’t have much of it done. For example, a lot of authors like discussing plot concepts and other groundwork.
…
It’s pretty common for comic book writers to have another person (sometimes several people!) do the art. It’s hard enough to be professional-grade in either discipline, let alone both.
I’d like to have a review forum set up either to continue getting feedback on my the story I entered in the 5 page contest or anything else that happens pop up into my head. Until my leg heals I’m going to have a lot of writing time.
Sure, DMH. I’ve set up a review forum for you here. Good luck with your leg!
Thank you. It’s an injury of severe inconvenience more than anything. A few torn ligaments. And I love this site. Several of the topics under common mistakes of first time novelist I hadn’t even considered.
I write superhero stories for film production, but I don’t have anyone to promote me. Please contact me if you can help. murphy_ville@yahoo.com
Eddie, I’m not really familiar with moviemaking. My best guess is that you’d go farthest with some sort of job with a film company. Then network and move laterally. It’s like someone becoming an editor at a comic book company so that he can pitch his book directly to the decision-makers rather than putting his proposal through the “unsolicited submission” meat-grinder. Also, being within the company can give you useful experience and credibility.
I’d also recommend working on your elevator pitch. Realistically, you’ll have probably a minute or two to convince a decision-maker that this project is worth pursuing. The main point I’d recommend hammering home is that “there is an audience for this movie.” What sort of similar films have done well? I like Storm and Hancock as much as anyone, but I don’t think they are very close to what you have in mind. For one thing, their films were mostly action and not very didactic.
Who’s the target audience? When you say “didactic,” I get the impression that this is a moral story for kids. So a better example might be Fro-Zone, Sam Jackson’s character from The Incredibles. Kids loved him and he was a role-model of a healthy, realistic and relatable family man.
http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/
hey Eddie try these guys there stastioned int he uk but i am sure they have a usa branch they will review any movie script u send them (for a price) and if its good enough will help promet you or send it to someone who can
i plan to use them for my scripts
David, they require you to pay 100% upfront.
In hindsight, I should probably do the same.
indeed lol we will do that if theres a next time
Hello-
Can someone set me up a review forum for my graphic novel?
That would be great, thanks-
CarsonArtist
Hello, CarsonArtist. I’ve set up a review forum for you here.
Um, hello! I’m StarE, and I’ve been lurking/posting around Superhero Nation for a little bit. I was wondering if I could please have a review forum, too? If it’s not too much trouble?
I asked a lot of questions all over the place, and now I’ve lost track of everything without getting answers to all of them, haha. I think my posts were too big and scared people away… Would it be better if I tried in a review forum? I would really like some opinions on characters, plots, the title, superpowers, and maybe when school isn’t KILLING me, I’ll be able to actually write pieces of the novel to show you guys?
By the way, since guests can’t use the page break thingy to make spaces between paragraphs, what should I do to break up my “blocks of text” when I post? I’m sorry that when I wrote a lot, it looked so HUGE!
Sorry for the double-post! But is it okay if I do THIS to break up my text?
…
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That seems to get paragraphs apart nicely, but I don’t know if it’s okay for me to do that. I don’t want the moderators to have to edit my posts all the time. It seems inconvenient for them.
…
Or is it better with only one line-space?
.
Or perhaps with a single punctuation mark? Sorry for making this awful post, lol. There’s no preview button or anything, so I can’t see how things look until I test ‘em out. *hides under a rock*
Actually, that’s one of our main jobs, separating larger posts into chunks. Separate it how you want, and we’ll fix it.
But that’s so inconvenient! lol At least doing the “dots” will take out the guess-work…
MARISSA EDIT: It’s just a button-click away, I swear. This insert here is to prove it. Not inconvenient at all.
Sure, StarE. I’ve set one up for you here. Good luck.
Thanks, B. Mac! I shall go and make use of it.
Though I must be cautious… The very fibers of time and space may dissolve before our eyes if I gather all my story questions in one condensed place… *worries for the future* I’ll try not to write too much.
Hiya – I have been lurking for a while and even posted – once! Only I think I posted a question on an old thread that no one looks at any more :/ So I am posting here instead! I am writing, (piecemeal mostly because I am heavily involved in another creative career that takes up most of my time) a series of various supernatural -based comics and books all based in the same world very like this one (only I make the rules).
The books are stand-alone, but there are character crossovers, as all the charries exist in the same world. This is my first attempt to really write prose, although I am a published poet and songwriter – and I would appreciate input/advice from like-minded sorts. What must I do to set up a review forum, and how much must I have written to qualify? Thanks a mil!
- thablue
You don’t have to have any qualifications to ask for a review forum, as far as I’m aware.
Just ask B. Mac or any of the co-mods (Marissa, Tom, right?) if they could set one up for you, and then you just start posting away in it.
Thanks, Luna –
So, I’ll ask away – could I also have a review forum, please? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Hello, Thablue. I’ve set up a review forum for you here. Good luck!
Also, Luna, for reasons not clear to me, the moderators aren’t able to start review forums. My apologies– that would probably be faster.
Cheers! *rushes to post what I have so far*
It’s funny, when you publish something – even if it’s only a tiny beginning bit of something on the web – you think “Gee, I could have made that a lot better! And that, and that …and that too!”
So I will be re-posting chapter one of “Blood Bourne” – the re-vamp (pun not intended, lol) on my review forum. Thanks for the forum, by the way – no reviews yet, but it’s already helping me! 
I’ll post then move off to read other people’s wonders!
P.S. you can read both versions, of course…I just think the second posting is better ..then again, I’m probably biased.
Hi guys. Hope ye are all well. Two short things: a) is there any way to edit my posts on my review forum, or take down a post if I’ve redone it *looks sheepish*…and b)
I’d just like to say that my 1st chapter is done and up for reading, poking, and prodding. Thanks a mil!
There’s no way to edit your own posts, but you can leave a note and one of us will do it.
Thanks Marissa! If you could just delete my all posts previous to now on my review forum, I’ll just re-post chapter one. That’d be the easiest way, methinks. And I promise I’ll be more careful to triple check my writing before posting in the future!
Cheers!
Thablue
Ack! Nevermind! It was reviewed and now will make no sense if I repost!
I’ll deal with things the way they are – but thanks a mil!
*runs off to read review*
Thank you all for this site! After a bit of prodding from some online friends at NaNoWriMo (I’m RodwenofRohan there), I finally clicked the link. This site has been immensely helpful! I’m sure I’ll become a recurring poster here.
And BTW, Ragged Boy- are you the same one from the Tower? Just wondering…
After summoning the courage to post, I just wanted to say I really like this site! I’ll probably post more as I start to be less of a lurker ^-^” But yeah! Thanks for the awesome site and advice
Hello again, guys! Does anybody here remember me?
I’m sorry that I kinda disappeared in November, but school got really busy and I haven’t had much time to devote to writing. I’ve also just done three exams! Which, as you can imagine, was a lot of fun.
Or in the case of my history exam, hilarious. But that’s an anecdote for another day.
On the writing front, I’ve recently written a superhero short-story (ish, it’s only 3,000 words), which I might try to get published in a magazine or something. My mum was very impressed with it, but I don’t quite trust her judgement, so I’m hoping to get some other opinions on it at some point.
I see that B. Mac has made a lot of progress on his comic book. You sound like you’re close to being published. Congrats, B. Mac!
How are everyone else’s writing projects coming along? I’d really love to know how you’ve been doing!
Oh, and a hello to anybody I don’t know. This could be many of you, I’m not sure.
Welcome back, Holliequ!
It’s good to see that you’ve been productive in your time away. I too have just recently returned to consistently being here. I’ve missed it and all the regulars. I’d be very interested in reading over your story, if you don’t mind.
As for Showtime, I’ve done some editing and planning. It’s going along steadily and I suspect that I can start writing soon.
Yes, with SN’s rising popularity we have new people all the time. Some quite interesting and talented and others that I wouldn’t mind sending to a torture/English class.
Welcome, Lurker.
…
Hello, Holliequ. I feel like I’m very close to submitting. I’m not sure how close I am to getting published, though. Among other things, I need to finish the series synopsis, come up with the money to finish the art samples, perfect the cover, and ideally network with some more editors at Dark Horse and independent publishers besides Image. Then I just need to wait to hear back from publishers and pound away at the other issues in the series.
Image is a strong publisher that is famously friendly to comic book creators, but they only pay in royalties rather than by the page. My teammates would prefer to work for a page-rate rather than royalties that might never materialize. Royalties pay better if the series turns into a blockbuster hit, but page-rates are more steady and guarantee a living wage even if the sales are lackluster.
*gasp* At long last, I have returned. A thousand curses on geometry, Internet bans, and overprotective adults.
How To Save The World is still being written, however, my first priority now is the soon-to-be-retitled Darkstar Rising, merely because as a stand-alone work it will be easier to complete.
I also have a few new novel ideas, some of which are extremely promising. I’ll mention then on the other forums.
In other news, I am slowly wearing down P’s resistance towards being a writer. What? The world needs more good writers!
- Wings
Hello y’all. I guess this is a good a place as any to introduce myself. I’m The Jedi Penguin. I wouldn’t mind if you called me JP though. I’ve been looking around for abit and am hoping to get some help with plot and character naming which are some of my few weak points. I also hope to make a decision on wether to revert my story to its original superhero idea or to keep it as the fantasy I’ve been imagining it as recently.
Thanks Wings for showing me the site!
Glad you showed up, Jedi Penguin. The world needs more lightsaber-wielding flightless birds.
Anyways, there’s at least one character naming article and lots of plot-helping peoples running around, and anything else could probably fit into the Open Writing Forum. Snag a review forum for yourself and the writing gods shall smile upon you…
- Wings
Thanks for the info Wings. I’ve seen the character naming article already it will be of much use in the future. I’ll see about a review forum as soon as I finish putting my characters through the intense rehab program i just started. Then i can put them to the test.
Hey guys
I’ve read tons of your articles, they’re really helpful. And I’d like to officially, unofficially join.
You can register for free here.
Hi guys, my names Alex
I started writing recently and found this site pretty amazing when in need of help. I’ve actually already posted a few comments and got some cool feedback.
Just wondered, is there like a forum or anything where I can eventually post some excerpts of my story for feedback?
Anyway, hope to become involved and all that
Sure. I’ve set up a review forum for you here.
Hey B. Mac,
I’m a writer and I am stuck with a lot of things for my story which is a superhero-themed story. Is there anyway that I can email you and we can chat about the problems I have in my story?
Sure. I can be reached at superheronation[at]gmail[dot]com.
Hey B.Mac,
Hope you got my email. Just wondering if you were able to answer any of the questions for me, as I haven’t recieved a response from you yet on my email.
I just sent a response, Terryn.
Would you be fine if I sent you some of my work for criticism as well?
Sure.
Hey B.Mac,
Sent you another email not that long ago, as the questions I asked you on the second email are the ones that I am most stuck on at the moment. Hope to get a response to the questions soon.
Terryn, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I like to take more than a day to turn these things around, particularly during the workweek. I think that helps me come up with more useful responses.
I was wonder if you could set up a review forum for me that I could use for a number of random projects I happen to be working on, so long as nobody minds me changing projects every now and then.
I’ve set it up here. Good luck.