SPREADING THE WORD

Posted by on May 14, 2012 2 comments

OK, I've been running my mouth recently (well, technically running my fingers lightly across the keyboard…. but that just sounds weird), so I'm keeping this short and sweet.

Like all writers, I write to be read.  I know a bunch of you guys who read me have your own blogs and webcomics, so I'm gonna open this up to your expertise.

How can I get exposure?

….not THAT kind of exposure.

What are the best ways to get more eyes and clicks on my blog and webcomics?

And thanks in advance to any and all who comment.

WHAT IFs AND MAYBEs

Posted by on May 10, 2012 4 comments

On Tuesday 8th 2012, North Carolina voted to amend the state constitution to include wording that says a marriage is only between a man and a woman.  If you read the "Abominable" post, you know where I stand on this but I've been pondering how to respond to the actual result. Obviously I could just say nothing and let it be…. the majority has spoken.

And that would maybe be the sensble route.

Yeah….

That's not what I do.

I could rant about it.  I could rant in an intelligent way.  I could rant in an humorous way.

But a rant is still a rant.

So I decided to do what I do.  I write. I make things up. I ponder the worlds of "could be;" the worlds of "what if;" the worlds of "maybe and perhaps."

So after the election that put in amendment one, I'm left wondering. "What would have happened if amendement one had been voted down?" I sat down and delved deep into my imagination. I conjurred up a world where the majority of people in North Carolina said, "Y'know what? Amendement One…. we don't need it."  So, without further ado, I present a piece of Flash Fiction entitled:

—–

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN NORTH CAROLINA WITHOUT AMENDMENT ONE

Nothing.

The End.

—–

I know, the title is longer than the story, but my internal editor was REALLY strict today.

Why would nothing have happened? Because it's already illegal for a man to marry a man or a woman to marry a woman.

But hey, I have a wild imagination, so I'm gonna go further and present:

—–

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN NORTH CAROLINA IF GAY MARRIAGE WAS LEGAL

To the gay commuity, they'd feel like the rest of us AND they'd get a lot more legal protection than now.  Eventually, they might even be treated like humans.

To the hetrosexual community, nothing.

—–

Oh, don't get me wrong, you'd see some bits of video on the local news. Maybe even video of two guys kissing.  Possibly two girls kissing.  And then we'd be back to how the local college team is gonna do this weekend, which school district is gonna be redrawn and the weather.

And I'll admit, there might be a few people who watch that news broadcast and get a little uncomfortable…. possibly even a little angry.  But in fairness, when I see a news report, without the kissing, where they talk about the "winningest" coach in college history, I get angry at the way my mother-tongue is bastardized.

It wouldn't damage marriage.  

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:

  • The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
  • The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
  • The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

And this is without gays being able to marry in most of the country.

So statistically, the biggest threat to marriage is actually marriage.

When push comes to shove, amendments are supposed to expand or define the rights of all.  They are NOT supposed to deny or constrain the rights of some.  

To deny the rights of some IS abominable.

FCBD

Posted by on May 8, 2012 No comments

(1) Trust me, if you think I make little to no sense normally, you should see the nonsense I come up with when I'm on the "happy pills" ….and when I'm defending my ham sandwich(2)

(2) I know you stole it.(3)

(3) You know who you are.

I'm gonna keep this one short, 'cos I am behind on a couple of projects and I need to catch-up, plus I have a dentist appointment tomorrow for a root canal and I am totally taking advantage of the "happy pills"(1) which will kill that day in terms of creativity. At least USEFUL creativity.(1 again)

Anyway, this past weekend was Free Comic Book Day.  The basic idea is that lots of publishers get together and make available some books that are intended to be given away by local comic book stores.  Sure, it's a shameless way to hook new readers.  Free Comic Book Day is a "gateway drug" to graphic novels and monthly series' and books without pictures…. and I'm proud to be involved in that.

(4) I use creators in the comic book sense.(5)  It's not like you are likely to be wandering around, getting a free sketch from one artist, a book signed by another writer and, what's that?  Over there at that table in the corner?  It's Odin, crafting the world from the dead body of Ymir.(6)

(5) As in the people who sit down and create the words and pictures.

(6) Though admittedly, if that WAS an option, you KNOW the guys sitting at the table's either side would not get ANY attention.

(7) But if you are in the area, you owe it to yourself to check out the store…. and if you buy comics on a regular basis, let those guys take care of you.

(8) And who couldn't use a little extra passion in their life?

My local comic book store, Ultimate Comics, really goes all out to make this something special, and in a very real sense, they have turned it almost into a mini-comic-convention. The "Ulti-mates" invite local creators(4) to come on down and hang out, meet readers, sell books, sign original sketches, and generally have a great time.

Now I know I have readers from further afield than can reasonable attented FCBD at Ultimate Comics(7) so I recommend you look out for your own local comic book store.

Now I know you might be thinking, "But, Dale! I'm not a comic book geek! Why would I want to do that?"

And the answer is simple.

Because it's fun.  You get to meet people who are passionate about what they do(8); if you have a comic book store like Ultimate Comics, you get to enjoy a lot more than just free comics; and if you have kids, it's a great way to get them reading.

Yeah, I know…. "But reading comics isn't REAL reading."

But if you get kids reading comics, they are reading.  And a kid who reads, will read more than JUST comics. And ultimately, that's why I'm all about comics being the greatest "gateway drug" there is.

Abominable

Posted by on May 2, 2012 5 comments

I'm breaking my rule.

And since I'm likely to do that from time to time, I've created a subcategory here allowing you to skip the "serious" stuff and stick with the funny…. or at least the non-serious stuff.

If you're still with me, hold on.

I had a lengthy piece written here that was quite clever.  It played on my personal dislike of Lobster and how the Bible backs me up in my claim that the thing should be stricken from menus across the nation, then, via the subtle art of my writing, I linked that to the whole argument against gay marriage.

On May 8th there's a vote in North Carolina (my home state) to make an Ammendment to the state consititution stating that marriage can ONLY be between a man and woman.

I think that's wrong.

I'm not attempting to start a debate (hence my deleting the lengthy version). I'm merely making it clear where I stand.

If you want to discuss it, the request I made in a previous post about civility stands, but I should warn you, if you're opposed to gay marriage on Biblical grounds, I will expect you to defend slavery too.

….and eating lobster.

WILD LIFE…. REALLY THIS TIME…. ISH.

Posted by on April 30, 2012 4 comments

(1) My career is mostly butt-based,(2) so I needed to make those changes.

(2) As in I'm mostly based on my butt in order to work.

(3) Possibly the biggest shock is that I still have a functioning system.

As I mentioned last week, we have a new dog, and this is causing some changes in my routine.(1)  One of the changes is that I'm now out and taking the dog for a walk every day.  Beyond the shock to my system(3) I'm finding the mental break good.

I had thought strolling along with my trusty hound beside me would allow me to mentally wander and solve plot problems, or imagine new stories, but this is not happening.

Not yet at least.

Mostly this is due to the fact that our dog is still learning to walk on a leash so he occasionally needs some steering.

But just like a trip to the mall, even when I can't work, it's potential fodder…. I mean research for something.

Now I've wandered around our neighborhood many times and never been as aware of the non-human residents as I am when I have an extra pair of eyes looking at the world, then filtering that all through a brain that has a very different set of priorities to my own.

(4) Seriously! That thing is HUGE!

(5) I know what you're thinking, but there is a school of thought that suggests the Mosquito is actually the State Bird of North Carolina.

(6) Or at least my left shin is incredibly tasty.

(7) Full Disclosure: My MAIN awareness of woodpeckers came from "Woody the Woodpecker" cartoons.(8) 

(8) What? There are folks at NASA who got into the full-on, big brain science-type careers because they watched Star Trek!(9)

(9) OK, not the best example, but still….

(10) OK, it could have been a she, but really, in our house, it's usually me that ends up banging my head against solid objects, often in a futile attempt to get something I want, so you can see why I'd go for the male option.

(11) Read: Suckers!  Because these ducks are actually like some web-footed Mafia.  You feed them once and that's it, they just keep coming back, day after day after day.  FEED US!  And it starts off as being fun, endearing even, but you can't stop.  They just keep coming back.  They won't leave.  And they poop.  Man, do they poop!  A LOT!

(12) Though in fairness, I suspect he wouldn't have a clue what to do with a duck if he DID catch one…. of course, based on that hardwiring, I wouldn't want to risk checking that theory.

(13) It's outside.  That counts as "wilds."

(14) From the left knee down anyway.

(15) I know it's only a duck…. but it's not house trained(11) and that's untamed in my book.

Of course, some of the wildlife I have seen, even when still located at my work station.  The squirrels in our yard, for example.  Mostly cute…. but there is one that I fear could snatch a small child and whisk it away.(4)  But squirrels are not the extent of things.  We also have an abundance of Mosquitos(5) that find me incredibly tasty.(6)

We also have woodpeckers. This might not seem that big a deal to some of you, but I don't think I'd ever actually seen one before I came to the States. And they were not what I was expecting.(7) My first awareness of woodpeckers came via sound.  Very loud sound. So loud that I actually made several laps of the outside of my house because I was sure a knocking that loud must be connected to the house.

It wasn't.

So I cast an eye further afield.

And there he was.(10)

And I couldn't believe how small it was.(7….again)  Which was kinda disappointing.

But these are not the only birds in the neighborhood.  We have ducks.

On occasion, these ducks have been known to wander around the neighborhood, looking for generous individuals(11) but usually they spend most of their time around the lake that's central to our neighborhood.  Which is also slap-bang in the middle of my new walk.

For the most part, our new dog is very well behaved, but there is something deep and hardwired in him that flags ducks as something to hunt.  And while we're still bonding, I find it reassuring that when he sees a duck and immediately drops down to lower his profile, ready to hunt, focused on his intend prey(12), in my dog's head he is clearly completely convinced that I'm doing the exact same thing, and not standing there, like an idiot, making eye-contact with the duck.

That this resonates, is probably something hardwired in me too.  I'm out there in the wilds,(13) vulnerable and tasty(14) facing down an untamed creature(15) with my loyal hound beside me.

And while we might not have accomplished much more than getting a little exercise…. and we certainly haven't brought back a freshly killed dinner…. we did get enough material for a new blog.  And for my butt-based job, that's really the same thing, right?

I Have An Excuse…. Honest!

Posted by on April 23, 2012 4 comments

Here's the deal.

The dog ate my blog post.

No…. really!

(1) I quickly got waaaaaay more creative with my excuses. A lesson to be learned by anyone reading who might be encountering the need to gain extra time on projects…. or to simply explain being a late arrival…. the more outlandishly creative the excuse offered, the better.  It became an unspoken agreement at times that if I could at least induce a half-smile from the authority figure in question, I would get away with it.(2)

(2) I do NOT officially endorse this as a working model to my readers…. you might end up working the angles with someone who has read this very post.(3)

(3) That goes double for my own kids.(4)

(4) In fact, what are you doing reading this?  Don't you have homework to do?

OK, so that excuse might have worked in high school…. once(1) but it won't fly here.

The truth is, I work with deadlines a lot, and while I make every effort to meet them.  But it is easy to slip, especially when you work from home.  There are always things going on that cast a shadow of importance over the work…. like a broken heat pump, bats (the flying not hitting kind) in the roof, a dead tree that came crashing down in the yard…. tiny things like that.

This time it's something way more pressing and adorable.

We have a new dog.

He's a rescued dog we brought home from the pound and he was VERY timid and cautious at first.  It's hard to tell, but we think he might have been mistreated…. and at least he doesn't seem to have had much fun.

So we set about changing that.

And even though he's a year old, he is now crashing through the puppy stage.

And it's a blast!

Mostly.

As long as we catch him before he gnaws the whole way through a chair-leg.

But that kinda thing can mess with the work schedule a little.

So hopefully you'll forgive this slight lapse.

It honestly wasn't my fault this time.

(5) Did you at least crack a half-smile?

Space aliens came and kidnapped my computer.  It was only due to great courage, reckless daring, and a stroke of luck that I managed to get my computer back and am able to deliver this blog posting…. a little late…. be here nonetheless.(5)

A Change Of Pace

Posted by on April 16, 2012 2 comments

Sometimes I have the odd idea (and yes, odd in the occasional sense AND odd in the odd sense) that really isn't a blog-worth piece…. but more a visual gag.

As ever, I make no guarantees as to the quality of that gag, but hey, you're getting what you paid for here.

So…..

 

WORDS WITH DALE: Research

Posted by on April 13, 2012 5 comments

I know what you're thinking. "You write comics about made up people and things and it's all fanatsy…. what do you need to research?"

(1) The technical writery terms is "suspension of belief."  The idea that even though you logically know a man can't fly, but you'll buy into the Superman movie anyway.

(2) The more astute reader(3) will have spotted that I was visited in that sentence by Titivillus…. patron demon of scribes.(5) 

(3) I know…. I don't have anything BUT astute readers, you all take great delight in pointing out when I screw-up.(4)

(4) It's OK, you should all keep on doing it, it's cheaper than hiring an editor.

(5) Seriously…. look it up.

(6) Obviously.

(7) Researching the year-long 2012 Luci Phurr's Imps storyline takes you into all manner of weird historical facts.

(8) I have yet to learn why, in the U.S., the addition of mayo to any sandwich, immediately transforms said sandwich into a "salad" sandwich, but I'll keep looking.

(9) In the early years, NASA actually paid to use the Hellmann's Processing Plant in Boise, Idaho, until they had their own vacuum training building constructed.

And you'd be right in the sense that I do make a lot of stuff up, but to make that fantasy believeable, to make it the kinda thing you do believe, even when you know it's fake(1) I need to make sure it's grounded in some kinda reality.

For example, I'll go and look at real biblical names of demons and what they supposedly do, for a minor background character in Luci Phurr's Imps or a throw awway gag somewhere else.(2) It can be both frustrating and satisfying at the same time.

The frustrating ones are the worst(6) because I might find some nugget of information that is delightfully quirky but I have no obvious place to use it.  Take mayonnaise, for example.

Mayonnaise was invented by the Mayans(7) and originally used to treat wounds. It would rapidly turn bad, and a combination of the bacteria and the maggots it attracted, would kill and remove the diseased or damaged flesh, allowing a now clean and relatively healthy wound to be treated. After European expansion it was discovered that when fresh, this poultice actually added a tasty tang to a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwhich and helped a mushed up boiled egg stay in place between two slices of bread.(8)

All of that is interesting…. but best of all is this. Did you ever wonder why you MUST refridgerate mayo once you open it, but it's OK to sit on the shelf of a hot supermarket for months?

We're back to the origin and that pesky bacteria.

As long as the seal on the jar is "locked" you're good.  And the cold of the fridge keeps it relatively fine.  But you know they make that stuff in factories and it has to pick up some bacteria there, right?

Wrong.

All mayonnaise factories operate in a complete vacuum thus ensuring your safety.  Produced by workers specifically trained to work in such conditions.(9)

This also explains why mayo is so expensive.

Go check it out.  You can't make this stuff up!  There are laws.

But as you can see, as fascinating as that all is, where do I use it?

I'd be better served NOT researching and just making up crazy stuff.  Who would know?

—

USING THE “VOICE”

Posted by on April 9, 2012 13 comments

I have one rule for things like Cemetery Street, Stixite.com or the posts here.

Funny first.

(1) Funny, like many things is relative.  You might not be laughing at a joke, but the INTENT was to write a funny more than it was to write a pointed message.

I will take on current affairs and maybe even throw in the odd bit of social commentary, but the rule I have is that it must be funny first.  If it's not funny, the the strip or comic or piece of writing will probably be put aside.(1)

I have broken that once on Cemetery Street with this strip.

It was something I felt important, hit a personal nerve for me and I clearly labeled it as being one readers could skip if they wanted.

But this idea as a whole is one that I wrestle with.

(2) Actually I think there is a NEED.

I enjoy satire and parody.  I think there is a place(2) for them.  But hitting that balance is key.  I know I've hit some subjects in the past and lost readers because even within the "fantastic" confines of the comic or premise, it was deemed too "real" and the readers seemed to prefer to keep their real life and their fantasy reading clearly apart.

I'm gonna keep this one short and throw it open to you guys.  What do you think?  

Should I stick with the funny and leave the real world somewhere else?

Should I go beyond just nonsense and use the forum I have, such as it is, to address things that I feel warrant it?

Does having something that brings in regular readers, a platform of sorts, demand that I do use it in a responsible manner?

(3) Opening it up, I know there's a chance we'll have some conflicting opinions.  Please lets all stay respectful and polite.  I'll try if you will.

Should I just shut-up and make with the funny?

Lemme know your thoughts.(3)

—

WORDS WITH DALE: Doing It Backwards

Posted by on April 6, 2012 1 comment

The past couple of WORDS WITH DALE posts have looked at the way, in a very basic sense, you create a comic.  And it's pretty straight forward.  

  • Writer writes a script.
  • Artist takes that script and works his or her mojo.
  • (Possibly an inker and/or colorist does their thing.)
  • Letterer (possibly also the writer) adds the words to the finished page.

Done.

But that is not the only way you can do it.

You can start with the art.

Don't believe me?

Check out one of the other projects I work on with m'colleague, Courtney Huddleston, www.stixite.com.

Now at first glance, looking at those comics on the Stixite site, you might think, "Well yeah, they look like your standard single panel comics. Nothing new there."

And you'd be wrong.

Usually with that kind of comic the process is the same.  You have the idea… possibly make a note of what the words will be, then add the art.  With a Stixite comic though, I NEVER see the art in advance.  I get an email from Courtney and it has some art attached.  It's random, it might be funny in and of itself (like this one), sometimes they are more challenging, (like this one). The one common element though, is that I have no idea what Court was thinking when he drew it…. and he doesn't tell me.

I have free rein to add whatever wording I like.  And many times I send him back a finished comic and he's completely thrown by what I added…. because it's so far off what he was thinking.  But what I add is based solely off what he sends.

And so, as you see, you CAN work a comic backwards.

If you want to know what Courtney IS thinking when he draws the Stixite art, pop over to his blog and ask him.