Writing for Comics with Peter David
Adult/High School–Explaining that ideas are often not as important as their execution, David states, all stories can be boiled down to three fundamental conflicts: Man vs. Man; Man vs. Himself; and Man vs. Environment. He handles each aspect of the topic in a separate chapter that includes exercises. For example, Where Do They Get Those Crazy Ideas? has an exercise called What If? in which the author challenges budding writers to observe people in a public place and make up stories about them based on those observations. The exercise for Dialogue is Character Exploration, in which readers are invited to write diaries or correspondence in their characters' voices. The lessons are easy to digest and can be applied to any kind of writing. The book may not turn all readers into successful comic-book writers, but it will help them improve their work. Illustrations drawn from a variety of familiar comics maintain the mood and, for many readers, are the impetus for taking up the craft.–Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.