Hey ya’ll! I hope you are staying safe and are doing well.
I’ve been doing a lot of posts this month talking about my stories and my writing. I love sharing with you guys where I am in the process of creating the graphic novel, as well as what I’m using to help write it. But as a writer, I’m also using the inspiration I get from other writers and stories to aid in the process. So today I thought I’d share with you some of the things that have influenced my writing and storytelling. I’ll be focusing on the graphic novel specifically, because I do several forms of writing, and covering all of them would be a lengthy post. But I would love to touch on them, so if you’d like to hear about my other influences in my creativity, comment below!
My Writing Style
It’s weird, because I’ve not shared any official pieces from the novel, you’ll have to take my word for it. I mean, I’ve started writing it, but there’s a lot more to be done before I can share anything concrete. But hopefully, this will give you an idea of what to look forward to :).
The focus of my stories have always been the characters and the character arcs. I start with a main character, then build upon what their main goal is, what’s preventing them from reaching it, and the setting it takes place in. The focus is always the people involved, and trying to stick to the main arc. Anything that doesn’t work can be used later, but could also fill in some of the gaps. I love creating new ideas, and that’s a huge part of the process and my style of writing. But you have to keep in mind that not every idea will work for the same story.
And that’s okay, because now you have another idea waiting to be brought to it’s full potential. The main question is wether or not this new idea is essential to the story. For example, I just created a new character who helped fill in some of the gaps within the plot. But do I really need to go into a full detail origin story of her character this minute? No.
My graphic novel is being written in first person, meaning that the events are told from the protagonists perspective. I’m interested in how this will translate to a graphic novel. But writing in first person allows for you to write the inner dialogue- which is my favorite. I also tend to be more descriptive in my writing. and love big words. I think that stems from the fact that my writing journey started with writing poetry, so that flowery nature of writing and describing things has carried into every avenue of my writing.
Now that you know more about my writing style, let’s get into what has helped shaped that style and process.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is one of the greatest comic creators out there. He’s called “The Father Of Marvel” for a reason. But what I love about him and his work is how he went about creating characters. He wanted to write characters that were real, authentic, and relatable. He wanted to make a Superhero team that had conflict, and was like a family. To create a teenage superhero who was the main character, dealing with puberty and high school, and didn’t want his powers to begin with. And he wrote them the way he wanted to, such as giving the X-Men the X-gene to explain their abilities, and leaving it at that.
I think that Gwen is a great example of how I’ve managed to do this so far. Gwen is eighteen when we are introduced to her, so she is still trying to find her place in the world. She is also dealing with her newfound abilities and the insecurities that come with that. Gwen has broad shoulders, curves, and bigger breasts, which was by no means an accident. I love superheroes, but wanted to model my characters off of the body types I see around me. And this actually adds to Gwen’s strength and power. Some of the strongest people I know- and not just mentally strong- have all sorts of body types. So I wanted that to be a part of the design, especially for Gwen. And lastly, Gwen has the rarest form of energy- Blue Energy. It originates from the Core Energies, but that’s really all the explanation needed. So why try and overcomplicate it?
So thanks, Stan. You’ve had such an impact on my writing and have made so many people happy with your work. Thanks for the cameos, the characters, and the memories I have with Marvel. Excelsior!
Jane Austen
I love Jane Austen, and not just because she wrote amazing stories. She wrote female characters that were strong, capable, and often chose to go against the roles they were supposed to play. I think that Elizabeth Bennet is a great example of that. And speaking of Elizabeth, let’s talk about how Jane Austen writes her relationships and her dialogue, because that’s what has really shaped my writing style. I’ll focus on the same example, since Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of her works.
Elizabeth and Darcy have some of the best chemistry. But there is more to the relationship that just chemistry, such as the respect that builds between them and the kindness that they show towards each other. It’s a gradual arc that has the best payoff. But the pair also has it’s flaws. You love them, but they fight, let their preconceptions of each other get in the way, and put barriers between each other due to circumstances and personality differences. It all works out, but those flaws lead to some of the best dialogue writing I have read. Can we all agree that Jane Austen is the queen of writing dialogue? It’s smart, witty, and keeps you wanting more. It doesn’t feel forced, and isn’t filler. The dialogue always has a purpose, and adds so much value to the story. She was able to tell important details, show you the character’s personalities, and make the conversations between them honest, intelligent, and entertaining.
Dialogue is something that I struggle with. I’m great with inner dialogue, but conversations are a struggle. It often comes off as forced, which only works if it’s an interrogation. Dialogue should have a purpose, and even more so when you are doing a graphic novel. Reading Jane Austen’s work has been one of the many things that has helped me improve that skill.
Now onto the next point. If you read my May Happy Planner Set Up Post, you know that I have a lot of different relationships featured in the story. Going back to Gwen, you can see the influence from Elizabeth and Darcy in the way Gwen and Thomas relationship develops. At first, she doesn’t remember who he is. She knows him from somewhere, but can’t remember the details. And Thomas isn’t happy with that, because if they hadn’t met, he wouldn’t be alive. There’s a lot of conflict with them at first, but it eventually develops into the healthiest relationship in the whole story.
Batman The Animated Series
This is a show that I grew up watching with my dad, and I’m so glad that he introduced it to me. Even though Batman isn’t one of my favorite superheroes, I still love the animated Batman shows and think that he has some of the best villains. This show in particular does a great job with the villains and nailed the aesthetic for Gotham and the characters. And that’s what’s had the biggest influence on me.
Batman has some of the most compelling and iconic comic book villains. My favorites are Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and The Joker. You can sympathize with Poison Ivy’s anger towards the way Gotham treats the environment, Mr. Freeze’s frustration over his wife’s situation, and well, The Joker is just a mess. But Mark Hamill’s Joker in the show is amazing. He’s creepy, chaotic, and hilarious.
This show also does an excellent job of using the graphics and art to tell the story. You get the feel of Gotham being a rough place, due to them using greyed, muted colors, jagged lines, and shadows. The characters stay true to their designs without feeling out of place. They also mixed different art styles together without it being choppy or jarring. And the best part is how Batman blends in with the atmosphere, playing on his ability to hide in plain sight.
As someone who is writing a GRAPHIC novel, the graphics have to be able to tell the story just as well as the dialogue and writing. Color plays a huge part in the energies, with each color representing different abilities. Each District has it’s own aesthetic, showcasing the values and ideals of each. And the character’s designs highlight their core personality traits, while giving subtle hints to others.
And that’s it for this post! I can’t wait to share more of my writing with you guys, and for you to see the influence that these three have had on my writing for yourself. Make sure you are subscribed to my email newsletter and are following me on Instagram, because I’ll be sharing some news with you guys soon!
What are some of your writing or art influences? Would you be interested to read about more of mine? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time 🙂
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