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Pacing and continuity drive me crazy. As I slowly revise my novel, I'll get frustrated trying to decide how much time I should spend with Minor Character #703 lost in Subplot #262.

I realized that long-form script writers--the people who block out soap operas or dramatic comic strips--might have some valuable advice about pacing. Today I called on Woody Wilson for help. He's the man who has written comic strip dramas, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker, for the last 15 years.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog: 

How do you create a newspaper comic script? How do you take a story idea and pace it into a story-line that stretches for month at a time? Any advice for writers looking to extend a story idea into a longer, serialized format?.

Woody Wilson:

A "continuity" newspaper feature is written the same way you would write a television show. Continue reading...

Every day we casually flip past sprawling novel-like stories in our newspapers. Just like soap operas or sitcoms, we never stop to ask--Who writes these comic strip scripts that we read over breakfast?

For more than 15 years, Wilson has written the iconic comic strips, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker. He took over the job from their creator, Dr. Nicholas Dallis--a psychiatrist turned comic strip pioneer.

Today, Wison gives us a tour of his writing industry in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions.

In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:

What was it like working with Dr. Nicholas Dallis? What are your favorite memories of this comic strip legend? How have these strips changed during your tenure?

Woody Wilson:
Nick Dallis was a prince among men. He was educated, kindly, compassionate, talented and generous.
 

Too many writers give up after their first big project--novel, play, or non-fiction book--is rejected. There's nothing harder than starting over from scratch.

But Wilson didn't quit, and became one of the most influential comic strip writers in the country--helming the iconic comic strip dramas, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker.

Today he explains how he survived rejection in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing. 

Jason Boog:
Early in your career, you worked on a strip called "The Little Company." What was it about, can you describe it? What did you learn  from that experience? Generally, how does somebody going about pitching  a comic strip idea?

Woody Wilson:
The Little Company (1978) was my first strip. It was about a career woman with a not-so-career-oriented husband. Continue reading...

Every day at lunch, I escape the day-job cubicle through my customized comics page at The Houston Chronicle--reading all the gags, drama, and funny pictures crammed into those bitty rectangles. 

I dreamed this kind of bounty as a kid--now I can read the comics, interact with other funny page lovers, and track down my favorite comic book writers. The world of comic strip storytelling has changed forever.

To find out how, I tracked down Woody Wilson, the man who has written the comic strip dramas, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker, for the last 15 years. He's our special guest this week in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions.

In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing. 

Jason Boog:
With the advent of the Internet, a number of fan sites like The Comics Curmudgeon have started analyzing your work. Do you read these web-based fans? How have these websites influenced your work?  

Woody Wilson:
Nothing beats interaction with your fans. Continue reading...

Established writers rarely mention the hard times they faced early in their careers. We don't think of William Faulkner as a night watchman or T.S. Eliot as a banker--but both writers had those jobs.The hardest part about writing is believing that you are a novelist/poet/journalist even though you haven't been published yet.

Today we have a very special guest, Woody Wilson--the man who wrote the Rex Morgan M.D. comic strip story you see above.

For more than 15 years, Wilson written the iconic comic strips, Rex Morgan, M.D. and Judge Parker, but he struggled to become a newspaper comic strip writer--just as hard as any starving artist.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog: 

How did you become involved writing comic strip scripts?  

Woody Wilson: 
In 1978, I met the late Jim Andrews, editor and founder of Universal Press Syndicate. I was living in San Francisco and had been toying with the idea of writing a comic strip.