Writer Nick Spencer just posted this teaser image for what seems to be a new Image book, drawn by Steve Lieber, his Superior Foes of Spider-Man collaborator. Completing the “get to know each other at big two, go to Image for honeymoon” move that so many have been making.
While the image and title seem to suggest a series about neutering beagles, we suspect it may be more compelling than that.
Via Comics Spire:
"Writing Time Outs"
They Help You Polish Your Picture Book.
( From my "Musings" column on the Purple Crayon )
What is a Writing Time Out?
No, it does not mean dumping your PB (picture book) manuscript on a chair in the corner for fifteen minutes! A writing Time Out means putting aside the PB manuscript you have slaved over: for at least a few weeks. Let it marinate in a drawer, or in a folder on your hard drive marked,
"Time Out."
Forget about it. Clear your brain of all traces of this PB
and begin writing something new.
Does Your Picture Book Need a Time Out?It does, if your fellow critiquers offer conflicting advice. Or you tweak, change, and rework it so many times you lose focus. This is when a Time Out can be especially useful. Yes, doing nothing sometimes works wonders!
Or, when you feel there is something not quite right, but you can't put your finger on the problem. You need to view your PB with fresh eyes. So, give the pesky thing a Time Out. When you reread it, in a month or two, you will be amazed by what jumps out at you.
Your First Reread--Yikes, What Was I Thinking?Problem areas abound. How come you couldn't see them before? You race to the computer, bring up the file, and begin to type. Your husband and kids ask about dinner. You offer a glassy stare while pounding the keys.
What You Found: and how to fix It:The word nice appeared four times on the one page? There were way too many compound sentences. The main character's name was only mentioned once. And the mom seems more important than the kid character. Tighten! Tighten! Tighten!
The Fix: Focus on crafting a great voice for that kid character. Cut back on what Mom says and does. But watch out: you don't want the word count (way less than 1,000) to balloon. Break out your trusty thesaurus. Use it to scrap those overused adjectives and weak verbs. Are four adverbs really necessary, or do most of them prop up weak verbs?
&nbs
I’m in!