🔀 Two Words from South Park
But They Killed Kenny! Therefore…
Every episode of Into the Storymaze = writing ideas or writing-in-progress; something creative I’m excited by; a highlight from my comic book writing; and then a quote that’s worth a think or two.
Once more tapping the dust off the podcast mic, from a Street Writers episode with creative pal Mark Bellusci…
Dan: Something from the boys who do South Park. They create and write in such an amazing way. There's actually a short documentary. If you've never seen it, you should check it out, Mark, on how they work. They work like mad men. That's how their shows are so topical.
They actually create the episode within the course of the week. Nothing is done in advance. They were talking about their writing room and how to construct a story. And it's so simple.
They're talking about story beats. And they start by describing a series of story beats strung together by the words "and then." Something happens. "And then…" Then something else happens. "And then…" you're fucked.
Because all you're doing is just stringing things together and it becomes pablum.
So their reco and their approach is string your beats together with either the word "but" or "therefore." If you're inserting those as you're crafting a story and making your beats work with "but" and "therefore" it's a simple but critical change in terms of writing that creates friction, conflict, a change in direction. Now, at first with the South Park guys, I figured they were gonna do something else with the word "butt…"
Mark: Well, "therefore" is a kind of cousin to "and then." So that's kind of the same direction, but it's a better word because it builds off of the scene or the chapter you're working on.
Dan: Or it could be consequence. That's the way I was thinking of it. "Therefore" could become consequence and then you're shifting gears.
Mark: That's the beauty of it, that you can take it in different directions. You throw the “but” on, that becomes, "Okay, reverse the car and go in another direction." It's nice because it's simple, but it doesn't have to limit you. "Therefore," like you say, is the consequences of something that happened. But as you're going through it, the way I would take it as, "Okay, have I had enough 'buts' in here? I did two or three of the 'therefore.'"
It's like something happened, which led to this, and the consequence is now I gotta take it in a different direction and go from there. So that's kinda interesting. How would you use that?
Dan: It's that sense of what is going to complicate things for my characters. Because then that's a more interesting challenge for them. Then they grow from that. The story grows from that. And I grow from that.
Mark: I'm looking at it like the "therefore" is the paddle. Maybe you can turn it a little bit of a different direction. Or depending on where you are, you can go farther ahead. Just be sure as you're going through the story to pepper in enough "buts" to go with the "therefores." Or you can transfer it over to "Butthead…"
Dan: And it's all downhill from there.
Therefore…you chose to share this newsletter with someone new!
I kept eyeballing Creature Tech across multiple “Free Comic Book Days”. Not that it was on the free table, but that it looked like an intriguing purchase. FCBD is always a good excuse to give back to the store owner who’s hosting the giveaways — and you want her or him to still be in biz for next year’s freebies, don’t you?
I should have put money in their pockets earlier. (For the record, this was Aw Yeah Comics, in Harrison, NY.) This is a fun, energetic mix of sci-fi and occult, menace and mirth. When a small town becomes the location of an Area 51 collection of bizarre technology, the government appointed middle-manager of the weird must overcome the unhappiness of his assignment to embrace the odd and defend the populace.
Along the way he gets body-melded with an otherworldly symbiote, complicating his position and upping the action. It’s got a frothy “Men in Black” vibe that I really dug.
Its appeal made additional sense when I realized the story sprang from the same imagination as Earthworm Jim. This was a video game from an earlier era, featuring an eponymous earthworm somehow melded with a futuristic spacesuit and raygun, the better to mobilize himself into far-flung alien adventures.
I wasn’t that big a fan of the play, but really vibed with the gangly-limbed design and hybrid strangeness — both of which carry over into the more modern story in this comic.
At the end of July I returned once more to Terrificon, the fab (excuse me: terrific) Connecticut based comic con hosted by Mitch Hallock — my second show in 20+ years. I'd like to do more. (The scarcity of my appearances apparently makes me something of a rare bird, an "in demand" oddity. So if you run a show or know someone who does and wants to extend an invite — by all means, click-to-connect!)
It's an amazing chance to learn from readers directly on what my writing has meant to them. Hearing their stories first hand would have done more for my ego in the heat of the moment when I was still authoring Daredevil, Nightstalkers, the Shadowline and more — but it's hard to imagine it would be more satisfying.
Then I was pretty fragile, and any praise would have soon been beset by self doubt countered with chip-on-the-shoulder arrogance. Years after the fact has given me — and I think those readers — perspective that is more seasoned. And in my case, certainly, even more grateful.
This was also a happy occasion to reconnect in one space with what I immediately thought of as a Murderer’s Row: some of the amazing editorial (and also just outright creative) talent and fun folks I got to work with back in the day. (Missing from the photo but also in the same place at the same time were Jim Salicrup, Jim Shooter, Renee Witterstaetter and Fabian Nicieza!)
I'm amazed and delighted that I can pick up with folks I haven't seen in years, in some cases, with the same wit and congeniality that we all shared a lifetime ago across the bullpen.
(If you’re looking to keep pop culture score in that photo, you’re looking at significant creative contributors to Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, Peacemaker, GI Joe, Transformers — and, oh yeah, Daredevil.)
“Running through the maze of life, you come across profound ambiguities and complexities. Yet the essence of living a meaningful life remains simple- following your heart and pursuing your life purpose.” — Roopleen
Amazing Times
I’m D.G. Chichester. If that’s too much, feel free to just call me “Dan.”
I earned my cred writing comic book titles like Daredevil, Terror Inc., Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, along with words in the world wide web of advertising. I like weird tales, so if things here bend that way — now you know why!
Folks seem to like the comic book adventures I’ve written, so if you haven’t checked one out — please do. Many are now available in fab collected editions.
For the eager moments between newsletters…
@dgchichester — 280 characters from the Twitterverse
@dgchichester — images via Instagramland