Advice from a Comic Convention For FIrst-Time Creators

Going to a comic convention is like going to a theme park, where the theme is whatever fits your fancy as long as it is related to something nerd-related.  But it can also be a great resource for those starting out.  The ability to pick the mind of those that have been at ground zero creatively is a valuable resource that cannot be measured.  Imagine if you will, going up to your idol or hero and saying… How do I start and become as talented as you?  That can be a daunting thing.  Especially if you tend to be a shy person, or not sure what to say or even how to start the conversation.  This article will have a few suggestions to help those with a creative wit to be able to have a starting point. What’s even better is they come directly from artists and writers themselves!  Which in itself can be a holy grail of information, after all, they have been there!

Enjoy the material

Make sure you enjoy what you’re working on.  If you enjoy the material then you’ll be excited to write about it, excited to create, to make your story known.  Another thing that will happen is that you will be able to look at it from the perspective of the fans who are going to see the wonders that you have created.  The audience that you intended to reach will be immersed in what you have created and be left wanting more. They will talk about it and your creation will attract even more fans, making the joy you bring with your creation available to an even bigger audience.  Which is something that will come full circle at a place like a comic convention.

Start small

Another piece of advice that comes from the experience of others is, to keep the project small.  If there is a backstory to be told, either make it part of the overall story or a section in the beginning.  Writing is challenging, you have to be in the right mindset.  When it comes to stories, there is always a starting point, a middle, and an end.  There are ongoing stories that are always evolving as they go, but sometimes they can get very busy and very convoluted and you lose track of where you are going, where you have been, and even what comes next.  So by keeping the project manageable, it becomes something that leads to the last point of this article.

Finish the project

Once the story is written and the ink is drying then comes the hard part of making it available.  That part is usually not as fun as the creation process.  Completing a project can be rewarding in and of itself, as there is a feeling of finality to it, and a sense of accomplishment to it. Something to be proud of, and say “Hey I did that!”  Now I am not saying that there can’t be multiple stories or even arc’s; but if you approach each one with its own uniqueness, once it is done and you can walk away, then you can breathe a sigh of relief and have a sense of pride seeing this finished project that you just created.

I hope that this information has been helpful in some way. There is always something to be learned and gained from speaking to those that have experienced going down the well-traveled path of a creative process for any project. There are going to be bumps, and even stops, and while this is not anywhere near a complete how-to on starting out, it is definitely helpful ideas and good advice.

Thanks for reading!