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Ring Psychology

by Aaron Hall

Volume Five: Sometimes the evidence fits the case… Writing, like any other artistic or creative undertaking, is far from an exact science. I in no way believe myself to be a master of the game or a voice of authority on the dos and don’ts of writing. This column is simply me sharing with all of you some of the things that I’ve picked up along the way that seem to help me out. Use them, abuse them, make fun of them, or sell them on eBay. Now, on to the article! “Sometimes the evidence fits the case…” During my time I’ve come across what I believe to be two different types of “writers”. There’s what I call the “idea man” and then there’s the “actual writer”. In my opinion, the goal is to become both. Not only do you need the ability to come up with your own brilliant ideas, but the talent and skills to write those ideas is pretty darn important as well. But before we get into that, let’s take a look at each type of writer. First is the “idea man”. These guys are the most common of all writers. Essentially an idea man is someone who is full of ideas. Ideas for comic books, novels, movies, you name it they probably have an idea for it. However, nine times out of ten this type of person lacks two things. Number one is the drive and discipline to actually write their idea. Number two is the talent to write their idea well. Secondly, you have the “actual writer”. This is the guy that you simply can’t deny has a way with words. Whether it’s an essay for English class or a novel, this type of person has a mastery of words. In my opinion, this is the rarer breed of writer. Now here’s the catch. Very rarely is one individual both types of writer. They’re either an idea man, or an actual writer. Now, now, don’t start freaking out. There are some things you can do to help yourself out. The good news is that for all of you “idea man” types out there, you can learn to become a pretty good writer. It takes dedication and it takes hard work, but you can become a completely capable writer. You may never have that natural way with words that the “actual writer” has, but you’ll be pretty darn good. Certainly good enough to turn your ideas into well written stories, novels, comic books, and whatever else you want to turn them into. Unfortunately, the news isn’t so good for an “actual writer” who isn’t much of an “idea man”. There’s really not much you can do to get more of an imagination, that’s pretty much one of those things that is what it is from birth until death. The fact is, you have two choices. Number one, get a job in either journalism or technical writing. This will allow you to display your way with words and pull down a paycheck at the same time. Number two, swallow your pride and partner up with a great “idea man”. When it comes to being an artist of any kind, there’s always a bit of ego involved. But if you want to go somewhere as an “actual writer” with little in the way of idea skills, you have to put all things aside and find an “idea man”. Find him and make him your best friend. At the very least, find him and bounce ideas off of him, get advice from him. So let’s sum it up shall we? Not all writers were born equal, accept that right now. Instead of living in denial, identify what type of writer you are. By knowing your strengths you can play to them. By knowing your weaknesses you can work on them. Know what that will make you? You guessed it, a better writer. Until next time, this is senate majority leader and the American Idol contestant who slept with Paula Abdul, Aaron Hall, signing off. If you have any questions or comments about creating comics feel free to email them to freejenkins@gmail.com and I’ll answer them right here in this very column because yes, I care about you that much.