NerdSpan At SDCC: Thursday
Thursday at SDCC is usually the most relaxed day of the Con. People wander the exhibit floor, check out large (and small) panels, and reconnect with friends from all over the world.
I started my day with Comic-Con How-To: Plot Structure & the Philosophy of Story Creation. Lecturer Maxwell A Drake dove straight into his philosophy on writing. According to Drake, there are two layers to every story: the physical layer and the invisible layer. He spent some of his time speaking on those two layers, but mostly he set up the 3-part class tearing down young writers and the misconceptions they bring to the table. Successful writers break through the noise of publishing not by sheer talent alone, but with hard work and dedication. Writing is a talent to some extent, but it’s also a skill. And like any skill, writing takes years of practice, education, pain, and effort to hone.
The journey to developing a writer mindset is a brutal one. Drake insisted that there are three levels or ways to understand the job of writing: as fans, as critics, and as professionals. The difference between fans and critics is the degree to which they are each exposed to varying story mediums. Fans read what they know and like, with little deviation from it. Critics read far and wide, and it’s often their trade by training and education. Fans want to enjoy something, and critics want to understand it and go deeper by asking questions of the story. Fans know they either like or dislike something, but rarely know why.
As writers, we must read widely, but rid ourselves of the fan mentality. We cannot simply like or dislike something; we must examine every aspect of a book, comic, movie, or video game to understand why we liked or disliked it. These are the key questions writers must employ in order to engage their critical eye:
- Why did you like this?
- What elements specifically did you like or dislike?
- What specifically resonated with you and why?
Fans read for enjoyment, but what exactly do they enjoy? Most of the time what they’re looking for they can’t expressly state, but Drake says fans are looking for one of a few things:
- a moral lesson
- the thrill of an impossible experience
- “what if…” and “if only…” scenarios
- to escape reality
- to experience history or an alternate history
- etc
Writers must be able to deliver this emotional fulfillment through not only the physical layer (the events, the plot, the characters), but the invisible layer, too (themes, message, emotions). At the end of the day, readers don’t care what happened in a book or movie; they remember how it made them feel. Of course the physical layer is important to set your story apart from others, but it’s the invisible layer that really leaves fans wanting more.
I ended my SDCC – Thursday with the Her Universe Fashion Show. Since it’s so cool and massive, I’ll be writing up the show in a separate post. Tune in for pictures and coverage!
THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY
