Author Archive

Die By the Pen: I May Have Discovered the Home of a Mythical Creature

In Die By the Pen, Jared Gniewek discusses what feeds his fires as an author of comics, screenplays and radio dramas.

croc

Well gang, I took a few weeks to explore my old home town of Rochester, New York.  Often overshadowed by the titans of Buffalo and Syracuse it resides between, Rochester has a charm all its own, which, if left unchecked could eclipse the whole of upstate. While here I have enjoyed reading men’s adventure novels of the eighties bought at Goodwill stores at rock bottom prices, enjoyed the highest quality of heavy metal, and have imbibed a few drinks.

I have not been writing as much as I should be. Not even close. I spastically shot out a thousand or so words on a short story I’ve been wrestling for months. I have been away from the internet. Away from video games. Away from my regular routine.

I have enjoyed the company of friends and have had a few conversations about comics. Maybe I’m sheltered but I always thought Rochester to be a culturally advanced city. For a city of its size the commitment the people of Rochester show towards the arts is immense. The Eastman House has created a generation of film buffs who can chat for days at the very highest level. The Eastman School of Music is an amazing resource and a highly regarded school for musicians. The Strong Museum of Play has a huge collection of toys and ephemera that would dwarf any man’s basement.

In this culture how can it be that people speak of their passion for sequential art in whispers?

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2009
04/29
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Die By the Pen
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Die by the Pen: Runnin’ with the Wolf Pack

In Die by the Pen, Jared Gniewek discusses what feeds his fires as an author of comics, screenplays and radio dramas.

jmg

Writing can be lonely.

It can hurt when you empathize too much with your characters and allow yourself to feel what they are going through too clearly. It is a solipsistic activity that can drive you to tears of frustration and joy. It is a good thing, to be this involved with the act, but sometimes it can make accepting criticism all the harder. You feel like a judged parent on a talk show screaming, YOU DON’T KNOW ME!

Remember that your work is NOT you. Remember that all the work you did on a piece; thinking about it (sometimes for years) and executing it really are meaningless to a reader. You can’t call everyone who went “meh” over your piece and yell at them. Their job is to receive and they are good at it. They’ve been doing it since their moms were staring at them in the crib and playing pee-ka-boo. Your job is to transmit artfully and in an entertaining fashion. At least as good as Mom.

One of my writing pals told me that I learn to need to “phone it in” but to me that is unacceptable. While I could work a bit faster that way I feel that any emotional depth I’m reaching might be sacrificed. I mean if it’s not worth the time to write it “for real” is it worth it to read? But, at the same time, is being a slave to my personal muses making me too personally involved in each work?

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2009
04/22
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Die by the Pen: Manga Guilt Anyone?

Every Wednesday, Jared Gniewek discusses what feeds his fires as an author of comics, screenplays and radio dramas.

Friends…are you suffering from Manga Guilt?

Okay, you’re at the dinner party and the conversation of course turns to comics and graphic novels. I mean Bang Zoom Pow comic talks are for dinner parties nowadays not for stupid babies! Your friends in publishing start going on and on about manga and you nod politely while replaying through your brain the five issues of Lone Wolf and Cub you read way back in 1988.

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2009
04/15
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Die by the Pen: You Wanna Know How I Script?

Every Wednesday, Jared Gniewek discusses what feeds his fires as an author of comics, screenplays and radio dramas.

jmg

You Wanna Know How I Script?
or It Almost Seems Like Real Magic When the Process Works.

I wrote a script last week. It was for an artist I met at the New York Comic Con and it is a horror story. I wanted to share a step by step process that I use to translate that loose cloud of cosmic dust and nerve endings into a cohesive piece and do it in a way that won’t destroy anyone’s brain.

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2009
04/08
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Die By the Pen: How to Kill a Day

Every Wednesday, Jared Gniewek discusses what feeds his fires as an author of comics, screenplays and radio dramas.

Man oh man, you managed to take care of all of your stuff. Your table is cleared and your significant other is out of town. You just put on your rebellious sunglasses and are about to do a dance to “Raise a Little Hell” in your underpants. But what’s that needle scratching on the record? You’re not sure what to do to kill the day? You’re fresh out of ideas and everything seems boring and stupid! Everything seems boring and stupid? Well, buck up, compadre, ‘cause Uncle Jared’s got some ideas to get you through your day off.

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2009
04/01
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Die By the Pen
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