How to Deal With Writer's Block

in

This is the first of several comics on the subject of writer’s block. What can I say? You write what you know.

I eventually set myself two rules. One was that comics about having writer’s block were not acceptable. The other was that having writer’s block was not acceptable. I know that sounds like I’m attempting to will away human weakness, but what it really means is that coming up with something—anything—is better than giving myself permission to come up with nothing. I realized that just because I made a comic, that doesn’t mean I have to post it. I could (and did) look at the comic I thought was just barely viable when I made it with fresh eyes before it went live. Often, it was much better than I remembered it being. A few needed to be reworked at the last minute. They all resulted in something useable in the end, and some of them turned out to be reader favorites. 

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Deal With Writer's Block

in

This is the first of several comics on the subject of writer’s block. What can I say? You write what you know.

I eventually set myself two rules. One was that comics about having writer’s block were not acceptable. The other was that having writer’s block was not acceptable. I know that sounds like I’m attempting to will away human weakness, but what it really means is that coming up with something—anything—is better than giving myself permission to come up with nothing. I realized that just because I made a comic, that doesn’t mean I have to post it. I could (and did) look at the comic I thought was just barely viable when I made it with fresh eyes before it went live. Often, it was much better than I remembered it being. A few needed to be reworked at the last minute. They all resulted in something useable in the end, and some of them turned out to be reader favorites. 

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Negotiate with the U.N.

in

The U.N. General Assembly and the smoking ruins of Branson, Missouri! This has to be the most artistically ambitious strip I ever attempted. That takes a bit of the sting out of the fact that it fails almost totally. That third panel looks like something from the videogame Battlezone.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Negotiate with the U.N.

in

The U.N. General Assembly and the smoking ruins of Branson, Missouri! This has to be the most artistically ambitious strip I ever attempted. That takes a bit of the sting out of the fact that it fails almost totally. That third panel looks like something from the videogame Battlezone.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Tune People Out

in

The corporate office in which I worked had a break area. It was a small office. Everybody knew everybody. If I tried to read a book I usually ended up having a conversation about the book instead. Later I worked at Walt Disney World, in areas so large that nobody in the breakroom knew me. I could read anything I wanted with no interruption. I ask you, which environment was more “friendly”?

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Tune People Out

in

The corporate office in which I worked had a break area. It was a small office. Everybody knew everybody. If I tried to read a book I usually ended up having a conversation about the book instead. Later I worked at Walt Disney World, in areas so large that nobody in the breakroom knew me. I could read anything I wanted with no interruption. I ask you, which environment was more “friendly”?

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Get Sympathy when Injured

in

This comic was written after my motorcycle accident.

Oh, by the way, I had a motorcycle accident. I call it a motorcycle accident, though it would be more accurate to call it a scooter accident, but that doesn’t sound as good. A motorcycle accident sounds like I was jumping over some buses and I didn’t stick the landing. A scooter accident sounds like I hit a loose cobblestone on my way into the village to buy a bottle of Chianti.

I never got on another bike again after that. I still appreciate them as objects, but I totally lost my nerve.

In other news, this is Missy’s first appearance in the comic!

Note from Missy: Yay, me! Also, more detail on the scooter accident. While traveling straight across an intersection, an elderly man in an elderly land-yacht coming the other way turned left into Scott. The old man’s statement was that he didn’t see the bright-yellow scooter crossing the road because he was somehow dazzled by the headlights on oncoming traffic. We never did figure out why seeing oncoming headlights made it seem like the perfect time to turn left across that oncoming lane.

Good news everybody! My most recent novel The Authorities is available now!

I ended up removing the tradmark symbol from the official title. It was playing havoc with the Amazon search algorithm.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Get Sympathy when Injured

in

This comic was written after my motorcycle accident.

Oh, by the way, I had a motorcycle accident. I call it a motorcycle accident, though it would be more accurate to call it a scooter accident, but that doesn’t sound as good. A motorcycle accident sounds like I was jumping over some buses and I didn’t stick the landing. A scooter accident sounds like I hit a loose cobblestone on my way into the village to buy a bottle of Chianti.

I never got on another bike again after that. I still appreciate them as objects, but I totally lost my nerve.

In other news, this is Missy’s first appearance in the comic!

Note from Missy: Yay, me! Also, more detail on the scooter accident. While traveling straight across an intersection, an elderly man in an elderly land-yacht coming the other way turned left into Scott. The old man’s statement was that he didn’t see the bright-yellow scooter crossing the road because he was somehow dazzled by the headlights on oncoming traffic. We never did figure out why seeing oncoming headlights made it seem like the perfect time to turn left across that oncoming lane.

Good news everybody! My most recent novel The Authorities is available now!

I ended up removing the tradmark symbol from the official title. It was playing havoc with the Amazon search algorithm.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Shirk

in

For a time, between my comedy career and my Disney career, I worked in a corporate office in Seattle. My official title was Office Manager, but I referred to myself as the Office Monkey. Basically, my job was to get everybody the things they needed and assist everybody in whatever time I had left over. I learned a lot about how the real world works in that job, by observing my coworkers’ behavior and my own.

Some people were reasonable, and only asked for things they actually needed. Others took full advantage, and asked for things just to see if they could get them. Over time, I noticed that I tended to go the extra mile for those who only made reasonable requests, while those who tried to push it often ended up getting only the bare minimum that I could justify.

They say that in life you usually don’t get what you don’t ask for, and that is true. But just because you ask for something doesn’t mean that you’ll get it, or that you should.

Good news everybody! My most recent novel The Authorities is available now!

I ended up removing the tradmark symbol from the official title. It was playing havoc with the Amazon search algorithm.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Shirk

in

For a time, between my comedy career and my Disney career, I worked in a corporate office in Seattle. My official title was Office Manager, but I referred to myself as the Office Monkey. Basically, my job was to get everybody the things they needed and assist everybody in whatever time I had left over. I learned a lot about how the real world works in that job, by observing my coworkers’ behavior and my own.

Some people were reasonable, and only asked for things they actually needed. Others took full advantage, and asked for things just to see if they could get them. Over time, I noticed that I tended to go the extra mile for those who only made reasonable requests, while those who tried to push it often ended up getting only the bare minimum that I could justify.

They say that in life you usually don’t get what you don’t ask for, and that is true. But just because you ask for something doesn’t mean that you’ll get it, or that you should.

Good news everybody! My most recent novel The Authorities is available now!

I ended up removing the tradmark symbol from the official title. It was playing havoc with the Amazon search algorithm.

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).