Deron Generally
Deron Generally#1 New York Times bestselling and multi-Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book writer Scott Snyder has decided to pay it forward to comic book fans and potential writers with a new interactive writing course that will teach writers how to write for the comic book medium.
The prolific writer, who has written some of biggest comic book titles including Batman, Justice League, Dark Knights: Metal and Death Metal and indie series including American Vampire, Wytches, Nocterra, The Wake, and Undiscovered Country (with Charles Soule), has created a new program called “Scott Snyder’s Comic Writing 101” for those interested in the medium and how to craft their own stories.
Snyder has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and has worked professionally in fiction, screenplay and comics. He taught writing at NYU, Columbia University, and Sarah Lawrence as well as teaching the DC Comics’ Talent Workshop for three years which included students like James Tynion IV, Joëlle Jones, Michael Moreci, Philip Kennedy Johnson, Vita Ayala, Matt Rosenberg, Marguerite Bennett, and Mags Visaggio, among others.
According to Snyder’s Best Jackett Press newsletter; “this comic writing class is designed for everyone, from first-time writers to folks who do this for a living. So if you’ve ever wanted to try writing a comic, to put out in the world or just for yourself, sign up!”
For anyone interested in the course, here are some of the particulars;
When you subscribe to Comic Writing 101, you’ll get a monthly LIVE, INTERACTIVE CLASS with me, done through video, filmed at my awesome local comic shop, 4th WORLD COMICS (after hours). Each session will run about 90 minutes and be like a masterclass on a particular subject. During the session, we’ll look at several classic and current comics together to illustrate applicable techniques. Some sessions will feature guests for discussions and Q&A, from super star artists to major editors. Then, after the class is done, I’ll archive the full audio along with all the reading materials for subscribers who missed the live session and make it available in this newsletter.
I’ll also provide weekly WRITING TIPS for subscribers, tips about everything from fighting writer’s block to crafting good cliffhangers.
Now most writing classes run a couple hundred dollars (at least!) for just a few hours, am I right? But here, if you subscribe, you can take a live, monthly, 10+ session class with me that runs the whole year and covers everything from effective openings to pitching your comic for JUST $7 a CLASS/MONTH.
Snyder also provides a syllabus for the classes starting September 22nd:
SYLLABUS:
– WELCOME! (8/25):
o An informal welcome class and primer on how to turn your ideas into comics! I’ll walk you through the process of creating my 1st big Batman arc, “The Court of Owls.”
– OPENINGS (9/22):
o How to make your book sound like…you! In this session, we’ll talk about choosing techniques that fit your story and look at successful openings that announce your book impactfully.
– CHARACTERIZATION Pt. 1 (10/20):
o We’ll discuss how to build compelling characters and introduce them to your reader through showing and/or telling.
– CHARACTERIZATION Pt. 2 (11/17):
o Character arcs—you hear a lot about them, but what are they and how do they work? What’s the difference between a character arc and plot?
– 3 ACT STRUCTURE (12/15):
o Breaking down your full story. We’ll look at how to structure your whole arc by using classic architectural techniques.
– VILLAINS (1/19):
o Making good bad guys…
– SCENE BUILDING (2/16):
o Writing a good scene is about more than character or plot or dialogue… We drill down and look at how great scenes work on multiple layers.
– COLLABORATION (3/16):
o Working with artists. A discussion with some amazing special guests about getting the best out of your partner (and yourself).
– PITCHING (4/20):
o Writing a pitch that sells your series. What’s a pitch and how does it work? We’ll talk to major editors about what all the best pitches have in common.
– LESSONS (5/18):
o Things I’ve learned the hard way…
– *BONUS! STUDENTS CHOICE (6/15):
o An extra class, the topic of which will be chosen by you guys!
You can pay for the courses either monthly or yearly and there are two options to sign up;
- MONTHLY:For $7 a month, you get access to everything teaching related. The MONTHLY LIVE CLASS, the ARCHIVED CLASSES, plus TEACHING TIPS I’m going to put up once a week or so. Folks who sign up in the first 48 hours will also get access to the 4 LIVESTREAMS with me–more on these below!
- YEARLY:For $75 for the year ($9 less than the monthly) you get everything in the monthly plan AND access to 4 EXCLUSIVE LIVESTREAMS with me, where we’ll connect more directly, and I’ll answer YOUR questions about all things comics-related.
You can head over to the Substack to sign up for the program through the Best Jackett Press newsletter site.
https://bestjackettpress.substack.com/p/announcing-scott-snyders-comic-writing
