When I plan out a story, I’ve got all the key points figured out including (generally) the ending. So I know where I’m going. But within that structure, or set of waypoints, are “open areas” that leave me freedom to “fill in” the story. This is definitely one of those kinds of strips that shows up in those spots, unplanned. Often they end up being really good strips. In fact, the last two strips would fall in that category.

We know John is boorish and wears his ego as protection. He’s kind of a jerk sometimes, a little self centered and maybe not the brightest bulb in the lot. But what else do we know about him? He did reveal that he was an orphan to Ril when they first met. But here Asimov hits all the typical reasons why he figures John wants to go home, but it looks like none of them fit. Other than Earth being home, it doesn’t sound like John has a whole lot waiting for him. Almost makes you feel sorry for the guy!

I’ve mentioned before that I read a lot, typically sci-fi but some fantasy. Anyway I just finished Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. I’ve not read a whole lot of his catalog, actually. This book centers around Earth being visited by the Overlords – a massively advanced alien race – that forces them into one world government and peace. This seems good initially but it turns out they have plans that they are not letting us know.

It seemed like a really great premise, but the book just never delivered. The book is somewhat short at like 225 pages – not necessarily a bad thing. But the problem was I never really connected with any Earth characters, and the aliens are not really the protagonists either. There’s nobody to latch onto in the story. So at the end when dramatic things are happening, I was not really affected. I wanted to find out, I had invested the time reading the book, but I really didn’t care so much.

It’s important that you have characters people care about. I think that with Marooned, that is something I need to work on. Do we really care what happens to John? Often he’s kind of a jerk. And Asimov isn’t exactly someone you love even though lots of people get a kick out of his comments. Anyway, it’s something that’s on my mind and I’m trying to improve.

My next book is Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein which I started last night. I’ve wanted to read it for some time. So far, pretty interesting.

Previously on Marooned…

If you are a new reader, you have jumped in at the perfect time. We’ve just begun a brand new story in Marooned. All you need to know is that Captain John (the spaceman) and Asimov (the robot) have been stranded on Mars. Ugo the Martian (the green guy) has put them up in the Martian underground city Vita, and they live there now. There are other various Martians you’ll meet along the way. Sit back and enjoy the story!

If you want to be fully informed, you can start reading from the beginning.

You can also read Episodes in full-screen mode without digging through the archive!

As you know I loved Michael Rubens scifi space opera The Sheriff of Yrnameer. Michael was nice enough to agree to an interview. Below Michael talks about his influences, his writing process and his thoughts around being compared to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Many thanks to Michael for taking the time to answer some questions. And the best of all, Michael has begun working on a sequel. Hmm, maybe I can finagle my hands on a preview for the next one…

Tom Dell’Aringa: When I read about your background writing and producing for CNN, the Travel Channel and Oyxgen I was surprised (but happy) that your first novel was a science fiction space opera. The only experience that seems to fit is your work with The Daily Show. What made you choose science fiction?

Micheal Rubens: I grew up reading fantasy and scifi, and I think what attracted me to writing it is the same thing that attracted me to reading it: the normal rules don’t apply, meaning the author has tremendous freedom in terms of world-building, plot, number and distribution of the characters’ eyeballs, etc.

Tom: You seem a complete natural writing for science fiction and space opera in particular. What authors and books do you think influenced The Sherriff of Yrnameer?

Michael: People tend to think of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, but I actually consider The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison to be a stronger influence. Cole, the main character of Yrnameer, is somewhat like an incompetent third cousin to Harrison’s great antihero Jim DiGriz.

Tom: It’s inevitable that people are going to compare The Sherriff of Yrnameer with Douglas Adams’ work. Early in the book I almost felt like I was reading one of Adams’ books. To me, it was wonderful and I literally woke up my wife laughing out loud at parts while reading in bed. But there are always going to be fans of his work who will chafe at the similarity in style. How do you feel about those comparisons?

Michael: Yeah, if you write humorous scifi it’s hard to avoid those comparisons — even the flap copy of the hardcover makes them. Those comparisons tend to make me very nervous, because that’s sacred territory for many fans, and I think one can only suffer in comparison to a pioneer like Adams. As I mentioned, the other comparison that I tend to get is with Terry Pratchett, whose work I had never read until I was about halfway finished with writing Yrnameer. Reading Pratchett’s work made me stop writing for about a month — why bother, I thought, who could ever match this guy. Someone called me the next Terry Pratchett. There will never be a next Terry Pratchett or a next Douglas Adams. I’m just hoping that people can enjoy my book for what it is.

That said, if every person who ever bought a Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett book bought my book…..

Tom: In your FAQ you talk about how the book grew out of a pilot you wrote (but never sent out) for television, with branded planets being the logical end to the trend corporate naming for stadiums. It seems that the corporate branding issue is really only the backdrop or milieu for the story of Cole to take place where he attempts to solve his issues with Kenneth, the women in his life and the situation on Yrnameer. Was Cole always the real center of the story or did he evolve more as the pilot grew into a novel?

Michael: To be honest, it’s hard to reconstruct the process by which the story grew — did the setting come first, or the characters, or the story? It’s all sort of blurry by now.

Tom: What was your writing process like? Was the book completed on the side while you worked on other shows?

Michael: I haven’t really had the luxury of being able to write full time, except for some periods when I was between gigs. I try to write a little bit each day — at least a page. When I can, I sprint, and crank out as many pages as possible. Most times, though, it’s a slow, steady marathon.

Tom: One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book were the interesting and likable characters. The cast is large enough to be varied and interesting, yet well crafted enough that they all have their own voices. None of them seem flat or uninteresting. Even Kenneth, who you would have to classify as the villain, is likable and even funny. What do you think the key is to creating and writing good characters?

Michael: First off, thanks for saying that. Second, I’m not sure what the key is — I’m still trying to figure that out. Ask me again in about five books, and I might have a cogent answer.

Tom: In writing for Marooned, I’m constantly trying to strike a balance between telling a larger story and injecting some fun humor. It is a comic after all. Your book is very funny, but there’s also the story of Cole who goes through some key changes and must make some tough decisions throughout the book. There’s no doubt he comes out something of a different person at the end, and he had to make choices that certainly went against his historical character. How important was it to you that the reader see the changes in Cole, and to a lesser extent change in some of the other characters versus having the story be funny and lighthearted?

Michael: I think there has to be an undercurrent of real tension and danger and reality to the situation — otherwise it’s just completely absurd, and you don’t care what happens to the characters one way or the other. And it’s a cliche, but the characters really do have to undergo some sort of change — for better or worse — for a narrative to be successful. Someone said on their blog that they found the book funny and entertaining, but also unexpectedly moving, which really made me happy.

Tom: There are so many different ways authors work around the issue of star travel and long distances. I found your concept of “bending” to be unique and fun which fit the story perfectly. I really enjoyed the descriptions of what happened while they were bending. How important did you think the description and science behind their method of interstellar travel was to the overall story, and how did you end up with the concept of bending?

Michael: I think I was just looking for some solution other than “jumping,” which seems to be the preferred verb for interstellar travel — “We have to make the jump to the Wahoogee system!” Bending seemed as good as anything else, and sort of made sense to someone like me with my infantile grasp of actual physics. Plus it allowed me to make a childish joke, i.e. the motto of the BendBox company is “Get Bent!”

Tom: You mention you hope there will be many more hapless misadventures for Cole. I can only hope this is true. The end of the book clearly seems to indicate there’s plenty more to Cole’s story. Have you begun work on the next story?

Michael: I’ve been lucky enough to have a few other writing projects, but they sort of took me away from the world of Yrnameer for a bit. That said, I have started on the sequel.

Thanks again Michael. If you haven’t read the book yet, head over and get your copy now!

I love a good space opera. I’m thinking that’s probably obvious.

Michael Rubens is an author that is new to the science fiction scene. He is a television writer and producer whose credits include CNN, the Travel Channel, Oxygen, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he was a field producer. Clearly, the man has talent!

So when I found out about Michael Rubens’ first novel The Sheriff of Yrnameer was a new science fiction space opera in the mold of Douglas Adams, I got pretty excited. I don’t buy many hardcover books new (I usually wait for paperbacks or buy used) but after reading a sample chapter (you can read the beginning in the PDF preview at the Amazon link at the bottom of the page) I knew I was going to get this one right away.

There are those who feel that The Sheriff of Yrnameer is a Douglas Adams clone (or worse), but I don’t know how you can fault a person for writing in a certain style. It doesn’t make any sense. We can thank J.R.R Tolkien for spawning the “high fantasy” genre. When authors come out with a book that is “Tolkien-esque” it supposed to be a great compliment. I feel the same way in this case. Michael Rubens’ book is “Adams-esque” and yes, I believe it should be a great compliment.

So if you liked Douglas Adams Hitchhiker Series or Dirk Gently books, you will greatly enjoy The Sheriff of Yrnameer.

But what is it about? Well my friends, this book is high space opera! We have our protagonist:

You had me at “hapless space rogue” Michael. But that is only the beginning.

I’m certain that the idea of a hideous and fearsome bounty hunter who lays eggs in others brains is an idea that is pure genius. That bounty hunter is one Kenneth, one of many wonderfully sculpted and enjoyable characters in the book. I don’t recall ever reading a character quite like him. I mean the guy has a soft spot for true love! Let’s get to the rest of the synopsis (from Michael’s site):

Many books are called “page-turners” but few live up to the hype. The Sheriff of Yrnameer delivers. From the beginning drama of the “I’m going to lay my eggs in your brain” incident to Cole stealing Teg’s (a famous and amazingly handsome and successful space rogue himself) space yacht, the story is a delight. It’s filled with hilarious moments – some even laugh out loud funny. Cole suffers from his own stupidity and poor choice making. He obsesses about Teg’s good looks. He only cares about himself. But slowly through the course of the book, he is forced to change. And when through a strange and fortuitous event he becomes sheriff of Yrnameer he will end up having to make the ultimate choice between his own self preservation and that of those who are truly counting on him.

The story is inventive and unique. One highlight is their stopover at the corporate seminar satellite, Success!Sat 1, which unfortunately has been taken over by zombies. Yrnameer is not a zombie story. But these couple of chapters are hilarious and tension filled. The reason these folks became zombies – and their apparent self denial about the situation – is really fun.

The supporting characters in the book are great. We’ve already discussed Kenneth. You have Nora and Philip, the keeper of the freeze-dried orphans on the ship Cole hijacked. There’s some great tension between Nora and Cole and it makes for some great moments in the book. You have Bacchi, another rogue (an alien too) who also stows away on ship. Bacchi and Cole know each other and had a previous encounter. Bacchi is even less trustworthy than Cole. Add in a computer whose consciousness ends up being housed in two robotic bodies – a computer who should have never survived gaining sentience in the first place – and you’ve got a great cast.

Rubens’ solution to interstellar travel is a concept called “bending” where by some manner a ship “bends” space and is able to travel great distances. However entering into bendspace is something of a mind trip. It’s tough to come up with new ideas around the idea of faster-than-light travel, but I think the bending solution is another stroke of genius and again adds to the fun of the book. Because when you enter bendspace, you don’t just sit in a chair comfortably. Things get… weird.

Amongst all the humor and excitement runs the thread of a compelling story. Can Cole save himself from Kenneth? Will he win the love back of the only woman that he really, truly loved? (What’s more, his life may depend on it!) Can he protect the townspeople from horrible outlaws when he has no real weapons and the people are hopeless allies? Or will he just betray them in the end and save himself?

Rubens suggests on his site that we’ll get more of Cole. I can only hope so, because he’s a great character in an exciting and fun universe and I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time. The Sheriff of Yrnameer is a permanent fixture on my shelves, a book that will be read and reread over the years for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Not only is Michael Rubens a great writer, he’s a super nice guy to boot. He agreed to let me interview him. I’ve sent off my questions and I will post the interview on my next blog post. Until then, get yourself a copy of The Sheriff of Yrnameer!

It’s not enough to just move the plot along, there needs to be some kind of payoff for you readers each time you come here, and that’s not always been the case. So at least know that I’m working on improving in that regard (hopefully tomorrow’s strip is a step in the right direction.)

But to help things along, I’m getting together (via telephonic technology) with my buddy Steve Ogden to have some story meetings. He’s going to talk me off the ledge of Marooned and help me make some sense out of this mess called Marooned. We’re also going to spend some time talking about his Moon Town project (check it out on his web site).

I was interested in Moon Town before I even met Steve, so that should be really fun. If you take a look, the character designs and story ideas are wonderful. As always, there’s never enough time to do all the projects we want. But I’m encouraged that he wants to kick the story around, because I know he wants to see it to fruition.

Also a little birdie told me that Croaker’s Gorge may start updating again soon. That would also be great.

But I do wonder what YOU FOLKS think of the story. I’m grateful people have stuck around through the ups and downs. I’d be really interested to hear your opinions, especially from those people who have never commented or don’t normally comment – I promise I won’t bite!

1. Come up with a cast of characters that can work off of each other

When starting a webcomic, it’s real tempting to dive in with the first character or idea that you have and begin drawing and writing. But hold on there speedy! If you want some longevity in your strip, you are going to want to think about how these characters interact. What you really want is a cast of characters that can play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

When I say “cast” I don’t mean you need a large number. Some of the most successful strips have had very few main characters. Calvin and Hobbes was really all about Calvin and his toy tiger, Hobbes. While there are other characters there, their job is to support the main characters.

In Marooned, the main characters are Captain John, Asimov the robot and Ugo the Martian. There are other characters in the strip, but they support what is going on with the big guys.

So think about who the main players are going to be in your strip, and then think about how they can interact to create interesting, funny or dramatic situations. If you have a hard time coming up with those situations then you need to do more thinking about who these characters are and what they mean to each other.

2. Sit down and write your “character bible”

Once you have a handle on your cast, you need to create what is known as a “character bible.” This is a living document that really only you will ever see. It’s a reference tool for you to help you remember what your character motivations are, what their conflicts are and some bits and pieces about who they are, where they’ve been and where they want to go.

There’s really no one way to build up a reference like this. For Marooned, I have a Google document that I use that is sectioned off by character. (And a “character” can be many things, for example the New Frontier Federation is a “character” in my strip). I have lots of information about who Captain John, Asimov and Ugo are along with pieces about who the lesser players are as well. There’s detail in there that lets me think about who these people are deep down. Stuff that will never see a strip, but that helps point me in the right direction.

Anything and everything is game for this reference. If you think it will help you, put it in there – remember it’s just for you. But there are two key items that should be in there about at least every main character: motivation and conflict. You really want to know what motivates your character and what conflicts they face in their life, because these things greatly shape how they will act. This is true in real life as well, just think about those things regarding yourself.

For Captain John, his motivations revolve around his insecurity and desire for praise and acceptance. His conflicts are both internal and external. He struggles with his hard outer shell which he uses as a protection against failure. He also is very conflicted about working with an AI robot. When you know these types of things you are better equipped to know how your character will act and more specifically, what they might even say in a given situation.

Keep this document living and evolving and it will constantly help you write.

3. Be thinking about your strip and always be ready to capture ideas

Hopefully you are doing a webcomic because you love the art form. Therefore you should be thinking about your strip at least a couple times a day (especially if you are keeping an on-time posting schedule!) Unfortunately, there are very few web cartoonists who do this for a living, so you need a way to capture ideas when they hit you – because if you don’t, you will forget them!

It’s easy enough to carry around a small notebook and a pen or pencil, even if you work outside or away from a desk you can keep it in your car, locker or whatever. The key is to have a place to write down something when inspiration strikes so you don’t lose it.

For me, once again I keep a Google document called “strip ideas” that I cut and paste into. Because I work at a desk I always have access to it. However, I also bring my sketchbook to work, so if I want to sketch it out I can do that too.

Don’t forget night time as well. I’ve had a few ideas in the middle of the night where I had to get up and set them down. It’s best to have something by your bed to record an idea because it’s real easy to fall asleep before you do – and then forget what it was!

4. “Sketch” out your dialog

This may seem odd since we are talking writing, but you have to remember that webcomics are a visual art form. Once I have my strip idea, I sit down and write out the dialog for each panel across the top of the page. Here’s what that looks like (along with some sketches):

The idea is to begin visually laying out the dialog. Your dialog is just as much a visual element of your strip as anything else. Words form shapes and word balloons and groups form shapes that subtlely affect the reader. Plus, you want to fit things in properly. Nearly every time I do this I immediately find some issue that needs changing or something I can add or take away. This is also a good idea to get a handle on if you have too much or too little text.

5. Examine every word

When you have your dialog sketched/written out, it’s time to examine your words. Words are everything! Words are wonderful! Don’t be content just to write “see Dick run” when you could write “Dick sprinted to Jane with gusto!” Cheesy example but you get the point. Think about how your characters talk, too. Do they have a fondness for a certain type of speech or certain words? Maybe your character just would not say that particular word, or you can think of a better word for them (this is where the character bible comes in handy).

Don’t be afraid to try new words or even – gasp – use a dictionary or thesaurus! While you don’t need to go overboard in this regard, simply going over your words and seeing how you can add some spice, humor, character or style to your dialog can really help polish your writing.

6. Cut the fat!

Once you are satisfied with the words, it’s time to prune them down. Seem counter-productive? It’s not. In the step previous you were looking for the right type of words. Now you are looking to pare the dialog down to its essence – the very center of the point for each sentence.

This is of primary importance in a comic strip, and especially those dealing with humor. Extra words, or wordy sentences (or heaven forbid run-on sentences!) make for tedious and murky reading for your reader. What you want is snappy, tight writing.

In one of my strips, Ugo is telling Captain John that hey have a place for them to stay. My sketched out dialog was this:

“We can set you and Asimov up in one of the empty dwellings.”

Ugh! That’s awful wordy and clunky. So I cut it to:

“We’ve prepared a dwelling place for you here.”

During the thumbnail sketching, I realized I could just have Ugo pointing to the house, so it finally became:

“We’ve prepared this dwelling for you.”

I was able to chop it down from 13 words to 6 and get my point across much more succinctly. Remember you aren’t writing prose, this isn’t a novel. The visual aspect of a webcomic is just as important (some would say more, some might say less) than the words. Regardless of how you feel about that, tight polished writing will flow better and read better for your readers.

There may be times when you want to say a lot – possibly a bit of exposition or a flashback. Even during those types of panels, you should strive to keep the paragraphs polished and tight. My wife is a writer and just finished a 120 page screenplay. She went over and over this script time and again to “cut the fat” out of each and every sentence. That’s a whole screenplay – we’re talking about one comic strip! So remember to “cut the fat” out of your words.

7. Proofread, proofread and proofread!

By this point, you have seen too much. Hand it over to someone who has not seen it yet and ask them to look for errors. Because if you don’t, you will post mistakes and you will feel like a dufus. If that person is someone you trust you could ask for suggestions at that point on the writing, but that is up to you. I am lucky in that my wife is a seasoned professional writer – and her nickname is “eagle eye” on top of it – so she catches my mistakes.

There have been times when I have forgotten to have her read a strip, and guess what? Yep, mistakes go up on the web site. You don’t need a professional to do this for you, just get at least one pair of eyes other than your own to take a look.

Follow these seven steps and writing your strip should become a joy instead of a chore, and that’s the idea right?