Webcomic Wonderland discussion
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Madeleine Holly-Rosing
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Q&A with Madeleine Holly-Rosing
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I hope to run a kickstarter campaign in a few months to help finish the last three issues of BMS. We have the budget for three, but that's it. Also, when you guys come to the website, please click on the ads (Google) as it sends a few pennies my way and costs you nothing. :)
Writing your own world (or your own subset) is not only fun, it's cheap therapy. Really! You can explore what is important to you and how different things might work (or might have worked).Novels are fun but several will see the delete button before you find something you're actually willing to put your name on and market.
@Mike I have to clear off my corkboard and start setting up a timeline. Right now, it's all in my head but that's about ready to explode. BMS stories start from about almost 40 years prior to the webcomic and everywhere in between.
Mod
Yes! Thank you! :) Sorry I forgot to let you know!
The problem with comics is the expense of hiring an artist, colorist and letterer. You would think you could get one person to do the whole thing, but you quickly learn they are different skill sets.
This is a huge thing for comics a lot of people don't realize. Most interesting to me over the years as I've read them is how much a different colorist can affect the look of the base artist's work.
Madeleine wrote: "Also, when you guys come to the website, please click on the ads (Google) as it sends a few pennies my way and costs you nothing. :) "I do this for all of the webcomics I read. It's a way for me to contribute without breaking the bank. :)
@Bill Yes, it's definitely cheap therapy. LOL Fortunately, I already have a small press publisher who is interested in the novel as they have already seen the treatment. But we'll see how that goes.
@Mike I think colorists can make or break a comic. I just read one that was set in war time, scifi, future thing. Writing and art were OK, but all the colors were bright and pastel. It completely ruined the tone for me.
The problem with comics is the expense of hiring an artist, colorist and letterer. You would think you could get one person to do the whole thing, but you quickly learn they are different skill sets.For us normal people, perhaps, but then along comes someone like Sarah Ellerton who wrote, scripted, drew, lettered and published all 800 pages of The Phoenix Requiem by herself.
Mike wrote: "This is a huge thing for comics a lot of people don't realize. Most interesting to me over the years as I've read them is how much a different colorist can affect the look of the base artist's work."My brother calls colorists "the unsung heroes of the comic industry". You don't realize how important the coloring is until you experience really bad work.
I was really lucky to get Gloria and Fahriza who are new like I am. For those of you who don't know, BMS is the first comic I have ever written. And yes, it has gone through plenty of re-writes before you guys saw it.
Mod
I'll definitely keep my eyes open (and will do some ad clicking).
How'd you settle on six issues? Determined by plotting out the length of the original story you had in mind for the tv pilot?
Would you possibly be in doing more after the six or would it be time to focus more on other mediums?
@Bill and Mike Sarah Ellerton is an exception to the rule. Originally, Emi was going to letter for me but it became apparent that wasn't going to work out well. :)And I was lucky to meet Christina Strain and saw her work. It blew me away. I had no idea. BTW, she colored the first page of BMS as a favor to me. :)
How long did it take for you to feel good enough about the webcomic that you could post it online?
@Mike Six issues was right for the storyline I had planned out. The TV pilot structure had to be ignored because it simply didn't have enough meat to it to sustain either a graphic novel or 6 issues.As for doing another story arc after the first 6, I do have some ideas sketched out, but I have to focus on what's actually going to bring in some money. Whether that means a novel or screenwriting depends on what's going on when this is done. It will be nice to sell BMS as a trade though. :)
@Kristen It went through numerous rewrites in my sequential art class and my instructor and pretty much everyone knew it was ready to go. When you do this enough, you get a sense when a project is ready. But of course when the art is done, the project is locked.However, I do look back on it now and see where I'd make some changes. Maybe smooth out some transitions, etc. But the story would remain the same.
@Kristen But if I had to put a time on it, the webcomic was two years in the making, which includes looking for an artist and taking classes.BTW, my instructor was Nunzio DeFillippi the co-writer of BAD MEDICINE, AVALON CHRONICLES and many more graphic novels from Oni Press.
Madeleine wrote: "I have to focus on what's actually going to bring in some money."Is Boston Metaphysical Society your main source of income? How do you make it profitable?
I was very fortunate to have an excellent teacher and the other students in the class were exceptional. Like anything in life, if you want to get good at it you must surround yourself with people who are as good or are better than you are.
@Kristen. LOL I make virtually no income from BMS. Certainly not enough to cover costs which I hope to do through advertising and selling the books. The only way to make it profitable is to sell it and develop it in a different medium, i.e, TV, movie, novels. Even if a publisher came on board, the money made would not be much.What the comic has done for me is that it has provided exposure as a writer. :)
It has allowed me to build a brand for myself as a genre writer which I have augmented by writing the novellas. There will be a BMS novel. I just have to figure out which story I want to tell first. I'm up for suggestions...
Anyway...any more questions as I think we're going to wrap this up.
Mod
What the comic has done for me is that it has provided exposure as a writer. :) "
It's a very interesting (and I'd imagine frustrating at times) balance. It sounds like you've had to be incredibly adaptable to changes in medium, structure, etc. I hope things continue to build and branch out.
If there's anything wants to ask me later, you can always email thru goodreads.
Thank you, Kristen. And thank you for having me. I hope this was interesting for everyone.
Mod
Couldn't be more true. This was the best piece of advise I ever received from my teachers.
It was wonderful having you, Madeleine! Thanks for doing this with us!
So I'll do my usual plug...if your budget allows, please buy the print edition. And be sure to check out the short stories/novellas as well.
Mod
Very much so. Thanks Madeleine!
Nicely done. Thank you very much, Madeleine!
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That sounds incredibly awesome to me. :)
"As for prose, it's hard, hard, hard, but it allows you to explore the world and your characters much more fully. And I love that."
I can imagine. Your enthusiasm for that level of depth really shows in the stories. The world is so well developed it seems to have near-limitless potential for stories, histories and spin-offs. Must be very tough to keep it all straight, but of course as a reader I find it delightful.