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Also, anyone who knows me and wants to collaborate artistically let me know.

Also, after reading the horrendously sketchy brief above, who wants to art me up when I get the scripts underway?

Excitement over a new idea is also great, but why not let the editors of the magazine make a decision on such small matters as, you know, the artists they want involved... .

You eventually reach a point when you've been writing long enough that things become instinctual, when you just naturally know what is too much or too little.

So how are your instincts at this point? 

Hey, when it comes to writing a script, a writer should be exact to his vision. All that worrying about the artist comes later...like when an editor actual accepts the script and assigns the writer. One step at a time, ha ha.

For my pre 500 issues I used this website

http://www.silveracre.com/

(look under comic supplies can't direct link as framed (who still does that?))

Having said that having just had a quick look it would seem they still have the old bags but not the boards that used to match?

Nope. They no longer have larger board sizes or the old prog-sized boxes (but still picture them). I can't for the life of me remember where I was getting my boards and boxes - fellow boarder blixab, bless him, rounded up the last boxes I needed before I left your shores.

[1 splash and 1 double splash... cheers for that LOD!]

I thought I'd throw this into the mix. It's something I've been working on with Locust O'Death since last year, which is still at the concept stage atm. Fingers crossed I'll actually get round to drawing the first lot of pages (1 splash and 1 double splash... cheers for that LOD!) in the coming months.

I GIVE YOU BROTHER DEATH!

I am attempting to take the term "motherdrokking writer" to dizzying new heights!

No worries!

If you're new to script-writing immediately submit to any one of FutureQuake Press' titles - those boys will be brutally honest (negative or positive) about not only your story but your script; I can't tell you how much they helped me out in the beginning of my comics writing (non)career.

Incidentally, I hope I'm not coming across argumentative here! (That wasn't my intention) I'm very new to this scripting malarkey, and I appreciate the advice too.

Not at all, Mardroid (and I hope the same, that I'm not sounding like a jerk).

I meant that it's too bad this wasn't in a separate post - it's informative in parts, could be a good resource. however, not many writers may find the info on this thread.

I might have left out the bit about the guts splattering the table, and leave it up to the artist to decide whether or not to draw that level of detail, but that's just me.

The guts splattering is actually very important to what happens next in the script  .

"Overly verbose" is much, much different than "details that are needed". It's possible to be very detailed and descriptive yet concise at the same time! Mr. Ewing forwarded me several of his Damnation Station (haven't read any Zombos...maybe I should ask!) scripts and he works this way - he can be very detailed, but the script is still very tight. I think the main thing to remember - is too not go all Walking Dead and have our characters vomit word balloons all over the page. That seems to bother Thargie a great deal.

Anyway, I wish we'd have put all of this in a separate post! Poor Mrs. Tu wanted opinions on his story and we've massively hijacked this thread!

Emperor is spot on, and said much more eloquently what I was getting on at, and Tordel followed up nicely. Again, I'm no pro...but I have been published quite often in the small press (not so often as dear Emps, however).

Anyway, here are a few panel description from my latest venture, El Bigote. You can compare what I wrote to the panels that resulted here (be aware these are in order of the preview, not in order of the script's proper sequence): http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,34633.msg634387.html#msg634387.


[1]   Mexico: the night sky is layered with black clouds; eerie corpse-faces stares from their swirling bowels. A full moon shines down on a Mexican village; the crumbling adobe buildings appear almost like tombstones in a graveyard. This is a squalid place, a haven for outlaws and thieves, guttersnipes and gunslingers – but this night it is silent and still. The streets are empty, the windows dark.

Emerging from the night, seen only in silhouette, a rider travels towards the village on an undead ostrich (yes, that's right – an undead ostrich). This is El Bigote, a dead man returned from the grave; he is dressed in bandito gunfighter attire; a gigantic mustache akin to a porcupine bristles on his upper lip; the mustache-quills are deadly weapons, razor-sharp projectiles.

1 Caption:
IN HAUNTED MEXICO, EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS NEVER ENDS!

2 Title/Credits:
EL BIGOTE: A TEQUILA-DRENCHED RECKONING


[2]   Close on Cráneo's palm, in which he holds several wooden bullets with crosses carved onto their surfaces.

1 Cráneo:
BALAS DE EXORCISMO...


[3]   Push out a little as Cráneo loads the wooden bullets into his revolver.

1 Cráneo:
THE ONLY SUREFIRE WAY TO KILL A CORPSE.


[4]   Push out a little to focus on Cráneo as he flips the loaded chamber into place.

1 Cráneo:
DON'T SHOOT UNTIL YOU SEE THE YELLOWS OF HIS EYES.


[5]   With blinding speed, Cráneo draws his pistol and fires, blowing a huge hole clean through the bandito's midsection; the bandito's guts splatter onto the table – and the Tequila Worm goes flying. This happens so fast that the Bandito is frozen with a quizzical look on his face as if he's not quite sure if he's (un)dead or not. He still holds the neck of the tequila bottle in his hand; the lower half of the bottle, however, is broken by the gunshot. The alcohol drips onto the blood-soaked table. Any of the saloon's patrons visible in the panel turn to stare at the carnage.

1 Cráneo:
OYE CHINGADOR DE CADÁVER!

2 Old West Gunshot FX:
BLANG


[6]   Close on El Bigote. His eyes are narrowed – vengeance blazes within them.

1 El Bigote:
I F'ONE RECKONS S'HIGH TIME FOR A RECKONIN'.



I go back and forth, detailed and sparse. The first few panel descriptions always tend to be more detailed because they set up: characters, world, atmosphere. After that, I can be more concise because everything is established and only important details (or specific reactions by the characters to specific events).

But I do agree with the point about the artist needing room to have their own input and even when I do put a ton of description in, I'm always open to change.

Quite frankly - and I don't mean to offend - but I find discussions like this incredibly stupid.

Everything boils down to how good the story you're telling is. A writer won't inspire an artist by adding or subtracting description until it's just right - like he's making a porridge. A writer needs to spark the artist's imagination. Start thinking or worrying about rules and your writing becomes very clinical.

Who are any of us (amateurs, all) to tell anyone else how to write a script? As readers we can critique his story, sure, but for all we know he could be writing in the Perfect Script Format.

...but that was the advise I was given by someone who has had a lot of his work published.

I wasn't chastising you on the way you write, I was just commenting on how I do it. I don't worry how others write...and remember, Tharg took a liking to Mr. Moore, so there's no wrong way to format a script as long as the story's good!

That's really cool. Seeing this featurette out of context would make one think Judge Dredd was an arsom sci-fi film. Alas.

I do plan to host the first issue online for free. I'll be sure to put it up on Clickwheel, Comixology, Myebook, ect, but I suppose the idea of hosting it myself on its own webpage is appealing. Right now I do have the blog and that seems to be working well! Thanks for the replies, fellows...got a few things to think about now.

I'm up 4 doodles

My word, Chi - have you thought of cloning yourself?!

You need to put in detailed descriptions which an artist can then translate into pictures.

but the artist should have room to provide their own creative input.

I am no expert, mind. But I write fairly detailed descriptions - but the details are mainly to influence the strip's atmosphere and also inspire the artist to contribute to that atmosphere. The only time I write is when I have a very strong vision, and - right or wrong - I put that vision down on the paper in whatever detail I feel is needed. If that's a single sentence, that works. But if it's four paragraphs, then I'll go that route too!

How did you get on Matthew, still needing a hand?

Sure, Neil - I could always use a hand. I did set up a blog and a facebook page for the comic, but I would like some sort of website, however small, just so everything seems a bit more "official". I'm so terribly computer illiterate, I don't even know how to explain what I'd like!