{"id":1913,"date":"2018-10-16T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T16:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1913"},"modified":"2023-12-21T09:42:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T17:42:56","slug":"devourer-of-words-058-someone-elses-toys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-058-someone-elses-toys\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 058: Someone Else\u2019s Toys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MARC BERNARDIN’S DEVOURER OF WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 058: Someone Else\u2019s Toys<\/h1>\n\n\n
Marc Bernardin<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Toucan<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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There are a couple of ways to make your living writing comics (or TV, or movies, or novels). You can chart a completely new path and make up something brand new, never-before-seen. Or you can tell a story in a world using characters that are pre-existing. If you have to boil it down to their catchiest labels: creator-owned or work for hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creator owned should be, if you\u2019re reading this column, something you\u2019re fairly familiar with. You have an original idea, you pitch it to a company who agrees to publish it, and you keep a percentage of the rights to the work. Work for hire, on the other hand, usually consists of taking a property that already exists\u2014a character, a franchise, a universe\u2014and offer a new story using elements that, for the most part, already exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(There are, of course, exceptions: You can create new characters to place in a company-owned title\u2014i.e., a new baddie for Batman to punch in the face. Also, it\u2019s possible to pitch an entirely fresh creation to a company that makes it clear that they are going to take ALL the rights in exchange for publication. Which is precisely what happened to Adam Freeman and I when we pitched The Highwaymen <\/em>to DC. Those were the conditions and we accepted them. No one was taken advantage of, per se. We knew exactly what we were getting into.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, for this column, we\u2019re going to set aside creator-owned ideas and talk about work for hire. This past week, I was asked if I had a \u201ctake\u201d on a franchise. Which basically means, \u201cHey, if we let you tell a story in this arena, what story would you tell?\u201d (I can\u2019t say which arena at the moment. When I can talk about it will depend on whether or not I get the gig. If I don\u2019t, I can talk about it as soon as they kick me to the curb. If I do, I won\u2019t be able to talk about it for years<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should this kind of opportunity come your way, here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Even Like the Property?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

You might consider yourself the kind of writer who believes she or he can write anything. And that could very well be true. But enthusiasm counts for more than you might care to admit. We can fake it\u2014we\u2019ve all learned how, by now, but enthusiasm will be what pushes you past \u201cpretty good\u201d into \u201coutstanding.\u201d When faced with two equally talented and experienced writers, I believe an editor (or producer or studio executive) will choose the one who loves the material the most. What\u2019s more, enthusiasm will armor you against the litany of notes you\u2019ll get during the process. \u201cYeah, I know these changes are kinda asinine, but it\u2019s GODZILLA, MAN! You\u2019ve wanted to write Godzilla since you were eight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: I\u2019m not pitching on Godzilla<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Have Something to Say?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not enough to deliver the same kind of story they\u2019ve already done. Sure, there\u2019s a place for a Star Wars<\/em> story that simply feels like a Star Wars<\/em> story. But you have to realize that they probably already have people who can do that. The whole reason why they\u2019re opening the gates to a fresh person with a fresh voice is because they\u2019re going to bring something new and different to the table. What can you say with a Star Wars <\/em>story that hasn\u2019t been said before? It doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be politically, though it can be. But it needs to use the toys in the sandbox in a way they haven\u2019t seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Nor am I pitching on Star Wars<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Willing to Say No<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We are hard-wired to chase opportunities, like dogs and passing cars. If someone asks you, \u201cHey, man \u2026 do you think you\u2019ve got a Harry Potter story in you?\u201d if you are anything like every writer I\u2019ve ever met, you\u2019ll say, \u201cYeah, I got something.\u201d Even if you don\u2019t. There is nothing wrong with giving it a few minutes, or even a day of introspection, and coming back with, \u201cThanks; I\u2019m very flattered that you asked, but I\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t have anything phenomenal.\u201d Not only will they understand, but they\u2019ll appreciate the honesty. Because if you lie, they\u2019ll go down the road a ways with you, listening to pitches, trying to get to the nougaty center of them, only to eventually come to the place where you should\u2019ve started\u2014no, you don\u2019t have a Harry Potter story in you\u2014having wasted days if not weeks getting there. There is no shame in no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Yeah, like anyone but J.K. Rowling\u2019s gonna get to write Harry Potter anymore. Please.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shakespeare said it best: Check thyself, lest ye wreck thyself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of every month here on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Marc Bernardin<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n