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"so you want to be a writer?" Charles Bukowski 1920 –1994

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"so you want to be a writer?" Charles Bukowski 1920 –1994

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if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

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My second proposal is a long narrative project. I’m a BIG fan of a series called The Traitors. I’ve watched several seasons from different years. And I’d like to create a parody comic that condenses one of their most controversial seasons into a condensed narrative. Around 25 pages. We’d elevate it through caricature and place emphasis on certain points to create a compelling adaption of the story as I see it.

Story Synopsis:

Traitors is a show where a bunch of contestants raise money and try to uncover the secret members who are plotting to steal it from them before it’s too late! In season 2 of Australia’s version, there was a lot of moments that left certain fans feeling frustrated and angry… They hated the traitors for their vanity and ego! And they hated the other contestants even more for not seeing through them.

I understand why this season is hated but I believe it’s a beautiful narrative about complacency, cruelty, hubris and greed!

I’ll explain more later, but essentially it’s a tale of an extremely charismatic individual growing more confident as they take advantage of other’s paranoia, misogyny and tribalism, until the villain is stopped in the end by someone who sees them for who they truly are. Nobody wins. And I think that’s a reflection of what happens in real life when we let others manipulate us using fear or comfort.

Setting

For practical reasons, I’m setting this in a gothic dark castle with lots of dread! It gives me room for different expressive backgrounds depending on the situation. And I can give the characters all the moody lighting they need.

Medium:

We’re going for quantity over quality. The style is going to be very loose, black and white ink with highlight colours. All done traditionally on 11 x 17 pages, scanned and touched up digitally.

Learning outcome:

This is a LOT of art to get done in a semester. I think this would push me to be creative and looser with my approach so I can hit my deadlines fast in a professional way.

Tone

This story is going to be filled with paranoia and humor with lots of caricature, expressiveness and dread. I’m going to try to keep it funny to make the serious moments hit harder.

Target Audience:
My audience is people who love The Traitors and reality tv. That’s a lot of people. And I think it will make them laugh and resonate with them seeing the story recontextualized with emphasis on certain elements of the story…

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My third and final pitch is concept art for a more lighthearted, dark story about 4 fairies competing to see who can build the best monster. I’d like to develop illustrations to lay the groundwork for fundraising material/kickstarters so I could pitch this on several platforms and turn it into a full book.

Story Synopsis:

Five fairies compete in a contest where they have to create the best monster. After one of them named Pulpitall fails miserably. The fairy godmother tells her not to try that anymore and stick to what she’s good at. Later, the others find her crying and they take pity on her and try to restore her confidence by finding out where things went wrong.

As they go along, they learn many valuable lessons. And at the end, Pulpital realizes she’s still valuable. And it’s okay she didn’t succeed this time and they all work together to create one of her other ideas.

Setting

For practical reasons, I’m setting this in a bright woodland area with lots of flowers and fungi. Gives me lots of room for different expressive backgrounds depending on the situation. And creative lighting choices. And I can give the characters all the background ingredients they need to make them POP.

Medium:

The style is a collection of different explorations, studies and full illustrations. There will be a lot of studies and exploration but in the end, I’m thinking we need a presentation-worthy versions of the following.

Art explorations for the 5 main characters (Isley, Brittlebee, Pulpitall, Mumblebumb, The Fairy Godmother) Each consisting of:

2-3 pose sketches

1 page of expressions

1 full colour illustration

6 sets of monster designs consisting of:

2 to 3 variations for each monster based on their corresponding character (including examples of scale)

Detailed sketches of the following settings:

The garden

The festival

The forests beyond

The nursery

Illustrations of key plot moments:

The reveal of the monsters (festival)

The sculpting (midnight)

The final results (sunrise)

Learning outcome:

I love comic books! And this story specifically. I want to illustrate them. I’m going to make this whether we work on it this semester or not. But I would love to have a hand in

Tone

This story is going to be dreamlike and slightly dark with rich warm colours and lots of atmosphere.

Target Audience:
My audience is people who love fairy tales and horror. I want this to be something I can use to reach people for fundraising on kickstarter or other platforms. Something that can be appreciated by all ages.

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My first proposal is a project about things going wrong while making comic books. I’m going to be narrating under a bitter, hateful pseudonym character. And going through piece by piece all the terrible things that happen when trying to get comics made. And along the way, I’ll be using visual metaphors and narratives to enhance the points (and also show off my skills). The end is going to say don't make comics but if you do, put your heart into it. Because sometimes it works out and the result is beautiful.

Description: I’m going to illustrate an 8-12 page, full-colour comic going through terrible scenarios that comic artists and writers face. Through this process, we’ll set up a lot of scenarios to illustrate different settings and give people the impression that I’m a jack-of-all trades! I’ll be working under a pseudonym avatar that’s very egotistical, grand, hateful and identifiable. We’re not letting readers forget this. Every page will give them something great to chew on. As we go through different types of horror scenarios, fantasies and regrets.

Reasoning: It’s very hard to get hired posting on jobs because your work ends up being lost in the crowd and your best is forgotten easily. Potential employers are just sifting around dozens of PDFS and google drives. And even if your skills are to their tastes, why would they remember you over anyone else that’s more talented? But I think if I had a polished, personality-driven application, with lots of charm, I could send it to 90% of online freelance comic jobs, and it would serve to separate myself and create the most memorable impression out of anyone they’ll ever see!!!

Plus, with the impression that I know horror scenarios and what to avoid, I think I can trick potential employers who read it into thinking I’m trustworthy.

Creative Process:

I intend to identify key aspects of services I’d like to provide - some examples including drawing certain genres like fantasy, romance, horror, noir, and doing hand-lettering, colouring, inking and pencils of course) and more - then illustrating these processes in a way that is interconnected, accessible and engaging.

I’ll be using short, easy to understand, silent narratives behind my advertising, dialogue to keep people engaged and see samples of what I can do for their projects.

Also, I’ll be using a caricature of myself to narrate with a pretty, long, fairy-tale nose, pale skin, thick glasses and a gap between my front teeth so they remember me easier like one of those horror comic anthology characters. I’ll be a folklore creature. Might give myself a crown too if I’m feeling especially vain.

But more importantly, my character will be bitter and old to sell the idea that they hate comic books.

Medium:

The style is to be pencilled traditionally on 11 x 17 tabloid sized paper. Scanned at home and inked digitally. Then added screentones, with colours and word balloons. It’s going to be fast paced and dynamic with a ton of movement and variation in tone. I want to keep viewers captivated at every point!

Learning outcome:

I love comic books! I want to illustrate a lot them before I die. This project would give me the chance to create some nasty, beautiful action and build up my portfolio in a memorable way that increases brand identity and leads to employers remembering me!

Tone

The tone will vary a bit between sequences but I’m going to hit hard at the start with bold panels and then keep it playful, fun and dynamic until I knock their socks off at the end with multiple splash pages back to back. BAM BAM BAM!!!! They won’t know what hit them!!! Mwa haha ha!!!

Target Audience:

My audience is comic book enjoyers! I know that sounds vague but I’m going to be taking a big swing with this one and I think lovers of all genres are going to find parts of this that captivate them especially. And I think they’ll like seeing the behind the scenes talked about.

More specifically though, behind all of this, I’m targeting potential employers who need pencils, inks, colours or assistants on their creative stories and have limited time. I’m trying to build trust between the readers and myself.

Heart:

With this specific project, I’m going to be VERY passionate about it because there’s the access point of how difficult it is. It’s easy to be bitter about comics and all the failures and fear surrounding the, But I also get to draw beautiful, exciting things and show how in the end, it all can come around and s. I’m putting my ego on the line here and I’m going to deliver my best work so people know exactly what I can do for them. And make them (and myself) money through creating dynamic art!!! I’m not hiding behind mock trials. I am openly, obnoxiously and proudly saying “hire me.” Going all-in.