Ask the Author: Mark Andrew Smith
Answered Questions (8)
Mark Andrew Smith
Didn’t read anything I loved this summer. Need some good recommendations.
Mark Andrew Smith
This is a hard question. A lot of great books have dystopias so I would probably want to stay in a comfortable spot or travel to another world for personal gain and get in and get out. Westeros would be too dangerous as well as the world of the Dark Tower. Middle Earth would be okay post ring stuff. For comics maybe the world of One Piece or Harry Potter could be fun. But it would depend on if I was myself in that world or a main character meaning that if I went into the world of Harry Potter, I would still be myself and a muggle. For the best balance the world of Stardust might be the best or OZ would be run. I would probably use my knowledge of the book to get around and take something of great value and power that was hidden like an invisibility cloak or be in the right place at the right time for something else. HARD QUESTION TO ANSWER.
Mark Andrew Smith
At its best you can wake up and start writing in the morning and it's a great feeling. Comics can also be excruciatingly painful, time consuming, expensive to produce, with very little or no reward.
Mark Andrew Smith
Make sure it stays fun. You can work and work and it doesn't mean that you'll get anything back from your work. Comic Books in general are very hard, time consuming, and expensive to pay for colors and letters, at the end of the day. Then once you finish something there are no guarantees how it will be recieved. Often with this industry people want to see you fail or get angry if you succeed. People are more about knocking other peoples' sandcastle over thinking that it will make theirs look better.
Mark Andrew Smith
I am working on 'Gladstone's School for World Conquerors' 4.
Mark Andrew Smith
'New Brighton Archeological Society' began with the name. While at UC Santa Barbara one of my jobs was working in a bagel shop and one item on the menu was a sandwich called the New Brighton. For some reason it stuck in my head and I came up with the title 'New Brighton Archeological Society'. I then began sketching and coming up with short story ideas for it. It was hard to find the right artist for it at first untill I met Matthew Weldon. I was editing the Popgun Anthology at the time and decided to do a few New Brighton short stories and run them in there. It was a good way to get comfortable with the characters and the world by taking a few baby steps. After finishing the shorts the long form book came to me quickly and it was a lot of fun to write. I wrote it sections and they're almost short stories of their own threaded together into the larger story. As of writing this we have 'New Brighton Archeological Society' Book 2 in print and it's an amazing book. Hopefully we can find a way to generate enough interest to wrap up the story and do a few more books.
Mark Andrew Smith
For writing inspiration, I'll usually have a sketchbook and start drawing in it and it's a very relaxing process that opens the mind up and let's it take a journey. Once I get an idea I like, I'll fill up a lot of notebook pages and then type them up in a word document. From there I start doing breakdowns by page and start fleshing out the dialogue.
Usually, I write in chapters or sections and then tie those parts together. Going on walks or doing laps in the pool also inspire me to write. If I'm watching too much Tv or too many movies, it's not good, so I almost have to bore myself, so that I generate my own content and clear everything else out of there so the gears in my head start moving. I also have a folder in my desktop full of art that inspires me and I can browse through those images and a story will usually come to mind.
Usually, I write in chapters or sections and then tie those parts together. Going on walks or doing laps in the pool also inspire me to write. If I'm watching too much Tv or too many movies, it's not good, so I almost have to bore myself, so that I generate my own content and clear everything else out of there so the gears in my head start moving. I also have a folder in my desktop full of art that inspires me and I can browse through those images and a story will usually come to mind.
Mark Andrew Smith
I'll do an activity like swimming, treadmill, or hiking that frees up my mind and gives me time for it to think through the issue with the story.
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