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Write or Wrong : A Writer's Guide to Creating Comics
For over five years Dirk Manning’s “Write or Wrong” column at Newsarama has provided aspiring writers with candid advice, anecdotes and inspiration about how to successfully meet artists, create comics, and get them published. At long last, Dirk collects key columns from his popular long-running series with each installment personally revisited by Manning in preparation for the book’s release. Write or A Writer’s Guide to Creating Comics is an invaluable tool for anyone seeking to create comics, improve their knowledge of the industry and the craft, and/or be simultaneously entertained and informed by this remarkable, forthright and ultimately charming writer as he openly discusses how to overcome the odds and create comics – even if you can’t draw them yourself. Edited by Leah Lederman, cover and production by Jim Reddington.
“Write or Wrong is an all-encompassing account of a comic creator’s journey from amateur mistakes to professional triumph. Dirk’s experiences were an invaluable tool for my own growth as a creator and I guarantee that all budding writers will find something of incredible value within this book.” – Joey Esposito, Senior Editor of IGN.com, writer of Footprints
“No one breaks down the comics-writing process quite like Dirk Manning. Conversational and entertaining, encouraging but realistic, Dirk takes on the ins and outs of the practice, the process, and the life of writing in Write or Wrong. Also, awesome hat.” – Troy Brownfield, Founder of Shotgun Reviews, writer of Sparkshooter and Grimm Fairy Myths & Legends
“Dirk Manning’s Write or Wrong is packed with crucial advice for comics creators – what to do, what not to do, how to brand yourself – it’s all here! Through this engaging book, Dirk takes you along on his journey from self-publishing webcomics to becoming a pro published by Image Comics and others. If you want to make comics, read this book!” – Rob Anderson, General Manager of Andy Schmidt’s Comics Experience, writer of Rex, Zombie Killer
“If you’re itching to find your way into the insular comic industry, you won’t go wrong listening to what Dirk Manning has to tell you about how to go about it. He’s been down the road you want to travel, and he’s reached the other side triumphantly.” – Andy Hunsaker, Comics Editor, Crave Online
“I found Write or Wrong in just the nick of time. As a new creator and an independent publisher trying to hack it on my own, I hit all the walls and snags as well as committed all the classic blunders and mistakes. But right on the verge of giving up during my first year, I discovered Write or Wrong. Dirk’s thoughts and advice were invaluable, and he helped me look at my own situation with fresh eyes and an open mind. Ever since, his words of wisdom and encouragement – all from a fellow writer who genuinely cares about our industry and craft – gave me the push I needed to stand up a little taller, push a little harder, and stay in the game.” – Enrica Jang, Writer and Editor-in-Chief, Red Stylo Media
“There are plenty of ‘How to Write’ books on the market, but very few that give the scoop on actually creating comics. Dirk’s Write or Wrong presents the process in a way that’s encouraging without deluding the reader about fame and fortune; instead this is about developing your creation until that moment when you breathe life into it.” – Amber Love, Founder, AmberUnmasked.com, writer, podcaster, model and costumer
“Dirk Manning knows what he’s talking about. He was ‘DIY’ before ‘DIY’ was cool and his insights on writing and breaking into a confusing industry will help young writers of all ages navigate the craft and business of making comics.” – Michael May, Comic Journalist, Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources and writer of Kill All Monsters!
“Anyone wanting to get into making comics needs to read this book." – Dan Royer, Comic Journalist
“Write or Wrong is an all-encompassing account of a comic creator’s journey from amateur mistakes to professional triumph. Dirk’s experiences were an invaluable tool for my own growth as a creator and I guarantee that all budding writers will find something of incredible value within this book.” – Joey Esposito, Senior Editor of IGN.com, writer of Footprints
“No one breaks down the comics-writing process quite like Dirk Manning. Conversational and entertaining, encouraging but realistic, Dirk takes on the ins and outs of the practice, the process, and the life of writing in Write or Wrong. Also, awesome hat.” – Troy Brownfield, Founder of Shotgun Reviews, writer of Sparkshooter and Grimm Fairy Myths & Legends
“Dirk Manning’s Write or Wrong is packed with crucial advice for comics creators – what to do, what not to do, how to brand yourself – it’s all here! Through this engaging book, Dirk takes you along on his journey from self-publishing webcomics to becoming a pro published by Image Comics and others. If you want to make comics, read this book!” – Rob Anderson, General Manager of Andy Schmidt’s Comics Experience, writer of Rex, Zombie Killer
“If you’re itching to find your way into the insular comic industry, you won’t go wrong listening to what Dirk Manning has to tell you about how to go about it. He’s been down the road you want to travel, and he’s reached the other side triumphantly.” – Andy Hunsaker, Comics Editor, Crave Online
“I found Write or Wrong in just the nick of time. As a new creator and an independent publisher trying to hack it on my own, I hit all the walls and snags as well as committed all the classic blunders and mistakes. But right on the verge of giving up during my first year, I discovered Write or Wrong. Dirk’s thoughts and advice were invaluable, and he helped me look at my own situation with fresh eyes and an open mind. Ever since, his words of wisdom and encouragement – all from a fellow writer who genuinely cares about our industry and craft – gave me the push I needed to stand up a little taller, push a little harder, and stay in the game.” – Enrica Jang, Writer and Editor-in-Chief, Red Stylo Media
“There are plenty of ‘How to Write’ books on the market, but very few that give the scoop on actually creating comics. Dirk’s Write or Wrong presents the process in a way that’s encouraging without deluding the reader about fame and fortune; instead this is about developing your creation until that moment when you breathe life into it.” – Amber Love, Founder, AmberUnmasked.com, writer, podcaster, model and costumer
“Dirk Manning knows what he’s talking about. He was ‘DIY’ before ‘DIY’ was cool and his insights on writing and breaking into a confusing industry will help young writers of all ages navigate the craft and business of making comics.” – Michael May, Comic Journalist, Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources and writer of Kill All Monsters!
“Anyone wanting to get into making comics needs to read this book." – Dan Royer, Comic Journalist
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2012
7 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Dirk Manning
69 books57 followersDirk Manning is best known as the writer/creator of comic series such as TALES OF MR. RHEE (Devil’s Due Publishing) and NIGHTMARE WORLD (Image Comics/Shadowline).
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 5, 2014
I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about creating comics, or interested in the process. Unfortunately, that's not because the book is great, but just because of the lack of good alternatives. All of the advice in this book is sound, but it's so poorly written that it's tough to get through.
I feel like this book could have benefited from a harsh editor. It could easily be half the length, since the author constantly repeats himself. He also tells tons of personal anecdotes, and the book focuses on his story rather than straight-up advice. His story is useful to hear, but not to the level of unrelated, repetitive detail he provides.
However, by far the most distracting part of the writing is the author's heavy use of asides (including nested asides (like this one)). This book has more parentheses than the last 100 books I've read put together. (Which includes Seconds, Bryan Lee O'Malley (of Scott Pilgrim fame)'s latest book, which was pretty good. You have read that, haven't you? (I read it last week.) Wasn't the Scott Pilgrim movie pretty good, too? Not as good as the book, of course.) Anyway, a lot of the asides (as you would expect) have nothing to do with the narrative (and the narrative sometimes has nothing to do with the actual advice that you're reading the book to get!) You know what I mean? (If not, can I recommend reading my comic, published by Jim Valentino of Image Comics (called Nightmare World)?)
If you liked the style of writing of the previous paragraph, you will like this book. And who knows? Maybe some people do like it. The author is clearly going for a friendly, approachable style ... but it was just too casual and disorganized for me.
Also, the book is lacking in information about actual writing, focusing on the creative process. Personally, I preferred this, but it might be deceptive to some based on the title. The most script information we get is actually at the end during an artist interview, ironically. The artist interview section was excellent overall.
Also, the book is peppered by quasi-sexist jokes, the kind of joke that as a one-off isn't really too offensive but soon becomes an embarrassing pattern. It's clear that the intended reader is male ("Ask your girlfriend about her favorite manga"), which with so many new female comic creators coming up, is unnecessarily limiting.
All that said, the book has worthwhile, accurate advice. You just have to work for it.
I feel like this book could have benefited from a harsh editor. It could easily be half the length, since the author constantly repeats himself. He also tells tons of personal anecdotes, and the book focuses on his story rather than straight-up advice. His story is useful to hear, but not to the level of unrelated, repetitive detail he provides.
However, by far the most distracting part of the writing is the author's heavy use of asides (including nested asides (like this one)). This book has more parentheses than the last 100 books I've read put together. (Which includes Seconds, Bryan Lee O'Malley (of Scott Pilgrim fame)'s latest book, which was pretty good. You have read that, haven't you? (I read it last week.) Wasn't the Scott Pilgrim movie pretty good, too? Not as good as the book, of course.) Anyway, a lot of the asides (as you would expect) have nothing to do with the narrative (and the narrative sometimes has nothing to do with the actual advice that you're reading the book to get!) You know what I mean? (If not, can I recommend reading my comic, published by Jim Valentino of Image Comics (called Nightmare World)?)
If you liked the style of writing of the previous paragraph, you will like this book. And who knows? Maybe some people do like it. The author is clearly going for a friendly, approachable style ... but it was just too casual and disorganized for me.
Also, the book is lacking in information about actual writing, focusing on the creative process. Personally, I preferred this, but it might be deceptive to some based on the title. The most script information we get is actually at the end during an artist interview, ironically. The artist interview section was excellent overall.
Also, the book is peppered by quasi-sexist jokes, the kind of joke that as a one-off isn't really too offensive but soon becomes an embarrassing pattern. It's clear that the intended reader is male ("Ask your girlfriend about her favorite manga"), which with so many new female comic creators coming up, is unnecessarily limiting.
All that said, the book has worthwhile, accurate advice. You just have to work for it.
May 22, 2018
My girlfriend was helping me research comic book writing options when she stumbled upon an article from Bleedingcool.com called "How To Make One Million Dollars in Comics." This article was a spring board to finding out about "Write or Wrong" through a link to Amazon.com.
I immediately purchased this book for one simple reason: there are almost no books out there dedicated solely to the purpose of writing comics!
And my final assessment:
Looking past typos and repetition, I saw that Dirk has many great lessons to teach and pointers to offer!
There are so many gold nuggets here about publishing, copywriting, marketing and networking!
I highlighted the crap out of my copy and plan to have it close by when I am working on new comic book writing projects!
A great book that could have been perfect were it more streamlined.
I immediately purchased this book for one simple reason: there are almost no books out there dedicated solely to the purpose of writing comics!
And my final assessment:
Looking past typos and repetition, I saw that Dirk has many great lessons to teach and pointers to offer!
There are so many gold nuggets here about publishing, copywriting, marketing and networking!
I highlighted the crap out of my copy and plan to have it close by when I am working on new comic book writing projects!
A great book that could have been perfect were it more streamlined.
January 10, 2018
As a fan of Dirk Manning's comics work, I was interested in reading his thoughts on creating comics. Write or Wrong does an excellent job covering topics for any aspiring comic book creator. There's lots of good advice and insight in the book. Write or Wrong also contains stories by Mr. Manning on his own journey in creating comics, including missteps and successes. This book is a great read for any aspiring comic book creators and anyone interested in reading about what it takes to create a comic book. Great, insightful read!
April 10, 2020
Some useful info, but as a collection of previous writings later bundled into book form, it suffers from an abundance of repetition and fluff.
The most directly useful takeaway for me? Write for your artist.
The most directly useful takeaway for me? Write for your artist.
March 17, 2019
This should be mandatory reading for anyone wanting to create comic books. Dirk Manning really knows his stuff, has great advice, and produced a book that should be in print for a long time.
January 29, 2016
I have just finished reading Write or Wrong: a writer's guide to creating comics by Dirk Manning. The first thing that I can tell you right off the bat is that I wish that I had read this book 3 to 4 years ago. For anyone going through the process of just starting out on the journey to actively trying to produce a comic book this book reads like a roadmap to success.
Don't get me wrong there aren't false claims or promises that reading this book will make you successful. What it does do, is to teach you how to be successful in a very professional way,so that you present yourself and your work in the right manner. Ultimately moving you towards your goal of being published.
More importantly the book makes you feel less alone on your journey. Becoming a comic book creator and a writer can infact seem like a very lonely process. Often fueled by a desire and a belief in oneself it can take years before you truly have anything to show for all your work. This book celebrates the idea of being a writer as well as gives us, the reader, a reality check about how hard it truly is to create a comic from an idea.
As I said this book makes no promises, but it does educate us, and teaches us how to be truly informed creators. And as Creators of ideas we can use that knowledge, to make those ideas come to life.
This is the type of book that you can't put down. I found myself compelled to finish the book in a single day. There is a tempo that you just don't want to interrupt while reading this book. If you're anything like me you will be taking notes all the way through and writing down page numbers that you know you have to go back to re-examine after you're done.
If you are serious about becoming a comic book creator and have not yet found success this book is a necessity for you. It will open your mind to ideas that you've never considered before as a writer. As a writer you may have only looked at creating comic books from a writer's point of view. Dirk gives us the opportunity to see how it is to create a comic book from its core and the artists that will help you bring it to life points of view. It will expand your mind and make you reevaluate your expectations and maybe even question whether or not you have what it will take to make your ideas come to life.
If you're anything like me, as much as this book may intimidate you it will ultimately inspire you more. And it will make you believe even more so that you can accomplish your goals of making your worlds come to life in the pages of a comic book!
Don't get me wrong there aren't false claims or promises that reading this book will make you successful. What it does do, is to teach you how to be successful in a very professional way,so that you present yourself and your work in the right manner. Ultimately moving you towards your goal of being published.
More importantly the book makes you feel less alone on your journey. Becoming a comic book creator and a writer can infact seem like a very lonely process. Often fueled by a desire and a belief in oneself it can take years before you truly have anything to show for all your work. This book celebrates the idea of being a writer as well as gives us, the reader, a reality check about how hard it truly is to create a comic from an idea.
As I said this book makes no promises, but it does educate us, and teaches us how to be truly informed creators. And as Creators of ideas we can use that knowledge, to make those ideas come to life.
This is the type of book that you can't put down. I found myself compelled to finish the book in a single day. There is a tempo that you just don't want to interrupt while reading this book. If you're anything like me you will be taking notes all the way through and writing down page numbers that you know you have to go back to re-examine after you're done.
If you are serious about becoming a comic book creator and have not yet found success this book is a necessity for you. It will open your mind to ideas that you've never considered before as a writer. As a writer you may have only looked at creating comic books from a writer's point of view. Dirk gives us the opportunity to see how it is to create a comic book from its core and the artists that will help you bring it to life points of view. It will expand your mind and make you reevaluate your expectations and maybe even question whether or not you have what it will take to make your ideas come to life.
If you're anything like me, as much as this book may intimidate you it will ultimately inspire you more. And it will make you believe even more so that you can accomplish your goals of making your worlds come to life in the pages of a comic book!
April 6, 2016
I'd like to start by saying that I am not a huge fan of self-help books. They all seem to drip with this overly optimistic "you can do it" attitude that isn't always applicable. Dirk Manning does a good job of offering encouragement for breaking into the business of writing for comics with a fair share of warning that it isn't going to work out for everyone.
On the positive side, Dirk's back ground in journalism shows in the easy to read flow that's found in each chapter. He provides tons of personal experience in comic making and working with other professionals in the field.
On the negative side, the book is full of humble brags, endorsements, and pitches for his other works. I can understand the motivation behind it, but that material was the least helpful in an otherwise great guide for hopeful future writers.
On the positive side, Dirk's back ground in journalism shows in the easy to read flow that's found in each chapter. He provides tons of personal experience in comic making and working with other professionals in the field.
On the negative side, the book is full of humble brags, endorsements, and pitches for his other works. I can understand the motivation behind it, but that material was the least helpful in an otherwise great guide for hopeful future writers.
August 30, 2015
To no surprise, this book is extremely well written. Dirk speaks about his experiences in writing comic books that includes both his failures and successes, as well as inputs great advice for those who are trying to break into the business.
One of my favorite sections of the book was actually not what Dirk wrote, but it was the section towards the end of the book, where he asks what advice artists and others that he's worked with, what they would give to writers trying to secure artists for their own books.
Even if you are not an aspiring comic book writer, I believe you will still enjoy this book. Dirk includes a lot of personal stories that are very entertaining and enjoyable to read. If you are a fan of good writing in general, you will enjoy this book.
One of my favorite sections of the book was actually not what Dirk wrote, but it was the section towards the end of the book, where he asks what advice artists and others that he's worked with, what they would give to writers trying to secure artists for their own books.
Even if you are not an aspiring comic book writer, I believe you will still enjoy this book. Dirk includes a lot of personal stories that are very entertaining and enjoyable to read. If you are a fan of good writing in general, you will enjoy this book.
May 24, 2013
A no holds barred, realistic look at what goes into creating comics. Dirk Manning puts it all out there, expressing the challenges, rewards and hardships of creating comics. I've been an independent comic writer/creator for the better part of a decade and found plenty of new things to think about, on top of reaffirmation of that which I have experienced. Anyone involved, or wanting to be involved, in the creation of sequential art needs to give this a read.
One warning, Dirk's blunt honesty about the challenges of the industry may make you think twice about a career in comics. Only read this book if you can handle the truth!
One warning, Dirk's blunt honesty about the challenges of the industry may make you think twice about a career in comics. Only read this book if you can handle the truth!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews