I used to worry about the originality of my work, but a few things changed my mind. First was my dad, who while we were eating lunch out one day popped out this gem, "Everything that can be written already has been. All you can do is hide it in different wrapping."

And then there's a series of quotes I read one day.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Genius borrows nobly."
Michael Caine: "I only steal from the best people."
Pablo Picasso: "Bad artists copy; good artists steal."
T.S.Eliot: "The immature poet imitates; the mature poet plagiarizes."

Kind of lessened my worry, you know?

Morlun came back. The part with him ripping out Peter's eye and chasing him to the hospital is set after Jim's novel, during "The Other" storyline. Think of Morlun's first "death" as a comic book death.

A good trick, if you're just stumped on a particular line of dialog, is exploit ask your family for help. Describe the situation and the character, and then ask them what they would say. You can get some real gems this way.

Another thing is, if you don't want to be in a conversation yourself, ride a local bus on a weekday, around 6. Just listen to the conversations around you; you'll hear the cadence of their conversation. Then try to replicate that cadence in your head as you write.

King -

Thanks again. Your insights are more helpful than you realize! I recognize now that I seem to be doing more worrying about getting the first draft complete than accepting the reality that my strong suit is editing anyway! Rewriting is my friend, not an insult to my ego.

<<<<< going to start calling King "Harley" for kickstarting my engine again. :^)

*snort* It took me a second read to get the Harley joke. Must be more tired than I thought.

Any time, and I'm glad you got something out of me. I'm much better at helping other people than finishing my own stories. I over-revise, probably because I'm scared of actually sending the stories off, and eventually I just get frustrated and move to the next story. I know why I do it. Stopping is a little harder...

It depends on the story. Right now, the story I'm working on I've written the scenes in order, but that's because for once in my life I knew where a story started, and where it ended. The characters have started to shift as far as which is the sympathetic character, but the events are the same. Plus, it's a mystery-type story, so writing in order lets me keep the reveals in order. So, tonight I'll write the scene right after what I wrote last night.

But there are times when a scene screams to be written, and I do it without having the preceding scenes written. In fact, I have two scenes written right now that are not attached to any story rolling through my head. I woke up, saw this scene that I had to get on paper, and did, and now I keep my eye out for a story they would fit into. Even the names are generic, so that I can easily edit the scenes when I know where they go.

I always found the best way to deal with artists is to give them a great deal of creative control over what the comic looks like.  Give them a plot line, dialogue, and a basic character description and let them have control over the rest.  If it looks well done, then tell them good job and try to get it published.  Only nitpick when it something that has to do with the plot.  (Well, So and So always wears gloves because it is a symbol of his emotional distance from society). 

Isn't that how Marvel used to do it? I remeber hearing that's how Stan the Man kept so many projects going at once; by giving a large amount of creative control to the artists.

ill up the anti ill give you a kidney and a lung JAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Heck, I'll raise you to a kidney and two lungs.

Ummm...  Fade, I need your lungs.

( When I look at the subsequent comments, I find myself thinking "CynDe, where Daoine had had 'had had', had had 'had'. 'Had had' had had neurovore's approval." Don't try sentences like this at home. )

Thank you, I think that just shut my brain down for the rest of the day...