Holy bananas…I have a lot going on right now? And there’s only more to come. That being said, I’m launching another new project! Well, kind of. It’s an existing project but we’re doing something more with it. And that project is LIFE, the backup stories that I did in Tartarus with Megan Huang on the art.
Megan and I have been talking about releasing all the stories together for a long time now and we’ve partnered up with TO Comix to bring them to LIFE (pun totally intended…SORRY NOT SORRY).
We’ll be launching a Kickstarter on June 9 and I CAN’T WAIT.
The art below is a promo for the last story we did, but you can get an idea of the art and some of the amazing animal designs that Megan came up with. The collected edition will include some never-before-seen concept art, backstory on the creatures, info on our faraway alien planet, and more. Look for more details on that all very soon.
In case you haven’t heard, I’m now offering a Writing Workshop over on my Patreon page. In my lessons, I go through some of the ins and outs of storytelling, and at the end of each lesson, I provide an exercise to explore that subject further. In addition to getting the exercise component, Patrons also get the information a week earlier than what you’re seeing here. If you’re interested in learning about writing and storytelling more, you can join in on my lesson plan (and get access to everything that came before) for $15/month.
For today’s lesson and exercise, I want you to have a little bit of a critical thinking session. We’re often inspired not just by our lives and what happens around us, we’re often fueled by something that we loved so much, it made us interested in that thing.
For me, reading novels as a kid had a deeply profound effect on me. Books like Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman made me love the art of writing. Realistically, I’d been reading long before I came across those books, but they’re two things that have always stuck with me as catalysts to me wanting to become a writer.
What stories fuel you? What stories made you want to become a writer or storyteller?
EXERCISE AVAILABLE ON PATREON

 

SURPRISE! I have an announcement to make: I’m launching a new podcast. It’s a film podcast with Whitney Gardner and myself as we explore the genre of HEIST FILMS!!!! We’re very excited. We recorded the first episode this week and are going to be recording the second one (and some more to bank) very soon. Our official synopsis is this:

“A podcast all about cinematic heists, capers, stings, and more. Join Whitney Gardner and Stephanie Cooke as they explore (in)famous films in the genre.”

Episodes will release on the first and third Tuesday of each month starting on June 1. We’re hyped to be doing this and can’t wait for you to hear the episodes. To subscribe and listen to the trailer, you can click below or you can visit capercast.com. And if you’d like to send us comments, questions, suggestions, or film recs, you can reach out to podcast@capercast.com.

In case you haven’t heard, I’m now offering a Writing Workshop over on my Patreon page. In my lessons, I go through some of the ins and outs of storytelling, and at the end of each lesson, I provide an exercise to explore that subject further. In addition to getting the exercise component, Patrons also get the information a week earlier than what you’re seeing here. If you’re interested in learning about writing and storytelling more, you can join in on my lesson plan (and get access to everything that came before) for $15/month.

If you’re looking to grow as a creator and hone your craft, one important thing you need to ask yourself is Who do you write for? Think about it and answer it honestly. Are you writing because you want to find success? Are you writing because you think you have a good story for young adults? Are you writing because you think it sounds glamourous or fun?

It’s important to figure out what motivates you as a writer, but the person you should be trying to please before anyone else (above agents, editors, publishers, readers, etc.) is you.

Behind every great story is a creator that loved what they were doing first and foremost. They believed in the story not for anyone else but for themselves. They pursued it because it was something that they couldn’t get out of their heads until it was down on paper. Of course, I’m sure this isn’t true for all creators…I’m sure some just told a story for the sake of it. But I personally believe that the best stories–and the ones that people connect with the most–are the ones that we would’ve wanted to read ourselves.

Your mom or dad or partner might say that they’re your #1 fan, and it’s amazing to have that kind of support in your life, but they shouldn’t be at the top of that list. The person (imposter syndrome and all other anxiety aside) that should be the biggest fan of the story you’re trying to tell is you.

Writing is far from a glamourous or exciting job. It’s wonderful but it’s hard work, and getting a draft from its first incarnation to the final thing requires a lot of finessing, and you have to be able to listen to constructive feedback that will take it to the next level. A passion for writing and for the story itself is a must to make it over that finish line. Writing can take a huge emotional toll on you as you process and implement changes that are ultimately for the better. But you need that connection to a story and to the characters to stick with it…because otherwise, why bother?

EXERCISE AVAILABLE ON PATREON

You can also see me talk about this more (along with Kaylee) over on Instagram.

Oh, hello there! It’s May and therefore I have a new list of TV shows that I’ve watched throughout April. Sometimes I stop to think about how much time I’m putting into watching all of this. And then I quickly block it out of my mind and go back to enjoying things! But honestly, I have spent so much time watching stuff during self-isolation. It’ll be interesting to see May’s results cause Pokemon Snap came out and whoops, I’m obsessed.

Anyways, here’s the TV I watched in April:

The Bachelor was unreal. And speaking of that, instead of watching that, you should check out the TV series UnReal. It was created by a former producer of The Bachelor and in addition to being good TV, it sheds light on what the producers do to get all the people acting so bonkers.

Ever watch a show where you hate all of the characters but still watch it all anyway? That was Big City Greens for me. I get that the characters are deliberately annoying so they can learn a lesson but ahhhh!

And I think the last thing that I’ll talk about here (since Falcon and Shadow & Bone have been talked about at length online) is Sailor Moon. Now, the show itself isn’t new to me. I’ve been watching the show since it originally aired in Canada with real poorly translated dubs. But what is new to me is watching it with not the crappy dubs.

I finished all of Season 1 (all 46 episodes…) and had no idea how much had been changed in the first version I watched. I like the new one much better but the one thing I liked way better in the original was the Princess Serenity vs. Queen Beryl song in the finale:

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