22: Seeking Stability
precarious footing ahead!
(New)sletter Format
Structure, man! Structure!
MoonRise Recap
Skullgirls Status
The Ol’ Pitcheroo
Was perusing some of the (comics-related) newsletters on Substack recently and came across one for a writer named Torunn Gronbekk, which, first of all, is just a very cool name.
I’m not all that familiar with Torunn’s work. I know (now) that she writes for Marvel, has collaborated with another writer I’m a bit more aware of named Jason Aaron, and that she’s currently writing Red Sonja for Dynamite, Carnage for Marvel and that she used to write Thor (the Jane Foster version) and Punisher too, maybe?
She doesn’t update her newsletter all that often, as I believe the most recent one talked about the release of Carnage #2 back in January, and Carnage #6 just dropped, so I’m not too sure what’s going on there. Might just be that she has less time for the newsletter than she does for actual, paid work. If that’s the case, I can hardly blame her. These things are hard to write consistently, which actually brings me to the point of this first section.
Because what Torunn did put together with her newsletter is awesome, as far as I’m concerned (it is now in my recommendations), and has inspired me to take a similar approach with my own, which has had the secondary effect of helping me come to realize more what I want my newsletter to include and to be, a realization for which I’m incredibly grateful.
So… thank you, Torunn!
“What was that thing I was just doing?”
I don’t have much structure in my working life. Occasionally I’ll put together a to-do list for my writing or day job tasks, and because my day job consists of technical support for a dizzying variety of clients, and like, answering their questions and solving their problems and stuff, I’ll also utilize certain company resources like Microsoft Planner or Excel now and again. But beyond that? Yeah, I mostly just wing it.
Which… is not ideal, because I’ve got a lot going on at any one time, and so often what will happen is I’ll be working on a thing, another thing will come along to distract me away from that previous thing, and then I’ll either finish the second thing and move onto the third, or worse, a third thing will come in and I’ll move away from the second before finishing that, and then ultimately never get back to that first thing or any of the other things I left half-finished. Either that, or I’ll get back to them so much later that I get myself into trouble.
And yes, this applies to my day job as well as my writing. Not great, Mike! I know, Mike!
Interestingly, while Torunn Gronbekk’s newsletter was busy inspiring me to adjust how I structure the Exner Alert, I also noticed that in that January post I mentioned earlier, there was a section titled:
“How do you organize your time and projects?”
What the what? How is it possible that I’ve been struggling with not only how to make my newsletter more representative of me and my work along with how to present it, while also struggling with how to become better organized in my day-to-day life, and I stumble across a newsletter from a fellow writer who not only has both of those things worked out to a degree but is actively sharing that knowledge so others can benefit from it?
I’ve probably mentioned this a time or three, but one of the very best aspects of making comics is the collaboration with your fellow creators. But for someone who enjoys that aspect of the creative process as much as I do, I don’t often look to others to help me when I’m having my own difficulties. I often prefer that aspect of my life to be a solitary struggle. And while I didn’t actively reach out to Torunn for her advice or help, she did make the effort to put that information out there for anyone to utilize, which is very much like extending a helping hand.
Bottom line, I need to keep in mind that there are people out there who are going through similar experiences to my own, often in the very same creative field, and I should try and connect with them (or at the very least the insight they provide) more often.
I also highly recommend subscribing to Torunn Gronbekk’s newsletter, following her on twitter and instagram (she also paints!), reading her books and all that good stuff.
MoonRise Meanderings
Since the last Exner Alert which I fired off on 03/28/2024 the following episodes of MoonRise have released.
Episode 23
Not to be outdone, Episode 26 is also available, but currently only by purchasing it using Webtoon’s Fast Pass system. Episode 27 was supposed to be made available as well, but Cem and I didn’t quite finish it in time (for shame!). We’re pretty confident that both Episodes 27 and 28 will be available for Fast Pass next week when Episode 26 is made available for free to all, so no need to panic or anything. We’re on top of things.
As a quick aside, we’re rapidly approaching the end of Season 1, and it should really be noted that Cem is doing some incredible work on the most recent episodes of MoonRise. I think I’ve really been challenging him with my scripting since we’ve returned from our hiatus, as I’ve been trying to make each and every episode of MoonRise as impactful and memorable as I possibly can, and he’s met and ultimately exceeded each and every one of them. The man be good at what he do.
The Skullgirls Sitch
I actually touched on this last alert, but between then and now I’ve gotten quite a few messages inquiring what the deal is with Season 2 of Skullgirls, so in addition to answering those queries directly through a post on my Webtoon creator page, I figured I’d reiterate here as well.
There’s been a fair amount of questions concerning Skullgirls Season 2 on Webtoon. Whether there will be one? When it will drop? Things like that. Unfortunately, I’m not the one who can answer those questions. I was hired by Hidden Variable/Webtoon to write the episodes for the 1st season of Skullgirls, as were the artists I worked alongside. I haven’t heard any news of a Season 2 to this point, nor if I’d be involved as writer if there was. To the best of my knowledge, neither have the artists. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to keep writing Skullgirls, but the only ones who can make that happen at this point are Hidden Variable and Webtoon. So if you want a Skullgirls Season 2, email them, post or tweet about it and tag them, let them know the demand is there however you can, and if you tag me I’ll be sure to share it with them too.
It may sound like a silly tagline, but Season 2 is really up to all of you!
Now, I dunno if anybody wants a 2nd season of Skullgirls on Webtoon bad enough to actually, like, write to the people in charge of such things, but on the off chance they do, I figure this is their best chance at seeing it happen. Best of luck to us all!
Pitch, Please!
Another thing I mentioned last alert is that it’s pitching season!
And I did send in a pitch! (That’s good.)
But it did not get accepted. (That’s bad.)
But the concept and artwork were good enough to get it a second look post-revisions! (That’s good.)
But I’ve yet to get any notes back on said revisions. (That’s… bad?)
Not exactly. More like neutral. Once I do hear back on the revisions, which should happen any day now, that’s likely when the final decision will occur and I’ll either have another series to announce (eventually) or I’ll have to sob uncontrollably for several minutes before moving onto the next thing.
That’s comics for ya!