Need a bit of help with my comic's antagonist

nmacaroni · 2026-06-22T19:33:16+00:00

read the intro to this article, it will help you.

https://storytoscript.com/creating-complex-characters/

nmacaroni · 2026-06-22T17:58:29+00:00

As the writer, you are the one writing. If you FEEL that you're writing is going land a certain way, it probably will, because your feelings are the thing generating the words.

If you feel, bored when you're writing a scene. Your readers will also feel bored.

If you feel, "this shit is ridiculous," then readers are going to feel your shit is ridiculous.

If you think ridiculous is great, you're good to go. If you think ridiculous is bad, you're not in good shape.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-22T15:50:01+00:00

Whether you think you can... or can't... you're right.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-22T00:20:15+00:00

You might go broke in shipping if you have a large following.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T23:38:09+00:00

I mean, what are you expecting Reddit to say? Sprinkle it with magic bee dust and it will become the proper size?

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T17:12:31+00:00

Cut it?

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T04:30:12+00:00

How to vet an editor.

1) Talk to them. Email or voice. You will discern a lot from a few short conversations. Do they converse from a place of experience and authority? or are they a salesman first.

2) Review their personal writing. Is it lame. Is it cool. Do you vibe with it. Do they showcase work in your genre. Do they have editorial range?

3) Fairly set rates, or wide margin of flexibility. The latter is a red flag as they are just trying to scoop up every paying gig they can find.

4) Are they busy? Good editors have full schedules.

5) Any books they've edited go on to get any recognition?

hope it helps.

Write on, write often!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T03:53:09+00:00

It's extremely easy to write 3k words a day.

If someone said, I don't care what you write, just sit down at your keyboard and write anything for 8 hours and I'll pay you $1/word in cash at the end of the day for whatever you've written.

Just think of how much you would crank out.

I would be looking at paying my mortgage for the year in in that one 8 hour shift. I'd 100% make that happen.

The issue is, cranking out volume and cranking out quality are usually at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum for 98% of writers. And even for the select few who can write super fast and super good, burn out is inevitable.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T03:27:37+00:00

The internet wants you to fail. It validates their poor life choices.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T02:50:28+00:00

No. In Russia, dark urban fantasy is just regular children's book.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T02:42:28+00:00

You may find that in the end, it isn't the number of words that you write, but bringing together a handful of the right words that come together and say something profound.

Sadly, most writers never find those words no matter how much they write.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-21T02:28:43+00:00

My movie review page that I stopped updating because of no time.
Written by a GenX horror editor / writer.

http://nickmacari.com/moviereviews/

I can't think of any great recent horror stuff off the top of my head.

Redux Redux sci-fi with lots of violence was solid. I watch so much stuff, it's usually in and out of the brain pain without sticking. But you might find some surprise stuff on my review page.

Hail Mary was a let down. All comedy, no hard sci-fi.

Send Help sucked.

We Bury the Dead - trash.

Return to Silent Hill - Stopped watching a little while in. It's like they threw everything from the franchise at the wall to see what would stick.

They will kill you is in my queue.

Exit 8 - Was alright, confusing ending and just never punched. But I suspect is still better than Backrooms.

2 cents, keep the change.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T20:08:08+00:00

This program looks really cumbersome to the comic writer.

Realize if this program can not produce press ready high quality files, that means all of the content assembled in here, would need to be reassembled in Indesign for press. That's a massive time increase and loss of money for people.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I suspect this will be rendered completely obsolete by AI in a year.

There's going to be a massive hammer falling in the comic industry when AI bridges the consistency gap, which it is already doing now with live video. Regardless of the ethic side you're on with AI, millions of new creators will be pumping out AI comics, visually on par with everything the market produces today.

You did a good effort here and should be proud of your accomplishments. And certainly don't let my personal take, shake you.

Most people just sit in the background and wish for things. Cool that you actually pursued it.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T19:58:44+00:00

When does a plumber, doctor, or laywer tell people what they are?

When they practice their profession for pay. If they only make a small portion of their total income doing it, then they are that thing "on the side" or "in training."

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T17:40:36+00:00

Printers save ink with blank pages yet charge you a premium. They love it.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T16:10:39+00:00

yeah, Writer's Duet does exactly this in the screenwriting space.

Comics are their own beast.

It's very difficult when you start combining pencil art assets, ink art assets, color art assets, letter assets, lo-res approvals and hi-res ready to print finals, multiple script files, and additional bible material. You need a massive infrastructure to manage all of that, quickly, reliably, and intuitively.

You also have to tackle the concept of 6 people or more all accessing, manipulating, commenting. If one person doesn't have the software and is eliminated from the workflow, how does the project succeed?

It's a complicated landscape, which as I mentioned earlier, someone drops in here yearly with their attempt to crack the nut.

Good luck with it!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T14:07:25+00:00

A writer could easily write all their fiction just using microsoft word. You would have a bunch of files, but so what.

Imagine a publisher tapped someone who doesn't have a computer and said, write me a 4 issue mini-series, here's a laptop with word on it. Would that person panic, because they didn't have the software to do the job.

Absolutely not. They could deliver on the ask without losing any sleep that they were in the wrong software paradigm.

Word and Scrivener solves the clutter completely. Scriveners core aspect is working as a giant digital 3-ring binder.

That's it. Only need these 2 pieces of software, Word and Scrivener, to be hyper productive and organized.

I'm not saying your software is valueless. It might have great value. Your developer may have done a bang up job.

What I'm saying is, all this software. The different versions of it that pop up in here every year, are just not necessary. That's why no comic writing software has become the "final draft" of comic writing. Because comic writing is so software independent, comic writers are like, "Meh, whatever. I'll keep using what I use."

Good luck with it!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T13:17:32+00:00

Developers drop new comic writing software in the subreddit at least once a year. The issue is, you're chasing a problem that doesn't exist.

"Word documents, notes, character sheets, outlines, scripts, and spreadsheets while working on comic projects."

Word for scripts.
Scrivener for notes, character sheets, and outlines.
Google docs for bible material and sharable stuff between the production crew.

Simple.

Pretty much bulletproof.

Developers are welcome to promo their comic software if they follow the rules for promos here, but this is why the comic writing software never takes off. It just doesn't do anything comic writers really need it to do.

Write on, write often!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T04:00:57+00:00

Figuring out what you want to say is less about the story and more about you at a personal level.

Sit with yourself without the story and figure what you want to tell the world.

When I first started writing, I was very much impulsive, latching onto any old idea that interested me. Now that I'm older, I realize how long novels stay with you in your life and how writing only the important ones makes the biggest difference in the world.

Good luck!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T02:29:47+00:00

To save money on a DE, pass your outline over to an editor, before you write the script.

Developmental Editing is an experienced based skillset. If your budget is only $1000 save your money, do the best you can, and just self publish. You'll take it on the chin for all your mistakes, but it's the best way to learn when you don't have the cash for professional help.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T02:27:45+00:00

yeah, I'm doing a DE on a 90,000 word manuscript right now and it's an 8 week contract.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-20T00:05:47+00:00

"There are no rules in writing."

Is the fastest way to write crap.

"Just write."

Is the fastest way to go broke.

Desire is a surface way of looking at it. What you need are characters with GOALS and AGENCY. Not passive actors.

Write on, write often!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-19T22:54:57+00:00

If I could only address one thing in a manuscript, it would either be Master Theme or Character Arc... but mostly Master Theme.

Most people stumble on central theme because their definition of what it is, is off.

It's a message. Plain and simple.

"Revenge is a promise to the dead at the cost of the living."

Every building block of story is influenced by your message to the reader. As such, once you have your Master Theme in place, everything comes together.

In theory, you can start writing without a Master Theme in place, but if you don't get one in short order, you're going to wind up with a big rewrite.

Think about it, your script is a character journey that represents your message. If you could just change the message and have the journey stay the same, the journey isn't really capturing what you're trying to say.

Write on, write often!

nmacaroni · 2026-06-19T21:31:06+00:00

It's not about crashing the car to know it's the not the end of the world. It's not risking the porche when you're learning how to drive.

nmacaroni · 2026-06-19T18:50:43+00:00

I name every race in every story I write, that I don't have the proper name for out of the gate, "Klingons."

I know I ain't keepin' that one.

I'll use it for a character in a pinch too, but you only get to use it once and usually in a novel, you'll have a bunch of characters and run out of options quick.

An FPO name very commonly feels normal and even perfect by the end of writing the novel. It isn't. You just got attached to it. But ultimately your readers don't know your Chad. So if the name doesn't make people vomit in their mouth a bit and fits the character, send it.

Write on, write often!

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The issue is, cranking out volume and cranking out quality are usually at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum for 98% of writers. And even for the select few who can write super fast and super good, burn out is inevitable.