Originally posted by CaptainStoic
I have to somewhat disagree. To become a good fictional writer, you have to always reflect on the type of character that you're working with. Not just anyone can be Peter David, this guy has studied psychology in order to make his characters come to life. Unless you somehow believe that you can write for a company like Marvel, or DC without going to college.If you look at Batman today as opposed to Batman 30 yrs ago you'll notice a huge difference in the character, he was a 2d character with very little depth in the 70s, but now he has been developed into a character that appears to be one step away from a meltdown. My point is just to say, that today you can close your eyes and picture exactly what Logan would act like as opposed to back in the 70s where Robin used to say things like "Holy Baterangs Batman".
someone being inches away from a nervous breakdown for 10 years isnt deep characterization, its steryotyping and typecasting
yes, its better than 30 years ago, but it is not an accurate potrayal of how an individual responds to the world around them, since the world around them in many ways is not as encompassing as the world that surrounds us. Point in case, when we arent reading about them, they do not exist
modern comics, imho, have decided that people feeling sad and guilty or angry is equal to character development. The Ultimate universe is a great example of that. Instead of the fantastic, everything is macabre, and it SEEMS more real, because they feel emotions that we are familliar with and understand, but that is because WE are developed characters whereas those in the story mearly act as the people the plot revolves around.
and seriously, if you think it is necessary to go to college or university for writing skill, you have no buisnuss speaking about the craft. For instance, the following authors/playwrites either had tremendous difficulty with institutionalized learning (as most true genuises do) or forwent post secondary education in its entirety.
-J. D. Salinger, author of, among others, Catcher in the Rye
-F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
-Earnest Hemmingway, The Old Man and the Sea, For Whom the Bells Tolls, A Farewell to Arms
-Orson Wells, Citizen Kane (also voiced Unicron in the Transformers Movie)
these are but a few. Seriously, anyone who thinks that further education makes one a better writer/artist of any kind, is an idiot.
Whoa... you misinterpret what I was saying. I was talking about Psychology, not English composition... I won't even defend being indirectly called an idiot by you. In the world that we live in having a higher education does not mean that you will suceed in any given field or career, it however does open doors.