The Writing Process: Ideals
Hello, fellow imaginers! Happy New Years, and welcome to a Wednesday post on the writing process! Today, I’d like to talk to you all about one of my favorite topics: superheroes! Well, kind of. I don’t plan on getting into the details of The Dark Phoenix Saga or which iteration of Robin is the best. Not that kind of post. Instead, I want to discuss why the topic of superheroes is a central theme in my novels and a source of inspiration for my ideas.
Comic books have been around for decades, entertaining millions of people throughout the generations. Like the characters within the pages, the comic book industry has undergone a massive change over the years, increasing in popularity, profitability, and above all else, quality. Comic books are no longer small, ink-filled print pages containing stereotypical men saving the damsel in distress in a monthly re-telling of essentially the same story. They have become literal works of art, both digitally and print, backed by some of the most brilliant minds in storytelling and writing, a production which rivals that of the most popular movie or video game. Comic books are a serious medium in which a creative team not only draws their creations into reality, but must provide a powerful story behind it as well.
The idea of superheroes is one that attracts millions of people to a story. We have had these stories told since the beginning of spoken and written word. Think of the ancient mythologies that were told regarding the Greek, Mesopotamian, or Egyptian gods. Were these not the superhero stories of old? People long to hear and read about beings stronger, faster, and more powerful than themselves, utilizing their abilities for the good of mankind. It’s a a way to inspire ourselves, an ideal that we long to aspire to.
That’s why movies like The Avengers and Batman score so big in the box-office. Strip away the CGI and the make-up and you’re still left with a core idea that always guarantees success: the idea that we can all strive to be better people. That no matter how the odds are stacked against us, we can persevere, we can overcome. That no matter how dark the situation gets, we can be the light that guides others to a better tomorrow. That is what makes superheroes so special, not only to me but to everyone.
I’ve been reading comics since I was a little kid, my older brother, Cedric, being my source of reading material. He would give me his collections and buy me new ones whenever we went to the store and I saw one I liked. I loved staring at the drawings, immersed in the new world I had been dropped into, and was moved by the powerful stories they told. I wanted to make a book that gave me the same feeling, one which brought me into a world that rivaled those of my childhood heroes.
I still read comic books and love to watch movies based on them. I finally completed my first novel based on, you guessed it. I have no clue how successful it will be, but man I’ll tell you, they are fun to write. Every page is an adventure for me, and I get the same feeling I did when I was younger, reading about those epic heroes. Because at the end of the day, these books are meant to have the same core idea. They’re meant to inspire, to encourage others that they can be more, do more. That, like the characters in the book, they can rise to the occasion and change their world for the better.
Until next time, keep imagining!
Photo by Miika Laaksonen on Unsplash