Mind Maps for Planning Comics
Hey, whatdaysay? Cubs are gonna win today
(I hope)
- matt fraction -
I'm a part of the Wordstock Literary Arts festival this coming weekend in and around the Portland Art Museum here in PDX -- If you're around, blow off Colson Whitehead and/or Jonathan Lethem and/or Nicholson Baker:
SATURDAY NOV 5
1:15
Pop-Up Reading
Me in front of Andy Warhol's LOVE, which is apparently so rare as to have no extant photos on the internet?
@ the PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205
3:15
Panel: OUT OF TIME
w/Robert Brockway, Mo Daviau, John Wray Mod. Gigi Little (and me)
@ Oregon Historical Society, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust (934 SW Salmon)
4:15
Signing
@ PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, Kridel Grand Ballroom
Standard signing rules apply: I'll sign it if I had something to do with it, I'll sign however much you bring (though maybe not at one time, depending on the lines), I don't charge for signatures but hey you'll be in an art museum there's always a box to stuff a couple bucks in hiding in the lobby somewhere but hey your call
LOOK MA I AM A AUTHER!!!1!
- kelly sue deconnick -
WARNING: I covered the GIANT SPOILER for the larger Pretty Deadly series on the image below, but there are other spoilers below, so if you haven't read the second arc yet, you might not want to read the map too carefully. (There are also things below that have changed since this map was created and are not longer true! GOOD TIMES!)
Last week, Fraction was a guest in Brian Bendis and David Walker's PSU class. This week was my turn. We talked about a lot of things -- how I write comics, WHY I write comics, who I write comics for, and more. One of the things that came up was my planning process, and one of the tools I use is the Mind Map. I make mind maps early on--the first notes I take on a project are often in this format. I use it as a way of getting all my ideas on paper and seeing how they relate to each other. By the time the issue is done, we're usually a long way from the original map (though, not always), but I find the tool useful, and I find the radiant nature of the map makes it easier for me to get ideas down than a conventional outline.
I promised a sample, so there it is above. I don't do them for every title, every arc and every issue, but I do them for most. They vary wildly in format and content, and on some books they're more useful than others.
I mind map on the computer because it's easier for me to move stuff around, but there's a convincing argument to be made that handwritten mind maps are more effective. (I would argue that's probably true if you're using them to study or memorize, but for PLANNING--my usage--I think the flexibility of a digital platform outweighs the benefits of the analog version.) The software I use is called NovaMind. Honestly? I don't love it. It just happens to be the one I learned first and I hate taking the time to learn new software.
The first (and only, maybe?) book I've ever read on the topic is Tony Buzan's Mind Map Book. It's neat, but not something I think you NEED in order to make use of the technique.
ON THE STANDS THIS WEDNESDAY!
Happy Halloween!
xo Kelly Sue
HEY THIS IS OVER TOMORROW:
From Espionage:
40% OFF Bitch Planet and Sex Criminals nail art!
Where did the time go?! We know you’re prepping for a trick-or-treat filled evening, but so you’re aware, the sale that is running at Espionage Cosmetics ends soon. The Milkfed Criminal Masterminds community has exclusive access to a discount code that will save 40% on your order within our curated collection. So whether you’re a Glow Shark, Noncompliant, or Brimper, you’re all set up with a sweet deal!
Head to EspionageCosmetics.com/MFCriminals and use the code MFCRIMS to save 40% at checkout.
[FROM KELLY SUE: THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL 40% OFF THE SALE PRICE, Y'ALL.]
The sale closes at 5 PM (PST) on Monday, October 31st!
#ICYMI
VOTE. (Please. Like, pleeeaaaase.)
Matt's going to be at Portland's book festival, Wordstock, on November 5th. (So should you, if you're in town.)
The Story of Cats airs on November 2nd and 9th on PBS (and it's exactly what it sounds like; yes, I know, doesn't that sound amazing)
The 2016 James Tiptree, Jr. Symposium at the University of Oregon in December celebrates Ursula K. Le Guin. Kelly Sue's going (and speaking)!
tl;dr
Oct 31 - Milkfed Espionage 40% off sale ends.
Nov 2 - Bitch Planet #9 on sale
Nov 3 - Kelly Sue at Festival Albertine
Nov 5 - Matt at Wordstock
Nov 8 - US Election Day
Nov 9 - Casanova: Acedia #7 on sale
Nov 10-13 - Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend; We didn't train for this at all. It's going to be a disaster. To make ourselves feel better, we might do a pop up signing or meet and greet. Check Twitter.
Nov 11 - Snake's birthday.
Nov 23 - (JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAZE): ODY-C: CYCLE ONE HC on sale (big, beautiful HC filled with never-before-seen art, concepts, issues #1-12, and the entire monster-sized gatefold from issue #1.)
Dec 1 - Fraction's birthday.
Dec. 2-3 - Kelly Sue at University of Oregon's Ursula K. Le Guin celebration
Dec. 20 - Kit's birthday.
Milkfed Logo by Rian Hughes.