Stupid, inbred, cro-magnon, idiot, loser, jock, punks. That was a line I had a character say when some jock gatekeepers wouldn’t let him into a party. I was in a writing class years ago and brought in the piece that had that line in it. The writing teacher called it out saying “well done” then asked “why was it good?” I wasn’t sure, I just thought it was funnier than saying assholes. “Exactly, it’s because it’s specific,” he said.
Specificity is what separates something from being generic to real and memorable. It paints a picture.
When Jerry Seinfeld writes a joke, he hones in on the exact phrase or word that makes it work. There are some jokes that have taken him years to write, trying to make sure the joke lands perfectly. “When I was a kid and they invented the Pop-Tart, the back of my head blew right off. And that got the whole thing started. The specific part of my head blew off. Not just the head but just the back.”
“Then there’s the trying to figure out as a kid, how did they know that there would be a need for a frosted fruit filled heatable rectangle in the same shape as the box it comes in. And the same nutrition as the box it comes in.” That whole bit is great but frosted fruit filled heatable rectangle every word is gold. He lasers in on exactly what a Pop Tart is in a genuinely funny way. Each word nails it.
It’s not just jokes and dialogue. When Star Wars came out it did something that sci-fi movies hadn’t really done before. They made the world lived in and kind of crappy. Many of the spaceships were kind of junk. These were not the pristine rocket ships of Buck Rogers. They had oil stains, rust, and missing bits of fuselage.
How do you write memorable characters? You guessed it, be specific. Hans Gruber in Die Hard shows up to rob the place wearing a suit. Can you imagine him in jeans and a t-shirt? It’s absurd and out of character. He’s posh, likes nice things, well read, it’s all of these little details that make him memorable and real.
When Pirates of the Caribbean was being cast, Captain Jack Sparrow was described as a Hugh Jackman type. Johnny Depp’s performance choices created an iconic character. As a writer you should be making those types of choices on the page.
If you have not watched The Mitchells vs the Machines, put it at the top of your watch list. It is fantastic. I listened to a lecture from the director Michael Rianda where he talks about the main character Katie Mitchell. The pic on the left is the original design of what she looked like for the first year and a half of working on the movie vs the final on the right.
One of the studio executives told Mike that she looked like a background character. Harsh but true. What can you tell by looking at her? She’s got glasses and likes candy? They went about redesigning her and went through tons of new designs but couldn’t get it.
They then asked what was unique about her? She loves making art more than anything and is relentlessly creative. She’s so creative she doesn’t really care about her hygiene. They then added these specifics to her externally.
Writes To Do lists on her hands. Has socks from The Shining because she loves movies. Always carries markers. Has lightning bolt earrings. Draws on herself and her shoes. Made her own t-shirt. Messy hair. When they added these specifics, she popped as a character and was brought to life.
And that’s what will bring your characters, dialogue, settings, and story to life, specificity.
Do you have any examples of specifics that really made something from a story shine for you? Let me know!
-Write on.
Other Stuff:
My Favorite Middle Grade Graphic Novels of 2021
Scales & Scoundrels Book 1: Where Dragons Wander by by Sebastian Girner (Author), Galaad (Artist), Jeff Powell (Letterer)
A fun fantasy adventure with lovely vibrant art.
Mighty Jack (Book 1) By Ben Hatke
(This one didn’t come out last year but was new to me.) A new take on the Jack and the Beanstalk story. Connected to the Zita the Space Girl series.
The Accursed Vampire by by Madeline McGrane
A delightful off kilter story about vampire kids. I absolutely love Madeline’s work. I wish their were 10 of her so I could read more stories by her.
Agent 9: Flood-a-Geddon! by James Burks
It’s all the ridiculous fun parts of James Bond but with animals.
The Fifth Quarter by Mike Dawson
My favorite book of last year. It’s about a girl that’s not great at basketball but loves it and wants to get better. There’s a subplot with the mom running for town council. It’s inclusion elevates this book from good to great.
And a bonus book on comic book making.
The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering by Nate Piekos
Anyone that’s making comic books and doing their own lettering, this book is a masterclass. If you’re lettering, you really owe it to yourself (and your readers) to read this. You will learn so much.
Some videos mentioned:
Jerry Seinfeld: How to Write a Joke
Excellent article on graphic novel production schedules being too short:
Graphic Novel Production Schedules
And that’s what’s awesome this month (and last year). Thanks for reading!
-Josh
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