Books, baby!

So last year I read a sum total of, as it turns out, 17 books. Pathetic, right? So this year of course I want to beat that. Here's the books I have on my list so far:

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Talkies
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
The Education of an Illustrator by Heller/Arisman
The Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft

Six so far and more to be added! I'm currently still on my first book and loving it. So much history and curious tales. Its fantastic and I'm having a great time.

Any suggestions from you guys on what I should read?

Hotel Transylvania Concept Art

I know that these concept art sheets from HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA are already all over the internet but I just wanted to share them here in case anyone missed them. I love these all, they are such an inspiration!

 

 

 

 

My Top Five Books on Writing

Here it is a list of the top five books on writing in my opinion. These are the books I have read and often look back to understand the nature of the beast of what I am attempting to do each time I set pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Get them any where books are sold!

1. STORY by Robert McKee
2. SCREENWRITING FOR DUMMIES
3. HOW TO WRITE WHAT YOU WANT AND SELL WHAT YOU WRITE by Skip Press
4. WRITERS ON COMIC SCRIPTWRITING by Mark Salisbury
5. THE DC COMICS GUIDE TO WRITING by Dennis O'Neil

These books are chalk full of great tips and tricks and craftwork all told by master craftsman themselves. STORY teaches you practically everything you need to know to what makes a story work with plenty of examples from popular films and television shows. The second book teaches the same thing practically just more so about the business side to it. The third book by Skip Press is a great tool for quick tips on formatting and the business side as well. Mark Salisbury interviews various notable writers of comics in this great book, some authors are Neil Garman, Grant Morrison and Kurt Busik, among many others. The last one is a quick read with many examples from the various great comics by DC Comics with examples on how it is they have developed stories as a company.

I can't tell you how these books will help you in your process to writing your masterpiece, only you can figure that out. What I can tell you, is that you will enjoy reading and learning from these books immensely and think of them often. Get on it!

Reading and Writing

Recently I finished all of the books I own to read and I am trying not to buy anymore right now because we might be moving to another apartment soon. So in the spirit of being prepared ahead of time I am trying to condense the things I have so that I don't have too much to move when the time comes. I'll tell you now, I've moved at least five times now and it is always my books and DVDs that weigh us down the most when trying to transition.
For a long while now I have been on a Neil Garman kick, I almost own all of his books now and I want to get the others so bad and it is so hard to resist! I'm like the only nice seagull at the beach trying to leave the nice beach-goers alone and in peace but here and there really glancing hard at that potato salad. Neil Garman is by far my most favorite fantasy writer of all time because of the way he crafts his stories and characters so believably. I feel honestly like he is the most original writer out there sometimes, just the worlds he creates for his stories. Indeed in his novels his characters visit such amazing places and run into the most amazing people. I love the fact that he always starts off his novel with an everyman character which is not always the case with his short stories. What is fascinating as well to me as a writer and avid reader is that his main characters aren't always the same race either, I mean they are always for the most part (except for a few short stories) male but not always the same race as he is. As a writer myself I am always a little afraid to write a main character that is not the same race and sex as I am, I mean I'm not afraid to write side characters that aren't the same gender and race as I am but I don't know, there is something about doing the main protagonist that makes me feel weird. Although in one short story I did, entitled, 'Christmas Ghouls', I write with a female protagonist. So I guess I'm dipping my toes in the water a little bit here and there. Neil Garman teaches me so much though about writing and being a writer, he's the only writer I've watched like lectures on YouTube and read his blog religiously I have to say. My all time favorite comedy writer for novels of all time is Christopher Moore and I love him but there is something to me that seems that he as a person is a little inaccessible. I don't know. I love his books and his craft is astounding, but he doesn't have like that something that Neil Garman has. Still, both great authors and great books.
What it is I am talking about here is that just from reading and really paying attention to all the things that your favorite authors have to teach you is a great way to learn the craft of writing. That along with writing, every single, damn day. One word after another after another after another until you've actually finished something. This is the most important thing. Finishing something. Keep at it!

Story Structure Notes cont'd

Event- 1. Events are change taking place, are always meaningful and never trivial.
            2. Creates meaningful change in life situation of a character that is expressed and experienced in terms of a VALUE <-- of="" p="" soul="" storytelling.="" the="">            3. Story VALUES are the universal qualities of human experience that may shift from positive to negative, or vice versa, from one moment to the next.
            4.Events are achieved through CONFLICTS. Change is motivated though CONFLICT.

Scene- 1. An action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a character's life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible significance. Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT.
           2. If a scene isn't meaningful, cut it.

Beat- 1. An exchange of behavior in action/reaction. Beat by beat these changing behaviors shape the turning of a scene.
          2. Beats are meaningful behavior changes.

More notes to come! Any questions or suggestion shoot me an email!

Story Structure

So in my desire to become a better writer and artist I am always searching for the best reference material and books out there. Some great books that have helped me are: The DC Comics Guide to Writing, Story, Writers on Comics Scriptwriting, How to Write what you Want and Sell what you Write. All of these books are invaluable to me in my writing, along with the classics and books from my favorite writers. In the spirit of free learning I figured I would share some notes here on the blog that I've made based off of my research in these books. Here is just a bit now, what I hope to do is keep sharing my notes on writing to not only reinforce them in my head but to hopefully help any would-be-writers out there like myself. Even tho I've self-published I am still looking for that mighty feeling one gets from being a writer working for a nice publishing house, here's to hoping and please enjoy the beginning of these notes! Thank you!

PART ONE: STORY STRUCTURE

The Elements of a story- a beautifully told story is a symphonic unity in which structure, setting, character, genre and idea meld seamlessly.

Terminology of a story design- 1. Tell a whole story
                                                   2. Only select a few moments
                                                   3. Tell present story while life story is also told

Structure- 1. A selection of events from the character's life stories that is composed into a strategic sequence to arise specific emotions to express a specific view of life.
                 2. Compose events to flow one after the other.

Freelance work

Once again folks I am looking for some extra freelance work! Children's book illustrations; logo design, cover and interior book illustration, portraits, etc., pilot scripts, web-isodes, sketch comedy shorts, short stories, blog entries, etc,. 

Anything!! You name the price!! 

Above are some samples of my work, check them out! 

Hey There

Hey there! Been about a minute eh? I'm back now, so sorry for not posting for so long. The thing is I haven't even been that busy haha. But I did get my first freelance gig recently as a writer for a production company writing essentially a pilot script for them for a dramatic series! Crazy right? Usually I only write comedy and comic scripts so this was a change. This led me to basically start researching and watching new shows near the subject matter that I'm writing which has helped significantly. I'm also enjoying taking a look back at the great Robert Mckee book, "Story". It's truly every screenwriter and writer in generals best friend!

Halfway through the big pilot as well which is great, I'm at Act II which is wonderful and meaty. SO much is happening it's crazy! I try to keep organized and really focus on my climaxes, scene drivers, character values and the charges of a scene in order to really make in general every scene a story event. I'm at the first draft stage which is essentially the rough so lots of just going forward and not so much looking back right now! It's fun working with different subject matter it really steps me outside my own comfort zone which is great for any artist. Currently finished the first issue of the graphic novel I'm writing recently as well which is good news! Just have to type it up and start the art process of it very soon! Times are tough however and I find myself looking for multiple revenue streams out there! I always visit specific search engines for this research like: www.google.com for all my financial and career and money saving tips and also: www.yahoo.com for their finance section. Mostly the personal finance section. I have to admit I can't get enough of these sites helpful tips! I do from time to time enjoy www.lifehacker.com and www.about.com as well for different needs of mine!

Glad to be blogging again! Till hoepefully soon!

Neil Gaiman inspired

Reading Neil Gaimans website lately has gotten me more and more inspired lately. I'm very excited. I've got I start doing more short stories and finish the ones I'm in the middle of right now. I have to make the time for everything, all my passions. It's tough but that's how it must be. I'm trying to be more reliable and organized to a point and open myself up to more things and different people. I want to get to that point where I believe I am close to what I set out to be.

Art

Blogging here from Destiny USA in Syracuse, NY. Thinking of art, my art specifically. I just got new business cards recently but finding who to give them to is tough. I did get some new comics though from Play the Game Read the Story or vice versa.

I've come to realize through talks with past teachers and the famous Rich Talarico, and Tony Daniel that I need to just work on stuff and create a body of work! So that u actually have work to show interested and important parties. Instead of my usual mindframe of get noticed first do work later. That's an important realization I've made. It's impacting my thought process and the way I find work.

I'm going to ne illustrating for my first paid gig for a children's book. I'm selling two logos to a production company. I've sold three tattoo designs and my wife and I will be having an art show soon.

Keeping up

I've been reading this book lately and I'm really really enjoying it I have to say, I love it in fact!! It's great and full of amazing things throughout history, right now I'm pretty early in this book only up to The Golden Age of Athens, with Pericles and what was happening then of course. But if this book is anything like the other book I read by Will Durant it's bound to be amazing, full of great facts and good writing. One thing I really like about Will Durant is he's not your typical historian, he's more of a historical story teller to me as in he doesn't give you the bullshit dates and facts shit that textbooks in school use to give us you know? He tells it like it's a tale of men, women and drama and comedy and everything. These historical figures jump right off the page!! I love it you know? So I'm continuing my quest to know a lot about as much as I can by reading the "books I got for Christmas" a couple Christmas's ago. I'm not sure where in my life right now this knowledge will help me but it's certainly enjoyable and has made me more intelligent so far, at a quick pace too.


Very recently I watched this film, in fact it was late last night on Netflix. Can I just say, wow? Awesome, bravo Kevin Smith and the gang. I know this movie is super old now but I only just saw it now. As an aspiring comic book creator I loved it. It was a cool insight. But not only that, this was truly a great story and an amazing film. I love the amount of handycam in this film, Kevin Smith is a great filmmaker and I don't care if even he doubts it a bit now. He has a great sense of story and character and honestly also to see all these guys super young and in there basically first couple of films really getting their acting together is inspiring and great for me being an aspiring actor myself. This film to me felt sort of like a foreign art film. It was very artsy, the angles, the lighting, the emotion, and the acting. It had a great feel to it, I loved it. I mean it felt like I was watching one of those foreign films that don't quite have that American film type feel to it you know? It was more innocent and free and experimental, which excited me greatly because that's how I'd like to be as an Actor and Filmmaker. So yeah, Awesome.

Miss Muffet script-Part of my Process

Hey all, I thought it would be cool if I posted a sample page from the script version of Miss Muffet and the evil that Spiders do to show you a little bit about my process for breaking down the action and the dialogue. Check it out. Next I will try to post some thumbnails up and sort of do a step one, step two, etc. Type thing for ya. Blogger makes it look a little different, but this is basically what it looks like....


Miss Muffet and the evil that Spiders do * Issue One * Chapter One * Mike D. Burke

SPIDER AGENT (CONTINUED)

-be happy now can we? Where’s your step-pa, that catalogue he’s completing is of quite the major interest to me boss.

PANEL SEVEN

She jumps out of her chair and yells for her step-father, Dr. Muffet. Running frantically around, her eyes bulging and freaking out.

PATIENCE MUFFET

Help! Help, I dare say step-pop! There’s a Spider agent in here, and he’s after your work! We must flee at once!

PANEL EIGHT

Dr. Muffet comes in the room restrained by two other spider agents. He yells and snarls, trying to break free. Patience is very frightened and put off at this situation. As the agent walks menacingly toward Miss Muffet.

PATIENCE MUFFET

I gasp at horror at this un-sightful and seemingly inconvenient situation!

SPIDER AGENT

An now love, tis your turn to be bonded up in chains an the like.

PANEL NINE

Dr. Muffet breaks free for a moment and pushes Miss Muffet down to the ground as a portal opens up and sucks her in. The Spider agent tries to grab her but is too late. Miss Muffet falls deeper and deeper into the portal off balance. She looks very surprised and scared.

DR. MUFFET

Noooooo!

DR. MUFFET

Unsafe!

Corel Painter 11

Messing around with coloring in Corel Painter 11, fun stuff I have to say. I'm not all that familiar with Painter or any of its previous incarnations, so I'm trying to teach myself how to use this program. I figure the more programs I know how to use at least semi-efficiently the more likely I am to be hired somewhere. Also I've found that a lot of fully finished portfolio pieces are good to have (obviously).

This is a sketch I did of my Panda sleeping on the couch one night, I threw some inks on there and then digitally painted it up in Painter 11 like I said. Ha-Ha. Anywho also, on the seventh page pencils of "Masters of Fiction!". Been inking a lot of stuff lately check out my DeviantArt page stuff. Hope you guys enjoy.

Panda by Mike D. Burke

Looks like little sneaky Panda is up to her old ways again....
She's been drinking Monster for weeks now and just can't seem to control herself...
Not again!!

Just a little strip I thought up today haha hope you like it

Creativity and Getting stuff done

Once again my loyal friends and comrades I sit here typing to you of the adventures of my day to day somewhat not that much exciting days. This morning I feel quite productive to get as much done as humanly possible, you ever get that feeling? First off let's start with a progress list shall we?
1. Still don't have a full-time job in writing or illustrating
2. Still looking for a better job in these fields to get the hell out of retail
3. Sent out emails today to the Observer-Dispatch editor; Mike Bova of M3P Media and the new upcoming Oneida Courier, and Dan Fusillo of the Utica Players because I haven't heard from any of them
4.Retail sucks
5.On the seventh page of my comic book, "Masters of fiction!"
6. Been writing a lot for my novel, "A Little Valentinus in your Samhain"
7. Been writing script and actually getting shots done for the "Max Carnage" film

And there's my progress list for now, still working hard on everything and trying to from a damn group of like-minded artists and creative people to form this multi-media group.

Forming a Crew

I'm trying to desperatley form a crew for this MULTI-MEDIA group/company thing I want to get started. Basically my idea is to form this group and to get started and done projects that seem really interesting and should definetly see some sort of publishing or showing. I'm talking about doing things like comics;graphic novels, short story anthologies, novels, childrens books, commercials, movies, calendars, web-comics, web-series, etc. I mean everything under the sun that is media to the world!!
If you have a talent and you are willing to work in a group with a bunch of people gunning for your project while you gun for their projects as well then lets join forces because that's what I want this group to be about. We wouldn't just be working on one project at once, no way, we'd be following that Poly-Project thing I mentioned a while back. Even if your not an artist of some kind, if you just have a talent for Organization or say idk you just want to help in some way shape or form, let me know!!
On a different note, here is an Illustration I did a while back of my character Ananami from the graphic novel I will be working on after 'Masters of Fiction!' the graphic novel he is in is called, 'Three White Wolves'. I'll get into a synopsis later with you gentle people. But anyways, the illustration was done with a mechanical 0.5 pencil, inking pens and copic markers. It took me a while to really find the right way to do this one but I think I really got the colors to look great in this. All the characters in the background are my inspirations over the years for this character and many other characters I've created. Hope you like it.

Projects

So exciting new things happening yeah?! Most def u better believe it!

I have a new poetry book coming out soon titled, "Dreams of Madness, Love and Passion through Poetry", it's going to be great! Also soon will come "Short Stories of A Man Named Frankie Dingle: Adventures of Absurdity". But for now my poetry book will be done much faster and quicker available on Lulu.com and also I will be setting up book signings to happen soon as well!

So keep on the look out for new things popping up and happening here on the blog!!

Mike D. Burke

Ever closer it looms....

Well folks here we are in October the month of ghouls and sexy girl costumes...scratch that. I do like that girls like to dress up in sexy superhero and monster costumes don't get me wrong but that's like all some so called "halloween" stores sell....I go to look for an awesome Flash costume, do they have one? No. Do they have some ridiculous thing like a sexy girl Flash costume? Yes. Damn turkeys....October should be about scary stories, fall, horror and Halloween themed illustrations, paintings, comics, shows, tv specials, and movies!!!! Oh and one all important selection that can accompany all of these and more, CANDY. Just saying.

So in anycase, that comic convention I was invited to is looming in on me. TripleCon Oct. 23rd at HCCC starting at 11:00am. I'm working on tons of illustrations for this thing and myself and I really want to be able to put together a "sketchbook" for sale at the con. I figure I will just print up one at this local print shop near me and then have an ordering list with me, to see who wants it, before I put tons of money down on it. The illustrations are all over the map, they're def gonna be fun and cool I have to say, so I hope somebody will want the book haha. Also i will be doing CON SKETCHES at TripleCon of your favorite anime, manga or comic book character, so long as I have some reference on them....Also heck if you want a caracature or portrait let me know and we can set something up!

I'm totally looking forward to TripleCon, I'm pumped!! Come out and see me and just be there and take in the feeling haha. It's a small convention but it's one of the close ones if you live in central NY....just saying.

Also here is a new illustration I did, some personal work and what not for some friends of mine I use to work with. Sort of a parting gift and stuff. Comment if you like it and stuff. Kudos to anyone who can figure out the symbology in the poem and the painting. It's kind of tough and I think you have to know me to get it I spose, but give it a go....

Mike D. Burke
www.ananami919.deviantart.com

Frankie Dingle

Well my dear supporters and what not I have wonderful news, good news even. My second "Frankie Dingle" book is completed, the manuscript and the Illustrations are all complete. I am just in need of finding an agent and a publisher is all. I have sent a query letter and two illustrations out to the Andrea Brown Lit company. I am expecting to hear from them sometime before November. So here's to crossing my fingers to that! Above is what the cover will look like.
There will be a total of seven illustrations, the cover and six introductary illustrations to the story that follows. I hope you will all support me as I attempt to find an agent and publish this book. As soon As I have more information all will follow! Thank you guys, tell your friends!!

Working Hard

What ap bitches?! Just kidding...but seriously yeah, what up?

Lately I have been working and busting out art like a friggin fiend on crack hooked up to an IV pumping Monster!!!! GraaaaaaAAAhhAHHHHH!! For real! As soon as I think the world is ready to see what I'm working on I will post the shit out of it!

I've been continuing to work on my graphic novel series pencils, I started a watercolor painting; started my first digital painting, finished completely the cover to my next book and one of six inside illustrations for it , did two t-shirt designs which you guys saw on my deviantart, oh and also started the first of my illustrations in a series!

The only thing I haven't done in a while is write, which I will have to fit in somewhere....

Mike D. Burke
www.ananami919.deviantart.com