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Ring Psychology

by Aaron Hall

Volume Three: Is it hot in here? Writing, like any other artistic or creative undertaking, is far from an exact science. I in no way believe myself to be a master of the game or a voice of authority on the dos and don’ts of writing. This column is simply me sharing with all of you some of the things that I’ve picked up along the way that seem to help me out. Use them, abuse them, make fun of them, or sell them on eBay. Now, on to the article! “Is it hot in here?” One of my favorite things about being a writer is that I can call myself an artist. There are a few people who don’t think that applies to writers, but most people will tell you that writers are artists. The reason I appreciate this designation so much is the sort of brotherhood it makes me a part of. Painters, screen writers, actors, actual artists, and many more. One thing I do on a regular basis is study these other artists “processes”. Basically, how do they do what they do? What steps do they take to get creative and create whatever it is that they create? What steps does a great actor take to get into character? What preparations does a master painter make before taking brush to canvas? But the artists I tend to study the most are musicians. In my younger days I was quite the lead guitarist. To this day I can still knock down a mad solo, but for the most part my passion lies in the written word. But I still have a lot of ties to music and the creation of it. Now on to the point. When it comes to writing certain scenes, sometimes you need to put yourself into those scenes. I’ve found a few bands who had unique ways of putting themselves into a certain state of mind so as to influence the things they create. For example, when beginning to write and record their latest album “Results May Vary”, Limp Bizkit really wanted to create an angry and claustrophobic record. So what do they do? They rent out a tiny little room with no air conditioning and set up in there. In order to create an angry, claustrophobic record they put themselves into a claustrophobic situation. Of course, after a few weeks they moved into a lush high dollar studio to complete their album. Another example is the recording of the latest Metallica album, St. Anger. They wanted to create a stripped down, back to basics sound for this album. So they rent out some abandoned army barracks and set up their studio there. Of course, they ended up moving out of there and into a lush high dollar studio. Even though they took the millionaire way out in the end, I really like the idea that each of those bands began with. Writing a scene of a man freezing to death in the arctic night? Why not turn the lights out, cut your air conditioner down to 60 degrees, and then try to write the scene? Or the opposite, is your hero traveling across the desert, alone and without water? Put on your coat, crank up the heat, wrap yourself in a blanket, and then write the scene. Of course, this method doesn’t always work. I recently wrote a scene in which a hero got stabbed in the stomach. Now, I’ve never been stabbed, but I wasn’t about to stab myself in the stomach just to better understand how my character was going to react. But that doesn’t mean I have to write it blind. I got on the internet and I researched and actually found some fascinating facts about the effects of stab wounds that allowed me to write the scene from a much more educated point of view. So there you have it. Just another example of how taking just a few extra minutes you can really improve your writing skills. Until next time, this is the scout team deep snapper and man on the silver mountain, Aaron Hall, signing off. If you have any questions or comments about creating comics feel free to email them to freejenkins@gmail.com and I’ll answer them right here in this very column because yes, I care about you that much.