May 2008 Archives

A fun-filled week with it’s fair share of arguments prompting Monday’s guide to arguing online. As it has also been a week without new 'Doctor Who', I am feeling rather strung out, waiting for my next fix. ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was also missing this week. I may need to resort to ‘Lost’ just to keep the inner-geek in check.

On second thoughts, things can’t be that bad.

Work the System, Don’t Beat the System

After all the brou-ha-ha of the last fortnight over linkbait-gate, it seems the mainstream media is now jumping in to put their view. Media Watch – a long running television show in Australia that exposes media discrepancies and hypocrisy – made the linkbait story their lead story this week.

A good argument is an artform. The cut and thrust of well-conceived and cleverly constructed points and counter-points can be both uplifting and insightful. An insightful argument can open the mind and feed the wits.

As a writer, I love how words communicate very complex ideas and enjoy the mental dexterity of formulating a detailed response in a debate. There is something noble about a properly conducted discussion or argument that stretches word power and the wits.

Yet, online the art of the argument has devolved into nothing more than a playground scrap. Words are twisted, meanings distorted and meaningful debate is lost amid flame wars and the essential rules of online beatdowns.

So what are the rules to the online quarrel?

The last seven days certainly saw some controversy here on CopyWrite, with the post “Link bait at any Cost” becoming one of the most read posts on this website since it launched last year. It also found itself at the centre of a debate amongst marketers about the ethics of producing web content a topic I will be revisiting shortly with a more researched piece.

For those of you who are not marketers, I hope you enjoyed the more light-hearted post “How to Become a Superhero”. Originally planned as a sequel to the post “Superhero Clichés to Avoid”, it has slowly developed on my hard drive until it became something quite different.

In fact, it is still developing. I continue to think of more superheroes to add under each category. Should Swamp Thing go under number 10 ‘Die’, or number 6 ‘Stupid Scientist’? Or both?

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• Tired of local crime?


• Have plenty of time free in the evenings to patrol rooftops and attend team meetings? (Bring you own beer)


• Love the feel of lycra against the skin but can't go to 'those' clubs anymore?

Then you too can follow these simple steps to become a superhero!

1. Become Mega Rich (preferable inherited)

Being a superhero brings a lot of its own pressures without having to worry about having enough change for the parking metre. Bruce (Batman) Wayne never has to worry about receiving a red disconnection notice. Tony (Iron Man) Stark isn't collecting coupons for a dollar off fabric softener.

Yes, I've stolen the title of the popular satirical BBC show from the 1960s, but it was just going to waste in the bottom of the cupboard.

So here's what basted my nuggets over the last seven days.

It's Twitterific!

Yes, I'm addicted. I announced my Twitter conversion a couple of weeks ago, but it has quickly cemented itself into my daily routine. As a networking tool, it far exceeds the more traditional channels such as Facebook and also works extremely well at promoting traffic to this blog.

If you aren't familiar with Twitter, now is the time to get on board. It is certain to grow to massive proportions, and the early adopters will be king of the hill with the largest tribes of followers. The irrepressible Maki (Dosh Dosh) also wrote one of the best articles on extracting the best from Twitter by getting more Twitter followers.

Of course, everyone's first action now should be to follow my profile.

Okay, I actually asked him to, but 'Neil Gaiman Signing' was too boring a title.

Last week I was lucky enough to take my daughter to Neil's appearance at Kinokuniya Books in Sydney. Hazel has been an avid fan of Mr Gaiman ever since I bought 'Coraline' for her a few Christmases ago. As the book that finally turned her onto reading, Hazel has always regretted missing Neil's last appearance in Sydney a couple of years ago.

I was at that previous event as well, but due to the incredibly long queue winding through the long sprawling store, was completely unable to hear Neil's talk. That was a four hour wait to get Hazel's copy of 'Coraline' signed for her (and a couple of my 'Miracleman' comics).

I don't think I've made any secret of my love for the Captain Britain character. Back in the 70s, I was the right age to get excited about discovering a hero who was quintessentially British, occupying the same world I lived in.

By the time Alan Moore and Alan Davis revamped the mythology in the 80s, I was hooked. Right up to the gut-wrenching moment when Marvel UK announced the character was crossing the Atlantic to join the roster of the major Marvel heroes.

Captain Britain an X-Man? Betty Braddock transformed into an Asian styled Ninja? These were not the characters I had invested years of reading in. Even when the Excalibur title created a British version of the X-Men, I wasn't convinced. Sure, many elements of the old mythology were still there, but Cap was no longer the star of his own book. If anything, he had become an also-ran, a second or third tier character shoe-horned into the X-Men world with all the subtlety of a round peg in the proverbial square hole.

”A lot of emphasis has been placed on the cinematic quality of comic book storytelling. But if you’re using words, there’s got to be a literary element there, as well. I don’t consider myself a very good writer. Maybe I write pretty good comics, but in the broad arena I wouldn’t be anything special. But there’s no reason why comics should not achieve the same effect as the very best books. There’s nothing inherently inferior about the medium, but it will be held back until the scripters are asked to be good writers.”

Interviewed in ‘Comics Interview’ #12

In the history of comics, there have been those that simply serve the form, producing formulaic tales that merely continue a genre. But, rarely, there are those that evolve the form, taking existing conventions, genres and even characters and developing them into a new benchmark for the industry.

To be a professional writer, money needs to be part of the relationship; hopefully, enough money to form part or all of your income. But if you are lucky enough to be able to regularly receive money in return for your writing skill, then you’ve made it.

But keeping an eye on the bottom line is an important part of harnessing your professional career. There are a few things to consider that can make the difference between financial success or ruin, whether you are freelance or whether you are working for someone else. Even when you are an employee, an understanding of the bottom line is crucial to maintaining your role. More than a few writers have lost jobs over the years by not being mindful of how their work affects the company bank account.

If you think it crude of me to mention money in relation to the creative arts, then enjoy your hobby. If you are serious about turning your writing talent into a full time career, then it is all about the money, sad though it may seem.