Great Scenes by Calvin and Hobbes

My Dad gave me his collection of Calvin & Hobbes comics to reread.

This time around I wasn't just laughing, I was inspired. Every strip — about four or five frames — is a unique scene with a beginning, middle and end. Most are tiny, stand alone mini-stories.

What's more amazing is that writer Bill Watterson came up with new, fresh ideas day after day after day. Holy smokes. I complain because I'm having a problem coming up with one good scene to bridge my second act to my third. Heck, Bill would have written 40 fabulous scenes in the time it's taken me to come up with one.

7 Comic Book Tips

I learned a lot about scenes last night, like:

1. Scenes don't have to be long — in fact they must be as tight as possible

2. You can convey volumes with one expression

3. You must have a beginning middle and end

4. Great scenes are character driven

5. Make them fresh and catch your reader quickly

6. Get in as late as you can, and leave as early as possible

7. Leave them wanting more

You've probably already seen these snowman strips, but I'm printing them out and posting them on my bulletin board — a remind of how great scenes should be written.

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