Art Attempts and Writer Woes 3

I'm finding that simple styles are far easier to draw and maintain a consistent style with. Realistic looks terrible when you don't consider source lighting or expressions. So it would make sense to stick with a simple style for now. But that's boring and less interesting so I'm going to keep experimenting for the time being. I know, I know, there has been less drawing than usual. I've been slacking, somebody kick me in the shin.

Let’s talk about characters. Usually, before a story, I come up with a neat concept, then, once I've decided it’s neat enough and interesting enough to me, I go straight to the characters. Characters are the core of the story, they bind it, it’s their journey. Without rich characters, it doesn't matter how developed your world-building is or your plot lines are. We see it all through their eyes anyway, so if they're lame, then it's not going to be a good time for any party involved. I've read good stories with bad characters and bad stories with great characters. Without a doubt, I enjoyed the latter a gazillion times more, but that could just be personal preference.

So I've told you about my idea about Time Traveling Pirates. No, I haven’t written it yet. I wrote a few concept pages, but it wasn't sticking, the main character’s journey wasn't that interesting when taken as a whole. So I've shifted the focus onto what was originally a background character. Perhaps if I intertwine a few points of view, then it will feel richer.

This is now a story of four-to-five (depending how many I can kill off! Aha, I jest) different people who end up in extraordinary circumstances. Of course, this could all change in a week, but varying the points of view seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, here are the most basic of basic character concepts I have:

• A less-than-average guy who is a research assistant for a mega corporation. 

• A 17 year old girl in the Soviet army who yearns for adventure. 

• An Italian mafia member who is down on his luck.

• A secret agent who has committed treason against her totalitarian government.  

• And a pirate guy. Because, fuck, I don't have to explain pirates!  

What do they all have in common? The correct answer is: Well, duh! They all become Time Traveling Pirates! Using what treasure they can find to fuel their quest into the past to find answers. What lies in the past that has so desperately brought them together? Why can the pirate ship travel through time, anyway? Who ate the last donut? Where has all the booty gone? Join the crew on their adventure to find out!

 And Look, I drew you a picture using my superincredible™ art skills!