A superhero is someone who, at some point or in some way, inspires hope or is the enemy of cynicism.
Mark WaidRead
Know what your characters want, know what they need most, know what they fear most, and don't be fearful of facing it, no matter how unpleasant it may be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding a character's desires, needs, and fears is essential for authentic storytelling.
This quote emphasizes the importance of deep character development in storytelling. By knowing what your characters want, need, and fear, a writer can craft compelling narratives that resonate with readers. It also encourages writers to confront uncomfortable truths about their characters, creating more genuine and relatable stories.
Themes
CharactersStorytellingWritingFearDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, during character analysis.
More from Mark Waid
All quotes βI got taught a lot of great lessons by superhero comics as a kid about virtue and self-sacrifice and responsibility. And those were an important part of imprinting my DNA with ethical and moral values.
Mark WaidRead
By coincidence and not design, 'Everstar' is written and drawn by an all-female creative team, and it makes me smile to think that there may be young female readers out there, future writers and artists, who get to see that comics doesn't have to be a 'boys' club.'
Mark WaidRead
Super-heroes were created to represent the best in all of us. We should aspire to match their nobility, not their ability to shoot big chrome guns.
Mark WaidRead
Comics are expensive. Donβt make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your script must either move the story along or demonstrate something important about the characters β preferably both β and every panel that does neither is a sloppy waste of space.
Mark WaidRead
I think there's a moral imperative when you're writing fictional heroes to give characters who somehow give us something to aspire to as opposed to dragging them down to our level.
Mark WaidRead
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