It's the holiday episode, and that means we welcome Gary Hodges (Dinosaurs vs Marsbots) to talk about the ways we were "nice", a.k.a. our greatest creative achievement (4:15), the ways we were "naughty" a.k.a. our greatest creative learning (23:00) before our Holiday Hot Take Extravaganza (39:00).

This week, we talk about finishing pages amidst a busy week (7:05), developing a creative and release plan for an upcoming book (15:30), a wild 24 hours on a secret project (21:00), a workshop that pointed the direction forward (29:40), what you learn giving notes (35:30), and seizing an opportunity to revise a story one last time (48:00) before this week's topic: the story type of "overcoming the monster" (54:00).

This week we talk about Kickstarter prep and launch (6:00), choosing a stopping point for the "new story" worked on in November (10:30), the arrival of a long-awaited commission and getting a vibe of an art style (23:30), and streamlining future projects (29:45) before this week's topic: the main plot types of rags to riches (42:10) and comedy and tragedy (50:15).

This week we talk about the right color palette for a variant cover (5:30), interviewing a person who will serve as a character in your story (21:50), what managing a comics project can involve (32:10), and changing the point in time a story is told (49:00).

This week, we talk about working with an artist on art changes for a story (4:30), fine-tuning an experimental art style for a project and the essence of a style (13:45), those days that begin with staring at a blank page (20:50), coloring a cover on a tight deadline (25:20), the best study guides (32:30), and what "being in the zone" is and if there's a way to get there (41:00).

This week, we recap the creative retreat and talk about finishing a first draft of a script (2:50), "doing the messy thing" when it comes to story (5:30), thinking things out in the panel stage (13:45), working on music and how it relates to writing (17:50), writing your way into a mystery, then figuring out the basics (24:40), creating thumbnails and panels for a new story (34:00), references (37:30), and varying up how your characters talk (46:10).

This week, we talk about those stories that feel easy to write (4:15), winding down Drawtober deliverables (18:20), figuring out structure for a short story (32:00), before we discuss the "Quest" story type (47:00).

Fresh off a trip to Japan (Keith) and San Diego Comic Fest (Scott), we talk about a productive start to a story (4:00), working ahead against a deadline (12:00), documenting via journal and capturing creative work as you go (21:15), the highlights of San Diego Comic Fest (27:30), and a creative take on a alternate cover (48:30).

This week, we talk about the influences that build your style (3:15), the winding path to the end of a story (22:20), and what makes finishing a first draft / thumbnails unique (30:45) before we get to this week's topic: the basic "Voyage and Return" plot (39:50).

This week, we discuss how the art comes alive when going from pencils to inks (5:15), prep work and advance work for creative projects/performances (16:20), considering story structures for a new idea (22:15), and putting work in on an overdue cover (30:30) before this week's main topic: the story type of Rebirth (36:40).