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Post by Super Sonic on Oct 10, 2009 13:19:32 GMT
Wise words.
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Post by The Shad on Oct 10, 2009 13:41:22 GMT
Just wondering about research and stuff.
Obviously, you were writing STC for a youngish audience (under 12s-ish), so did you watch kids shows or films (a lot of great Disney films, such as Mulan or the Hunchback of Notre Dame, were released in the period) or did you just write what you wanted to write and hope for the best?
Also, was there ever an idea that was totally and completely shot down by the editor? Obviously, the original plans for Deathtrap and Shanazar were heavily altered, but there was some semblance of the original plan, but was anything completely shot down?
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Post by The Stiv™ on Oct 10, 2009 13:53:24 GMT
Our taste in British comedy is more alike than I originally thought. It never occurred to me that you'd like The Inbetweeners, for instance.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 10, 2009 14:04:27 GMT
Just wondering about research and stuff. Obviously, you were writing STC for a youngish audience (under 12s-ish), so did you watch kids shows or films (a lot of great Disney films, such as Mulan or the Hunchback of Notre Dame, were released in the period) or did you just write what you wanted to write and hope for the best? Also, was there ever an idea that was totally and completely shot down by the editor? Obviously, the original plans for Deathtrap and Shanazar were heavily altered, but there was some semblance of the original plan, but was anything completely shot down? I was luck in that I was once the age of my intended audience and I had a memory. I watched the Disney films you mention just because I love a cartoon. 'Smokey and the Badnik' was rejected. I resubmitted the idea when the new editor took over. Nigel
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 10, 2009 14:06:13 GMT
Our taste in British comedy is more alike than I originally thought. It never occurred to me that you'd like The Inbetweeners, for instance. It's rude in a good honest way. I hate Carry-On stuff with all that pathetic innuendo. But I do like a certain species of honest crudity. Nigel
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RS
Big Time Boomer
Allo.
Posts: 248
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Post by RS on Oct 10, 2009 14:28:56 GMT
Basically I used to write short stories all the time up 'til about seven years ago when I met this dude. Creative-wise, we hit it off as we knew the kinds of stories we wanted to see. I didn't realize he was a manipulative [censored]. Put simply, in may this year he [censored] off with all my ideas, and I was left in a horrible state because he was trying to mentally beat me down so he could claim them as his own, 'cause I've got no work of my own to back the claim up. It worked. I'm slowly healing but I just haven't got the work done yet. Trying to write currently is like trying to hold your hands in hot water. I know what I want to tell, I know all the details, but... Maybe I should take a writing course. An idea is an intangible thing and nobody can run off with one. Any ideas you have are ideas you have. This guy can claim what he likes, who cares? If your relationship is over then it's over. This person may as well not exist for you. If you're worried about what other people will think then don't be. Do what you want to do and do it for your own satisfaction. When your brain comes up with reasons why you can't do stuff don't listen to it. Become conscious of when you are making excuses for not doing something and teach yourself to stop doing it. Do a writing course if you want to. Don't if you don't. It's not about stuff like this it's about an attitude to life. Write your stories and then find a way of getting them read by other people. Start by finding an artist if you want somebody to draw a script. The first job is to get one other person excited enough about your ideas to want to work with you. The past is over, forget about it. Nigel Wow, I just got advice from Nigel Kitching. ;D It's true. WHy do I want to create stories? Because I enjoy it. I love creating worlds and creating characters and putting them in scenarios. I like to see the reader enjoy it, to get excited and feel for the characters. I like it because it's an escape for me and, when I'm on the ball, I think I'm pretty good at it. The last full story I wrote was a novella in 2002. It was part four in a seires. I started part V but then I met that guy and never finished a story after that. It's mind over matter, I know that. I'm like my motorbike - my battery's worn out from all the experience and I need a bumpstart. Every so often I'll get hit with a wave of "YES!" and want to write it, but then I'll open Word and stare at the blank screen. Hm. I DID just finish an Ecco the Dolphin spec script for StC-O (Needs editing apparently ) so I CAN do it. It's like my beer belly, it's time to shut up and hit the gym/word processor and get past the initial difficulty. ;D When I hit my stride, I know nothing's going to stop me - for a period in 2001-2002, I seriously only stopped writing for food and sleep. I wrote in my school lessons. Here's to picking up where I left off. *Thumbs up* Oh, I can send you the Ecco script if you like. ;D That'd be so cool.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 10, 2009 15:37:42 GMT
Now you're talking.
Still a bit of hearkening back to the past though.
There is no past, there is no future there is only now.
This isn't about you sending me the script - I'm not interested in Eco and I'm not your audience. Forget about sending stuff to people like me, I'm not in a position to help - I'm irrelevant.
It's about you writing for you and finding an audience.
I'm not saying you can't send me the script I'm just saying is that really the point?
Nigel
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Post by The Stiv™ on Oct 10, 2009 15:55:26 GMT
Having a slow day today, Nigel?
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RS
Big Time Boomer
Allo.
Posts: 248
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Post by RS on Oct 10, 2009 16:12:27 GMT
I just thought it'd be cool to send. XD It's alright.
Right, time to get up, go for a drive and clear my head. Then it's on!
To the Captaincycle!
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 10, 2009 16:28:19 GMT
Having a slow day today, Nigel? Very busy I am. Lots of pictures to draw for a freelance job. Not exactly the height of creativity but worth £1000.00. That's a lot of DVDs... Nigel
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 10, 2009 16:29:43 GMT
I just thought it'd be cool to send. XD It's alright. Right, time to get up, go for a drive and clear my head. Then it's on! To the Captaincycle! Don't mind if you send me the script - I'm just not good at reading the things to be honest. Nigel
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Kurai
Big Time Boomer
I got that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald! So NYA!
Posts: 306
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Post by Kurai on Oct 11, 2009 8:39:18 GMT
Just wondering if you'd ever consider writing a script for STC-O?
Also, I'm not sure if it was just Dobyn's art but, did you intend for your Knuckles stories to have a darker and almost Gothic feel to them? To be honest the Knuckles strips were some of my favourites.
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Post by L. T. Dangerous on Oct 11, 2009 15:48:02 GMT
How did the later Captain Plunder strips come about? Was it down to editorial preference, fan demand or just a general pitch from you to the editor? While I saw Plunder as another character in Sonic's world as a kid, as a grown-up I think it's interesting how Plunder and Shortfuse got their own stories from time to time, rather than just have them appear alongside the main characters. Were you and Lew particularly humbled by how well received your original creations were?
Speaking of Lew, what sort of working relationship did you two have? How often did you both share ideas and bounce back off one another? Obviously you drew some of Lew's scripts (Revolution and The Final Victory Part 4 come to mind) and you actually worked together on a couple- it was nice to see the secondary enemies from your respective scripts appear together in Showdown Part 1. It's been mentioned before that you had an influence on the ending of the Agent X story arc (while I agree Johnny wouldn't have been the right choice, I'm not keen on the shadow creature either if I'm honest) and, if I recall correctly, you were a large part of the driving force behind making Robotnik dictator of Mobius. Did Lew ever give input on any of your strips?
And one last one while on the subject of Lew- what was your reaction when Lew disposed of both Lord Sidewinder's gang and Death-Trap, respectively? Both times by the same method, in fact. Sidewinder and his group were evidently resurrected if we take the otherwise awful Trickster as canon since Mr Fry appeared, but unless I'm being forgetful I don't think either you or Lew properly undid their sorry undoing. Seems like a waste to me, both of those groups of characters had serious mileage left in them.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 11, 2009 17:32:15 GMT
Just wondering if you'd ever consider writing a script for STC-O? Also, I'm not sure if it was just Dobyn's art but, did you intend for your Knuckles stories to have a darker and almost Gothic feel to them? To be honest the Knuckles strips were some of my favourites. I have thought about writing something but it would be a bit tricky. The audience isn't ten year olds anymore - probably twice that age so I couldn't write the kind of stuff I used to. The Knuckles stories were written for Nigel Dobbyn and I tried to play to his strengths. I didn't especially try to make them darker but I did give them a more thoughtful feel - we had stuff about extinction and all that. Nigel
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 11, 2009 17:50:15 GMT
"How did the later Captain Plunder strips come about? Was it down to editorial preference, fan demand or just a general pitch from you to the editor?"
I thought it would be a good idea to have Plunder as a humorous strip. He was always a humour character from the start as far as I remember.
"While I saw Plunder as another character in Sonic's world as a kid, as a grown-up I think it's interesting how Plunder and Shortfuse got their own stories from time to time, rather than just have them appear alongside the main characters. Were you and Lew particularly humbled by how well received your original creations were?"
I never got the impression that Plunder was particularly popular to be honest.
"Speaking of Lew, what sort of working relationship did you two have? How often did you both share ideas and bounce back off one another?"
It wasn't like that except for the couple of times we needed to cooperate such as in issue 100. Lew did his thing and I did mine. There's a lot of Lew's stuff I've never read and I'm sure my stuff is the same for him.
"Obviously you drew some of Lew's scripts (Revolution and The Final Victory Part 4 come to mind) and you actually worked together on a couple- it was nice to see the secondary enemies from your respective scripts appear together in Showdown Part 1. It's been mentioned before that you had an influence on the ending of the Agent X story arc (while I agree Johnny wouldn't have been the right choice, I'm not keen on the shadow creature either if I'm honest)"
I've heard that. I don't recall ever trying to influence Lew. He may have taken something I said - I really don't remember. But this idea that I somehow pushed Lew into not writing something doesn't sound right to me. Lew was free to do what he wanted to - I never knew what Lew was going to do until it got into print. If there is something behind this story I really don't remember it.
"and, if I recall correctly, you were a large part of the driving force behind making Robotnik dictator of Mobius."
Well I wrote the story that introduced the idea. The idea was agree upon between me and the editor when I was offered the job of defining the Sonic Universe and creating a Writers Guide. I don't consider the idea as mine exactly the whole freedom fighter thing came from somebody at Sega (did the cartoon series have something like this?). I just did the idea in my own way. After the first story my editor suggested that I didn't make the whole thing too fascist.
"Did Lew ever give input on any of your strips?"
Nope.
"And one last one while on the subject of Lew- what was your reaction when Lew disposed of both Lord Sidewinder's gang"
Did he kill these guys? - I never knew that.
"and Death-Trap, respectively?"
I did notice this (Mick drew it so I would have been paying attention). I was sorry to see them go. I was obviously more sorry that I had gone...
"Both times by the same method, in fact. Sidewinder and his group were evidently resurrected if we take the otherwise awful Trickster as canon since Mr Fry appeared, but unless I'm being forgetful I don't think either you or Lew properly undid their sorry undoing. Seems like a waste to me, both of those groups of characters had serious mileage left in them."
Well when I came back it was the whole Chaos thing and looking back and fixing things was not on my mind.
Nigel
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Tom
Ex-Hume
Hume-who-used-to-think-he-was-in-charge
Posts: 3,786
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Post by Tom on Oct 11, 2009 19:31:09 GMT
I don't think Lew Stringer killed off Sidewinder and his gang - except possibly in the alternate continuity created in Robotnik Reigns Supreme (the only time Lew Stringer ever wrote those characters). Weren't those Richard Elson's characters anyway?
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Post by Charles on Oct 11, 2009 21:06:50 GMT
I've heard that. I don't recall ever trying to influence Lew. He may have taken something I said - I really don't remember. But this idea that I somehow pushed Lew into not writing something doesn't sound right to me The exact quote from him on it was "I backed out because Nigel said Johnny was "too nice a guy" to do that". So you must've discussed it with him at some point and convinced him it didn't fit for Johnny. (He also muses that maybe it would've worked with Tekno...) Robotnik bumps off alternate-reality versions of them in Robotnik Reigns Supreme Part 2, but that's it.
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Post by L. T. Dangerous on Oct 11, 2009 22:45:57 GMT
I just re-read Showdown, it says Sidewinder only became ruler of the Special Zone because Chaotix never formed, so it follows that when the timeline was rectified Sidewinder and co were resurrected. Still don't think it was cool Lew took it upon himself to off them, even temporarily, and permanently in Death-Trap's case. I mean, it's not as if you wrote stories with Shortfuse and Tekno. Though now Tom mentions it, I do recall it being said Sidewinder's gang were a collab between you and Richard Elson so maybe that's why it got the OK- Rich drew the strip, after all. I suppose, above all, I'm just baffled that Lew decided to use your Death-Trap characters but write them out definitively within a few pages. Why even bother? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't imagine for a second you thought more of it than a minor annoyance (particularly since, as you said, bigger things were on your mind at the time) but surely if he wanted to nick your characters (for want of a better expression, that is) he could have at least done better by them since, if nothing else, you'd set them up to be deadly foes for Sonic. Maybe I'm just mad that they were finished off by a one-shot villain rather than the central protagonist!
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Tom
Ex-Hume
Hume-who-used-to-think-he-was-in-charge
Posts: 3,786
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Post by Tom on Oct 11, 2009 22:57:38 GMT
No, the Death-Trap plot thread had been left dangling for a few months after Nigel got fired - given that he wouldn't be coming back any time soon, Stringer was obliged to resolve the matter somehow so he could move forward without anyone wondering what happened to those guys. I don't think anything was particularly definitive about the way they were written out, they could easily come back once the effects of Medusa's gaze wears off.
Incidentally I seem to recall Richard Elson was thrilled to see Mick McMahon's rendition of his characters.
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Post by Charles on Oct 12, 2009 12:03:15 GMT
I just re-read Showdown, it says Sidewinder only became ruler of the Special Zone because Chaotix never formed, so it follows that when the timeline was rectified Sidewinder and co were resurrected. Still don't think it was cool Lew took it upon himself to off them, even temporarily Showdown was one Nigel and Lew co-wrote, I'd have assumed Nigel would've known at the time.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 12, 2009 17:21:41 GMT
I just re-read Showdown, it says Sidewinder only became ruler of the Special Zone because Chaotix never formed, so it follows that when the timeline was rectified Sidewinder and co were resurrected. Still don't think it was cool Lew took it upon himself to off them, even temporarily, and permanently in Death-Trap's case. I mean, it's not as if you wrote stories with Shortfuse and Tekno. Though now Tom mentions it, I do recall it being said Sidewinder's gang were a collab between you and Richard Elson so maybe that's why it got the OK- Rich drew the strip, after all. I suppose, above all, I'm just baffled that Lew decided to use your Death-Trap characters but write them out definitively within a few pages. Why even bother? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't imagine for a second you thought more of it than a minor annoyance (particularly since, as you said, bigger things were on your mind at the time) but surely if he wanted to nick your characters (for want of a better expression, that is) he could have at least done better by them since, if nothing else, you'd set them up to be deadly foes for Sonic. Maybe I'm just mad that they were finished off by a one-shot villain rather than the central protagonist! I figured Lew was just tying up a lose end
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Post by Baron Canier on Oct 12, 2009 17:40:30 GMT
I was fairly surprised as a kid when Death-Trap bought it. It was just so sudden.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Oct 12, 2009 20:07:23 GMT
I was fairly surprised as a kid when Death-Trap bought it. It was just so sudden. and they had so much to live for...
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Kurai
Big Time Boomer
I got that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald! So NYA!
Posts: 306
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Post by Kurai on Oct 18, 2009 10:01:06 GMT
Just wondering, seen this question in a number of other threads but it hasn't been asked here yet, what animal exactly was Captain Plunder? Was he just some random pseudo-human or does he have a specific animal you based him off?
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Post by Sam on Oct 18, 2009 10:44:24 GMT
I always thought he was a walrus.
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