Shamelessly stolen from the unthinkably amazing Lynda Barry.
Remember your set-up:
- Find a place where you can sustain focus and where you won’t be interrupted.
- Get your materials ready (comp book, pencil, timer, bravery).
- Remove distractions.
- Prepare your frames.
- Take an extended moment to relax your body. Think about the kind of breathing Dr. Maskalyk described. Think about the calm and friendly state of mind Lynda Barry described, like you want a shy forest creature to come closer. Relax your body from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes.
- Start your concentration spiral – keep the spiral as tight as possible without the lines touching,
- Put all of your focus on the line and on your breathing – if any thoughts come up, acknowledge them and then wave them away.
- Allow yourself to fall into the time machine created by the spiral.
A few reminders about structure:
Lynda Barry’s example:
My example from class:
A few things to remember:
- Try to be as specific as possible.
- As Lynda Barry says, “No detail is too small.”
- For your five minutes of writing, begin with “I am” or “I’m,” and then write in the present tense, as if it is happening to you now. Beware of slipping into the past tense.
- Note Lynda Barry’s instruction to alternate writing first with drawing first on your second page. What do you notice about the different approaches?
Some incredible advice from Lynda Barry:
Some examples of Lynda Barry’s (adult) students’ Did, Saw, and Heard lists:
And some more incredible advice, this time about drawing:
Notice how Brunetti-style allows for a lot of individuality:
Parents: you can try, too! You know you want to…
All images from Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor (Drawn and Quarterly, 2014) and Making Comics (Drawn and Quarterly, 2019), by Lynda Barry.