Eisner-nominees Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart discuss how to pitch your book—and what to do when you get a deal! Learn about finding a literary agent and pitching to Big Five publishers; setting realistic expectations and boundaries around deadlines and money; and processing all the big feelings that come with publishing your graphic novel.

Episode 3 - On Early Drafts

We had THREE topics that were somewhat braided together:

1. A thought Jess had: Become more interested in DOING what you're doing than KNOWING what you're doing.

2. A quote I wrote down: "I often find myself writing long meandering first drafts, that drift around a bit before settling down into a state of baffling indecision." - George Saunders

SAW's favorite novelist on drafts, failure, and limitation as gift.

As a maker-writer, you may have a story in mind, the beginning of a story, the end of a story in mind—but rather than emphasizing the narrative arc, she places importance on the process of a “continual thickening until right shape emerges…”

We read them instantly.

For Conversation:

Will Eisner, in his Comics and Sequential Art, makes the case that figures in a comic are like an alphabet that we "read."

Excerpted from
https://archive.org/details/Will_Eisner_Theory_of_Comics_and_Sequential_Art/page/n15/mode/2up

In this example below, he shows the example of a "worship symbol."

Do we create emotion symbols with our figures? What do you think? Share some examples or non examples in the comments!

I’ve been thinking about the ideas of Getting Seen and also Getting Good, and why we tend to worry about doing it in the “right” order. That is, we are so certain we have to be GOOD, BEFORE we are SEEN.

Upcoming IN-PERSON events for September 2023! Kicking off September, SAW alums host a FREE in-person Draw Jam on Sept. 2 in the SAW Studio (and on the first Saturday of every month)! Mid-September we have an in-person course with M.S. Harkness, a FREE Live Comics Reading, and a FREE Drink + Draw Jam @drinkndrawgnv. And starting at the end of September, teens can join us in the SAW Studio for 10 weeks of intensive comics-making for our Fall Open Studio with Carly Shooster @hunger_eating_munch!

Come join us in our most affordable, online ongoing-community SAW FLOW + PUBLISH MEMBERSHIP GROUP (comes with a two-week free trial) to join in on MONTHLY PRO-CALLS!

Once a month, we bring in comic professionals from all walks of life to guest speak (virtually) at SAW. These guest speakers give SAW students/members some insight from their personal experiences throughout their comics career and welcome questions at the end of each session. Come join us!

Our next Monthly-Pro Call is with Tom Devlin of Drawn & Quarterly!

This months SAW Student Interview by Donna Druchunas features David Wagenfeld and talks about everything comics from process to consumption. Thanks Donna! Thanks David!

Try to focus on "what I have in my hands right now" (skills and abilities) not “who I wish I was of Future Me Who is Much Better at Drawing and Socializing and Unafraid of All Things.”

Do you ever have trouble celebrating your milestones? Your achievements? No matter how “small” they may seem? See what SAW Instructor and friend, Jess Ruliffson, shared about her thoughts about these feelings.

Values, Goals and Systems! A recent student in the graphic memoir group mentioned their "maladaptive systems", and how they're doing a memoir about them. And it got me thinking about the hierarchy --which I'm sure I heard somewhere, but I can't remember where-- of values, goals, and systems…

In the last few weeks, SAW student Donna Druchunas began hosting tutorial videos for Procreate in SAW’s main online community! Read on to see more!

Some wise words from SAW Instructor, Jess Ruliffson, on just MAKING THE WORK and not worrying about the rest. Read on to see what she means.

Recent post excerpt from SAW Instructor Jess Ruliffson in our Six-Month Graphic Novel Intensive on process and creating “timeless and honest work that that sits on the waves of the shifting currents.”

Recent post excerpt from SAW Founder and Instructor, Tom Hart, in our Six-Month Graphic Novel Intensive on keeping characters consistent… or not. A discussion about the two extremes and the in-between. Read more.

You Know You're a Graphic Memoirist When... What do you have to say? Check out this exclusive post from one of our ongoing Online Intensive programs: SAW’s Graphic Memoir Intensive (led by Instructors Tom Hart and Beth Trembley)!

Our guest this month is Sophie Yanow! Tuesday August 31, 2021 @ 2PM EST! Sophie Yanow is an Eisner-winning cartoonist, memoirist, journalist, and educator whose work focuses on memory and truth, urban planning, theories of control, the militarization of policing, and negative space. Some of her graphic novels include The Contradictions, War of Streets and Houses, and What is a Glacier? Want to tune in? Read more to see how!