Author: Peggy Bechko

Peggy Bechko Dishes “The Origin of Planet of the Eggs”

by Peggy Becko

armed - trnsp bkgrndOur fearless leader, Larry Brody, suggested I do an article on how the newly launched comic series, Planet Of The Eggs,  created by myself and my writing/illustrating partner, Charlene Brash-Sorensen, came to be. We’ve just published Volume 1, number one, “Cracked Open,” and number 2 already is in the works, with many more issues to follow.

It’s a bit of a long story, as many undertakings of this kind are.

A couple of years ago I was thinking about eggs. Don’t ask why; I don’t really know why. Eggs were suddenly a fascination of mine. And that led me to think about what if (that old writer’s partner – what if) there was a civilization of eggs that didn’t hatch, but awakened to fulfill some unknown story line. What if they had faces, character, personality, but were eggs? What if it was a place not ours, but much like ours in appearance and what if I could turn it into a comic book? read article

Peggy Bechko’s Tips for Writing a First Draft

Writers World
by Peggy Bechko

Read Peggy's new comic -collectors edition #1!
Read Peggy’s new comic – collectors edition #1  of course!

Writing a first draft? Yeah, well, so am I. So I thought I’d bring up a few first draft points. Reminders for the experienced. Suggestions for the less experienced.

The first draft can be daunting. The urge to nit-pick everything from the beginning is there and it is strong. This applies to screen scripts and novels as well. I’ve done both and believe me that urge is always a haunting presence. I mean you know all this stuff. You shouldn’t hit dialog on the nose. You shouldn’t get too ‘wordy’. You need to avoid purple prose and writing. So, as a result you face the first draft with trepidation and you try to do everything ‘right’ on the first round.

Sorry, not happening. You have to be willing to cut ‘n chop, always. So the first draft needs to be whatever you throw on the page to allow your characters to bounce off each other, have fun and develop. See where it all takes you in the context of your brilliant idea. If you’re smart, no one but you is ever going to see that first draft of script or novel. Really. No one. First draft is not the time for sharing. Do what you need to, but not in public. read article

Peggy Bechko’s Writers World

writers-worldRemember the Basics
by Peggy Bechko

Admittedly, I write and I write about writing. I write a bit of everything – at different times – and I’ve given basic mechanical advice at times.

Today I want to revert to the very basics and give a few reminders. How basic?

Well, for starters the writer needs to show up. Every day. And by that I mean write every day. Have a place where you can sit down and write and do it. And if you can’t do it every day, have a schedule and stick to that. Barring an ultimate emergency, stick to it no matter what happens. You simply have to ‘show up’ if you want to get it done. read article

Peggy Bechko’s Writing Tips: Writing Without Emoticons

yolks-emoticonsby Peggy Bechko

As writers we think about many things, many aspects of the tales we’re telling, many details.

But, do we think about the face? It’s the first thing we notice when we meet someone, or catch someone’s eye across a crowded room. It’s what we focus on when we have an exchange of words. Whether acutely aware or not, we note smiles, eyebrow quirks, white or not-so-white teeth, frowns, lips compresses or purses, forehead crinkles and smile lines.

So what about our writing? Well, plainly when tackling a script we toss in a few simple directives or notes about what a character is feeling and doing and it’s up to the actor/actress to take it from there. We can try to be clear, but it’s still up to the actors. Hope you get someone really good to play a pivotal part. Sometimes something so subtle and simple as eye-widening will add a whole dimension to a character. You, as the writer have little control over how the actor/actress chooses to interpret what you’ve written. What sort of expressions are chosen to depict what was written on the script page. read article

Peggy Bechko: Confessions of a Scattered Writer

scatterby Peggy Bechko

Yes, I can be scattered. But also yes, I can focus like a laser and get things done.

And this is a subject for discussion why you say.

Well, it applies to everyone and nearly every aspect of life. read article