Much To Be Thankful For

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. There's much to be thankful for...family, friends, a warm home, a career that I enjoy. The list could go on and on. It's a time to sit down and reflect on all the good things that are right in front of you. To focus on what is really important.

 Be well and enjoy the day.

Focusing On What You Want

Years ago I read a book called "The Secret," by Rhonda Byrne. It changed my life. Its simple message of focusing on what you want and not on what you don't want is something I can relate to. I spend just as much time as everyone else complaining and kvetching about what's wrong in my life. Really getting into it. Focusing on it. Getting mad about it. What I should be doing, and what the book keeps repeating, is focusing on what you want and making it happen.

This simple theme can be applied to my personal life but also to my professional life as well. For many years I worked in the field of advertising and wrote gags on the side, on weekends and evenings. Now I write full time for many different cartoonists. I've developed a routine, a regular schedule, of who I write for on which days, sending gags on a regular basis to many people. I need this structure, but I also need a direction - I need to have a goal - and a plan to get there.

This writing business is full of rejection, but it's also full of accomplishment and seeing your work in print and/or online. You try things. Some work. Some don't. It's important for me to constantly re-evaluate what works for me and what doesn't. What's easy for me to do and what isn't. And, then it's important to focus on what I want - on the goals I've set - and perhaps give up some of the projects that don't work.  When you figure out what it is that you really want you can make definite plans to get there. And, when you finally are working towards this goal you'll know it and the still, small voice inside you will be saying, 'This is what I should be doing.'

Any comments? Contact me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.

A Few Things I've Learned

A Few Things I've Learned As I Write Cartoon Gags Everyday:

1. Cartoon ideas breed more cartoon ideas. Just looking at published cartoons gives you ideas for new cartoons. It's very important to familiarize yourself with the cartoons in the newspapers or magazines you want to write for. The situations and gags will lead to new situations and new gags.

2. I write about what's easiest for me to write about. I use my background, interests and opinions to create new ideas all the time. For instance:

a. I spend a lot of time alone writing gags. Therefore, I find it easy to write gags about prisoners. Same reason for being able to write about being alone on a desert island.
b. I come from a crazy family and can therefore easily write gags about therapy.
c. I've been married  a long time and have two grown children. I can easily write about husbands and wives and all the craziness that goes along with long term relationships.
d. I see doctors more than occasionally. I can easily write gags about doctors and imaginary illness.
e. And, the lists go on and on.

3. I've begun to realize the importance of writing about the things that drive me crazy, for instance:

a. People trying to sell me things over the phone
b. The lack of help I often receive from customer service representatives
c. Rude customers in restaurants
d. The way bosses intimidate their workers

These issues are ripe for humor.

4. I've learned to get my ideas on paper, take a break and then go back to my ideas to try to create something meaningful.

5.  It's really important to try to familiarize yourself with what's trending in technology, fashion, entertainment, etc. Many publications want their cartoons to be about what's on trend now.

6. It's very important to get your work out there and let people know what you do.

7. It's also very important to meet the people who can hire you.

8. Writing a blog is a very effective way of communicating on social media.

That's all for now. There's a lot of other things I've learned but I'll go into that in other entries.

Comments or questions? Email me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.

Valuable Website For You To Check Out

As a follower of the New Yorker magazine for many years, I read every issue cover to cover. I also study the cartoons. Going through every cartoon in its collection, from 1925, has made me a better gag writer. For those who read the articles and study the cartoons, there is a terrific website I'd like to make you aware of if you don't know about it already.

Michael Maslin, a long time New Yorker cartoonist, has created, since 2008, a very informative section of his website called Ink Spill, which gives information about past and present New Yorker cartoonists and their work. In it, you'll find news about book signings, exhibits, interviews and appearances. You'll find a short bio section and links to the cartoonists' websites and blogs. There's a library section which highlights books written and/or illustrated by the cartoonists. There's also a section of essays about the magazine and its cartoonists.

I read Ink Spill every day (as it's updated constantly) and I find it very informative and well-written.  Because I write so many cartoon gags with the New Yorker in mind, I find it very helpful to find out more about the cartoons' creators and their processes.

You can find Ink Spill at www.michaelmaslin.com/inkspill.

The Joy of Networking

I'm a firm believer in the power of networking...you know...meeting people through various means for the purpose of building your business. Whether it be connecting online or in person, networking can be a very effective way of making contacts which can be beneficial to both parties.

I'm an associate member of the National Cartoonists Society, a professional organization with chapters all over the country. Through this organization I've made hundreds of contacts. They have open meetings which means even if you're not a member you can attend their local get-togethers. I live on Long Island, which has a very large chapter of the NCS. I've attended their luncheons on and off for about 16 years and have met wonderful people. Living close to New York City, I now also attend the monthly get-togethers of the Manhattan chapter. I'm even invited to the summer barbeque of the New Jersey Chapter!

Since most writers and cartoonists work by themselves it's really important to get out and talk to people who do the same type of work you do. If you're a 'people person' like me, it's a necessity. It's a great opportunity to let others know what you do, show your work, get tips on how to improve your work, find out about markets for your work, and maybe even find someone to collaborate with.

Online I have profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook. I'm a member of several groups on both of these sites. Because I know about the power of the written word, I started this blog four months ago to share some of my insights about cartoon gagwriting with others. It's been amazing how many people have written to me through this blog, saying they do the same type of work I do and really appreciate my suggestions. Through this blog I've gotten new work and let people know what I do. Networking at its finest!

I also enjoy talking about what I do. I've spoken to groups about cartoon gagwriting. Many people have come up to me and said they never realized that some cartoonists have writers coming up with ideas for them. Made me feel like a rock star!

I cannot stress enough the power of networking, whether in person, online, on the phone or through the mail (who writes letters anymore?). You have to let people know what you do. You have to show enthusiasm for your work and other's work. You have to be willing to help others, be encouraging, answer questions, congratulate people on their accomplishments and above all, always stay positive.

Any comments or questions, email me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.

Writing Cartoon Captions - 102

As I continue to come up with ideas for single-panel gag cartoons and, specifically, come up with effective captions (going on 19 years now), I continue to see the value of making lists of words and phrases. If I were a painter, it would be like having more paint colors to choose from. The longer the lists, the better the writing. And, it's not just the words that everyone would think of. You have to make lists which include small things, minor things, that maybe no one else would have thought of.

Let's say I want to write gags about food. It's not enough to list beef, chicken, fruit, vegetables and potatoes. You have to get specific: Beef Stroganoff, Chicken A La King, Kung Pao Chicken, papaya, mango, smoothie, organic, fat free, gluten free, sugar free, tofu, fish taco, meatball sliders, quinoa, cucumbers, winter squash, summer squash, spaghetti squash, eggplant, seedless grapes, bok choy, cloves of garlic, iceberg lettuce, Romaine lettuce. The list could go on and on. Think of walking through a farmer's market and the fruits and vegetables you'd see. Write down the odd items - the ones you don't see everywhere. Think of walking around a large supermarket and the various departments: meat, fish, cheeses, the bakery, the bulk foods aisle, the dairy aisle, the frozen food aisle, the prepared food aisle (items to grab and go). All these items can go on your list.

If you're writing about Chinese food, think of the various foods on the menu: the Hot and Sour Soup, the eggrolls, the Lo Mein dishes, the Sweet and Sour Dishes, the Chow Mein dishes, the fortune cookies, the chop sticks, the fried noodles and duck sauce. Kind of makes you hungry, doesn't it?

The thing is, you have to get specific. You have to make lists of things that people identify with, and also the obscure, the things that only someone "in the know" or "on trend" would know about. That's why I try to keep up with the latest trends in food, fashion, digital devices, etc. That's why I read a lot of contemporary magazines and newspapers. I make lists.

Song Titles, Book Titles, Movie Titles, etc.

A great source of gags for single-panel cartoons is song, book, movie, television and Broadway show titles. If you pick a familiar title (current or in the past, although current is better) and change it or do the reverse of it, you can many times come up with an idea for a cartoon.

My local library loans movies and I've been known to go down the rows of movies, with pen and paper in hand, and jot down titles that I think would lend itself to a great gag. Same for what seems to be thousands of books in my house, many from my college days as an English major. These titles, well known because they're classics, can also be used, as can song, television and Broadway show titles. Try doing the reverse of the title and see if it becomes funny. Then visualize how it can be illustrated.

Of course for those who use the Internet for all kinds of information, you can find titles of almost anything online. Just Googling "Top songs of the '60's" will get you all kinds of good stuff. (It will also bring back all kinds of memories, hopefully good ones. You might spend so much time singing to the oldies that you'll forget about the gagwriting).

Good luck with these ideas and let me know if they help you. You can send me an e-mail at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.