We contacted Stephen Beals again and asked a few more questions regarding his comic series. The dialogues created by the artist are often concise and witty. We were wondering how he manages to craft them in a way that not only serves the humor but also adds depth to the characters and the story. Stephen told us: “Practice, I suppose. I don't always succeed at this. If I'm writing good dialog it's because I understand the character and the pacing required for what they are saying. There's a lot of rewriting and 'fat-trimming' to make things concise. Any decent character has an unpublished backstory that I think about when writing for their particular voice. Cartoons are exaggerations of real life, but I think it's a mistake to make them two-dimensional. Even a cartoon personality needs shades of gray.”
As you may remember, Stephen Beals never slows down, and releases new strips daily! We were curious if there are times the artist faces a creative block and if so how he overcomes it. Beals shared with us: “I read a lot of different writers. I've come to believe what Lee Child says about writer's block. He doesn't really believe in it. A lot of it is muscle memory. There are so many days when I can't think of a single thing. But like all jobs, you develop a routine. I make coffee, sit at my drawing board, get my supplies ready, and comb over things I've experienced that day. Inevitably, something will come. Now, if I'm working on any number of things that I have to do during the course of the day that require my concentration, chances are that I won't be able to think of anything. I can't multitask and write. It's work that requires my full attention.”
Beals continued: “There are always exceptions. Some ideas will come out of nowhere, like a gift from the gods, but usually, it's work. I don't know about novelists, but cartoonists can doodle their way into an idea. There have been times when I've started drawing first and the dialog follows. There have been many more times when no ideas follow what I've drawn, so that isn't a very successful method.”
We also asked Stephen if he could describe a pivotal moment or experience that significantly impacted his growth as a comic artist. He shared with us: “There hasn't been a pivotal moment so much as a thousand little steps. In talking with other people, I've come to learn that it is a common experience. I used to think there was one obvious 'AH HA!' moment that changes everything, but that apparently only happens in movies. For most people, progress comes in tiny steps. Eventually, you will be surprised by how far you've come.”
The illustrator added: “My classmates at the California Institute of the Arts were about as pivotal as it got. Being around such creative people made me more creative and more aware of what I was doing. That continues to be the case.”
Lastly, we wanted to know if Beals recalls an anecdote about a particularly memorable interaction he had with a reader who related deeply to one of the artist’s comics. We found out that indeed, he does: “Work stories! I don't have one, specific anecdote from a reader, but people have commented on the strip with their own stories at work. Sometimes they write that I've dredged up a forgotten memory and go into detail about a horrible, real-life work situation that no writer could ever dream up. Inevitably, it starts out with ‘Back when I worked at…’ and they proceed to write about something that is the perfect mix of drama and comedy. Real life. You can't beat it.”
