The Manga Memoirs Blogs!

"What's the deal with magazines these days? What happened to the days of long form articles, written by professional freelance columnists? Today, all we get are bite sized chunks not unlike the internets. Magazines should not mimic the wub, it's redundant. That's just wrong, that's futile..."


Andy Rooney. Coming at you live from the wub. I said it before...a dynamo!

Today, the second in a series of interviews with the writers behind the Manga Memoirs anthology. The purpose: to give you a brief snapshot of the people behind the stories.


Carmen Wright (aka mariathedreamer) is the writer behind the sweet story Traveller. The story focuses on the bond between two childhood friends, throughout the distance of years and time.

It's a really beautiful story about how our lives intersect time and again, in unexpected ways, when we expect it least. Life! Yay!

Onward!

What compelled you to tell this particular story?

Well, there was this contest? ;) In truth, I've told this story several times, to friends, as an extended preface of sorts when I tell a story about Sack to someone who hasn't heard of him before. But I certainly don't tell everyone. Only those who have an appreciation for life's surprises.


Why is a comic the best format for it?

Comic format is actually ideal for this story, as I can't recall anything we would've said to each other back then. Luckily, with a comic, I can tell the story purely with visuals and a few captions. Plus, with no dialogue, the story has an overall quieter feel to it, which I like.

What do you love about Manga or comics in general? (art,pacing etc.)

With manga, there's a luxury of time and emotion. There's time to get the mood of an exchange between characters without the rush to pack it all into fewer pages. Every emotion seems to be BIG in manga and at the same time, the quiet exchanges are quieter than in comics or other formats. And also the silly little characters that can be tucked into the corner of a frame. I connect with the humour.

What brought you to reading comics?

I read the occasional comic as a kid, but nothing significant. I ended up reading manga in a roundabout way. I had some ideas for stories that I couldn't place in a particular genre, but after watching some anime, I realized I'd found a fit. From there, I started to read manga and began to explore.

What do you hope readers take away from your memoir?

I'd like readers to feel hope, wonder, joy, innocence, love. How life sometimes travels in a circle and brings special people back into our lives.


What is your ideal soundtrack for this story? (or did you soundtrack your writing process?)

I don't have a soundtrack to this story, although I did pick a few mellow Chemical Brothers tunes I hoped would capture the mood and circular aspect of the story, Dream On and Asleep from Day.

The Cliche` question: What is your favorite Manga of all time? (or comic)

I really do love Fruits Basket. I'm a girly girl. When I'm not being really dark and scary.

What is the first Manga/comic that you read?

Can't recall the first comic, but the first manga was InuYasha, Volume 18, not even the first volume in the series! I'd just seen the episode on TV.


What do you find most challenging/satisfying about writing for this medium?

The biggest challenge, is getting the detail I want into the limited number of pages, because with Rip Current, there were 22 pages and now with this memoir, there were only eight. I've not had the luxury of time to capture smaller mood-setting elements. That said, I love the constraints of the medium, it makes me think very hard about what to include, particularly the visual impact of my choices.

What are your aspirations for your creative career? What do you wanna be when you grow up? (a spaceship, fire fighter, Superman etc.)

Shockingly, I've discovered I am a grown-up! Since I can remember, I've always wanted to tell stories, on stage, on paper, on screen, in person, wherever possible, and so I have. I simply want to continue telling stories, and ideally, keep getting better as I go along.

Fin.

Many thanks to Carmen for taking the time to answer my silly questions.

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Crackwalker has some thoughts on Anti-bullying awareness today. Very good post.

More Interviews and Navel gazing on the way. (from me!)




MorganJ
Editor vs. the Universe