Taylor writes...

Hi Greg,

In your opinion, what are some of the key factors that separate a good story/script from a poor one (especially as it applies to writing in episodic television)?

Thanks

Mexi Gremillion writes...

Hi Greg!

My name is Mexi Gremillion and I am going to be writing for film and television when I finish college in May. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions possibly about your experience as a creator and writer of fantastic television series like Gargoyles and Young Justice via email if possible, but it is totally fine if I ask you publicly on this sort of forum. I love your work and it's totally fine if you don't answer this, but I hope you do. Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Mexi Gremillion

RexBlazer1 writes...

Hi Greg,

I'll try and keep this short, as I'm sure your busy and having things to do, but basically I would like your honest opinion on something. And no, don't worry, it's not about ideas for any of the things you've worked on, nor anything that I or others have written.

Anyway, I'm an aspiring writer who wants to make his own series, and there's an aspect of storytelling that I can't seem to decide on. You see, I have always felt that there are, primarily, two types of villains:

1. The kind who do bad things and don't care
2. The kind who believe that their actions are justified

Summarily, I can't seem to decide which one is worse, as it could really be argued either way. I've asked some friends what they think, and have gotten back different answers.

Admittedly, the self-justifying villain tends to fall under a trope that I have a disliking towards:

Knight Templar - a villain who is convinced that he/she is the hero.

And, after thinking about it, there is at least one thing to appreciate about the "bad and don't care" villains; at least they have no illusions about what they want or what they're doing. Plus, we've seen a lot of the self-justifying villains in recent years, to the point where I think it might be overused. Which is why I think a balance between the two needs to be met, as too much of one can get old fast.

But anyway, I mainly just wanted to ask which type of villain you think is worse; the "bad and don't care" kind, or the self-justifying kind?

Dean writes...

1. You've said that you're not a binge watcher. Does that influence your storytelling style in your shows? Also, if a show had a single story that stretched over several episodes like with "Awakening" of Gargoyles, would you watch them in one sitting?

2. Since you prefer more serialized stories (hopefully I'm using the right term), how do you feel when you watch more episodic shows like Justice League/JLU?

3. Somewhat relating to that last question, have you finished JLU and Teen Titans? If so, what are your thoughts on them now?

4. What kind of stories do you prefer to tell? As in, how and when do you decide to make a story out of some heavy subject or theme such as -I don't know- slavery instead of a just a story that moves a character forward? Do you think one is better than the other? How do you feel about "heavy subject" stories in general, or would you say those are almost always present anyways? I hope this last question makes sense.

Stannis the Grammar Nazi writes...

The word "wrought" is used on YJ quite a few times. More than I've heard on other media. Is there any reason why you like it? I thought it was a bit archaic. Especially when it is used to mean "created by means other than manually".

Jack Johnson writes...

Hey Mr. Weisman

I consider your and your collaborators' take on Young Justice to be a masterpiece, not just in terms of action but in terms of planning and structure. And that leads me to ask the question of how, exactly, did you go about mounting that type of beautifully complex operation? I mean how were you able to develop all of those intertwining stories for literally hundreds of characters and feed them all into the larger agenda? Did you start by breaking a general story for where you wanted the series to go and which characters you wanted to take it there? Or did you start with the main characters and work your way out from there?

Sean writes...

Hello Greg,

I just had a few questions concerning Series Bibles if that's alright.

1. How are Series Bibles typically constructed? Is it divided into sections like characters, locations, and story events usually or does it depend on the show?
2. Do they contain much in the way of art or concepts? If so, are there perhaps unused versions or is it typically the finalized designs?
3. Given how much the passage of time is a factor in your shows, do you typically have a series timeline that gets added to as you progress? Do events tend to stay where they are or can things be moved around if need be?

Thank you for your time.

Ritesh writes...

Hello, Greg. I'm a huge fan of yours. I'm really interested in animation, and storytelling and writing- and would eventually like to have my own show at some point. And I'm a big fan of superheroes and comics, especially DC ones. So- Young Justice had a huge impact on me. Anyway I wanted to know-
1)What advice do you have for young aspiring writers?
2)What are the people in the industry/companies looking for, when they're hiring?(I would love your insight)
3)What's the first step one needs to take, in order to get into the TV animation field and break through?
4)What sort of educational background is preferred in the industry, or proves helpful/useful in it?

The last question, I wanna know specifically as I think that'll help me determine what I wanna take for my University course. I love storytelling, always have and I would love for you to share your knowledge of the industry, and insights of writing. :)

Dorphise Jean writes...

I'm starting a comic on my own with a superhero plot I want to know what does these comic publishing companies look for