‘Recognizable Humanity’ – Gail Simone On Secret Six And Writing Characters
by Christine Marie Attardo
Chances are, if you’re a fan of comic-writer-superstar Gail Simone, you know about Secret Six. Today, Simone took to Twitter to give some writing advice and chat about how she made the characters in Secret Six relatable to readers. Take a look…
…the core concept for me was deceptively simple. What if the characters were human beings?
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
On some level, we are all of us always struggling to forgive ourselves or punish ourselves, for our choices in life (perhaps barring narcissists and the like). Each member of the Six is aware that they are to some degree broken.
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
And I believe that’s why Secret Six resonated for a lot of people, instead of being a spin-off villain book no one remembers.
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
It doesn’t matter how ridiculous an assignment is. If you bring recognizable humanity, it can ring bells readers might not even be aware they have. Recognizable humanity.
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
Quit worrying about making your characters ‘likeable.’ Make instead their actions touch a familiar sentiment. Good or bad, the reader will say, “I have felt this way. This is a real thing.” Snappy remarks and action setpieces do not cut as deeply as that.
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
I joke around a lot on twitter, but I take storytelling deadly seriously.
Do right by the characters and you will do right by the readers.
— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) November 28, 2017
As a fan of Gail Simone, this strikes a chord with me. I love her advice, I love Secret Six, and as always I appreciate her sense of humor. As a writer, I appreciate this even more. Writing characters isn’t an easy feat, and to make them complex and relatable is even harder.
As I read through her Twitter thread, I pulled out a pen and paper to jot down the advice, “If you bring recognizable humanity, it can ring bells readers might not even be aware they have. Recognizable humanity.” I think that’s something we can all use to be better writers. It also applies to readers in the sense of understanding what separates a great work from a comic that has mediocre writing. There’s a reason we are drawn to certain pieces and are deterred from pursuing others. What do you think? How does this apply to your appreciation of comics?
