Len Wein Quotes
-
I'm a neurotic New York Jew by birth. Creating characters is second nature to me.
-
When I submitted samples, I had only written stories to give myself something to draw. I was told, "The art is good, but not quite professional yet. But, I like the writing." I've been a writer for almost a half a century. It's very cool.
-
I've never had to work out of the arts. I've always either been a writer or an editor, or something where I've made my living from doing what I love. You can't get any better than that.
-
Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.
-
I was a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age 7, my Dad brought me a stack of comic books to keep me occupied. I was hooked.
-
The most unrealistic thing I've ever read in comics is when some group of characters calls themselves the Brotherhood of Evil or the Masters of Evil. I don't believe any character believes their goals to be truly evil.
-
When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics.
-
The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?
-
Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.
-
In these litigious times, if you're a beginner, it's becoming harder and harder to get your work to the people who might actually be able to hire you.
-
I try not to violate what came before me and to leave lots of wiggle room for those who will follow.
-
A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else.
-
When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.
-
I try to find what makes even the worst, most despicable character sympathetic at his or her core.
-
These days, it seems that if you're not already in place, you can't get there from here.
-
People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the sake of a story.
-
In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home.
-
Never be embarrassed by the things you cannot do. Be embarrassed by the things you can do and don't do well.
-
I've always been the audience that I wanted to reach, so I write for myself.
-
I consider myself the luckiest man in the world. I have spent a lifetime doing what I love.
-
Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback.
-
I think jazz and comic books are probably the two uniquely American art forms.
-
Lord of the Rings, I think, is far and away the most brilliantly done stuff.
-
I would like immortality.