Ask John: Is Formal Training Really Necessary to Be An Anime Writer?

Question:
At AnimeNewsNetwork.com, Answerman Zac Bertschy has been complaining of late that many people have been emailing him about whether or not their story ideas would be accepted by major companies. He has always explained that they have to go to college and such to be taken seriously.

My questions are: what are the best college courses to take to learn how to write stories the big companies would accept? How long does the process take to get to be an official writer for cartoons and comics? Finally, can you cheat the system, at all? For instance: I’m now helping with a local anime magazine to create a manga, through sheer hard-knocks writing experience without the degrees, but would that get anywhere really serious? Could I use that for resumes?

Answer:
I do read Zac Bertschy’s column regularly, so I’m familiar with his repeated insistence that experience, knowledge, and training are vital to anyone seeking employment in anime creation. I’ve also read Zac’s advice that prospective creators develop original, unique ideas to maximize their chances of success. I have no doubts that Zac has good intentions with his suggestions, and I do agree with his advice. However, I don’t think his perspective is absolute. Formal training and a unique artistic vision are excellent stepping stones into a career in creating anime, but I don’t believe that either are mandatory prerequisites.

Any prospective writer would be served by specialized training in fields including literature, writing, literary criticism, film criticism, humanities, and journalism. Taking high school and college courses in literature and literary criticism provide a body of knowledge to draw from and expand one’s influences, inspirations, and ability to construct stories with literary and artistic strength. Anyone can tell a story, but it takes practice and know-how to be able to tell an interesting story in an interesting way. Formal writing training- both creative writing and journalism- provide the fundamental skills necessary to convey your ideas. It’s doubtful that any company will eagerly invest money in your work if your writing seems unprofessional or uneducated. Grammar and spelling flaws, poorly phrased sentences, incomplete or undeveloped thoughts, and lack of clear structure are the enemies of effective writing. Training and practice minimize these weaknesses and flaws, resulting in concise, effective and convincing stories and proposals. Education in humanities creates an appreciation for art and culture, which influence an artist’s perspective and creativity. Anyone interested in writing for animation ought to have some specialized knowledge of the techniques of film. A writer may not need to know how a camera works or how to record sound, but a screenwriter certainly should have some understanding of writing for a visual medium and how to develop a story for an audience with limited involvement in the story. And training in journalism forces the development of an ability to write concisely and distinguish important details from superficial ones.

It may not be necessary for an individual to focus on all of these areas of education. There may also be other fields I haven’t mentioned which may be beneficial to an aspiring writer, such as philosophy and psychology. In essence, any experience that improves one’s ability to create and convey interesting ideas is a positive experience. Therein lies the loophole. Natural talent, experience, and motivation do affect a writer’s ability and opportunities. A writer who’s had a lifetime of practical writing experience may be more skilled than a student who’s taken a few writing courses. A mediocre writer with the perseverance to submit manuscripts and ideas has a better chance of finding employment than a brilliant writer who never tries to go pro. How long it may take for a writer to get an idea turned into an anime varies. Many of Japan’s manga creators got their start as apprentice artists, working their way up the ranks to eventually get their own original creations published and possible turned into anime. It’s well known that artist group CLAMP started as a group of amateur artist friends who created original comics for fun before being discovered and offered an opportunity to go pro. Haré Nochi Guu creator Renjuro Kindaichi literally burst onto the scene from nowhere. At age 21, her original Haré Nochi Guu comic won first prize in an amateur artist contest, leading to professional publication and shortly thereafter a successful anime adaptation.

Developing a unique, original concept may be both a blessing and curse. A unique story may attract attention and signify the writer’s ability, but for every unique and unusual anime like Mushishi or Gallery Fake there are many more stereotypical, conventional productions like giant robot and harem anime. After all, anime is a commercial art, so an idea that comfortably rests within contemporary profitable trends may be more likely to be approved and produced than a risky, challenging concept. I believe that focus on quality writing is more important and valuable than focus on originality. I think that investors are more likely to trust a safe, well developed and constructed plan than an interesting but vague or unpolished proposal. I’m not trying to discourage creativity, but I do think that aspiring writers focus on technical skill because demonstrating ability and competence may be more valuable to an employer than a single unique idea. A writer who wants a particular story developed as anime should concentrate on that story. A writer who wants to work in the anime industry should concentrate on being a skilled, professional writer that may work on editing or polishing other scripts before gaining the opportunity to produce original scripts.

Ultimately, any aspiring artist hoping to break into the anime industry has to offer something of value to the industry. Like all business fields, the anime industry adopts people who can benefit the industry. Formal education and training are probably the most effective means of developing valuable skills, but a writer may also develop ability and creativity through practical experience. Writing lots of stories and developing skill and style based on reactions and criticisms from readers including friends and family, or working on a school newspaper or fanzine can be just as effective training for a writer as a college education. A college degree is useful on a resume, but for a writer seeking to join the anime industry, a convincing writing sample may be more effective than even a resume or application.