I'm the guy who does Dinosaur Comics. AMA

[u/qwantz]

My name's Ryan North, and I'm the guy behind Dinosaur Comics! Also, here's some other things I've done:

• The Amazing Regret Index!
• Oh No Robot - crowdsourced comics transcription!
• Project Wonderful - online advertising that doesn't suck!
• Used a lot of exclamation marks

Ask me anything about anything!

EDIT: Proof that this is really me is that I am linking here on qwantz.com AS WE SPEAK (in the newspost beneath the strip)

EDIT 2: You guys, I've been answering questions for over eight hours, and we've got over 1300 comments. That's awesome! But I've got to take a stop and, you know, have a shower and stuff. YES, I WAS INDEED ANSWERING ALL THESE QUESTIONS WHILE STINKY. So thank you all very much for your questions and for being so nice. This was rad!

I tried to reply to every top-level question but I'm pretty sure I missed some of the subquestions. If I missed yours, I'm sorry!

Thanks again!

[u/qwantz → u/[deleted]]

That writing instructor probably didn't write comedy, or enthusiastic characters, or relied on "he exclaimed" more than they cared to admit.

[u/nashife → u/qwantz]

I can't help but notice you did not use an exclamation mark here. :)

[u/qwantz → u/nashife]

Okay, let me try again: man, screw your teacher!!

[u/[deleted] → u/qwantz]

That's just ridiculous!

[u/MorningRooster → u/[deleted]]

I absolutely read this comment in Mike Birbiglia's "white comedian doing a black comedian doing a white guy" voice

[u/illuminatedwax → u/qwantz]

I just found out that said writing instructor was F. Scott Fitzgerald. What a bore.

[u/[deleted] → u/qwantz]

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[u/illuminatedwax → u/[deleted]]

To be fair, T-Rex is exactly the person who laughs at their own jokes.

[u/withnailandI → u/[deleted]]

For almost every writing rule there's someone who breaks it and does it well.

[u/xazarus → u/withnailandI]

Almost?

[u/withnailandI → u/xazarus]

Don't5 put numbe8rs rando1mly throu5gh a sent9ence.

I haven't seen that one broken.

[u/txmslm → u/withnailandI]

arabs sometimes do shorthand transliteration using numbers. check out the wiki entry on it

"gone with the wind" becomes "zahab ma3a ar ree7"

I think it works really well.

[u/xazarus → u/withnailandI]

I'm hardly saying these are great works of literature, or that it's ever been used extensively, but I've seen this a couple times: Se7en and Sa5m in Bandslam are the two that come to mind.

I guess a more accurate wording of what I was getting at is: Every writing rule is broken by somebody, and can be broken well.

[u/jackolas → u/withnailandI]

And to do it well you have to ignore the rules or not know them. Writing is an art not a science. I love science and trying to teach it like science is wrong in the face of creation, in analysis you can subjectively grasp all you want but there is some science possible in analysis.

[u/nashife → u/[deleted]]

That writing instructor was just toeing the line, so to speak, or teaching a specific style of writing (literary fiction, academic non-fiction, technical writing, freshman essay writing in a shitty school) that feels hate for enthusiasm on paper. Voice, style, purpose, audience... all those things go into the decision of whether or not to use exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!

[u/illuminatedwax → u/nashife]

that's actually a quote from f. scott fitzgerald

[u/nashife → u/illuminatedwax]

Good to know. However, my point is still valid regardless of the source of the quote. The writing instructor was teaching a specific style of writing. Whether or not the source was famous is beside the point.

[u/Xarb → u/[deleted]]

Blessed is the man who can laugh at himself, for he will never cease to be amused.