An Open Challenge

Writer/illustrators, save the date. October 18 is 24 Hour Comics Day: http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/

In short, the goal is to create a 24 page comic in 24 hours. You stay up all night. You come in without a story. You can bring different reference materials, but you should come in without a preconceived idea of what you'll be doing. There are all kinds of variants about finishing (do as much as you can in 24 hours, do as much as you can in 24 hours and finish up what may be left in the future, etc.). The goal is to create 24 pages, but the achievement is spending 24 hours writing and drawing.

I think comics are a great all-ages medium, and all people interested in kids' books needs to have a careful look at comics. And I challenge you to participate n this event. Usually, you start at around noon on the Saturday and work straight through, though starting at any time on October 18th works. Of course, you can do the challenge at any time, but the 18th is the official event date. Post a comment if you are interested in doing this thing... Austin is a hotbed of comics activity and holds the record for most people gathered to do 24-hour comics (at least, I don't think that record has been broken).

And for honesty's sake, I've done this twice. I finished 12 pages the first year and 17 the second. This year, I will be doing 24! Or die trying.