Len Wein Quotes

• You can read a dozen different textbooks or how-to manuals that will tell you the basic rules of what makes a story – a beginning, a middle, and an end.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• When I got my first glimpse of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, my breath caught. In that single instant, he was Wolverine.

  Len Wein

• What makes a story is how well it manages to connect with the reader, the visceral effect it has.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.

  Len Wein

• These days, it seems that if you’re not already in place, you can’t get there from here.

  Len Wein

• There is an ancient legend which warns that, should we ever learn our true origin, our universe will instantly be destroyed.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• Lord of the Rings, I think, is far and away the most brilliantly done stuff.

  Len Wein

• It’s all about who’s where on the food chain. When I’m the story editor, I expect my writers to follow my vision. When I’m working for another editor, I’m obliged to follow their vision.

  Len Wein

• It all depends on which side of the desk you’re sitting on.

  Len Wein

• 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.

  Len Wein

• In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you’re halfway home.

  Len Wein

• If a story isn’t working, I’m simply unable to finish it. That’s what usually tells me something is wrong.

  Len Wein

• I’ve never sat down and thought about the difference between plot and theme. To me, that’s never been important.

  Len Wein

Len Wein (36)

Birth:	12th June, 1948
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Writer

About

Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men. Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen. Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

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Today's Anniversary - 22nd March

Births

• 1976 - Reese Witherspoon
• 1920 - Martin Rosenblatt
• 1934 - Orrin Hatch
• 1908 - Louis L'Amour
• 1913 - Tom McCall

Deaths

• 1958 - Mike Todd
• 1999 - David Strickland
• 2005 - Kenzo Tange
• 2004 - Ahmed Yassin
• 1991 - Paul Engle