My Future Shock Hell: Breaking Into 2000 AD (And What I Learned While Doing It)

ALEC WORLEY /// FANTASY, HORROR, SCI-FI (AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN)

My Future Shock Hell: Breaking Into 2000 AD (And What I Learned While Doing It)

5/19/2014

53 Comments

This essay will be updated and expanded into four parts over on my Substack newsletter 'Agent of Weird'. Chapter One starts 22 September 2023. Subscribe now so you don't miss out...

Art by Cliff Robinson

53 Comments

Roy

11/17/2014 11:23:08 am

Thank you so much for sharing this. It's easy to understand and inspiring. Great advice for writers in general. Did you ever write a post on twists?

Thanks again,

Roy

Alec

11/18/2014 09:26:02 pm

I did indeed. Here you go, Roy: http://alecworley.weebly.com/blog/the-five-types-of-twist-ending

Nicolas

12/9/2014 11:38:35 pm

Thanks a lot for this invaluable advice! Sorry, but I have only one question, please: Do you think 2000AD will accept submissions from outside UK? (I'm from Argentina) Once again, thank you so much!

Alec

12/10/2014 10:29:35 pm

You're welcome, Nicolas, and as far as I know 2000 AD welcome submissions from outside the UK. Just be sure to follow their submission guidelines: http://www.2000adonline.com/submissions/
Good luck.

kyle

9/29/2015 07:03:48 am

Hello, I'm currently creating something to submit to 200AD but i have come across a problem with the wording and was wondering if someone could help me. By four pages do they mean four pages of script or a script compromised of 4 comic strip pages?

Alec Worley

9/29/2015 10:47:17 am

Hi Kyle,
What they mean there is four pages of the comic you're describing not four pages of the actual script. Each page of the comic may take up several pages to describe in terms of the panel descriptions and dialogue.
Hope that makes sense. :P
Good luck and thanks for reading.
Alec

kyle

9/29/2015 12:50:57 pm

Thank you for the clarification and advice.

Alec Worley

9/29/2015 11:50:40 pm

You're welcome!

kyle houston

10/10/2015 04:02:56 pm

I'm sorry for bothering you again, but would they prefer the script in printed format or hand written?

Alec Worley

10/14/2015 11:55:28 pm

No worries, Kyle. Definitely type it up and send a printed copy. NEVER send a handwritten script. That's an instant rejection as far as I know. Hope this helps.

Kyle Houston

10/16/2015 03:26:40 pm

Thank you, you've helped a lot.

Dominic

2/5/2016 08:17:23 am

Thank you so much for this, Alec. As an English language and creative writing student, not only has this further inspired me, but it has also served as motivation. I found this to be a very raw and transparent representation of the industry I hope to find myself working in someday.

Alec

2/8/2016 02:22:05 am

Good luck, Dominic. Don't let it break your heart.

Jim

8/6/2016 12:51:48 pm

Do you know if 2000 AD has a preferred script format (such as the graphic novel formats available on Final Draft software)? Thanks!

Alec Worley

8/6/2016 11:25:39 pm

No need for fancy-pants Final Draft templates or anything like that, Jim. Just make sure it's typed, clear and legible. The story's the thing. Good luck!

Joe W

9/23/2016 10:31:00 am

Prepping submissions at the minute and came across your blog -- really appreciate the advice/reassurance. And now for the question no-one wants to answer! How much, ballpark figure if you like, do 2000AD PAY for Future Shocks? I mean, we're just hacks in the end, right? Just kidding ;)

Alec Worley

9/24/2016 09:06:55 am

Hi Joe.
Okay, straight off, I can’t tell you (if for no other reason than I’ve signed a release form that says I can’t disclose stuff like that), but here’s what I’d say…
DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!
Seriously, at this stage you’re as good as doing it for free. Focus on getting the story right and ignore anything else.
I completely understand where you’re coming from, though. Before I got in I was constantly trying to figure out how people actually survived financially writing comics for a living. The truth is, you can’t - at least not for a good long while when you can either land a regular slot with a major publisher or have enough experience to get regular work from a bunch of different outlets (not all of them comics). I always heard the words ‘comic book writer’ and thought that that person must earn a living writing comic books. A reasonable assumption, right? After all, if someone tells me they're a 'firefighter' I assume that's how they earn a living. But the truth is most often ‘comic book writer’ is one of several titles that come under the more accurate umbrella term of ‘Freelance Writer’. That guy or gal whose interview you just read in SFX about their new comic book gig may also be a ‘Subeditor’, ‘Radio Play writer’, ‘Night shift warehouse worker’, etc, etc, etc. It’s a constant juggle. If you’re ultimately angling for a regular gig with 2000AD then it's best to think of Future Shocks as a kind of work experience or apprenticeship. Sorry couldn’t be more help there, Joe.
Good luck with the submissions.
Alec

vinn

9/23/2016 07:25:39 pm

hello Alec,

very informative, thank you for the post. i do have a question about submitting though...

to whom should one address the submission? it's awfully hard to find the actual submission editor's name.

unless it needs to be addressed to Tharg?

thanks!

Alec Worley

9/24/2016 08:43:25 am

You’re welcome, Vinn! I’d address it simply to ‘submissions editor’.
If it’s got the word ‘submission’ in it, it’ll find it’s way to the pile.
Hope this helps.
Alec

Joe

1/30/2017 04:14:54 pm

Hi, I submitted a future shock 1st Sept but still haven't heard back. Is this standard turn around time, and is there an avenue whereupon I can check progress or, at the very least, confirm that they received my submission?
Thanks in advance, and all the best

Alec

1/31/2017 09:42:10 am

Hi Joe. You'll almost certainly hear back, but you can expect to wait quite a while. Maybe up to 8-9 months if you're unlucky. I wouldn't call in as the editors got enough on his plate. For your own sanity, you've got to think of your submissions as disposable. Just forget you've sent it and get on with the next script you'll be posting into oblivion. :P Get your fingers in a bunch of pies. Don't just pin all your hopes on getting into the Prog. Have a bunch of projects on the go.
Hope this helps, mate.
All the best.

Moralfiber

2/5/2017 11:31:24 pm

Hello! I want to submit my 4-page story but I'm moving out at the end of the month and the submission period ends March 1st. The only way they're gonna answer is by mail?

Does the Future Shock happen every year?

Alec Worley

2/7/2017 01:25:27 am

I couldn't say for sure, but yeah I think the submissions are open every year. How about you address the SAE to a friend or relative's address so they can take it in while you're finding a new place...?
Good luck.

Guy

2/9/2017 03:32:23 am

Hey great article, it really helped me as did the article on twist endings!

I have submitted my first script to the pile of oblivion and am working on my next and I was wondering, where else do we find work? I am an aspiring freelance writer without much experience right now and 2000AD is the only comic I have found which accepts open submissions without an artist on board. Just wondered if you had encountered any others?

Other than that its getting a blog started and practising my cookbook proofing for now I guess!

Thanks again

Alec Worley

2/9/2017 07:56:06 am

Glad these helped, Guy.
Writer-only submissions are pretty rare, to be honest. Outside of 2000AD, there's Commando and maybe Viz. Others like Titan, Panini, etc will want to see a body of work before they consider you.
Since getting paid isn't a consideration at this point, I always recommend looking at small press anthologies like Future Quake and Something Wicked http://www.futurequake.co.uk/submissions They'll pair you up with an artist, and have got a very high standing with the fan community.
So long as you can write and are good enough to get paid for it via copywriting and wotnot, then you can semi-support yourself that way while branching out and working your way up in comics.
Hope this helps, and good luck
Alec

Guy

2/9/2017 08:09:23 am

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, i really appreciate the advice.

Love the Anderson trilogy, keep up the good work!

Alec Worley

2/9/2017 09:41:00 am

You're very welcome, Guy. And thanks for the kind words.
All the best, fella!

Saul P Tiler link

7/14/2017 03:39:59 am

Hi Alec,
Thanks 'exposing yourself' in the TFS articles. I've been having a go for years and I can already see where I've been going wrong.
Also thanks for being tolerant with comments, a lot of those I've read are more about the mechanics of sending scripts rather than writing them and it's good of you to respond with what you knew.
Saul

Alec Worley

7/24/2017 02:27:58 am

Glad the blog helped, Saul. You're very welcome and good luck!

Ryan Smith

8/4/2017 06:25:01 am

I submitted a story just before the end of the deadline back in February and have received word today... Along with my rejected script haha

They said the story wasn't engaging enough, and I can accept that criticism. I mean I added a lot into it and tried to make it as unique as possible, but if the case states that it wasn't engaging enough for readers, then I guess I know where the main weakness lay. Hopefully I can correct that issue for my next submission.
After all... we live and learn haha

Alec Worley

8/21/2017 03:00:52 am

Sorry to hear you got bounced, Ryan. But it’s to be expected, right? The best cure for rejection blues is pre-emptive: to have another script locked and loaded and ready for sending when that rejection arrives. But always, ALWAYS take what the editor said into account. ‘Not engaging enough’ can mean a lot of things, from the characters not being relatable enough, to the story’s central concept not having a strong enough hook. Perhaps think about your characters and ask yourself ‘can I see people relating to that situation?’ Take the oldest tale in the book: Aladdin gets three wishes. We can all relate to that story straight away. It gets us thinking ‘gee, what would I wish for if that was me...?’ Straightforward and simple is almost always to best way to go. In terms of hook, think where you’ve seen your idea before and make a sidestep. Try something as simple as ‘What if I changed the main character’s gender/species/age? What if I set this in a different time-zone, a different genre. What if I played this as horror? What angle would that bring to the table?’ Look for where you can distort a familiar idea in an interesting way. M. John Harrison once wrote, ‘Ask what [the genre is] afraid of, what it’s trying to hide – then write that.’
Hope this helps, Ryan.

Saul Tyler

8/30/2017 03:51:19 am

Hi Alec,
To echo other people's statements, thanks for this. I've seen a lot of examples of scripts but you don't see a lot of examples of how to construct a synopsis....any clues?
Thanks Paul

Alec Worley

9/20/2017 08:04:57 am

So sorry for the late reply, Saul! Synopses are pretty straightforward. You simply tell the story as plainly and succinctly as possible. That said, it does help if you can ‘sell’ the story a little, that is, give some sense of how the excitement will play out.

Bear in mind that a synopsis differs from a pitch. A pitch (certainly with 2000 AD) is a short, sexy proposition that includes the essential Who, What, When, Where and Why of the story. On the other hand, a synopsis can afford to be more detailed, and usually comes once the pitch has been approved and you’re explaining how the story will play out episode by episode. Creator Jim Zub has some good advice on this score: http://www.jimzub.com/here-comes-the-pitch-part-two/

Hope this helps, Saul. And sorry again for the late reply.

Geoff McGrath

9/19/2017 02:35:27 am

Epic read Alec! Thanks so much.... Submissions have just opened for this year and I've 3 stories ready to go... so fingers crossed! Just not sure if I should send them all at once... from what I read of your blog here.. did you just submit a single one at a time...

Not sure if I would be risking getting them canned if I sent them all at once?

Cheers,

Geoff.

Alec

9/20/2017 08:05:56 am

Cheers, Geoff! I’ve always sent one script at a time. I’m pretty sure I read/heard somewhere that The Mighty One prefers one script at a time to prevent overload. Otherwise, I guess people would be tempted to send in bloody great box files of stuff and the submissions droid would be buried in the crush! So yeah, pretty sure it’s one at a time. Patience required, sadly. Good luck, fella!

SCOTT link

9/27/2017 08:41:09 am

Hello Alec, great essay, so much insightful info! Hey, does 2000 AD accept writing submissions from American authors? I emailed them with this question and never received a response. As you say, Future Shocks are hard as hell to write, and, as a U.S. citizen trying to break into comics, I just need to know before I cannot commit any further.

Anyways, thanks, and continued success

-Scott

Alec Worley

9/27/2017 11:45:48 am

Hey, Scott!
I see no reason why they WOULDN'T accept an American submission. Though I'm wondering how they might post their reply across the Atlantic. I'm not sure they take International Reply Coupons - I remember having to mess around with those stupid things back when I was submitting short stories to US publishers years ago. Ugh! Nightmare. Your best bet would be to get in touch with 2000ad via Facebook or Twitter, and ask what you need to send them along with your self-addressed envelope. More chance of getting a reply, I would have thought, than sending an email. Hope this helps, Scott. Wishing you the best of luck!

george pickett

10/13/2017 08:45:12 am

Sorry Alec, I've just noticed that you've already answered the synopsis question above - please disregard my previous reply.

cheers

George

siddh

11/5/2017 07:45:20 am

hi great read
i live in india i want to submit my future shocks but i cant post it as it's very expensive for me.
So is there like an email address for this, as i cannot find it on the offficial website. Thanks

Alec Worley

1/8/2018 12:55:43 am

Siddh. Again, my sincere apologies in not getting back to you sooner! This here's the one question I always get asked and can never quite answer, i.e. 'How can writers from outside the UK send in their scripts.' I honestly don't know what the best thing to do here is. Sorry, man. My advice would be to get in touch with 2000 AD via Twitter or Facebook and ask there. They're really good at getting back to people. Sorry I can't be more help here, Siddh. Good luck!

Shaun

12/7/2017 06:10:30 am

Hi Alec,

Great advice, thanks for sharing. A couple of questions:

1) The 2000AD submission page says that they accept all genres (horror, fantasy etc) as well as SF. Would you still advise sending SF stories only as that is what they primarily publish?

2) You advised a previous poster not to sent in several scripts at once - but what about sending in 2 or 3 scripts separately before the March deadline - how would that go down?

Thanks again, and keep up the good work.
Shaun.

Alec Worley

1/8/2018 12:50:28 am

Shaun, HUGE apologies for not replying sooner! 1.) Definitely only send them what they've asked for, i.e. Future Shocks SF tales. 2.) If it were me, I'd say it's reasonable to send one script at a time, and if you haven't heard anything back in, say, three months, then consider it dead and send another. I know the long game sucks, buddy. But hang in there - and make sure you're pitching to other outlets, not just 2000 AD! The more fishing rods in the water means more chance of getting a bite, right...? Good luck!

Geoff McGrath

1/8/2018 01:14:12 am

Hey Alec, as you suggested, I submitted a single script the week submissions opened. Also spoke to Mike Carroll who said the same thing... one at a time...

It’s nearly 4mths though and I’ve still heard nothing back. I see you note that at that stage we should move on and submit another. Thankfully I’ve a couple of others ready for sending off.
I’ve nothing to lose I guess!

Geoff

Adrian

9/10/2018 07:03:33 pm

Hi Alec,

Thanks for the great advice! Following on from Shaun's question, what about fantasy with an SF twist in the tail? Hypothetically, say you found out that your barbarian hero was stuck inside a Truman Show-style bubble, and had been all along. Would that be SF *enough* for Future Shocks, or would the overall hacking-at-each-other-with-swords theme be out of place?

Alec

9/11/2018 01:16:16 am

Hmmm! Interesting question: ‘cos the SF title ‘Future Shock’ rather spoils the twist at the end, right? The reader will be going through your barbarian story waiting for the 'surprise' SF element to kick in... My advice would be write it and send it. If the story’s good enough, the editor won’t care whether it fits the definition of the title. And while you’re waiting for a reply on that script, forget you ever wrote it! Get busy on the next one, and the next one, and the next one... Read, write, study. Each script is a stepping stone to getting better and getting better is how you get in. Hope this helps and good luck, Adrian!

Adrian Bagley

9/11/2018 08:53:13 am

That helped so much! Thanks Alec, and especially for the speedy reply - the story's actually all ready to go, but I was playing 'if I was an editor, why would I reject this script...?' and gave myself a fright. It's comedy, which takes some of the pressure off the twist, I think. I.e., it's there to bring the comedy to crescendo, rather than to be the most original SF ending ever, IYSWIM. Time to get it posted, and get working on the next one...

Alec

9/11/2018 09:06:07 am

You’re welcome, Adrian. Glad it helped. Everyone gets the pre-submission jitters. Spending a minute or two to think why an editor might reject a script is always a good thing, even though it risks you falling in a spiral of second-guessing yourself. What will keep you straight and help navigate you through all that uncertainty is knowing the outlet (i.e. the comic, magazine, website, whatever, to which you’re submitting), the editor (their tastes and sensibilities), the readership (middle grade, YA, indie, horror fans, SF fans, ad infinitum) and – most important of all – your story. First and foremost you’re asking, ‘Does the story need this?’ Even if you’ve fallen in love with a gag, a character, a line of dialogue or whatever, if it doesn’t take the story forward then it probably needs to go. From there it’s just a case of being sensible. So much of this stuff is common sense – which you appear to have plenty of, Adrian. ;)

Adrian Bagley

9/11/2018 01:07:55 pm

That's great advice, thanks! I'm a big 2000 AD fan (loved Dandridge and Age of the Wolf, btw) so I'm reasonably sure the style of comedy fits with the magazine. Fingers crossed eh? Thanks again!

Geoff McGrath

1/3/2019 06:05:36 am

Just realised I’ve been seeing these comments for some time since I last commented and a lot has happened since I did.

I have to say I had my script ready to go the first week submissions opened. But it didn’t work out exactly as I imagined. I had several scripts ready to go, but despite submitting early into the process, they waited almost a year to reply which meant submissions were closed.

I got a ‘personal’ (my arse) letter from Matt Smith which was identical to the one received by several others. There was no critique offered apart from not being a good fit for 2000ad. Having read it for years, I don’t agree, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion I suppose.

In the process of all this I’ve had my work critiqued by 2 regular 2000ad authors and have had it deemed fit for purpose :)

But to be honest, my interest in publishing with Tharg somewhat diminished. So, I was spurred on to continue writing and since have joined with about 12 others we we’ll be publishing our own anthology later this year. It’s a pretty interesting mix as we’ve Brazilians, Americans, Canadians, Brits, Irish & Germans involved.

2000ad was a good starting place but I suppose I’m saying not to limit yourself to thinking they are your only recourse.

Appreciate your time though Alec in putting up with naysayers like me! Lol

Geoff.

Jacko

9/29/2019 11:08:13 pm

Outstanding advise
I have a story might have a go
But thanks for pointing out the pitfalls

Barrie

10/31/2019 08:16:44 am

Hi Alec!

Thanks for this wonderful advice.

I agree with everything you have said and taken it onboard.

I was just wondering if you had any advice on writing a decent synopsis?

I would think this is very important part of the submission as this is what the editor will initially judge your story on.

Thanks!

Alec

11/6/2019 12:40:14 pm

Writing a synopsis is an art unto itself. It mustn’t be too long, but you mustn’t leave out any important details that might cause the editor to reject it straight away. You’ve got to relay the plain facts, but you’ve also got to sell the story. You’ve got to put the editor in the reader’s shoes and show them how cool this is going to be. This subject warrants an entire post, to be honest, but in a pinch I’d say to bear these balances in mind. Make sure you’ve got all the main selling points covered: intriguing main character, interesting dramatic concept, along with all the overall twists and turns of the plot and the ending. (BTW, the key difference between a pitch and a synopsis is that the pitch is much more about selling the story, withholding certain information in the hope of intriguing the editor, whereas a synopsis is essentially describing the final product and convincing them the damn thing will work.) Also be aware of what I call ‘scaling’, that is, ensuring the the story you’re pitching is the right size for the thing you’re going to write. There’s no point writing a synopsis for graphic novel if you’re hoping to write a four-pager. Scenes and characters are what give a story complexity and thus mass/word count. So be aware that a four-page Future Shock will have room for only a couple of characters and scenes (any more and you’re starting to push it).
Writing a synopsis is also a good writing exercise, and trains you to use simple language that’s easy to understand with concise descriptions, and all that other stuff.
Hope this helps, Barrie!

Mick Paulusma

2/3/2021 04:45:29 am

I just wanted to say thanks for writing this. I know it has been here for a while but 2021 is when I found it - so thank you!

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My Future Shock Hell: Breaking Into 2000 AD (And What I Learned While Doing It)

This essay will be updated and expanded into four parts over on my Substack newsletter 'Agent of Weird'. Chapter One starts 22 September 2023. Subscribe now so you don't miss out...

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