I work with youth, and one of the trends I have been noticing as of late is the tendency to be completely immersed in one’s phone. The more I look around, the more I realize that this isn’t something that is unique only to adolescents and teens. In fact many adults are guilty of the same compulsions. I too, have noticed that I spend more time fulfilling the need to look at my phone screen than I would like.

It’s time to re-enter the real world people. It’s time to actually LIVE, instead of posting pictures of it so that our friends think we lead interesting lives. It’s time to raise our heads, look around, and have an actual conversation.

It’s easier said than done. But let’s give it a go, before we realize that we’ve posted and status-updated our lives away.

The post Living Life appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

Sometimes writing for different characters can be a bit of a challenge. Recently I finished the first draft of my -cough- highly anticipated screenplay, and I find that the character that gave me the most difficulty was my main protagonist. I worried sometimes that he was being overshadowed by more dynamic characters, and that his character arc wasn’t complete enough. I suppose that is what second drafts are for.

I have also encountered this challenge while writing for Raccoon Toons. There was a time when I felt that Michael wasn’t as strong as a character as he needed to be. There were times when I felt like he was standing beside me screaming in my ear demanding to be let out so he can wreak some havoc of some kind. Wendy was likewise a major problem for me until I consciously made an effort to refine her as a character. I’m pleased with the progress they’ve all made, but hopefully they’ll be lots more comic strips and cartoons to continue to develop their personalities.

I think one of the coolest experiences in writing happens when your characters dictate the story to you. There are times when I write that I sit back and let the characters tell me what’s happening in their stories. I think those are the most rewarding not only because I get to be surprised at what’s happening in the story, but also because I feel that if the characters are strong enough to write themselves, then maybe I’ve done something right in getting them to that point.

The post Character Development appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

Keep playing your drums. The music will follow.

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We have a contest winner! Last month we had our “Who Wants to Be In a Comic Strip?” contest, and many of you shared your favorite comic strip and entered! I wish I could draw everyone into the comic strip all the time. You guys are the coolest.

This year’s winner is………………………… (drum roll)………………………..

Devin Burgraff of Salt Lake City, Utah!

Congratulations Devin! You will be featured in a future Raccoon Toons comic strip!

Thanks to all who entered and participated! Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for reading me.

~Matt

The post Bang Your Drum appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

Baseball is BACK!!!!! Happy Opening Day!!!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

The post Baseball’s Back! appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

For some time I have been thinking about the post I would write with today’s comic strip. For weeks I have been formulating various thoughts in my mind, trying desperately to piece them together into some kind of written structure. So many different topics came forward: true friendship, inner beauty, social anxieties, objectification, self worth, etc.

I have since chosen not to supplement this comic strip with any further analyses or additional writing, but rather to let the comic strip speak for itself. I’ve decided that it’s probably worth more to the reader to interpret it as they wish and draw their own conclusions.

Although I usually fight the impulse, I have discovered that portions of my comic strip are, on occasion, somewhat personal. As I worked with this particular story line I found myself looking inward, observing many of the aspects and actions of my own life, and evaluating how I treat people. It has been a worthwhile experience for me, one that I hope will make me better.

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Readers, you have only FOUR days left to enter the  “Who Wants to Be In a Comic Strip?” contest! The winner will be featured in an upcoming Raccoon Toons comic strip! Don’t wait! Enter today!

The post -sigh- appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

I’m stuck. I’m totally stuck. Not only is my future devoid of any kind of plan, but I can’t even think of anything clever or satirical to write under this comic strip. So I’m stuck in both the literal and the philosophical sense. I’m doubly stuck. Like a dinosaur caught in one of the La Brea Tar Pits while suffering a mid-life crisis. That’s me. Stuck-o-saurus  Rex. Someday people will find my bones and put me on display in a museum somewhere. But they’ll probably put the wrong skull on my body and then they’ll have to change my name later on when they realize I’m a completely different kind of Stuckeosaur. That would just be my kind of luck.

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You still have a chance to be featured in an upcoming Raccoon Toons comic strip! The official rules are here, but it’s really very simple:

1. Like the site.

2. Share your favorite comic strip from the site with people who are awesome.

3. Tell me you shared.

4. Cookie.

SO easy!! Make sure you leave a comment somewhere, send me an email (matt at raccoontoons.com), or let me know SOMEHOW how you shared or I won’t know to enter you into the drawing. One lucky winner will be selected at random and they WILL be drawn into an upcoming Raccoon Toons comic strip! You have until 12:29 am (California time) on February 1st. Good luck.

The post Merry Go Round appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

Sometimes I stress about decisions. I worry that one wrong decision will lead to a chain reaction that will cause my life to end up completely different than if I had made a different decision earlier on. And that’s the way life is. Because our decisions really do change the outcome of our lives. I suppose what matters is how we feel about the decisions we make. Sometimes it’s really simple to know what is the right and the wrong of every decision. And then there are moments when there are just a host of different possibilities and paths that lay before us, and the decision isn’t based on what is right or wrong, but rather what is better, and what is best. So sometimes I stress about big decisions because I’m afraid I’m somehow missing out on something even better. I’m aiming for bestest.

The post Decisions appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

The post Seems Like Yesterday appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

08/15/2006 – Just when things couldn’t get worse…You ever had your car broken into? I have.

08/14/2006 – I hate being cursed. I hate being twenty-five. I hate Utah. I hate the Dodgers. I hate the entire academic world and everything it stands for. I hate the collective time span of 2003-2006. I will probably hate 2007. I hate my culture, and my deadened social life. I hate Tommy Lasorda, peas, and doing dishes. Chances are, I hate you as well. I’ve done my part dang-it.

08/05/2006 – My summer term is over, and now it’s time for a nice long vacation! I had hoped to get a strip up before I left, but summer is calling me. Be back in a few weeks!

The post Cursed appeared first on Raccoon Toons.

07/18/2006 – Just a short little sketchy strip today as things have been really, really busy. Be sure to check out the “Extras” section if you haven’t already.

Saw a really cool play based off of “Alice in Wonderland” the other day. Humpty Dumpty was awesome, actually, better than awesome. Humpty Dumpty was . . . Kaytandifferickendous! And yes . . . I did make up that word just now.

07/14/2006 – Been working all week. New MOVIE, figure work, and all sorts of goodness in the “Extras” section. Man, the “Extras” section rocks.

The post Whack appeared first on Raccoon Toons.