Comic Writing

[Toxilicks]

Hey there.
I've been curious about making comics but I lacked the artistic know how to make comics, but I've been told that I should be a writer.
I think I'd like to give comic writing a shot, but I imagine its a little different than just making up a story on paper. Is there script writing involved? Do some artists require a format to visualize the scene before they bring it to life?
Any useful advice would definitely be appreciated.

[tuna yo]

well it definitely varies from writer to writer, from what I've found.
gigi dg writer/illustrator of cucumber quest, put up a little sample of her script work the other day. brian lee o'malley of scott pilgrim fame has posted his scripts online as well.
this is a snippit of how I do it
and this is from my boyfriend, who is a writer for comics.
and a good friend of mine goes straight from point form events to storyboarding.

so there are no real rules, it depends on how much information the artist wants from you, how specific you want to get with your panels. just write however is comfortable to you (and decipherable to anyone who needs to)
hope this was helpful haha!

[Kaxen]

Varies a bit. Depends a bit on the artist.

When I write for myself, I use Celtx to format all the scriptiness for me.

As an artist, I want writers to at least have a vague idea of the number of panels they want on a page and to write in script format.

Because I've met too many writers who think you can put way more dialogue than can be sensibly put onto a comic page (unless their vision is to have a comic proportioned like a cash register receipt roll...).

[Toxilicks]

Kaxen

Varies a bit. Depends a bit on the artist.

When I write for myself, I use Celtx to format all the scriptiness for me.

As an artist, I want writers to at least have a vague idea of the number of panels they want on a page and to write in script format.

Because I've met too many writers who think you can put way more dialogue than can be sensibly put onto a comic page (unless their vision is to have a comic proportioned like a cash register receipt roll...).

Oh yeah. I didn't take panels into consideration. What would you suggest when thinking about panels?

[Toxilicks]

tuna yo

well it definitely varies from writer to writer, from what I've found.
gigi dg writer/illustrator of cucumber quest, put up a little sample of her script work the other day. brian lee o'malley of scott pilgrim fame has posted his scripts online as well.
this is a snippit of how I do it
and this is from my boyfriend, who is a writer for comics.
and a good friend of mine goes straight from point form events to storyboarding.

so there are no real rules, it depends on how much information the artist wants from you, how specific you want to get with your panels. just write however is comfortable to you (and decipherable to anyone who needs to)
hope this was helpful haha!

Thanks a bunch! I'll look at these later on! ^_^

[Xiam]

Script writing is involved, yes, since it's mostly dialogue and actions anyway.

Even though I draw my own comics, I actually write scripts even on my own - though I probably don't write them out like an actually screenplay would be written. I just sort of describe what happens in each moment, and then I plan out how that's going to look on a page.

If you can get enough knowledge of how a comic flows, you can plan it out on your own at least as far as panels on a page, and what's happening in each one. You can also maybe sketch a crude thumbnail for them, if you want, or work with the artist on that to have them help work through it, letting them work out the flow and pacing, and you can rewrite to fit the panel sizes and such.

Was that too confusing? Sorry, I'm getting a bit loopy.

I'd still at least recommend you try drawing on your own first. If it doesn't work out, seek out an artist. Preferably a friend, if you can get one, or someone else you think you can rely on and will be eager to work with you. But comics can be a great means of forcing yourself to learn how to draw better, and I love it as a storytelling format. Really. Like Jim Henson with puppets... I only consider drawing as a means to do what I really love. Which for me is telling a story.

And it just seems like it's easier to rely upon my own artwork than hope I can have a friend update on time. Even if it would lessen the burden and allow me to write more, it's just...

Sorry, I lost track of the discussion.

[Lucentas]

The best thing to do would be to make a film-style screenplay being as descriptive as possible--detail the characters' facial expressions and body language; explain the background scenery, the weather, the aesthetic; even the camera angle. All those things are very helpful to the artist to visualize what they need to put on the page.

Also, talk with your artist, find out what their workflow is like and how they would prefer to be handed the writing, and also how much creative control they want over the project, because they may want a little free rein to interpret the "cinematography" of scenes the way they want.

[Kaxen]

Toxilicks

Kaxen

Varies a bit. Depends a bit on the artist.

When I write for myself, I use Celtx to format all the scriptiness for me.

As an artist, I want writers to at least have a vague idea of the number of panels they want on a page and to write in script format.

Because I've met too many writers who think you can put way more dialogue than can be sensibly put onto a comic page (unless their vision is to have a comic proportioned like a cash register receipt roll...).

Oh yeah. I didn't take panels into consideration. What would you suggest when thinking about panels?

Well, think about how much space a panel will take up. Like a page that has an important image you want emphasized or a big establishing shot or a long bit of dialogue. Though the last one, you could possibly cut into more panels. So if you know you want a big panel on the page, don't write in 9 other panels on the page unless it works fine for it to be small.

And the bigger the panel, the more important it is, the more time a reader spends looking at it, and/or the "longer" in comic-time it feels like.

There's also what moments are important. Since you can cut one action into a lot of parts or not depending on how important it is to show everything. Like cutting quickly between a character waking up and then to being at school vs. showing a character's entire morning routine and bike ride to school.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud probably breaks comics down better than I do.

[Toxilicks]

Kaxen

Toxilicks

Kaxen

Varies a bit. Depends a bit on the artist.

When I write for myself, I use Celtx to format all the scriptiness for me.

As an artist, I want writers to at least have a vague idea of the number of panels they want on a page and to write in script format.

Because I've met too many writers who think you can put way more dialogue than can be sensibly put onto a comic page (unless their vision is to have a comic proportioned like a cash register receipt roll...).

Oh yeah. I didn't take panels into consideration. What would you suggest when thinking about panels?

Well, think about how much space a panel will take up. Like a page that has an important image you want emphasized or a big establishing shot or a long bit of dialogue. Though the last one, you could possibly cut into more panels. So if you know you want a big panel on the page, don't write in 9 other panels on the page unless it works fine for it to be small.

And the bigger the panel, the more important it is, the more time a reader spends looking at it, and/or the "longer" in comic-time it feels like.

There's also what moments are important. Since you can cut one action into a lot of parts or not depending on how important it is to show everything. Like cutting quickly between a character waking up and then to being at school vs. showing a character's entire morning routine and bike ride to school.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud probably breaks comics down better than I do.

I may look into it, but I can sort of see where you're coming from. I've never really thought of the nitty-gritty stuff when it comes to comics. Thanks, though. smile

[Kyousouka]

Toxilicks

I may look into it, but I can sort of see where you're coming from. I've never really thought of the nitty-gritty stuff when it comes to comics. Thanks, though. smile

That's the difference between a mediocre comic writer and a good one. The good one understands what goes into comics from the artist's end, and can write accordingly.

If you want to collaborate with artists and have any hope of getting decent ones to stick around for anything less than amazing pay, you need to understand things like panelling, visual pacing/timing, the visual planes, and lettering. That way, not only will you be able to write your script in a way that lets the artist know what you want, you'll also be able to communicate with them when they mess up.

As has been mentioned earlier, different artists like different degrees of freedom. Some just want a basic idea of what's happening and the dialogue, others want their layout pretty much done for them. Talk to them. When providing sample scripts, make it clear that you can conform your writing style to the artist's control preferences (if you can, of course; if you want someone to follow your script exactly, including the panelling, you need to state so). Either way, you should learn the "nitty-gritty" so that you and your artist can understand each other.

Sometimes, you'll end up with an artist who doesn't understand this stuff. If you want to make a good comic, you'll need to teach them. Any artist unwilling to learn is not an artist worth working with xP Of course, this is assuming you're a decent teacher and don't just yell at them.

[Toxilicks]

Kyousouka

Toxilicks

I may look into it, but I can sort of see where you're coming from. I've never really thought of the nitty-gritty stuff when it comes to comics. Thanks, though. smile

That's the difference between a mediocre comic writer and a good one. The good one understands what goes into comics from the artist's end, and can write accordingly.

If you want to collaborate with artists and have any hope of getting decent ones to stick around for anything less than amazing pay, you need to understand things like panelling, visual pacing/timing, the visual planes, and lettering. That way, not only will you be able to write your script in a way that lets the artist know what you want, you'll also be able to communicate with them when they mess up.

As has been mentioned earlier, different artists like different degrees of freedom. Some just want a basic idea of what's happening and the dialogue, others want their layout pretty much done for them. Talk to them. When providing sample scripts, make it clear that you can conform your writing style to the artist's control preferences (if you can, of course; if you want someone to follow your script exactly, including the panelling, you need to state so). Either way, you should learn the "nitty-gritty" so that you and your artist can understand each other.

Sometimes, you'll end up with an artist who doesn't understand this stuff. If you want to make a good comic, you'll need to teach them. Any artist unwilling to learn is not an artist worth working with xP Of course, this is assuming you're a decent teacher and don't just yell at them.

Oh I'm not currently looking to make money with comics. It's sort of just a way to explore my creativity right now because I'm sort of stuck in a "what do I do with my life?" sort of zone. I'm currently looking for work, and may have found a rather promising oppurtunity to at least get me cash for other things I want to do.

Anyone unwilling to learn anything usually tend to be irritating people as I've learned. I'd rather someone get something wrong and have me explain than just completely disregarding it entirely.

I'll have to look for details and basics on writing for comics, I guess. I know my first comic might not be great, but I at least should make a decent attempt at it, right? smile