WRITING for COMICS_PART 1_012

 

Writing for comics is more about the FEELS than technical aspects and the visceral appeal of combining words and pictures in a collaborative medium has its own set of challenges not faced by other artforms. Image borrowed from the internet - copyright respective owner and used for educational purposes only.

"The script does not exist on its own..."

Response to a request by a writer...

This post about writing for comics comes from a request by a writer to review his work. I am posting a lightly edited version here so people can see/peer into the process a little. There are no right and wrong answers. 

xxxxx

I have had a chance to read a good chunk of the script for XXXXXXXX#0. I like the story and it moves right along in cinematic fashion.

I have a few observations I will share with you.

First, there is no right way or wrong way to write a comic script. The writer is the first leg in the collaborative process of getting the comic created. In a collaboration of this nature in a visual medium, a lot of the "writing" will simply go to give the art team context for what they will be creating. If I were looking at this cold (which I am), I would read it with an eye as to how the words will be interpreted into images and visual narrative. I like the fact that your writing seems very visual in nature. I feel this is the right approach. You may want to understand that once your words leave your hands, whoever picks them up will need to create the drawings that are going to move the story. To that end, I feel like the writing is very tight.

What do I mean by "very tight?"

From the writer's point of view, a tight script is quite direct, even demanding for an artist to produce. The descriptions are precise, detailed, and additive. What this means is that the script leaves little wiggle room for the artist to imagine the story and characters. It does not necessarily take advantage of what the artist can bring to the table in terms of telling the story. I noticed that every panel has camera angle descriptions, for example. I might only indicate angles when it is really needed in a few spots and let the artist imagine the rest. Right now, the script reads like a TV script or movie script with the writing serving as the guide for the director. You may be pleasantly surprised at what relinquishing control over the visuals will allow the art team to come up with and it will become more of a collaboration than a set of illustrations to be wedged into the script.

This is not a good or bad thing. What you have done is perfectly fine in its own context. The script does not exist on its own and is not intended to be published as a stand-alone. Whatever arrangement you make with the art team in producing the finished work of a comic is perfectly acceptable. Some authors use bullet points or summaries. Some draw stick figures in the margins of a script. Others want very specific references used. Some "sketch out" the narrative and leave more to the art team. All approaches can become valid if the team adopts them. My concern/advice is to always allow the rest of the team to do their job. From a writing perspective, this may be a difficult task since the writing may come first in the process and the urge to "dictate" what needs to be done in later stages of the process will be strong.

Remember that you are building a story where others are going to step in and contribute. The art team on any visual-based narrative form will have a great impact on how the story looks and feels in the end. One way you can understand this is to have multiple individuals or teams draw independently from the same script. You will immediately see that each has a unique approach to interpreting the words. Comics in particular have their own quirks which other mediums do not have in terms of composition and pacing. Always try to take advantage of these differences. Comics are not TV, not film, not plays, not videos, not music, not prose writing. Comics are a unique blend of words and pictures which the reader will create their own associations and make personal.

My other observation is also small, maybe even petty.

Write the script so the letterer can easily copy and paste the script into a visual program. What does that mean? I like to use a format that has text on separate lines. I will explain.

EXAMPLE #1 - less letterer friendly

Description: Joseph hands the documents over to Maria and her eyes grow wide. Camera overhead shot. Dialogue: "These are for your eyes only."

EXAMPLE#2 - more letterer friendly

[Joseph hands Maria documents and we see her reaction. She is surprised]

Joseph (balloon):

These are for your eyes only.

EXPLANATION:

In the second example, I have used brackets [  ] to indicate action or description. It is just enough information to get the art team started. They may decide to break this action down into two or three panels for example depending on the visual pacing they establish on the page and in the rest of the story. I use a [bold] to show where text is indicated and who is talking.

I put the actual text/dialogue that will appear on the comic page on a separate line.

This allows the letterer to swoop in, find the bolds, then copy and paste just the full line below instead of "searching" for the start and end of dialogue in a paragraph.

All authors work differently. Always consider who comes next in your collaboration.  It is certainly okay to indicate just about anything when you are writing. I even include some color or production notes where appropriate. The idea is to get the team on the same page so they are in harmony as to what the project should look and feel like.

For the reader, combining elements in their head in real time and at their own pace is a subjective experience. In the end, the goal is to make memorable characters that make the readers FEEL something. Writing and comics are both visceral experiences and not a string of plot points threaded together in daisy-chain fashion. It is about provoking thought, feeling, and curiosity.

My own comic writing style is done through thumbnail layouts which look very different. I never expect my artists to follow them exactly (unless indicated) and want them to MAKE GOOD COMICS. The script should not be so focused that it does not allow for the imagination and innovation and sometimes spontaneousness of the art to shine through. Comics are visual.

I hope this makes a little bit of sense.

I like your script and the action seems to move along at a pretty good clip! Mastering comic scripting takes time and patience. Each one will turn out differently. When I have more time, I will look even further into your writing. My observations are actually not too important. You are definitely on the right track and the main thing is to get the scripts done and the art completed and out to the readers. Producing as much quality work as you can, as often as you can, is the way to build your confidence and experience.

As always, good luck and if possible, keep me in the loop. I want to see you growing over time!

Best always,

RICK

I have decided to use my comments here as the basis for a post on my blog so others interested in the comic making process can get a bit of insight. I will edit my remarks and remove your name. I think you should be proud of the work you are doing and push on and do more of it. Think of your storytelling skills as a muscle that needs reps and increased difficulty over time in order to grow.

Persist!

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

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