I was thinking about a few things to start off with… Concept and character design are important parts of the comic creation process, but I didn’t want to ruin some of the surprise. Instead, I will focus on some tips for Script Writing.
First, think of your duties when working on your comic project. Are you the writer, the artist, or possibly both? Next, what kind of project are you working on? Is it a webcomic, a print-comic, a graphic novel, or some other form of sequential art? How big will your project be?
You can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be while writing. If you are the writer, then you should be descriptive enough to share your vision with your artist. (Communication is the key to being a good comic writer, at least from an artist’s standpoint!) If you have dual duties, I would recommend thinking about how big your project is. No use scratching your head while you wonder what your vague description meant when you finally get around to doing the pencils! Always remember: Going at a project haphazardly without a plan will lead to headaches later on.
For White Wolf and the Shieldmaiden, I have most of the script completed. My story will be approximately 40-50 pages, depending on changes I make later on. Since I am the writer and the artist, I can be very fluid or flexible with my script. That’s a decent size for a webcomic, but about a quarter to half of a graphic novel. I am also taking into consideration that this is my first project over 10 pages. I tend to be very descriptive, because it helps me visualize how I am going to draw the comic. Certain programs allow you to add notes and pictures to the comic (which I will go into in a moment).
My typical description per panel will be once to two sentences. This was an example from an early version of the script:
So you may be thinking, what was that? That, my friend, is the typical comic format. Be forewarned that different writers may use different formats. Also, some companies require certain formats (i.e. Marvel Comics’ required format for writers is different than Dark Horse Comics’ format).
I format my comics this way: Page (number of panels), panel (panel number), caption, balloons, and repeat next panel/caption/balloon until end of page. Each section should be tabbed for easy viewing.
When I had worked on Undead Norm, I received my scripts via Google Drive. Google Drive is awesome because you can share documents, pictures, pdfs, etc. and it is linked with my Google account. It is very easy to use; I can view and edit my work via Documents to Go on my cell phone and tablet. There are other programs available, but watch out for phone and tablet compatibility when purchasing the apps. I always recommend trying out the free version before committing (or signing up for the Amazon AppStore’s "Free App of the Day" e-mail notifications).
The script for White Wolf is being written in Celtx. It is a script writing program that automatically backs up your work on the Celtx cloud. Like Google Drive, the program itself is free to use and has web/cell phone/tablet versions available. Unlike Google Drive, the program auto-formats for industry standard script formats. Some writers are not fond of the lack of control, but having to write the script and draw the art, I’ll cut any corners I need to. There are also options at the bottom of the screen that format your script into index cards or a PDF. Work smarter, not harder!
A fair warning for those who already have a script and would like to write in Celtx: you cannot copy/paste into the program and have to re-write it. It is because of Celtx’s native format that makes it difficult.
Hopefully I have been a help to you. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, leave me a note in the comments. Once my day job is out of the busy season, I will be updating with art!
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