So week after week I find myself doing something that I never thought I’d spend so much time and effort to improve…. Writing.
Maybe it comes from my art and programming backgrounds, but I am constantly trying to find some kind of formula or exercise that will make the construction of a storyline an easier process. Now that may feel like a kind of clinical and antiseptic way of approaching what is very much an art form. But to be perfectly honest, that’s how I approach my artwork. Now granted, that isn’t how I always thought of art, but in college I learned that a well drawn character begins with a solid construction from basic shapes, so why should writing be any different?
I tend to start my writing sessions by recapping what is happening to the characters, what they might be feeling, thinking, what they want to do… just something to get the writing juices flowing. A little like a warmup sketch.
The next step is for me to write out a series of Plot Points I want to hit. I don’t try to fill up every slot in a month of comics or anything, adding in more points between them to achieve a proper pace for the story can come later. I just throw in anything I can think of that I’d like to have included in the storyline. These Plot Points can be as detailed as fully fleshed out comic scripts or as vague as a single sentence that gives a loose idea of what will eventually become a script.
At this point I look over what I’ve got and I just kinda guess at where I need to add another strip or two between the existing plot points to correct the pacing. This is one part of the process that I don’t fully understand myself. Pacing is just one of those things that I can just tell is off by looking at it. I know it’s not particularly helpful, but it’s true. Sometimes I can just tell that I need to add a strip before a change in location or subject matter, like it needs a transition… I dunno, it’s hard to explain.
This is the point when I’ll often have a hard time coming up with ideas for those filler strips. Luckily I recently discovered a writing trick that helps me come up with some new ideas. It’s a variation of brainstorming I think of it as “the what if game.” I just make a big old list of what ifs that relate to whats currently happening in the strip.
What if the car breaks down on the way to the hospital?
What if Brody discovers he’s allergic to the gel in disposable diapers?
What if Abbey goes into false labor?
What if Max breaks his arm and they all end up in the hospital together?
You get the idea…
So this list will generally generate enough options that SOMETHING in there will spark my imagination that will eventually become a joke. You know it’s been said that ideas are cheap, that the execution of those ideas are what matter. This is true for writing comic strips. I have learned that ANY situation can become a joke, you just need to find the right angle to approach it from. Humor comes from the unexpected. Present a problem or situation and then resolve it in a way your audience wont expect and you illicit a humor response.
The last thing I do when writing a strip is simplify it. Again with the writing as a formula…. This is the point where I take the joke I have and I optimize the script. I try to take the most basic essence of the comic and I try to reduce it down to as few words as possible. Editing down your scripts is important, but there is such a thing as doing it to aggressively. You still need to maintain the tension in the strip. By tension I mean you need to build up the tension in your first two or three panels and then release it on the final panel. That tension can be lost if you edit the script down too far. But that’s what I mean by optimizing…
Anyway, that’s my writing process… Hope you guys find it interesting.
I’d love to hear from you guys regarding your own writing tricks and tendencies.
Rawb
November 6th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Yes Obama has such a critical role to play in the next few years, I stay away from politics for the most part but I feel he is going to be able to handle it. Also enjoyed the strip, always great stuff
November 6th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Hey Luka. I agree, I kind of wanted to avoid it, but I felt like it was a little difficult to say nothing…. Happy you liked the strip!
November 6th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Well, the landslide victory was of course referring to the electoral results of 349 to 163. The Electoral college has a rich and nuanced history in America, with plenty of documentation in the Federalist papers and other “Founding Father” documents. It’s a relic of our founding, which is fitting in a country that still insists on fax machines for business when scanners and e-mail have been corporate fixtures for well over a decade. America: If it’s broke, don’t fix it.
Oh, and don’t forget that the electors are under no legal obligation to actually vote as CNN predicts they will. Just because we haven’t had an issue yet, doesn’t mean we won’t some day. We won’t know for sure who our next President is until December, though I wouldn’t expect it to be any different.
Hey, you excited about Gears 2? I know I am.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Yeah political systems seem to be needlessly overcomplicated and outdated… Canada is no different. We don’t vote seperately for our Prime Minister… you vote for the party rep in your riding and then the PM is determined by whichever party gets the most reps into office….
Gears is looking awesome! Unfortunately I won’t be able to get it till Christmas and even then there is a really low chance that I’ll get it…. I’m saving up for the next round of payments for my house and I had to resort to puting on my Christmas List…. we’ll have to see how things pan out.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Yeah, and don’t get me started on our judicial system…
Keep the faith, bro, Santa may yet deliver. Hey, I just realized I don’t know anything about how Canada celebrates Christmas. I know you have Boxing Day on the 26th, which the limits of my understanding tells me that’s something like regifting to charity? Is Christmas itself a big holiday up there like it is in the U.S., or is it far less obnoxious?
November 7th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Oh yeah… Christmas here is identical to the States… Boxing day has become somthing a little peculiar…. I’m pretty sure it’s the same in the US, nowadays you can’t return anthing to stores for a full week after Christmas, and boxing day is mega uber sale day…. We don’t have Black Friday sales so it’s the biggest sale day of the year…. which is dumb cause everyone is broke after buying presents for others…. sigh… no sense in it really.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Yeah, that sounds pretty much the same as here. Black Friday is a vicious thing, I refuse to leave the house. I tried to go out once for one thing, and swore that humanity would tear itself to shreds after witnessing those moms go after deals for their kids. Seriously, ever since then I’ve been certain that society is on the brink of collapse and that I should be stocking up on Spam and guns. It’s embarrassing to humanity (or at least America).
Where do you buy games in Canada? In the U.S., they’re pretty much at every major superstore (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.) and we also have chain stores (GameStop, Play N’ Trade, etc.) which specialize in games. I’ll stop asking questions after this one for awhile, I promise.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hey, is it just me or did Amanda’s hips get bigger?!
Hi Lou, since Rob hasn’t answered your question yet, yes we can buy all our games at the same places you can, all our major superstores (Walmart Best Buy…ect) and we have chain stores such as EB Games.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Hey Lorna! Nice to hear from you again. Maybe they did… I think that the character is the same though… I don’t have a model sheet for the characters yet so you might be right.
And yes Lorna is correct… Canada is very similar to the states in a lot of ways… If you have it down south, there is a good chance we have it here in Canada or something very similar. What we call EB Games is Gamestop for you… It’s the same company, just a different name. We also have Microplay and all the big chains. Some of our big name Grocery Stores like Loblaws have also started carrying games lately…. Hell I even saw the Wii for sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. Believe me, we are just as immersed in Capatalism as the States, in fact here in Ottawa there is a Bestbuy right next door to a Futureshop right near where I work.