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
January 7th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
A comic is supposed to be more general-interest, while a site about how to commercialize your comic is pretty specific. I don’t know that advertising money would have really been good, as the traffic must be pretty low (webcomic creators vs. webcomic consumers). Also, they seemed even from the beginning to really intend to be for “professional” artists on the web, and they intended to gear their articles towards supporting that. From that perspective, I don’t think the move was out of line. It’s like a professional journal, in a way.
The reality is, though, I just don’t think there are enough “professional” (what does that even mean, anyway?) web cartoonists out there to support the move, and I think the very fact that Mr. Guigar felt he was putting too much time in to it shows that he doesn’t really have a strong community behind it. I think they should have solicited more articles from users and frankly I would have walked away earlier or asked the other Halfpixel guys to pick up some of the slack.
I like Mr. Guigar, and he has the know-how: He has written books on cartooning and given me some valuable advice. I just don’t know if he’ll be able to make enough off of this site (either through advertising or registration) to really make it worth his time to do all that work. I support his choice, but at the same time I think Webcomics.com is going the way of the dodo.
And you missed some good articles, but nothing you can’t get on the ‘Net at large. There were some cool checklists and such for conventions, printing books and things like that, and it was a good single source for all of it, but I don’t really think you’re left out in the cold by missing it.
January 7th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
You know, I just wrote that long-winded opinion piece and then I saw this at Tall-Tale Features:
http://talltalefeatures.com/2010/01/06/all-quiet-on-the-ttf-front/
Looks like they’re replacing Webcomics.com, and with a more laid-back attitude to boot!
January 8th, 2010 at 8:46 am
And another site just popped up in response to the closing of the forums (to public/free use). They just sent me an e-mail, I haven’t checked them out yet so I can’t say anything about them but I thought it was interesting:
http://webcomicscommunity.com/
Man, it would be neat to have a way to edit comments. Now I have three, and I only need one!
January 11th, 2010 at 7:00 am
first panel, first bubble: there sure ARE a lot…. ?
January 11th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I like the comic. Keep up the good work.
vogerl… it’s dialogue. Not only does it not have to be grammatically correct, but it shouldn’t be. Especially with a character like Brody.
January 11th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
LOL… yes Brody seems the type to blurt incoherent dribble, however I do agree… that should have been are… Good catch!
Thanks for the URLs Lou. I’ll have to check them out!
January 18th, 2010 at 12:38 am
I’m split on the whole thing, I bought their book, and have enjoyed the occasional read at the site. But although the content was great, I hardly think it’s correct to put content that other people have created behind a pay wall without some sort of remuneration to the creator. That said, The halfpixel guys are great, and I want to see them get paid.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:06 am
You know, it occurs to me that I sent in a question to a Webcomics Weekly a while ago about whether or not the guys thought something like this was needed for comic artists, a more freelance trade association for those who can’t get into the NCS. Dave Kellett basically dismissed it as unecessary and unhelpful. If they start offering group health insurance and such down the road, I’m going to laugh.
January 29th, 2010 at 7:23 am
It’s a weird situation to be sure. I was happy to buy their book… I’m all about the How to books, dummies books and art reference material…. but I only had to pay for those ONCE. I think that’s my main beef with this idea.