How to Get Your Graphic Novel Started

It's a great time for graphic novels. Not only is the market for independent and self-published graphic novels expanding, but the medium is finally beginning to earn the critical acclaim that it has long deserved. Many comic fans who would've never seriously considered publishing their own graphic novels are now doing just that. I have not yet published my own graphic novel, but my first script is nearing completion, I've done considerable research, and I've been in contact with independent comic book writers in New York City since the 2007 New York Comic Book Convention. Here are some things I've learned in the course of penning my first 5-chapter comic book script.

Getting Started

If you're reading this, chances are you already have a concept and characters for you graphic novel hammered out. Now comes the hard work of committing the story to paper.

One resource that fast-tracked production on my script was Dan Wickline's excellent Twelve Step Program for writing graphic novels. In the series of articles, Wickline walks readers through the creative process using his (then) new mini-series as a guide. Two of Wickline's getting-started tips were particularly helpful to me.

The first is a five-pronged plan for presenting your concept to your readers: develop your idea, find a hook, choose the storytelling style, find a connection point and set limitations. If any of this sounds alien, read the article and all will be made clear. You'll be astonished how Wickline's advice helps you organize your concept into a work-in-progress.

The second is his plotting advice. Wickline stresses the importance of writing out a synopsis for each chapter/issue, but the best advice is also the simplest. When plotting the scenes in a given issue, Wickline merely lists 1-22 ( the average number of pages in a comic) on a sheet of paper and guesstimates how many pages he'll need for each scene. To me, issue plotting seemed like a major obstacle at first, but after I tried this method, it became a snap.

Scripting

A major barrier for aspiring comic writers can be a simple question of how to lay out the script. One solution is to dig out one of your graphic novels or browse through trade paperbacks at your local comic shop. Many of them feature behind-the-scenes supplements showcasing scripted pages and preliminary art.

While these provide good guidelines, the truth is that most writers have their own method for scripting comics. You need to script three components clearly: page designations, panel blocking, and dialogue.

Page designations merely indicate where a page changes. When writing your script, you should consider how much space dialogue will take up in each panel and how much emphasis you want to place on a particular panel. For example, action scenes and long diatribes tend to take up a lot of space, so you may have to a lot more pages for scenes that include action sequences or important extended dialogue.

Panel blocking is a fancy term for scripting where the characters are positioned in a panel. When blocking, you should think about the tone of the scene. For example, in a graphic novel I'm writing, two characters who haven't talked for years are confronting each other for the first time, so I kept them in separate panels for most of the scene to emphasize the alienation and tension. Blocking is important, but don't stop production because you can't get think of the perfect shot - your artist will probably have ideas on blocking.

Dialogue is usually centered in the middle of the page, with the speaker's name in capital letters. Beneath, what he or she is saying is indented from the left and right to set it off from panel blocking descriptions, which is left aligned. Writers usually start a new line where they intend to start a new word balloon, as well.

Translating Ideas into Stories

Establishing a world for your characters to inhabit and setting the pace of the story are no easy tasks. However, the best way to do so is to start writing. It's tempting to put off scripting until you have the story "just so", but here's why that's a recipe for inaction.

A writing teacher once told me that it's the limits you're given as a writer that often free you to create your best work. Graphic novel chapters and monthly comics generally number 22 pages. Based on the genre and tone of your story, you'll quickly learn how to work within this space, as well as where to prune and where to expand.

In the course of scripting my graphic novel, I've devised characters mid-chapter in order to flesh out the story and my primary tool for giving the back story: narration. You likely have plenty of ideas about how to achieve the books overall tone, but you'll quickly learn that some of your methods are not compatible. But the only way to decided what to keep and what to omit is to script out the entire comic, look at it as a whole and ask what works and what doesn't.

Remember, like any other genre, comic writing requires lots of revision, especially when you first start.

Hopefully, these tips have helped to demystify scripting a graphing novel. My only other advice would be to attend a convention, talk to some independent comic writers and seek advice wherever you can get it. The indy writers you read today may be the people you're networking with tomorrow.