Tips for Writing Web Comics

Believe it or not, I've been writing comics for over three years now. In fact, the first one I wrote was for Blizzard's World of Warcraft Comic Contest. Mr. Weisner and I entered four entries together, and we were never even featured in any of the months. We felt cheated, as we believed our comics to be simply above and beyond the caliber of the other entrants. At this point it should come to no surprise to you that our entries were the start of "WTB Dignity". Yes, we created the characters and (very loosely) the ongoing story arc of WTB Dignity in April of 2006. For the WoW contest, though, we named it the "Warsong Gulch Chronicles". It features Harold, Razputhen, and a third character (who will be introduced in WTBD very soon). We also had a few other minor players who will be brought back to life in later episodes of WTBD as well, mainly on the human side... you know, cannon-fodder.

All that aside, I have learned a great deal about webcomics, comic, writing, and story structure since then. Hell, I've even had two paying, professional comic gigs in that time (woo hoo!). Needless to say, in a story like WTBD, it is absolutely crucial to, at the very least, have a strong outline of your entire story arc before you even write your very first page. That's my method of writing, and I find that it helps me to prevent plot holes and loops before they ever have a chance to happen. If I know exactly where I'm going before I start, how can I get lost? It's the same as plotting your route to your destination before leaving home.

Another important step was fleshing out the characters in great depth. This may seem silly to a writer, since they "know" the character already, but sometimes you can forget the little details, and it never hurts to know as much as possible about each and every main character before you dive into them. This is a little outline that I have been using to help me define my characters since my college days:

Where did they come from?
What happened to their past/family?
Who are they currently?
What are they currently doing?
What is their current life situation?
What is their physical appearance?
What is their dress?
What is their belief system?
What kind of personality do they have?
What is their current psychological makeup?
How do they act in social situations?
What kind of attitude do they have?
Who are their current connections/friends?
What kind of changes will the character make?
What is this characters immediate story arc objective?

I know that's a lot of information, and takes a lot of work on your part before you even begin writing your actual comic, but hey, it is absolutely worth it. This isn't amateur hour over here.

Another thing I find crucial to these long term stories or graphic novels is what I call a Fact Sheet. A Fact Sheet is, simply put, a collection of important Facts for your story. I use it to keep characters names (and proper spellings!) along with brief descriptions of who they are. I also use it for major events, past and future; as well as the names and geographical information about different continents, regions, towns, villages, and cities within the world I have created. It really helps as it allows you to go back to the Fact Page at any time to check spellings, geographical location, and importance on any number of items as you progress through your story.

All of this information, of course, only really pertains to progressive storytelling. In fact, the first main story arc, as outlined on page one of WTBD, was originally planned to last AT LEAST three years before it was done. Three straight years of two posts a week. Remember, it started off as a paying job, and I was contractually obligated to start with a three-year long story arc. Intense, huh? So, if you think about it, the story as it stands currently, at 93 pages, is far from the end. Hell, we've barely even scratched the surface.

If you want to write daily comics, or something of the like... you know, along the lines of We Live in Atlanta, Penny Arcade, or Rooster Teeth... then you can pretty much disregard most of what I've said here, because daily, singular jokes do not require three years worth of foresight. Just another reason why they singularly rock, and are totally awesome and entertaining.

I hope you have found all of this information useful or helpful in some manner of way. Stay tuned as I bring you more nuggets of wisdom regarding your comic, and how to get started. Cheers, and keep writing! Or, you know, drawing... if that's your thing.