Comic Writing Tips
Wednesday Writing Weekly #62
My favorite tips to improve comic writing.
When writing a story, it can be hard to transfer it into the form of a comic. You have the story to worry about, the art, the structure of panels, and more. Artists also have a lot of challenges between balancing the story and bringing it to life. To help creators with this process, I want to share three of my favorite tips.
Introducing Characters and Places
Have you ever read the classic superhero comics or even the Sunday funnies in the newspaper and saw the boxes of information at the top or bottom of panels? I specifically remember reading these in the weekly Batman panels, as a kid, with bright yellow backgrounds superimposed over the dark and gloomy scenes. They would say things like, “somewhere east of Gotham” or “Iceberg Lounge.” These little boxes of information were lifelines to let the reader know where the new scene was happening. I’ve read stories that use drawn signs, dialogue, or little boxes to label new places, characters, or items that the reader needs to know. Without these, your readers might not know what is going on!
When something new comes into your story or comic, it’s important to let your reader know what or who it is. (Unless it is a mystery, then you have more choices and opportunities there.) If you forget to do this, you’re going to cause some confusion among your readers. When reading, you don’t want to be wondering who someone is and then miss the next few details in the book. That’s distracting!
The Power of Dialogue
When transferring a story to a comic, you might lose a lot of information such as a character’s thoughts and feelings. Descriptions, details about the world, characters’ expressions, and more can be shown in the drawings themselves but sometimes it doesn’t feel enough. This is where dialogue comes in. Instead of having endless lists of thought bubbles, maybe you can turn those moments into conversations? Have your character talk about what your readers need to know but make sure you do not info-dump on us!
On info-dumping: When a character pauses to fill a reader in on a history or specific topic, it feels like the entire story comes to a stop. You can tell us things naturally in conversations or show us how a situation unfolds in real time, but when the story is interrupted, it hurts the readers’ experience.
Here is an example. I’ll set the scene: two adventures named Lily and Brian are hiking to Petal Town. How do I introduce some interesting information about the town?
Bad Example:
Lily: I hope we get to Petal Town soon. Did you know it is a town that was built twenty years ago after the war ended? People looking for a safe place to escape from the ruined lands of the North settled on the luscious shores of the Lilac River. Nowadays, the few people left specialize in artisanal carving and weaving.
Note: This sounds like someone is a walking encyclopedia! Most people don’t talk like this.
Good Example:
Lily: I hope we get to Petal Town soon.
Brian: Have you ever been?
Lily: No. You?
Brian: No, but I wonder if it’s like the tales?
Lily: What tales?
Brian: They say the families settled here to escape the destruction of the war. But now they mostly sell carvings and baskets.
Lily: Ooh, I want a carving. Do you think they make little ornaments?
Brian: *laughs* I’m sure if you asked nicely, someone could make you one.
Note: This is not a GREAT example, but do you get the idea? You are welcome to tell readers about the world in your story, but it’s better to blend it into a conversation rather than one long monologue of encyclopedic information. Now, don’t forget you don’t need to tell us EVERYTHING. Show us as the characters get to the town and make sure you pick important information that matters to the story.
Do You Write or Draw First?
Depending on your creative process, you might draw or write your comic’s story first. Both have benefits and either one may work better for you or not. I do like to pop in and recommend writing your story first before you begin drawing. A big reason for this is that it gives you more room to edit and change details as you go through the early drafts. If you draw everything right away, you might feel trapped in the decisions you make because they are harder to change and redo.
A great way to draft a story and to get those ideas down is to start writing. When a vibrant image or idea comes to mind, draw it and save it like a note. This is how you can capture your ideas without losing them. Once you are ready to start plotting out your panels and begin sketching out the story, you can begin with your outlines, notes, and written parts to support you.
Conclusion
While these three suggestions seem simple, they make a huge difference! How you introduce information, give it to your readers, and plan it out from the beginning can make a big impact on your story. Be sure to plan with outlines and writing before you dive into the drawings. Make sure you observe the balance between the information the art is showing and what you can add in with dialogue and info boxes. There are many ways to go about these things so feel free to explore and see what works best for you!