Comics creator, animation writer and web personality. Created HYBRID BASTARDS! and UNIMAGINABLE. Currently writing the official MAX STEEL comic (VIZ Media).
Tonis asked me a question about how I deal with page lengths when I’m writing a comic - - that is, how I determine how much plot to allot per issue and page. I figure this is a good enough reason to talk shop, so I'll break my M.O. down into some handy steps...
NOTES: I carry a notepad everywhere. In college, I used the "classier" choice of a moleskin but I've been using KINGDOM notepads ever since my friend gave me a pile of 30 he had left over from doing street team promotions for Paramount. They fit easily into your pocket and that’s key as it's cumbersome (and a little weird) to carry a notebook everywhere. I never actually saw that movie, so the point is that it doesn’t really matter what you write into, so as long as you get your stray thoughts down before you forget them.
OUTLINE: When I get to actual plotting, that’s when I’ll break out a bigger notebook and start filling pages. Maybe it’s a little inefficient to write in pen with the intention of transcribing the notes to computer, but I find my mind’s freer in longhand. I’ll map out plot in bullet points, usually with an idea of where the issue breaks are going to be. == TEASER ==
My choice processor.BREAKDOWNS: After the outline's transcribed, I copy all of the beats to Movie Magic, which is my preferred program for writing scripts. The price is close to $200, but you'll quickly find your investment paid off when you avoid the redundancy of having to type “PANEL," "PAGE” and every character's name over and over again. Anyway, I'll do one pass dividing the beats into pages, and then another pass dividing them into panels. At this point, the document's unintelligible to everybody else, but it makes perfect sense to me.
SCRIPT: With the map worked out, I go through and write all the dialog first. Once that's done, then I'll go back in and rewrite all the beats into cogent panel descriptions. For whatever reason, I find it's easier to do it in that order, as the dialog cadence will inform my choices for the panels. Also, punchy sentence fragments are easier to write than prose.
DIALOG: I always look at the dialog in the first script as a place-holder and will always plan to rewrite it based on the art. This way, I cut out dialog that conveys what's already obvious in the art and, conversely, add dialog to make clear what isn't obvious in the art.
Getting back to Tonis' question, the page pacing usually works itself out in the course of all these revisions. The actual nuts and bolts are intuitive. The only rules I find worth sticking to are these...
No more than 25 words per balloon.
No more than 50 words per panel.
No more than six panels per page.
...but there are frequently reasons to break all three of them. Anyway, you might appreciate some script pages from UNIMAGINABLE, my next comic (an OGN, coming out from Arcana Studio next month, which is currently available on Amazon and through Diamond's ordering code OCT100764! PRE-ORDER!) You can see how everything evolves from this stage to final execution by comparing these to the excerpt above.
Gallery
So I've answered questions about writing for comics here and also about what I think makes a good comics store. But, like I've always said, I'm open to all kinds of questions, so put them here in this thread I started and I'll gladly answer them for this column.
Pretty amazing article, to take the thoughts and organize them into a story, characters, whats going to happen. THIS is what makes it so appealing to me to wanna be a writer, I use to do art but creating the literature seems so much more exciting. MAYBE I COULD DO BOTH...oh the madness that would be had trying to do that.
It was interesting to read (and see) how someone who isn't Alan Moore writes comic scripts. If you have never seen an Alan Moore script I suggest that you google for them his script for the first page of Youngblood #4 is 2 and a half pages long.
this is basically how i do it too. huge sloppy notes, to page by page breakdowns, to scripting, to fine tuning dialogue.
i learned a lot from jason aaron's blog. he was the one that made me think about page by page outines, although im sure he didnt invent it or anything but it helps a ton. he also says he totally ignores any dialogue word limits when he writes. seems to work out.
killer details and tips Tom, a very big help. Thanks for the info on 'Screenwriter' too, I've been wondering what tools writers use and that's good to know.
As always, you go above and beyond the call for answers, big thanks.
@Tom Pinchuk: That is pretty helpful, thanks. If my fan comicbook will be out in January, can I post it in my blog here? Will it be a violation of someone's copyrights if I'll use characters from, for example, MARVEL publishing?
Mmmh, about your bubbles & text comment. I think Kevin Smith should take a note from you! XD (specially if you read his Green Arrow run! everyone talked in monologues!)
Celtx is actually a really great free program that is as good as any industry standards I've come across. I used to pay for Final Draft until I found the free alternative that was in many ways superior.
Nice to see your creative process. Thanks for the article!
Seeing other people's scripts are always useful, so thanks! I always think of it as dvd extras and a great way to see the creative process. Makes me feel a more sane about my writing.
" It was interesting to read (and see) how someone who isn't Alan Moore writes comic scripts. If you have never seen an Alan Moore script I suggest that you google for them his script for the first page of Youngblood #4 is 2 and a half pages long. "
I think Moore's approach gets frequently misunderstood. My sense that the script aren't hundreds of pages long in themselves - - they're combinations of script and correspondence with the artist. You read them and he'll go on a lot of conversational digressions into discussions that you'd usually have with the artist on the phone or through e-mail. He just puts it all in the page.
" It was interesting to read (and see) how someone who isn't Alan Moore writes comic scripts. If you have never seen an Alan Moore script I suggest that you google for them his script for the first page of Youngblood #4 is 2 and a half pages long. "
I think Moore's approach gets frequently misunderstood. My sense that the script aren't hundreds of pages long in themselves - - they're combinations of script and correspondence with the artist. You read them and he'll go on a lot of conversational digressions into discussions that you'd usually have with the artist on the phone or through e-mail. He just puts it all in the page. "
That's why I think people should look at his scripts if they can. It is amazing to have all of what normally would be lost there on the page. However sometimes he comes across as a control freak. There was an interview with him on the BBC show called The Culture show where he read the script for the first panel of an issue of Swamp Thing. In it he described everything he wanted in that panel in extreme detail.
i learned a lot from jason aaron's blog. he was the one that made me think about page by page outines, although im sure he didnt invent it or anything but it helps a ton. he also says he totally ignores any dialogue word limits when he writes. seems to work out. good article, tom. "
Like I said, there's really no one "right" way to do any of this. I remember Ellis saying at one point that he caps panel word counts at 25, not 50, so it depends on who you want to follow. I'd just say that Aaron's already proving himself, so he's got license to break rules. The 25/50 word is a useful guide to start with, basically like training wheels. You won't always need them, but they're necessary at the beginning to learn how to ride.
" @Tom Pinchuk: That is pretty helpful, thanks. If my fan comicbook will be out in January, can I post it in my blog here? Will it be a violation of someone's copyrights if I'll use characters from, for example, MARVEL publishing? "
I'm not an authority, but I don't think there's been an issue with fan fic in the past.
" " No more than six panels per page." Unless you're Chris Bachelo "
@Danial79 said:
" I've seen plenty of comics with more than 6 panels on a page. Is this just your personal preference? "
There are also plenty comics where there are more than 25 words per balloon and more than 50 words per panel. It's just a good guide when you're starting out, forcing you to stay concise with your beats. And also a consideration to the artist - - not everybody can pack in as many panels as Bachalo.
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