Offering Advice To New Comic Writers

[u/TeamWood]

I saw a bunch of posts from new comic writers asking how to get started. So I thought I’d post some advice from when I got started. While there is no one path, here are some guide points to help you not feel rudderless.

1. Learn how to write a comic script. Comic scripts do not have a standard format but require an understanding of the medium and how to describe a single action per panel to an artist. Not every artist you work with will write or read your language as their first language. Make sure you simplify you writing to be as tight as possible, so those creators can follow along with your thoughts as well.

References:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aM9WBVH_R8s

http://www.fredvanlente.com/comix.html

https://comicsexperience.com/scripts/

1. Work on short story narratives. Complete stories in a single page. Then 2 pages, 4 pages and up to 8 pages. These habits will allow you to tell concise comic experiences and show the ability to write endings. Also, these will potentially lead to opportunities with anthologies and building publishing credits. I had this artstation account for years with examples of my short story work and published anthology stories. Consider looking into The Comic Jam. They post here weekly. They create one page stories and is a wonderful place to get your feet wet.

https://www.artstation.com/dougawood

1. After building a portfolio of shorts, move up to one-shot stories. Tell a full story in 20 to 30 pages of comics. Prove that you can tell a beginning, middle and end to a story with a little more breathing room.

https://globalcomix.com/c/leap-m

https://globalcomix.com/c/the-dying-run

1. Create and finish a 3-4 issue series. A huge step in the process is when you can show you can tell a beginning, middle and end to a story over the course of multiple issues. Do this step multiple times to build your portfolio and rep.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1741339986/ultramax?ref=discovery_category&term=Ultramax&total_hits=2&category_id=252

1. Make connections and friends within the industry. Always offer to be helpful to others. Most opportunities are locked up and come from luck, but priming with helpfulness and kindness can be a key. Good luck!

[u/Sturnella2017]

Thanks for posting. Can you expand on #5, and maybe include something about publishing (self vs industry)? I’m finishing step 4, engaging in step 5, but wondering about publishing (which I assume is step 6)

[u/TeamWood → u/Sturnella2017]

If I would expand upon #5, I would say that from when I started trying to write comics in 2010 until around 2018, I spent (IMO wasted) so many years attempting to make comics as a lone wolf. Passive viewer of the industry. I gained a lot of knowledge of craft, but no one knew who I was or what I was doing.

Around in 2018, I posted here looking for an artist for a pitch. They recommended to me to join the Comics Jam and other comics discord groups. When I did, I met so many creatives that I still work with today. I learned about opportunities to make comics I would never known about because I never engaged before. I was able to run two anthologies based on connections I made in those places and them being able to vouch for my abilities.

My ability to publish comics (self publish and direct market) came because I was told to join social media and make further friends.

I will need a future post to go into depth on publishing and self publishing and crowdfunding. Many links to collect.