You need to have an interesting and engaging idea that appeals to a wider audience to write graphic novels. If you don’t believe in your tale and message you are writing, it can be hard to complete your novel. Therefore, when you decide to write a graphic novel, you need to hire reputable graphic novel illustrators to make your novel appealing. The good news is that there are several graphic novel illustrators on the market. This post explains the right way to write a graphic novel.
Understand the genre
First of all, to become a good graphic novel writer, you need to read graphic books. If you are not familiar with graphic novel formats, you should research some graphic novels that you may like to read. It’s a good idea to find a physical graphic novel so that you can study the formatting, colors, and design.
This can offer you a good idea about writing graphic novels. Keep in mind that writing a graphic novel can be a transforming process. It’s creative writing, so it can be hard to provide art that tells a story. You need to create something that reads genuine, though it has never existed. Therefore, before you start writing, you need to figure out what you are writing.
A graphic novel or comic book
There are usually specific differences when it comes to a graphic novel and a comic book. A graphic novel has a complete narrative regardless of whether or not they have a more extensive series. This means each novel can have a proper beginning, middle, and end.
On the other hand, a comic book is usually shorter than a graphic novel and have serialized narratives focusing on one or more characters. In most cases, it can be hard to follow the storyline, especially if you missed reading the previous series.
A graphic novel requires dedication, so you need to prepare when you decide to write it. You may have to put a lot of effort and time into writing about your characters, plot, settings, and many more.
Pre-writing a graphic novel
Most people who decide to write creatively usually talk about pre-writing. Pre-writing refers to everything you have to do before writing a novel. It can involve brainstorming story ideas, outlining, storyboarding, and more.
Before you reach the active stage of writing a graphic novel, you need to utilize some techniques that can help you bring more ideas. This can also deepen the ideas you already have and decide on plot points and characters.
When it comes to brainstorming your ideas, you can use dry erase boards or chalkboards to edit their ideas. Other authors prefer to keep close their brainstorms so that they get back to them while writing a novel. They can include them in a file on the computer or in a notebook.
There is a good chance that no one can see these brainstorming ideas, so you should be open. Some brainstorming techniques include backward planning, mind maps, and many more. Backward planning is when you start at the end of the plot of your novel and work backward.
Develop your cast of characters
Remember that your characters are usually the focus of your graphic novel or comic strips projects. And, developing the characters is a crucial part of the writing process. Therefore, you need to figure out who will be the main character or protagonist of your story. This can be the character that many readers will be looking for. It’s hard to come up with a hero, but this is the main element of the writing process that requires you to use your imagination.
You should write down the descriptions of the characters to clearly show your antagonist, protagonist, and other key characters. This includes their physical appearance as well as list some adjectives to describe their personality. For example, you can include significant life events, interests, and unique things that can take the characters off the page into the minds of the readers.
These small details can offer your audience a closer connection to the characters. But if you are stuck while developing these characters, then you can choose archetypal character types. These types provide you an outline for the hero or villain.
Storyboard your bog ideas
This is always useful for graphic novels, but you can use storyboards for full-length novels. With this technique, you can break the story into chapters to create a separate diagram for each one, meaning you can lay out the projects by panels. This process gives you a basic story structure.
Some writing workshops ask you to present the action of the part above the drawing and your main character’s emotions below it. If the actions or feelings change, then you can write them down, such as disappointment or chagrin.
When you draw aspects of the plot on a storyboard, it can assist you visualize your characters and plot points. Also, you can draw a panel utilizing stick figures or even be creative and use software, such as Adobe Illustrator.
Outline your graphic novel
You can use an outlining method as a guide to writing a graphic novel project. The goal is to be more detailed while outlining, but avoid focusing on the formatting. You can use numbered lists, bullet points, or separate pages so that you can organize your thoughts.
You should note that you don’t need to stick to the outline, especially when you decide to change crucial points about your storyline or characters. You can write a new outline to incorporate any changes.
When it comes to formatting and designing, you can handle the story as a script before sending it to an artist. The script can have proper details and you can leave room for the imagination of the artist to work. Once you submit the script, the artist will draw a sketch of how the segment looks. After incorporating any suggestions or edits, your artist can provide a black-and-white version for approval. After this stage, the draft goes to the colorist who can or cannot be the same individual as the artist.
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