Graphic Novels: The planning

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Maplin

Ok then another question.

When making graphic novels I find the writing story part easy and sometimes scripting is a problem but even when I get around that I find the actual placing pictures into the script REALLY hard... any one any ideas? :)

Marc
 

veingloree

Writing in script format, to ensure the action visualises well? Prose is difficult to convert.
 

Gala

Not sure what you're asking

Are you talking about the physical placement of text and graphics? Or combining them in context that furthers the story?

If the former, I suggest scissors and glue. Write your text by hand or print from computer.

Render your drawings.

Buy a notebook, journal, or bind loose paper together. Cut picture out picture A, that goes with text F. Paste or tape to one of the blank pages.

You could then xerox the resulting pages for a smoother page. Or create a new master on computer from the result.

If you want to get crazier, scan your drawings into computer, and manipulate them into text. I suggest you do the manual version first, using light tape, so you can rearrange things to your fancy. Think of it as story boarding.

Having done this, you'll get a feel for the sequence and context for my latter suggestion. I advocate storyboarding when one isn't sure of the order of a story, or wants to brainstorm. It provides a visual--since you're into graphics I'm assuming you're visually oriented, and tactile as well since you draw.

I am unskilled with scissors, glue and tape, but similar story-boarding techniques have worked well for me in deciding sequences in writing projects. I get something I can hold in my hands and see.

Hope this is useful. Let me know what you do.


<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/image/posticons/pi_heartbeating.gif" />
 

jeffrivera

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it's a good genre, the major publishing houses are actively looking for graphic novels, I know an agent who has been searching and searching for the right one and hasn't found it. So go for it!
 

johnzakour

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You might want to try writing in final draft. Make each scene a panel in the book. If you're on a Mac, Pages also has some good tools for story boarding which might help you.
 

Celia Cyanide

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I have an artist who does all the picture stuff for me. That's not usually the way it's done. Still, it works for me. I just write the story in screenplay format.
 

Tallymark

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Do thumbnails as you do the writing--little rough, loose sketches that just give you a potential layout. Doesn't have to be great. Doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to give you an image in your head of how it could look--and it forces you to think about how the stuff you write will translate into pictures.

It'd be a good idea to do a couple of full-size pictures, too, just to get an idea of how much text fits on a page--because it's a lot less than you think it is! :)
 
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