Can I please ask a million questions? Graphic Novels

...ooookay. I haven't published anything so I dunno about 3 and 7, but I'll take a stab at the others.

Graphic novel scripts are written like a screenplay, not like a novel. That snappy chicklitty voice? If it's in the narration say byebye to it because graphic novels are almost entirely dialogue. Can you write in first person? Only the narration, of which its uncommon to have more than a few paragraphs in a whole graphic novel. A graphic novel cannot hold a whole novel worth of plot, it ranges from a long short story worth to a novella. Graphic novels max out at about 260 pages for a particularly fat one. 200 is a good number to aim for, 180 is also acceptable. Action takes way more panels to show than standing around talking, and the number of words in the graphic novel is inversely proportional to the percent of it that is action scenes. A page can have from 2-7 panels, depending on size and shape.

Inking is more complicated than outlining the drawings with black ink, it also involves shading and toning - basically black and white coloring, if that makes any sense. It can be done either by hand or on the computer. Lettering also needs to be done (this is typing the script and arranging the words on the page) and is almost always done on the computer. When publishers say they are looking for graphic novels they are usually looking for black and white ones, because color ones cost a lot more to print.

Howdy. I read and review a lot of comics and am also a fledgling comics writer. Perhaps I can be of some assistance.

1. How long are graphic novels, word wise? (seems like this can really run the gamut.)

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In my opinion, graphic novel is just a fancy word for comics. It's often used by people who don't want to be known as a comic reader. For example, it's okay for the New York Times to review or write about a comic if that comic is a "graphic novel". Graphic novel makes comics sound literary because, you know, comics are just superhero junk, right? (I'm being cynical, but in jest. If calling comics "graphic novels" makes more people read good comics then I'm all for it.)

So, I ramble. Sorry.

There is no set length for a graphic novel, but in general terms a graphic novel is a self-contained story of 48 pages or more. Anything less (32 or 24 pages, for instance) is a one-shot. A serialized story told in 32 page issues is a comic. (Comics can be less than 32 pages too though.) Multiple comics will be collected so that a single story arc will appear in one volume. That's called a trade paperback.

2. Are the words in captions? It seems like here I keep seeing info for comics and I think that is different.

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I'm not 100% certain I understand the question. Writing a comic involves describing for the artist what is in each panel of the comic, including the "images", the narration, the dialogue, sound effects, etc. A comic script's layout is similar to a screenplay, but is unique. Different writers write scripts in different formats (and some publishers have set guidelines for how scripts should be formatted.) I have three of my comic scripts on my blog. You can find them here: http://caperaway.wordpress.com/category/comic-scripts/

If you are referring to the words in the graphic novel, dialogue is in word balloons, but captions can be used for narration and the thoughts of the characters.

3. Do agents expect you to have the entire work done before querying/submitting? Do you sell on complete ms or a proposal?

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I don't know anything about agents, but I can tell you almost NO ONE accepts a script only. Almost all publishers want script and some finished pages, and some want to see the whole thing completed. Yes, writing is imporant in comics, but you're going to need some art attached to your project if you want to get noticed.

4. Does inking mean just outlining the pencil drawings with black ink? It sounds like you don't need color to submit, right? When people talk about artists that color them in, is this on the computer or what???

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Whoah! I can't define ink for you but it's definitely not just outlining. Holy. I almost fainted when I read that question. I hope there's no inkers on this forum or they'll be after your head!

Colored art is not a requirement for a graphic novel, but some publishers don't accept black and white, or grayscale submissions.

5. Can I write in the first person??

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Yup.

6. What does a graphic novel page usually look like? (Yes, I know I need to read lots, but from what I understand there are soooooo many different ways to do this) I want to know: can there be a significant chunk of text at once. Can it flow like a normal novel but have the images play a major part?

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The great thing about comics, cough, I mean graphic novels is that anything goes. Honestly, the only way you're going to come to understand graphic novels is by reading and looking at graphic novels. A lot of libraries these days stock graphic novels. A reputable comic shop that carries a variety of titles can be a great source for information and help, and comics, of course.

I write comic reviews at www.comicreaders.com, if you want a snapshot of some of the stuff being published these days. The mainstream section is the superhero type stuff; the manga section is for Japanese comics (very big with the teens and young adults these days) and small press is for the indie stuff.

7. Does anyone know what advances are like? Royalties? Rights?

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I don't know anyone that makes comics because of the money. Sure, there are people that make a great living at it, but the real gravy train is creator owned stories being optioned for movies, television of video games.

Creator rights are important in the comics industry. Maintaining the rights to your own creations is fairly easy in comics. A lot of publishers let creators keep the rights.


Whew. I hope this helps. Feel free to post more questions and comments if you'd like. I think we've only scratched the surface, but hopefully this helps. Honestly though, hit the library and read some graphic novels.

Before hitting your questions, lemme just say, you REALLY should read a whole bunch of comics and graphic novels. Seriously. The BEST way to learn is to read what other folks have done and done well (though you can also learn a lot by reading what folks have done badly). THEN do your own.

But go out and buy the books and read them. Look at how the writer has structured the story and conveyed the information, and remember that writer also describes what's IN the panels as well as the words that are read.

Check out the sticky here on how to write a comic too. Lots of good stuff there.

chan said:

1. How long are graphic novels, word wise? (seems like this can really run the gamut.)

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How long s a piece of string? Ideally your story will be a number divisible by 4, but even then, it's not that big a deal, because there are ads and extras. If you make it easier for the publisher to work with your script, all the better, but really tell your story.

There is no word-count. But the amount of words the reader sees on the page and in the panels is important. Look at the Dark Horse website, you'll find a cool little PDF there on what they look for in a script.

chan said:

2. Are the words in captions? It seems like here I keep seeing info for comics and I think that is different.

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See the Dark Horse PDF.

chan said:

3. Do agents expect you to have the entire work done before querying/submitting? Do you sell on complete ms or a proposal?

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Very few agents look at comic books. There ARE some, but you need to look for publishers and collaborators. Once you are IN, you can pitch an idea to a publisher and have them pick up the book and do a deal (I've done this), but until you get in, you want to look for an art team to draw your book in order to pitch. It's a visual medium. Until you have a track record, no one cares about your writing. Once you show what you can, that WILL change. But until then, be prepared to be staggeringly unappreciated.

chan said:

4. Does inking mean just outlining the pencil drawings with black ink? It sounds like you don't need color to submit, right? When people talk about artists that color them in, is this on the computer or what???

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TIP: NEVER ask that question to an inker. Not one worth his salt. A good inker will make good penciling great, and great awesome. It can even save mediocre pencil-work. Inking SHOULD lift and enhance the pencils.

Yeah, coloring is different and now mostly digital. Some inkers work digitally as well. But you are right, forget color in the short term. If you pitch to a publisher, they often have their won preferred colorists that maintain a house style (same with lettering).

chan said:

5. Can I write in the first person??

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Yes. ANY way you can write prose, you can write a comic script.

chan said:

6. What does a graphic novel page usually look like? (Yes, I know I need to read lots, but from what I understand there are soooooo many different ways to do this) I want to know: can there be a significant chunk of text at once. Can it flow like a normal novel but have the images play a major part?

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Look at the genre, style and publisher that will best tell your story. Manga pages are different in size and structure from US superhero comics. But in the same way you look for the right agent or publisher to pitch your prose novel to, same for comics. Don't pitch a manga comic to a US indie who does superheroes. And when you find the publisher, look at what they do and tailor your work to best fit their needs.

But you can always self-publisher. It doesn't carry the same stink in comics that it does in prose work. At that point, you can pretty much do what you want.

Depends if you wanna work in the business, or just get your story out.

chan said:

7. Does anyone know what advances are like? Royalties? Rights?

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Depends on the publisher. They all have different deals. From there, you need to work out what you are happy signing away. Again, publish yourself and you make all the money (assuming you cover your costs) and you keep all the rights.

Hope that helps.

Or...

You could just check out this book...pretty much tells the novice everything they need to know...hence the title.




(I knew he would)

Axler said:

(I knew he would)

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I knew he would too!

The sample you posted was OK.

My scripts tend to be very detailed, even down to panel layout on the page. That said, I leave it open to the artist to make any changes they want as they draw the page. They are totally focused on the art so if things evolve as they work, I'm cool with them following it.

However, this does lead to the next comment. I will often leave panels or even pages very loose and specifically say that this is left to the artist's discretion. However, your Panel 3 is a cop-out.

EVERY Panel should be communicating something in the story. When Pencils are done, a reader should be able to follow the story without reading the words, so I would say, if you have nothing in that panel, that panel should be cut.

Write the descriptive stuff in the present tense and make it dynamic. Dialog stuff can be any tense you want, as long as it stays true and consistent.

And on Dialog, make sure you apportion names. Remember, the mystery you might want to convey to the reader, if you include in your script, you just confuse the next person down the chain and if you work with one, annoy the hell outta your editor.

I would personally write something like...

SCOUT: (BOX)
This is just the type of lose-lose situation I hate.

SCOUT: (BOX)
If the gnashing teeth ten feet behind don’t kill me, my dad will. But that’s a problem for future Scout.

I also don't bother with "THOUGHT" bubbles. If you want to, that's fine, this is just my personal preference. I tend to use the BOX captions.

My point here is that while you have some basic rules, there is some degree of flexibility. The Dark Horse guide is a good basic guide, beyond that, you will find when writing for publishers, they all have their own variants on what they want.

As for the writer or writer/artist combo, different publishers have different things they will and won't accept.

And beyond that, hit the cons. Even publishers who say on their websites they don't accept submissions, sometimes do. Sometimes a chat and a pitch in person can be the way in.

There are a few other graphic novel references, including Axler's book. I'd recommend Mike Chinn's book, too. It's very good. I think we mentioned them when discussing Marvel (draw first) method of plotting.

I would also suggest the How to Make Webcomics book; not only does it do a good job of describing the process, but also helps you get a better feel for writing.

As for writing the script, I would suggest breaking down by panel, with a general description of what is happening, followed by captions and then what is said...but that's me...

FR

Just curious why do you see this novel as a graphic novel? Graphic novels are tricky to pull off well and harder to sell. (Unless you are already established in the field.) Also unless you can illustrate, ink and letter yourself you need to split the bounty with more people than you do a regular novel. I have a fairly big SF agent and I've written a few books and I write for some comic publishers but I've never had any success with a graphic novel. (My agent isn't interested at all.)

Of course your results may vary!

Fair enough.