Friday, March 14, 2014

Tips For Science Fiction Comic Book Authors

By Jaclyn Hurley


Comic books and graphic novels are tremendous visual media. It allows people to create detailed worlds that would be very expensive to produce in a television series or for a film. Science fiction as a genre is particularly good for creating iconic images that readers will want to read and reread over and over again. With this advice for science fiction comic book authors you can develop your skills to produce the best stories.

The first thing to establish is whether or not you will be drawing the story as well as writing it. If you are going to draw it for yourself then you do not need to worry about the level of detail in the script as you are writing it for yourself. However if you are writing for an artist then you need to be aware of the level of the detail in the script.

On a basic level it is about creating an idea. It may be about the effect of time travel or a journey to another planet. Often stories offer a reflection of our modern society. The best way to develop these ideas is to read a lot of stories, watch movies and TV shows in order to learn about how the stories work and help you consider what kind of twists you would add.

The other thing to think about is the structure of the story you are writing. You need to think about whether you want to produce an ongoing story or a graphic novel. People often get confused by these terms and think graphic novel is a politically correct term for a comic book. In fact a graphic novel is a closed narrative in graphic form whereas a comic book is an open narrative similar to a soap opera.

You also need to think about the artist. If you are drawing the story yourself you do not need to worry as much. However for an artist you need to take a balanced approach. If you do not provide enough description then you waste time by replying to inevitable emails asking for more information. However if the description is excessive then the artist can often feel like you are intruding on their role in the project.

Broadly speaking an issue will tend to be around 22 to 24 pages long. You should have around four to six panels to allow for room for more detailed images. Avoid excessively long dialogue in speech bubbles. If a speech is necessary break it up and focus on images.

As a writer you also need to generate ideas. You do not necessarily need to create a full issue on your first go. Often it is sensible to start with generating potential plot points. Over time you should then be able to develop plots and character arcs. Over time you should begin to be able to develop stories that will engage people.

There are numerous ways you can develop ideas for your science fiction comic book. It is worth looking online for tips from established authors as well as looking for sample scripts. This will make it easier for you to learn the process of writing as well as how to set it out properly and get your comic developed as efficiently as possible.




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