#graphic novel script

[vikkicomics]

Clipped from the 'Moth' volume 1 script, which is set in Nagasaki during the Meiji period. At the end of this volume Siegfried sails from Nagasaki to Konigsberg on SMS Dresden.

[ancientroyalblood]

Writing Graphic Novels: Combining Art and Story

Graphic novels are a powerful storytelling medium that blends visual artistry with compelling narratives. Unlike traditional novels, they rely on a symphony of images, dialogue, and pacing to engage readers. Whether you’re crafting an action-packed superhero saga, a heartfelt coming-of-age story, or an experimental fantasy world, mastering the balance between art and story is essential. In this…

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[faerie-somnium]

Bodach Manor Ch. 2

P1: 3 AM Long shot starting from ceiling panning down to Lana laying wide awake in bed. Ominous noises like scratches, taps, howling winds.

P2: 6 AM Alarm blaring, Lana, clearly exhausted is still awake. Goes to turn alarm off. Quick panel of Ava

Ava: It’s a 30 minute drive to school and you will not cause my son to be late. I will drag you out of bed myself.

Lana traces her hand along the wall walking down the stairs. In the kitchen: Ava is doting on baby Thomas; Cain eating breakfast looking at his phone; Isaac making a sandwich. Ava looks up in distaste

Ava: I see you haven’t read over your rules properly. I expect you to not dress like a tramp in this household-

Cain: Ava dear, stop being a bitch. Don’t worry about her Lana, she’s just overprotective.

Ava: *tch. Isaac, this your new foster sister, Lana. Lana, my son Isaac. It will do you both good to depart now or you’ll be late.

Isaac roles his eyes, grabs keys. They both walk outside.

Isaac: I’m sure the hag has briefed you. I’ll be driving us to school everyday.

Driving. Isaac looking straight toward the road. Lana looking at Isaac from the corner of her eye. Tapping her fingers nervously.

Lana: Soo.. heh.. What’s your favorite color?

Isaac: roles eyes, Look, I’m not interested in chumming it up with another random foster kid so. turns up music.  

Lana makes a face. Turns to look out the window.

[altman-ill]

Graphic Novel Script

So.

For one of my courses this semester I was required to create a few examples of writing that disseminate my practice. After wrangling with the whole idea, being flustered, and annoyed I decided to write a graphic novel script (something I never quite understood the point of in the past and always gave up on very quickly) as well as a query letter to sell that script to literary agents or publishers.

I was working on the conclusion and I realized that this entire semester - studio time, illustration trip to Oban, AOI lecture (NOTE TO SELF: Make a post about the AOI lecture), disseminating design practice course, business of craft course... ALL of it is about knowing your audience.

I think I’ve been low-key resistant to this idea because I had mistaken KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE with PANDERING TO AN AUDIENCE.

I’ve been grappling with this in the business of craft class especially (Who am I selling to? How should I know? What am I even doing??) but writing a script for a graphic novel (while my entire school life involved people trying their best to get me to understand this point) finally made something click.

Here’s what happened:

I wrote a creative essay. A really crappy, first draft mess of a creative essay. There’s a beginning, middle, and end and it’s not pretty. It was never meant to be seen by anyone. Most of the writing I’ve done in the past, except academically, has been like this. I was never sure what to do with it. The amount of folders I have on the cloud full of semi-incoherent random ideas... It was simply getting the story on paper. The graphic novel script would be based off this essay.

A graphic novel script, however, is also not really meant to be seen. It’s not a finished product, but it’s also not a disorganized first draft of an idea either. The script is for the artist, AND to sell the project to publishers or literary agents. 

Narrowing down my audience from ‘people who read graphic novels’ to ‘people who invest time and money professionally in graphic novels they consider intriguing, thoughtful, and creative’ changed everything. Converting the story from the creative essay to the script was, compared to past attempts, a breeze! Knowing that someone who’s seen more scripts than I ever will in my lifetime could potentially be judging the work turned me into a ruthless editor. Sure, it wasn’t a completely smooth process, but it’s 100% better than the handful of nothing I’ve come away with in the past.

I’m feeling so optimistic about this project, and how I can apply this (very late in the game) epiphany. I feel like I owe everyone who’s asked me “Who is the audience for this?” an apology for the blank stare I’ve been giving in return this whole time.

Or it could be all the cold medicine I’ve taken this week. 

[micawritingcollective-blog]

Excerpt from “Dark Tip Forest” (Nick McKernan) pg. 20

She turns to say goodbye. The carriage cranks its wheels back into motion, rolling down the mountain road with caution.

The entryway is a little further on, slightly down a path of eroded stairs. She moves through the grass, noticing the crumpled statues of a long, snakish creature with speckled dots. She lifts her dress up slightly, watching her steps as the stairs dissolve into loose rubble. She cuts to the left and sees a doorless entryway at the base of the tower. She enters.

INT. THE RUIN OF MOVING NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

The interior of the tower is expectantly quiet. She looks up, seeing ten stories rise above her. In the same spot of each floor, a large circular hole is carved out of the stone, leaving a massive circular opening to stare up at the sky-- as if the tower was made for it.

She passes under a stone archway, the first steps of a massive spiraling staircase in front of her. There are small gaps in the stairs where the stone has eroded, yet she moves past them without much worry. Doorways on each floor lead to ringlet balconies and rooms for prayer. She moves past them slowly, thinking of who might have filled them once.

On the eighth floor, the staircase has broken beyond repair. A mass of jagged stones roll up too far for even someone spry to make the leap. This is the furthest she can go. She moves to the balcony on this level, but stops to look through the giant hole in the ceiling.

Blue clouds with pink underbellies. The sun is rising.

She turns and walks under the only arch she can see, leading to the balcony.

[rockstep]

Cinemagraphic: Writing for Graphic Novels

A blog on writing comics and graphic novels. And a template for writing comics and graphic novels I made!

How do you write a graphic novel?

It’s a question I’ve researched for many years.  Unlike many other writing disciplines, there is no academic, industry, or even widely popular standard.

Everything I’ve come across usually comes down to someone just taking a pre-existing format they found from someone else and tweaking it to their needs or wants.  I only came across a few examples of someone…

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