The Champion City Comics Writers Academy is a daily column where I provide some advice for rookie comic book writers.I'm writing these columns for the writers who have no artistic abilities and do not have the cash to hire great artists. Yesterday, I wrote about not getting married to your script.Today we need to talk about the fact that your story is boring as hell.
A majority of scripts sent to me by aspiring comic book writers are boring as hell and that is very disappointing. I've been guilty of committing the same crime and have learned from my mistakes. I want you to know that when it comes to pitching a comic book to an artist, and eventually to a publisher, then you better bring some action or major conflict to the table.
When you develop a script for a comic book or webcomic, be sure to have a good balance of plot development and action. If your story doesn't require action then conflict is something that will keep the reader interested. You must grab the attention of the reader or else you might lose them quickly. I'll use my comic book Day 165 as an example and it is posted below.
WARNING: DAY 165 CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE.
Day 165 was developed as a war story that included some supernatural elements of The Twilight Zone. Some readers like war stories and others enjoy tales of the supernatural. By combining the two, I believed we had something fun and interesting. I wanted to grab the attention of the reader quickly and had our main character, Pvt. Chris Richland, ambushed on the second page. From there I keep the pace moving by developing story and including enough action to keep the interest of the reader. The action and the plot were linked together, which is important. Also, there were moments of conflict between Richland and the medic.
One thing that all aspiring comic book writers should understand is that action scenes need to move the story along and be part of the overall plot. Never create an unnecessary action scene that doesn't develop the character, introduce another character, or have something to do with the overall plot of the story. I have plenty of pet peeves about action scenes that will be for another article.
Tomorrow's Post: Superheroes, Vampires, and Zombies are OK.
TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, The Red Devil, and Day 165.
A majority of scripts sent to me by aspiring comic book writers are boring as hell and that is very disappointing. I've been guilty of committing the same crime and have learned from my mistakes. I want you to know that when it comes to pitching a comic book to an artist, and eventually to a publisher, then you better bring some action or major conflict to the table.
When you develop a script for a comic book or webcomic, be sure to have a good balance of plot development and action. If your story doesn't require action then conflict is something that will keep the reader interested. You must grab the attention of the reader or else you might lose them quickly. I'll use my comic book Day 165 as an example and it is posted below.
WARNING: DAY 165 CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE.
Day 165 was developed as a war story that included some supernatural elements of The Twilight Zone. Some readers like war stories and others enjoy tales of the supernatural. By combining the two, I believed we had something fun and interesting. I wanted to grab the attention of the reader quickly and had our main character, Pvt. Chris Richland, ambushed on the second page. From there I keep the pace moving by developing story and including enough action to keep the interest of the reader. The action and the plot were linked together, which is important. Also, there were moments of conflict between Richland and the medic.
One thing that all aspiring comic book writers should understand is that action scenes need to move the story along and be part of the overall plot. Never create an unnecessary action scene that doesn't develop the character, introduce another character, or have something to do with the overall plot of the story. I have plenty of pet peeves about action scenes that will be for another article.
Tomorrow's Post: Superheroes, Vampires, and Zombies are OK.
TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, The Red Devil, and Day 165.
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