Advice on character and story introduction

[Lilmonstart]

Hiii! I’m currently working on an upcoming story alongside my main project. I’ve been making good progress and my writing has improved a lot, but this story is still a WIP and there are a few things I need to figure out.

Most of my characters are fully written (background, personality, archetype, etc.) , and I have a clearer idea of the plot and the ending (though it still needs some polishing). The part I’m still struggling with is the beginning of the story and planning everything as a whole.

Since I haven’t started drawing the main comic yet, I’ve been working on short comic strips as a way to introduce the characters while the main story is still in development.

I was wondering if it would be better to post these shorts on Tapas and Webtoon as separate “chapters” (for example: character introductions first and then the main story), or if I should instead include those scenes later, placing them in moments where they fit naturally within the story.

What do you think? Which option do you find more enjoyable for readers?

[justincarbunkle]

Are the short comics like, slice of life moments from the characters lives, before the story?

Your character introductions should tell the reader why the character is interesting. Their personality, occupation, goal, ect. If you feel the short strips you made do this function, go ahead and use them. Use whatever material you like + doesn't feel out of place with the main story you're telling.

[Lilmonstart]

Kind of? They’re mostly about character dynamics and showing their personalities through actions. A few include light foreshadowing, but overall they’re just meant as a vibe check for the characters

[ShidoDraws]

There are many ways to introduce characters. How you introduce them is more important to the readers than people think. If you don't really care about structural storylines, then you can introduce each character episodically. However, if you care about the storyline then you have to find a rhythm. Every story is different, so it's okay to push a certain character's introduction at a much later chapter/episode.

In my story, my main character Nina, was supposed to meet this other villain character name Alexander in chapter 7. Instead, I had moved their meeting to chapter 12 because I changed some small details in the later chapters. Nina is naturally curious about things, but because people are worried about her wellbeing she is discouraged whenever she expresses it. The intention to have her meet Alexander was to create this intension in the story... To ask the question of where Nina's loyalty to her friends lies.

If Nina had met Alexander in chapter 7, then things would've escalated very quickly without context. Especially since in very early concepts he was supposed to be the main villain of the story. However, that quickly changed when I started actually illustrating the story. You can say things got complicated. My story is technically still developing as we speak. Although, I would consider the story to be planned out, the script... It's another story, because one single small detail change can change the entire script.

[NOOR_ASAKZ05]

Well, I prefer letting the viewer get to know the characters through events. For example, a certain event might occur, and a character might say something or do something specific, which helps the viewer understand their thinking. Flashbacks can also be used to show the characters' past and the reasons for their development. However, it also depends on the type of story; some need to explain the past, while others are satisfied with the present moment.

[Lensing]

I was wondering if it would be better to post these shorts on Tapas and Webtoon as separate “chapters” (for example: character introductions first and then the main story), or if I should instead include those scenes later, placing them in moments where they fit naturally within the story.

This doesn´t sound like a good idea and is the opposite of good story writing imo.

Write the main story and feed the reader the background information which is necessary to
tell the story and don´t info dump everything at once.