It depends on the storyline for me. Some are longer and need more preparation. Some I write page by page.
So far I have every scene plotted down to the exact number of pages up to about 180 pages worth, which encapsulates a beginning, middle and end, but in truth, I've only actually plotted the final script up to page 35.
The main timeline from beginning to end is plotted out before I even draw the first page. Little events that build on character exposition but do not influence the story course are inserted as the story progresses and I think on it more. Finally the actual dialogue is done when I work on the chapter-by-chapter thumbnails.
Well planning ahead can be good but some of the best mangas weren't exactly planned, e.g. Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya were made week by week (without really planning) Toriyama has said he simply continued the story as it went..
Then you have One Piece or Naruto which are mangas that were planned since waaay long.
Then you have BLEACH which is an example of what can happen if you don't plan ahead..
As for me, for S.elf I dont really plan anything, I have the story in my head and since it's simple I can just continue as I draw.
As for Pulta, I have a ser of guidelines for each character, what will happen to Then, stuff like that, but not the dialogues and stuff, nothing specific, unless there's a phrase I want to use I write it in the chatacter's pages I have.
Yes, but the difference between most creators and serialized manga artists is that serialized manga artists have editors to keep track and pay attention to that sort of stuff (especially since the editors can often be the ones offering direction in how a story should go - that's their job).
Most creators are working on their own (and I say most because yes, some are working for companies, ex. Mikiko, and others are working with writers/artists as a team, ex. Reon Merryweather) and so it's best to start practicing and getting into the habit of crafting a good story through and through instead of trying to wing it. There's no downside to it - all it does is help you work out kinks in your story, make sure everything fits and works, and assures that you'll tell the best story that you can produce. Winging it only works for some people, and most of those stories are shorter and not as long and complex as series like One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, etc. (IMO, Bleach should have ended after the Aizen/Hueco Mundo arc, at the end of Volume 48; and One Piece isn't even half-done yet!)
Not to mention, while it still stands as one of the most popular animes to date, DB is not a good example of a well written piece of work. It's inconsistent, most of the love for the series comes from nostalgia and the high-action fight scenes, and DBZ has been said to be even worse. Lots of people love the Cell/Freeza/etc. saga but that was considered the highest point of that show, and everything else got most of its charm from its crazy martial arts sequences. The story itself is all over the place, and you're not really justifying your point by pointing out the fact that Akira Toriyama made it as he went along - cause if you look really closely and actually start thinking and looking for the plotholes/inconsistencies/etc., you can really, really tell.
(that being said I do love DB and have nothing against it, and don't want to start a fight over that lol DB is an awesome show/manga <3)
I have a basic outline of most of my story and usually tightly script the chapter I am working on.
But as it happens, my husband kinda became my editor and threw in new ideas and different perspectives all the time. So now I really only know what is going to happen scene by scene, which keeps it exciting for me as the illustrator. To make sure that we are not driving into a dead end, we often discuss what is going to happen in the more distant future. My husband asks questions and points out plot holes, or tells me when something is really just very stupid.
But the basic outline of the story definitely has to be set in stone - and I know exactly where everything is going to go to and how it all will end.
Far I would say, I've pretty much written the whole story from beginning to end with each chapter being a very detailed summary... Or more like a 10 page essay per chapter or something. But the script I will work on 1-3 chapters as I go based on the summary written. I have read the summary through and made adjustments, but when it comes to the script, I still tend to make more changes :\
Everyone will work differently - if you have a very detailed sort of story, definitely go the planning route to avoid plot holes and missing things out. The older versions of the series I am working on now has me going directly to a script, no summary, and a couple of dot points on the different arcs and events (a bit like how you are working now maybe??) I found this worked terribly for the kind of story I'm writing, it's also added pressure to make up good content as you go. A more meticulous method was needed for me ;_;
Well, I think it depends on who I am writing it for. If it is for fun, free, independent work, then it is rigidly planned out. My story, Beautiful Lies1, has every chapter planned out. Every event is planned out. I begin with a summary of each chapter, then a synopsis, then the thumbnails.
If it was a comic to be serialized, like my Hunter's Paradigm, I make sure I have the beginning planned out. Then I have a rough idea of how I want the story to go and I have an idea of how I want it to end. The rest is left up to the editor and how long they tolerate me before they want to get rid of me.
Same here, I was referring to the whole series. I have the beginning, middle, and end planned. Little events in between I have planned, but they are necessarily set in stone.
Hard question!
Everyone has a different process.
You gotta start with the big picture and then go more and more into details.
For Shades Of Men1 I knew how it started, how it ended and scenes I wanted to have.
I then scoped in connection in between moments.
I set twelve chapters, in which I know how it starts and how it ends...
From that I do a quick thumbnail at each beginning of chapters to plan the layout.
I didn't write the full scenario but rather summaries of each chapters.
The rest, I leave it flexible to work on the go.
So far... so good!
1 month later
In my heyday I was writing for about five comics a week - I can't remember the total number of stories. But for two comics published by IPC I was writing for half the characters in "Buster" and half the characters in "Whizzer & Chips." Most were one page stories with 10-12 panels. The others were two page strips with a maximum of 24 panels. Then there were the D. C. Thomson comics. Some one page, others up to three pages. On top of this once a month I was doing two other comics, "Commando" and "Starblazer." Each was 64 pages long with 123/124 panels. They required a story pitch followed by 2-3 page synopsis before I could work on the scripts. I would spend Monday and Tuesday doing rough scripts in a notebook and the rest of the week typing them up. Fortunately I've always suffered from an over-active imagination which proved to be a great help.
I usually have all the major arcs, events and turning points planned out (and of course, the ending, which is A MUST when it comes to planning.)
When it comes to scripting individual chapters though, I usually write the entire thing first and then start drawing thumbnails for my pages. I do the thumbnails so I can get an idea of the composition, camera angles, paneling etc. before doing the final pages.
I wrote out the entire story of R:ILPERSONA1 from start to finish prior to ever writing the actual scripts. That way it helped me to develop general plot points that I needed to hit to advance the story, develop characters, add foreshadowing, etc.
Then I began plotting out the different arcs in between said plot points, fleshing out everything even further through an outline (a massive...massive outline). Then I developed a story bible, to flesh out the world, characters, designs, abilities so that I could keep everything consistent and also develop character traits, personality quirks, backstories, etc.
And then I started writing the scripts(and rewriting...editing...revising -_-). Its not as simple as it sounds because this was years of work prior to ever getting a single page completed but if I'm not leaving anything out that's the general crux of my writing process 
I don't have a script for my comics. I always have some idiotic thing happens to me during the week and I use that for my comic.
Yeah, I agree with what you've said about freedom...I always write with the thought in mind that "okay...this is where I need to steer the story...but i may want to leave room to change how the characters get there"
I don't believe in writing yourself into a corner XD
I have a generic outline for the chapters coming.
Then I draw a rough draft of the next chapter (called a name in manga). I don't really write scripts out, I let the characters do their thing and let the words and events form organically.
My web comic, Marty and Spud--coming to Tapastic soon!--is a daily on-going strip, but it has specific story arcs that run about 6-8 weeks (sometimes longer). I try to stay about 8 weeks ahead on plot/script, 4 weeks ahead on pencils/script, 3 weeks on inks and two weeks on color.
I usually come up with a very loose plot outline that tells the story (usually bout two-three pages). I then break that plot down into weekly components that I reference when doing the thumbnails/pencils/scripting.
I find that if I have the generally story beats down and the weekly "events" pacing worked out, that I can actually script the story while I'm doing the thumbnails/pencils. (Kind of a sideways version of the "Marvel Method" of making comics).
Does that help?
Cheerio-
MPH
I have one hell of a pickle;
I've been working on my story since high-school 2 years ago. During that time, I managed to think up a load of stuff I wanna put in my comic. The different arcs, the different events, the different scenes, etc.
But most of the time, I have no idea how I tie all of those together, to form a... plot. So I mostly count on whatever idea I have during the times I draw my pages, and hope that they all add up, by the time I've finished drawing the chapter.
Somehow.
_(:"
I think the general consensus is "plan ahead."
I have not quite finished the script for Burning Bright3, but I have written out almost 50 chapters (yeah...it's long!).
For me, I always need to write and plan everything first because it helps with character development and backstory. I want people to read my comic, see something happen and think "Oh, that's why that character reacted that way back in chapter three."
The example I alway fall back on is Futurama. I know it was an episodic show with not an always concurrent storyline, but there's an episode where you find out Nibbler goes back in time in order to put Fry in the cryogenic chamber so he can save the world 1000 years in the future (wow, that sounds weird if you haven't watched the show!). And if you go back and rewatch the very first episode, you can actually see Nibbler's shadow under the table as he pushes Fry back into the cryogenic chamber.
I just think it's cool to know that any story is planned out from the beginning, and that's what I want for my readers if they choose to keep up with the story! 