How detailed is your script?

[akhayashi]

I have two files for my comic's story: one with a less detailed description of important moments in the story, from start to finish (as a summary of the story), and other with the script for pages. I illustrate my own comic so it's not very detailed, it just contains dialogues and a simple description of the scene, like this:

BLH: By the way, what's your name? I should know who is my admirer.
*BLH asks with a curious, but smiling face*

CLY: M-My name is Chen Lanyun, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!
*CLY answers blushing, making a slight bow*

BLH: All right, Chen Lanyun. I'm Bai Lianhe, and the pleasure is mine.
*Lianhe smiles, making the same gesture*

I wrote the script until Episode 10 (it will be in webtoon style), but some episodes are longer and will be split into parts, so it covers 15 updates. I'm still writing it every day so I can finish it soon and then focus only on drawing the pages.

[Rodimus13]

I write a script for my husband and myself so we stay on track. It's not tooooooo detailed because I want him to have leeway with the art. And he shows me the roughs first incase he accidentally does something that would cause a plot hole later.

[jensrichard77]

I’m the writer and write the script for the artist.
Here is the script for the latest update in The Last BL Comic.
The entire comic is scripted in notes and gets details as we work on it.

---

Boy and Love still hugging.

Love: ”So.. What shall we call each other?

Boy holding Love on his shoulders looking serious.
Boy: ”In the beginning, I was only a voice at the left side and you in the right.
Love: ”But now we are alive and can move freely”
Boy: ”All we know is that we are two boys in the last boy love comic”

Love not listening.
Love:”o0(We should find a cafe…)”
Boy:”Hello?”

Love smack a post-it on their heads with their names on.
Love:” Okay you are ’Boy’ and I am ’Love’
Love starts running with Boy in hand.
Love:” Come on let’s find a cafe before this Last BL Comic actually will end”

Post-it fly off Boy and Love as they run in the distance

Episode to compare

The Last BL Comic :: My name | Tapas

[imiogri]

I script my entire comic! I layout all the episodes until the very ending as well as noting important actions. Everything isn't done though, I'm still rewriting and refining it as I'm drawing. (It's 135 pages atm)
I go directly from script to the official pages. I also feel as a non native English speaker I need time to refine the language and make sure it's correct and let people proofread.

[elyss]

I write the story and that's my script. My entire novel is already written, I'm just doing another round of edits as I go to tighten it more. To me, it's more helpful than a script (I've tried it). I print off a chapter and group passages by what I want to be shown on each 2-page spread and work from there. It helps me with visual flow and helps the comic read better. Here's my novel and my first comic page of chapter one as well as the 4-5 page.

It's quite a bit different from the novel because both media lend to a different kind of story-telling for me. For example, what took a sentence to insinuate in the novel took 2.5 non-consecutive pages in comic form for me. It's so strange watching an 8-word chapter turn into 33 comic pages, but it's worth it! I know for a fact that my scripted version was 24 pages and utter garbage lol.

[Kura]

No Future Script

Because I'm working with myself I don't have to make my script very detailed.

It's mostly dialog with a few notes to myself about scene changes or panel notes (if for whatever reason I have a specific way I want this pictured and don't want to forget) along the way.

Raven Wolf Scripts

It's a full novel, so way more than including things I can't put into the comic because they don't translate well to comic form are there.

[vothnthorvaldson]

I have a script, pretty detailed, but I tend to not follow it completely. And because I don't, some of the script for the later chapters is becoming obsolete, so I'm trying to go through it from time to time to remove the parts that would not make sense anymore. I wish I had time to rewrite everything now that I have a better idea of where I want to go with my comic. I'll probably do it, but not in a detailed form this time.

For me, more than a detailed script, what is important is having a script ready for the whole project or at least a good part of it, before starting the comic.
One of the things that prevented me from reading long form comics/comic series for a very long time is the fact it's often clear that the writer had no idea in chapter 1 of what would happen in chapter 20, so that if we read the whole thing in one go, there are a lot of inconsistencies, an ugly overall structure, etc.
That's what I want to avoid at all costs.

[ble]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[borzoiteeth]

Can a script have doodles? Because mine does.
I also colour code because my eyes easily get lost in a sea of letters

I should mention I super recommend Scrivener. A great program for those who love crazy amount of worldbuilding that may never reach the story but was important in shaping the finished project.

[BobbyjoeX]

o-o......uh... what script? (both Royal and Adrian's Bane)

[Jenny-Toons]

It's really detailed. I write my scripts in novel-form. I mostly summarize a lot of the story plots, kinda like a book report, but I do show explicit dialogue and actions I want to keep, inner character feelings, and little side notes for myself. I also color-code parts to separate between the notes, character thoughts, and dialogue.

I mostly do this for myself. I'm the writer and the artist for my comics, so I like to be as detailed as possible for it to make sense for me and to capture the vision of the scenes I want to create.

Here's a snippet of what I do:

Slight Story Spoiler

[Shanny8]

My script is not really tight or detailed at all- which allows me to make changes & improvs as needed.

[AniStaciaArt]

Because I create my comic to be printed and on the web I have to work on an entire issue (or chapter) at once. I have a binder full of ideas and when I'm working on an issue I'll section off relevant pages. I don't write a "script" per say, because print comics are very very specific about how things have to flow through the issue and on the page so I just jump into storyboarding with thumbnail images. That way I can make sure there's room for all the dialogue in the panel, that story and visual surprises are on even pages. I find that much easier to do with pictures rater than writing down all that information.

[Zer0]

When you're writing a script, you don't want to just assume the artist is on the same wavelength as you. Be as detailed as you can, so as to get your point across, but not just for the heck of it. And as a writer, don't feel the need to take control over everything. Only if it is absolutely crucial.
Meaning, don't dictate to the artist how every character, or setting is going to look. Leave that up to the artist.

[AVG]

My script is based on a short joke of some video game, usually the situation can be summarized in 2 lines haha I'm starting with this :).
So the only thing I write is the situation and the detail of the characters since I usually only get inspired by the designs of the videogames I talk about

If I Lived In A Video Game | Tapas

[ccrrally]

I use a script to plan the general plot, but it's mostly dialogue. I try keeping it open for changes. As long as I know what I mean it's good enough for me, as I draw the comic myself.

[LT1986]

My script that I wrote years ago is in a novel form. I remember what I wrote, so I don't refer to it when I write down notes for each chapter that I'm about to draw. I write about 2-4 pages of unorganized notes to use to draw a 20-24 pages chapter.

[OttoGruenwald]

Very detailed by necessity. I deal with a lot of abstract stuff in the comic that needs elaboration.

[andrew17]

When I was writing scripts for someone else to draw (and also for someone else to edit before it got passed on to the artist) then yes, I was very detailed. Nowadays, I draw my own, and I don't so much script as draw boxes and put dialogue in them as I know what I'm going to draw anyway - it's more for pacing than anything else.

[yvesmarcdorsi]

I don't really make a script, I thumbnail out the entire strip in thumbnail form on a sheet of copy paper with pencil. Once I work out the compositions and the joke beat(s) I just write the dialogue underneath the boxes. Using this as a blueprint while it's fresh in my mind, I can throw it up on photoshop pretty quick and easy. If I like my compositions enough, I'll sometimes just scan the paper I drew on and use those thumbs as rough templates.

WellRounded | Tapas