How do you develop your comic/novel plot?

[ValKree]

I'm a deviant so everything I do is what I want and how I want it. My way of writing is not the best, but I just sit and write interesting events as they flow out of my mind. I have tried planning whole novels, chapters and paragraphs yet I always manage to go astray from those limitations. I only think of themes, the big picture and which characters I will kill off.

I do not experience writer's block, however, I suffer from post-publish anxiety. I'm always insecure about my works because I don't plan what I write and I feel my readers will notice. I also feel that because I can't plan my novels, my works are not good enough.

Sometimes, I experience burnouts because I take a step back and see that the plot is all over the place and I have to clean them. Besides that, I just write and write at night. Whatever my readers see is what my mind spits out right before midnight or early morning. Perhaps this is also why I feel the plot is not good enough.

Recently, I've been creating cheat sheets listing characters and their traits, information about worlds and basic plot lines. I'm not sure if that counts as planning.

[Lummy]

I think what works best for you is perfect (

The main reason I plan is because I know myself, and if I don't plan my plot in chapter 1 and 10 will look like 2 different comics with different genres XD

[jcmraz]

Yeah. Always need a core to build from imo. Something that sparks the rest. Otherwise you're trying to create everything all at once

[ValKree]

Oh, if we're talking about comics, I would definitely plan them. My art sucks already so no one would want to see messier plots and poor character development. Another reason why I would never start my own comic amongst a thousand others.

[Zak]

Like Suda 51, I take a shit and ideas come to me that way.
Or a shower like a normal person. It hits me like a truck when it comes.

My ideas come at really inappropreiate times. Its a blessing and a curse. lol

[Voyeur]

I write a lot of outlines, especially during competition events (NaNo or other group wordcount challenges).

It's a beginning, middle, and end with some details in the margins or slapped on in the beginning/end. Included are also dialogue as it comes to me, and sometimes lines will come to me at inappropriate times (yes, defecating or bathing) and I'll jot them down ASAP.

Once you know what happens, the rest is just "how?".

[Darth_Biomech]

I started with a general idea, that transormed into a several separate scenes that I wanted to happen. Then I tried to plan out a course of action that would make those scenes happen and then some more that I thought would be logical conclusions and consequences, after which I began to describing those scenes and in-between events in greater detail. And I'm sure I've broken every single law of plot writing in the process... My story still has no ending or even a greater scope yet.

[Lummy]

What are those competition events? Can you tell me more please (:

Haha same, every bit of my idea comes at the most terrible times XD one time I haf a great idea while doing an important exam -_-

[Lummy]

I understand
Same goes with me, but I find it very hard to create the outline itself ~ the details just flow for me when I have a general outline

[dsubufi2]

I usually have really important things that need to happen and no idea how to get there. But then i start solving things out in the duration of many months (usually in the shower huahauahuauahu). I have almost 60% of the story done when i start writing.

[sarahmassey998]

For me the plot just hit me when I was listening to a related audio book. Then I started asking questions like what if and just obsessed over it for weeks. Countess hours of historic research and rabbit holes later I was ready to make the outline but that's just how my brain works. Its all about finding your own rhythm.

[N1ghtm4r3]

my main plot ,when i think about it can mean multiple things, one can see it ass your base good v evil story or a homage to late 80s early 90s saturday morning cartoons, another way is saying its about self esteem and determination to get what you want by working hard, or even getting out of dark and unpleasant situations and getting better

[tantrichellente]

I usually come up with a concept build a world around that then make characters that fit into my stories.
Make a begining and end for each season and fill in between with some important key scenes already planned.

[theBoskov]

I have 2 episodes already published of almost 5 already written down and well.

1 phase. Planning:I start thinking what it is going to be about and the events to happen on the chapter. During this time of the development I also decide which characters are going to be involved (and why those characters also)
2 phase Writing: After the planning I start writing down the entire episode on a word document, I just let my imagination go crazy with some details here n_n
3 phaseAdapting the script: I start writing how the episode is going to be on the comic pages (which scenes are going to be on each comic panel). during this moment some scenes are lost and others are slightly changed to fit as I only make 22 pages per chapter.

And that would be everything I do while writing/planning every chapter, I have to say that I also get very inspired by Araki from JoJo Bizarre Adventure and I love his writing style

[sc101]

i throw ideas at the wall and use those that stick lol

[kelchan]

Once I have the idea, it just writes itself.

[Lummy]

Oh, for me it is the opposite.
I have no idea what are the things I want to get to. But once I know what I want I have idea what I want, it gets easier for me to find how to get there (not saying that all those ways are good though XD)

[Lummy]

Oh, just curious.
How did you separate your idea from being a sort of 'fanfiction' to your own story? (I am assuming it was similar to a fanfiction in the beginning from what you said, sorry if i am wrong)
I am also doing a historic research, care to share your resources? Since I find it hard to find the things that I look for when researching

[Lummy]

It all comes to your own perspective in the end

[Lummy]

Similar to what I did