How do you plan out your comics/novels?

I personally use bullet points for anything I come up with including character details, plotpoints, one liners etc... Usually it's in a semi-chronological order. I refine the plotpoints when I get to the chapter they happen in and add anything I come up with on the spot. I don't plan too heavily though, because it gives me some flexibility

I tend to plot everything, but breach out and sometimes change things while writing. I plot my stories in my head, or at least come up with random snippets and details to the story. I will note them down, sometimes separately, before I decide where each part supposed to go. Then, I create the storyline. I have one file in which I'll note down on detail on what happens in the chapter, down to what the characters say. Kind of similar to how you would retell a story to someone else. I'll also highlight important things and/or make a separate note regarding the important stuff.

Then, I start writing. I'll generally follow the plot I already have, but sometimes I'll realize the plot isn't really working out, or I think there's another plot better fitting in that part, or come up with a more interesting idea, and write from there on. Mixing both ways is quite good, too, as I'm always open to any new ideas, but I'm not blindly writing without knowing what next there is and what end goal do I want to reach.

I start out with a outline all that is broken up in the various different chapters of my comic and then I fill in the major plot points and story beats that need to be covered in that chapter no matter what. These story beats aren't very detailed but still there to keep me on track for each chapter

After that I start actually truly detailing the outline further and soon enough start scripting the chapters. Usually I don't start scripting a chapter until a chapter prior to it is fully scripted because new ideas usually pop into my head that can help the story narrative wise. Plus I like to just focus on one chapter at a time when it comes to scripting.

Usually for some scenes I don't need to really outline because they are big scenes where I've been planning out in my head for a while, so for those scenes I keep them out the outline.

1. Make the basic concept focusing on the premise, the genre, and the theme.
2. Develop the setting, geography, religion, culture, economy, society, and technology.
3. Develop the characters.
4. Write the plot as simple and straightforward as possible.
5. Split said plot into scenes. Consider each scene as its own mini-story with three acts.
6. Write each scene but allow myself to do modifications to the plot if inspiration hits.
7. Profit?

For the webcomic I'm working on now, I outline major plot points, and other story beats. Since this series is very character-oriented, I outline individual character development and changes in relationships over the course of the series.

Once I figure all that out, I go on to write scripts for chapters so I know how I want to draw them whenever I get to them. I don't draft out chapters in chronological story order a lot of the time, I just script out whatever idea comes up in my head then figure out where it would fit on the timeline later. My series is a slice of life/comedy so a lot of the chapters I have in mind can fit in whenever on the timeline, with the exceptions of a few chapters that HAVE to happen after certain plot points.

I'm a character first kind of writer, so I build the story around the characters and a central theme. An acquaintance of mine taught me to think of stories and plots using the prompt "This is a story of [X] and [Y]". I've been using this ever since. For example, one of my previous stories A Flower Just for You is the story of Gratitude and Regret. My current story The Nameless Relic is the story of Desperation and Games.

Having the characters and themes in front of me is the foundation. How do my characters relate to these two themes? How are the themes reflected in the characters? What do I want to happen to these characters? I make sure I know how the story ends too and have the ending affect how I develop characters. The ending is the culmination of the themes and the characters. So I try to have some closure with it.

When in doubt, use the Hero's journey as a base and play around with it. In terms of storyboarding, I've been writing and boarding my current story using a 4koma/4 panel format. 1. Scene Established, 2. Set Up, 3. the hit/punchline 4. Pay off. Normally used for more comedic stories, this format has helped me keep things simple and concise. Of course, the most important note: Write it all out, take a break, come back after a few days with fresh eyes and make revisions.

This might sounds weird to u guys but I planned out my fanfic novel(Bnha/Mugen: book 1) through reading the manga and looking up Mugen battles. After that, I planned the scenarios in my head on the characters will act and do, then write down.

I have ADHD which mean I come up with ideas in bits and fragments that are in no particular order. So I write them down that way. I write each idea on a sticky note and then I put them in a notebook in the order that makes the most sense. Then once I have it all lined up properly I can write a summary and an outline. Colorful sticky notes are the key lol
I still do a lot of figuring it out as I go and there's nothing wrong with that. Do the work to get the structure of the story in place and then just go with the flow.

I'm... kinda crazy with mine, and this is just one of my organization documents:

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I spent some time designing and planning out all my main characters and their personalities, then I spent some more time writing out each character's backstory, especially focusing on points that could cause friction or drama later on in the story. After that, I started writing out short paragraphs for minor characters, leaving space for ones I create on the spot while writing.

Finally, I added a space for those "Eureka!" moments where I can plan on foreshadowing for future plotlines.

You know...there might not be anything wrong with that? ^^; I mean, if it works for you, then it works; just because it's not the 'correct' way to do things doesn't mean you need to change it.

I also tend to animate completely from my imagination; I don't bother storyboarding or planning because I usually remember what I want. Right now I'm working on an animation that I first envisioned 4 years ago, and I can still play it back perfectly in my head. ^^ And between that 'footage' and whatever I can come up with on the fly (which usually turns out better anyway), I think I've got it covered.

Scripts are different though...I usually forget dialogue, and I always want the characters to say just the right thing, so if I come up with something good I have to write it down.
But planning out the plot itself is different...for example, here's my 'outline' for a very grand, sprawling fantasy saga:

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Granted, this is a story that's lived in my head for a while, and I have written a lot about it (worldbuilding bibles and such) but my actual story-writing process is to just go with the flow and make the characters talk, while figuring out how to get to the next event in the outline (as you can see, I'm writing towards the 'festival' atm).
So it's still pretty loose; that blank space before the last event is to signal to me that I'm expected to come up with more big events to put in between there, whenever I get around to it. :9

TL;DR, my philosophy is 'plan whatever you need to', no matter how little it is. If you feel like you might forget it, or need to see it spelled out in front of you, go ahead and write it down. But if you don't, then don't. If you feel good about just being spontaneous, you can be that. It's totally allowed. ^^

i did kinda write out the full story years ago but as i grow an evolve its has become more of a guideline for the story now

I like to plan the big points out first, then fill in the little details as I go along, let the story tell itself at times.

It's ok to do it YOUR way.

A writer that I admire, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), said that she wrote her novel in snatches/scenes and in no particular order. She would have a general idea of the shape of the story, it's major arcs and important events, and would fit the written scenes into their respective arcs, and then connect them together up with bridges.

If I hadn't come across her blog saying so I would have NEVER finished my first book as I'm not a linear writer nor someone who outlines well.

So here are the things that I do, having learned a few things over the 2 years it took to write my book:
- write a short plot summary
- write a list of things that have to happen in your story
- do research if you are world building etc. - build your world concept in point form
- do research if you are doing historical things, if you have specific weapons or fighting techniques...all that kinda stuff
- do a stream of consciousness on the plot
- do a chat (in written form) with each of your major characters.I know this sounds crazy, but just do it. I found it especially helpful when I had trouble finding their motivation or there was a plot issue/hole that I couldn't resolve.
- edit like there is no tomorrow, but you don't have to second guess yourself...

GOOD LUCK!!! and take care of yourself.

Usually what I do is make a google docs document for me and my friends (who also work on the comic) and we write a script following what's happening currently and taking into account what will happen in the future since we made a timeline of events. Its usually pretty smooth, but that's us lmao

For my slice of life comic it is just a few notes in my phone

For bigger comics I make a storyboard (on paper)

I made demarcations by chapter number so I have like chapters 1-20 then a huge paragraph detailing many of the ideas I have for the first 20 chapters. That's how I split up my volumes. As for deciding elements of the world I went through the plan from above and started to think about setting and stuff and put down my ideas. I basically have a super doc which is not at all organized just called ideas . Needless to say, LOTS of scrolling to remind myself of specific details.

I hope this helps. I've been using this technique since I've been competing in writing competitions:

First, sequence what would happen in three main events. Beginning, Conflict, and Ending. After you've sort all of the three, sequence the events what would happen in those category. And when you have sorted them out, do the finer details.

Which is what happens on this and that, should you put a cliffhanger on this and that. And if you can't control the ideas coming in to you, just write them. And sort them later to which part of the big three (Beginning, Conflict, Ending) would you like them to appear to.

And if you're ever writing a novel, well for me, it was ideal to make the characters and places first. Then sort out the whole plot by chapters. It's always great to plot the draft of the chapters first before you thoroughly write them. In short make a guide for what would happen in that chapter.

And this always work with stories, articles etc. To catch the reader's attention, give them the most intriguing first sentence you could pull off, or the first paragraph. Something like:

Tall, dark, and handsome. Those were the qualities I was looking for a man. Who would have thought he would walk in front of me in this chilly day. He made my heart skip a beat, and thus I embarked on a journey to meet who he is.

Bestia's Wrath, my SWTOR fanfic \ story \ comic, is very planned out. I started with an outline of the whole story, then separated it into 3 parts, did outlines of each and then did outlines of each chapter that I use to write the actual thing. Occasionally I change things around if suddenly something makes more sense.

I have the same kind of plan for Lost Firstborn, altho I changed a few things here and there on the thumbnail stage.

Basically for me it's a top-down process going from bigger chunks to smaller ones.