How do you structure your comic?

[FritzC]

I'm very curious to hear how you structure your comics. Do you start with having the full story thought out? Do you just wing it? If you wing it, what do you do when you run out of ideas or you have continuity problems?

Personally, I started Decaf as an AU of another comic, and it was just a few sketches and a comic page for fun, but then I started brainstorming story ideas with one of my friends, and it was so fun that I decided to draw the whole comic. The details of the story have changed a little bit, but I work with a full story in mind (I know how it starts, what the climaxes are and how it's gonna end). However I don't script it, and I just write the dialogue as I get to it, I don't have the scenes written down anywhere. When I came to the third chapter, I just sorta knew I was about half way.

How do you do it?

(also my comic for good measure)

Decaf | Tapas

[feuersichel]

Hehe, I think our stories have a lot in common in that regard xD mine also started as a stupid but fun one-pager but now, after around 4 1/2 years I'm over 150 pages and going. The only thing I really planed out, are the climaxes, also the ending and some important points in between. The rest I come up, as I go. Even some last minute side characters aren't that rare xD I do have a booklet where I write some ideas in. Like a conversation I realy want to include but it isn't time jet.

What I do though is thumbnailing, when I feel like it. I basicly draw the scenes on some scrap paper, so I don't have to experiment on the nice paper (I draw traditionally) and to keep the flow going. Before I was kinda "scared" to continue as I didn't want to do something I have to change again. I lost a lot of time that way. With the scrap-ones I can just toss them out and draw the scene new, doesn't even take a minute.

[Legendofgenii]

I’m adapting a written story into a comic so just need to illustrate it really. I do deviate a little and have to shorted the dialogue quite a bit - but I get the important parts in.

[GloamingCat]

I've had plotted the thing for about 3 years before starting to draw it, so I have all necessary plot points written down. I didn't write every single scene though because the story is loooong. But I always write a very detailed script for at least 5 episodes (~150 panels) before I start drawing anything. And then I'll sketch/storyboard the first ep entirely (sometimes 2 eps) and only then I'll start the actual drawing.

And I still think I should have planned more XD Deciding stuff on the fly stresses me out :c

[FritzC]

@GloamingCat Wow this sounds like so much work! But I can see how it's nice to kind of have stuff written out in detail, that way you're sure you won't make any mistakes

[R.n.P]

my writer has all the arcs and their main plots written on pdf, I write each episode summary and each point how it happens and give it to him to see if he likes it or wants to add other ideas n change it and any time we have a disagreement, we just debate it.

[Eiranyx]

For preparations, I write down the details like plot outlines, complete detailed summary, character profiles.
In the preparation, I also include doing the character sheets of every character that will appear in the comic.
Then after that I divide the plot points into arcs and then write it down in comic script format -- where I put the the panel number, what will be illustrated in each panels, and finally the dialogues
(the comic script format doesn't necessarily have to be complete but it have to be way ahead)
before I illustrate it --- that way, I can work consistently and it will be easier for me to edit or change something if I want to. ^^

[Rhonder]

I have a few projects under my belt now, & so far I've used 2 different methods for writing/structuring my comics.

The typical method is to outline everything out ahead of time, so I know the full story before I get started. I'm similar in that I don't really do a dialogue script ahead of time- if there's some really important or key dialogue it gets jotted down in the outline, but 90% of it is come up with when I sit down to thumbnail the page/episode/whatever.

My current yet-to-be-released project is a little different though. I'm adapting a D&D campaign that I'm currently playing in as a comic and so... not only do I not know the whole story (as I'm not the DM, in this case) but the "writing" is a group effort to which I'm only contributing one portion. It's been useful in some ways that it takes me way longer to draw episodes than it does for us to keep playing/progressing the campaign because now working in the "past" I have a better grasp on what is to come and how to foreshadow certain things that I just... wouldn't be able to otherwise in this case

[feuersichel]

What's also nice whit this methode, you can just work on. I often have the problem to get stuck, because I don't have the panels planed out the way I wanted...

[FritzC]

@feuersichel that's why I usually keep my big plot points sorted, so I always know kind of where I have to go. But I prefer to just thumbnail/draw my pages without too much planning because that way it seems more organic to me (with my own comic)

[feuersichel]

I just read the problem with the quoting from your other thread ^^' and yeah, I tried to answer to topic from GloamingCat ... As when you have everything planed out, you can just keep working on it. But I also like to work on it step by step. It lead to some cool plot points I later implemented as main plot but I also did some mistakes I now need to edit.

One of my main charas has a voice who tells him stuff. I used to like this idea but I haven't used this fact much and now I feel like it is unnecessary. Had I planed out everything from the start I wouldn't have that problem. But at the end it's a hobby and I personally have more fun this way so far^^

[jcmraz]

I have goals and key events in mind as well as some outside ideas I can pull in when/if I want to. I'm mostly letting the characters drive the story but I'm trying to build it toward those key points and keep ideas from my world building in store in case they become more relevant

Runner | Tapas

[TheGentleArtist]

I'm pretty much wing it and I haven't had any continuity problems, but if I do run out of ideas then I can either take a small break to think of some more or get inspired by something. If I do get continuity problems, I'll just swing it to make sense or own up to it.

[cromsferatu]

I start with a premise, then I create and flesh out the characters, then I think of a beginning, middle and end. After that I begin with the thumbnailing, usually two to three episodes at a time so I can always have something planned ahead. I usually construct two or three important moments I want to communicate and build the story around them, though sometimes characters will develop in unexpected ways and throw me off guard, making decisions I didn't expect, so then I have to re-structure. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that's kind of how it feels to me...

Here's the comic I'm currently doing for reference, though it's still in its infancy and it's a slow burn.

UNFILTR | Tapas

[rajillustration]

I never wing a comic, but I do wing it in the writing phase, I guess. I'm like an in-between where I go back and forth between researching and vague plotting and then just...writing it as it comes. I think one kind of feeds into the other. But as for comics? I want that whole script solid before I start because it takes so long to create. I need to turn off the scripting part of my brain so I can just focus on making good art.

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

I have a really broad outline with key plot points I have to hit. There’s a lot of improvisation in between those big plot points though. Every episode is in service of driving the story towards those big predetermined moments, but how I get from point a to point b isn’t set in stone ahead of time. When I’m getting ready to make a new update I sit down and write out a little screenplay including both dialog and camera angles etc. part of this step is planning what will be said, done and seen in each panel.

[MeltingCORE]

I've been writing a serial novel for five years and the manga is a companion piece! So, it will end up containing short stories of around 25-30 pages that are parallel to the main series but not present within the novel itself.

https://tapas.io/series/Red-Shift-Negative-Impact/info

[Jenny-Toons]

I need a script: either finished or 75% finished (not including the ending -- I almost always right the ending first XD).

As much as I love flexibility when it comes to drawing panels, I need stability when it comes to the overall story. That's mostly because I have very specific aesthetics I want to feel when reading my work, and scripts help me do that. I can dive into the character's motives and feelings and keep that feeling.