That's my pass time on the bus to and from school. Just making a bullet pointed list of ideas for my comic.
I just try to choose what is easiest to draw when I get home XD
Then I draw a sketch into a final. Boom, bam, done!

Well, I do a gag comic, so I don't do much writing. I just think of it and then scrap the comic, I guess you could say the scrap serves as a script. Then I do the comic based on that.

I do something similar to Preney, I think about the story a lot before writing. Though often times I forget certain things so I quickly write them down on anything, even a receipt. I outline the whole dialogue as I'm sketching the page out as well as little notes, here and there about the action to remember whats going on for future reference.
First thing I do though is get the beginning thought out as well as how the series will end, that way I know there's an actual ending instead of just dragging things out.

My comics are all based on special events in my life or "in the moment" ideas and if I think they are good enough, I draw them out. "but Matthew how do you determine if they are good enough?" Basically, if I laugh to myself like an insane person, then I know to draw it out.

When it comes to drawing, I doodle everything out in this small sketch book I made for myself and I doodle a rough sketch of the idea. When I get home, I take out my iPad and I draw it on there

One of my comics, the one I am currently working on, is based on life experiences that I remember from recent days.
For my other comics, which I am still brainstorming now, I simply jot down some major moments in the plot, some ideas for each episode, and even draw little scenes. I later compile them and organize them into a nice story.

Thanks, I appreciate the support! And yeah, I enjoy reading slice of life comics here on Tapastic. I even love reading slice of life / realistic fiction novels.

When I'm writing for my comic, I begin by thinking of different subjects or topics I can build off from. Sometime I will be asleep in bed and thinking of ideas. I also try to read a lot of different material. The more you read, the more you know.

For Hacheeachkee3 I think through the story, then I write the script/story (it's a mix), then I read it through with a friend so they can critique me or ask me questions
"why the heck would they do that when they can do this?" "Well, uh-... good point"
Then I'd go back and change, re-review, then when I feel like it's ok then I draw out thumbnails according to that script/story.

I generally write down a bulleted list of all the plot points on paper first. When I'm satisfied I know how the basic plot is going to go, I start making the script and the page layouts in Word. I make a table and put the script in the left column and the page layouts in the right.

I've been writing since I was 13 and the most successful pipeline I've found for myself is to have a little bunch of text docs in which I write themed elements. I'll have a doc for plot devices that I think would be useful, one for emotional sequences I want my characters to experience, one for events, several for listing characters, locations, factions, cultures, beliefs, politics, etc... And then I start to thread all those things together in another doc so to shape the skeleton of the plot, with milestones.
Then I write the script in the fashion of a theatre play, with annotation as to where the focus should be, and trying to already picture in my mind how I will organize the page.

HOWEVER, for my current series, Singmire Haze4, I just have a small list of little things I'd like to have in the story at some point, and for the rest it's just improvisation. I usually don't know what will happen beyond the 5~10 next pages, so it's a lot of fun.
But also something I can achieve thanks to those 13 years of experience in writing. Heh. Now I can say I've been writing for half of my life.

When my comic was a slice of life I used to just come up with the idea and then draw a thumbnail and then I would write the text after I drawing the comic. Now that they connect I write scripts one chapter at a time, then I draw the thumbnails and I rewrite based on the final drawings.

I do each script as a series of thumbnails so I can see where everything goes. Then, if I have time, I let it sit and think about it. Then I make a couple more drafts before I finally sit down to draw.

Usually for me it begins with an idea that I then start to explore. I usually map out a lot of stories in my head during work hours and them write them down in script form when I come home.
I usually look at stories like a huge puzzle where I'm discovering pieces or simply making my own pieces, carefully crafting a tale I'll be happy with.
After I've written it down and begin to draw it I usually make a few changes to it and revise it. You know, polish it a bit

Since my comic is a slice of life comic, I let ideas come to me in real life and from my family, or friends stories...).
And also when I watch movies or series (like Little House on the Prairie).
There are some situations which I said to myself "Oh, this movie made a happy end, what if thing turned bad for the heroes? what if...?" So I used to imagine parallel stories

I usually write down my ideas on the way from work to home. ^^

I pretty much write down a basic plotline (usually in text edit or something like that) to rough out how the overall story will go. I generally tend to bullet point events like
1.) Character A and B go to the market.
2.) While Character A is bartering with a spices trader, Character B spots a rare gem that he recognizes.
So on and so forth.
I have a few people look over it to see if there are any real plotholes or glaring issues that I might have overlooked.
After edits, I go in again and write a more detailed script that contains the exact dialogue and descriptions of what is going on in the panels.
After that... more feedback and more edits.
Then I start sketching out the comics themselves, and pretty much go from there depending on what my schedule allows.

My process is quite similar to OP's process. While I do some basic outlines and scripting, most of the major changes in writing come during thumbnailing! Sometimes the way I panel things influences the dialogue and flow of the story. My comic is slice-of-life, and there's really no "big plot" so writing the story isn't too difficult. I just go with the flow~

Well here are my steps

1. Create broad Idea
2. Create timeline of important events and character changes
3. Thumbnails
4. Final page

I tried to write a script but it just seemed unnecessary so I write dialogue during the Thumbnail process which is basically a script. I do this even with my current series Well here are my steps

1. Create broad Idea
2. Create timeline of important events and character changes
3. Thumbnails
4. Final page

I tried to write a script but it just seemed unnecessary so I write dialogue during the Thumbnail process which is basically a script. I do this even with my current series http://tapastic.com/series/tmc I just shorted the amount of work I do for each step, due to the decrease is story length. I just shorted the amount of work I do for each step, due to the decrease is story length.

When I was creating my story I wrote it at first from a point of view of the main protagonist.
It's a lot easier later. I already have like... 22 pages and based on 8 pages I manage to create almost 4 chapters.

Personally, I just take three basic things. The main character, the main conflict (and why it's there), and the ending. I pace those next to each other and start asking questions to myself I'd expect the reader to, like other characters (who, what when where ect.), places, and actions they take, then I put the answers in-between, or in the front if it's the prologue or something... then I have the story. Then, if it's a comedy I start adding jokes. Once thats done I design the pages (I make up the specifics for sets and stuff on the spot... it seems to work). Thats how I've been doing it. Hope that helps.

I cant really explain where I get my initial ideas as they evolve from the sea of chaotic information that is my brain. Once I get one however I take what ever the thing is be it a character, place, or concept and then start to try and figure out how it fits into an actual story rather than just being a shiny thing in my brain devoid of context. Once I get that going I'll usually play around with it until I find a basic plot that it fits in and start adding other things like additional characters, refine the conflict and objectives, add additional concepts or ideas that can be included without major additions, then from there onward to scripting or writing in story format.

I think its important to actually write out all of this before I get anywhere near things like scripting or writing as its difficult to blend in new elements coherently if they aren't planned for. Sometimes its fine but if a character has four brothers who aren't mentioned ever then suddenly appear they aren't characters so much as poorly disguised plot devices and will make a reader annoyed at the very least.

Then before I get it anywhere near an artist I have people read it and not just for the hoard of grammatical and spelling errors contained there within. I find its critical to have people who are both avid comic book readers and those who are not read it so that I have an accurate perspective of how readable it is. Do my characters use fifteen words to explain something that could be conveyed without them? Is my concept executed well enough that its not depending on the reader being experienced with the story type and filling in gaps in my narrative themselves?

Then my artist gets to look at it and we discuss what they can do with it. Can words be trimmed out, is my explanation of something odd? Do my visual instructions make sense? I think its important to respect there creative ability and work on a unified vision rather than insisting they match the thing in my brain exactly. Its daunting to give up control on that point but rewarding.

For Outside the Box1, I planned everything out, and wrote almost all the dialogue in a script format before starting to draw the comic. I do it like this because I want to make sure I adequately foreshadow anything that is important later in the story.

However, I'm finding that the drawing of the comic is really influencing the script! The story is continuously evolving.

Wahh love how everyone has different ways of going about it!!

For Get Psyched3, since it's a crime investigation comic, I usually plan out a death first, and try to think of a how/why later. I like to see what readers think who did it first, and respond accordingly hehe. And researching ways to die is so sketchy... I hope Google doesn't flag be when I search up "how to poison someone"....

I gradually put together a plan including notes on the characters and setting. This becomes a sort of ongoing process as I work on the comic, because you can never have enough background information, especially when working with a fantasy or sci-fi piece. I also make sketches to accompany them, and start planning any constructed languages I need.

Once I've got enough to start work on the actual plot, I start writing summaries of what will happen in each chapter. Usually I sort out the beginning and end, and a few key scenes, then I fill out all the rest, make some cuts, and make any necessary changes.

After that I write a rough script for each chapter. I refine it and makes changes as I sketch out the panel layout and work on the individual pages.

So interesting to hear about everyone's writing styles! ^_^ For my high school romance Love Debut, I took some liberties with my writing because I'm both the writer AND artist, and I continue to work on the dialogue even after I've drawn the page.

My process is this — I start by writing out the story synopsis, and then go into more detail chapter by chapter. I write out exactly what happens in each scene, maybe a few lines of dialogue or plot points that I HAVE to hit, estimate the number of pages for each conversation, and then jump right into storyboarding.

@EdenStar, that's awesome that you get to collab with an artist. Feedback is something I'm always meaning to get, but I'm never organized enough to have anything to show between concept and finished product.

@UzukiCheverie, my writing style is probably closest to yours! I have a text file on my desktop, and just keep adding on to it. I don't get much more specific than the page #s when I write out dialogue, though...

For my series, Shelby and the Blooms, I start with basic bullet points of what happens in the chapter. Then, I do a script style format, where every panel and dialogue within each panel is accounted for, similar to what UzukiCheverie describes above. I started doing this recently because I've been attending some writers workshops to get feedback from people I don't know, and that format is the most reader-friendly without having the artwork done. The script style also helps me visualize the composition and "camera angles" of each panel and page like a director.

I work from a standard written script, before going into the thumbnailing process... Since it's easier to make edits in a written script, than it is to change things in a stack of thumbnails. So I prefer it that way.

I like to make a general outline of the plot so I know where it's going overall, then I sit down and write the story, and usually it will deviate in several key ways from the outline. Then I change things until I can't stand the mess I'm left with and start all over with a new document. multiple times.

It is a bunch of chaos how I do it. Some times I draw first and come up with the story after but I also work the other way around. I don't work chronological. But I have a general outline.

Writing isn't really a thing to force yourself on. It's more like: "I like this and that and this and let's try putting it together!" You look back at past comics or manga you read and you pick some things up. Of course you can't copy completely. But it's nice if you add a kidnapping scene here, a memory wiping scene there and such. HOWEVER! Here's a warning. The story cannot be classic. It can't be Fairy Tail or One Piece or Naruto. You need to make something that's different from them. You can't have cliche scenes. Ahhhh...I spoke too much. This is really my opinion of things. You see achieving mainstream manga is a hard thing to do.

I write my stories in script format because it makes me feel like a professional. I mean to start off with a just write a massive block of text. But when I comes to drawing I 'script' it out otherwise I have no idea what I'm drawing. I feel like if certain things aren't in order then my story's doomed from day one.

I have had rough childhood (to sum it up), but not as harsh as other people-- had a roof over my head with food and water. I started writing as an escape from my issues just to get to the next day. Ideas keep hitting you when you need to express something. Currently I have escaped from my problems and trying to put my life back together so I can finally start to finish a project of the many. Many of my stories start off as a joke and then they escalate (it's hard for me to stick to a short story) it's like I'm programmed to make worlds.

Phase 1:
*Basically it starts with a rough idea and situation.
*I then note events down.
*I start to make the physics of the world.
*Characters start to be made (people, monsters, environment)

Phase 2:
*I then take everything at this point and make a timeline and a direction I want the story to go
*I start to develop characters further if I feel the need, and If I need a character to fill a void I do so. This includes how they interact.

Phase 3:
*when I'm happy with what is developed I take everything and start scripting the story. I plan page by page writing out the story. When that has progressed I then brake down each page into panels and edit it if there is too much for the page or too little.

Phase 4: (With the life I had this I was not able to do with consistently getting new ideas for different stories and had to put a hold on the one I was working on to archive this new one)
*draw it out

I'll hopefully get a "scripted" comic out to everyone by October (currently building my confidence in my art).

As crazy as this sounds, I usually write the entire story in prose first. After editing this, that is when I consider what I want my art style to be like. For example for one I decided ahead of time I wanted to do Charcoal.

I also tend to do thumbnails, even if I later on decide on a different layout. This provides me a basic starting point to work from. I still have the thirty two thumbnails of my uploaded story, that I used as the base for the story I'm currently working on.

I've always found thumb-nailing to be a great outlining method, since I think in pictures anyway.

I usually get the idea (the plot). Then I think about how the story is going to develop, which happens during shower or walking in circles in my room (I know, this is so sad). With the events still fresh in my head I do the sketch pages on a paper. With the drawings ready, it's time to polish the dialogs.
I usually try to be very careful about what to write, because things on my story are very interconnected (kind like Lost TV show).+
PS: As I don't write any notes, I usually forget about lots of interesting stuff to do. =p

Something I'm experimenting with at the moment, writing a script based on lines in a poem. Then use thumbnail sketches to sketch out the rough version. Then I simply need to transfer them into a cohesive whole.

I guess my reasoning is, as the cliche goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

It's not crazy. A good thought out story is great to have. Everyone has some sort of process and I have to agree-- if you can draw different ways it can help with how the story is seen.

... How can that be sad? I think about my stories and pace too. It is good to get some blood flow to the brain since it will help. When I do notes and my process I take small breaks to eat, go for a short walk, do laundry, make dinner, or play a game. To reset your thought process helps keep it fresh longer. ^__^

Just something I've noted to, unlike when I write prose, using a completely text-based script for whatever reason has never been intuitive to me. I feel like I have to draw it before I draw it.

Well in my personal case, i do think a lot in the bus or while i am in the shower, you could say that the brainstorm phase, and then i decide what i want to do, what i want to tell, as when that is decided i start to do a Storyboard and a Script simultaneously.
In the script beside the dialogs are description of the panel,emotions of the characters and background description.
In the storyboard besides rough draws, i mostly i play with panels distribution and poses of the character