How many drafts do you go through for your chapters?

aqua03 2020-05-12 01:52:00 UTC #1

So one thing I've recently noticed when it comes to my comics is that I tend to get stuck in a loop of the script writing phase of "Writing, feedback, polish, feedback, polish, feedback, and so on and so forth." So I've decided to put a hard limit on how many drafts I go through with each of my comic's chapters so I don't get caught in that loop again. I was thinking of maybe limiting myself to about 3 or 4 drafts or revisions of my comic, which got me thinking:

How many drafts or revisions do you go through for your comics before you start drawing them so you don't get caught in a similar trap to what I just described?

ANy advice on that would be nice.

Thanks for the help!

Cavechan 2020-05-12 01:59:22 UTC #2

The most drafts I've done for a chapter are 3. By draft I mean the story being told in a completely different way so entire scenes need to be rewritten.

Revisions, though, are many. A lot of tweaking of dialogue and stuff. Since the story is moving pretty slowly with only doing 2 pages per week, there's plenty of time to work on perfecting the writing. So while the story is completed, I still do have some revisions to work on.

joannekwan 2020-05-12 02:00:36 UTC #3

Comics? Usually around 2 with minor edits later like rewording a sentence or fixing typos.

IndigoShirtProd 2020-05-12 02:06:30 UTC #4

I can't really say. For the most part, I write the first draft of the script and walk away from it for awhile before I decide to look at it again. And even after that, I'll make edits up until (and sometimes after) pages are finished and posted. I don't really think of scripts in drafts, but for topic's sake, it's one legitimate draft with a stream of edits that follow.

ar-ninetysix 2020-05-12 03:17:15 UTC #5

I find myself removing stuff with each broad story rewrite that I end up doing. I really wanna commit to having short scripts so I can have the option of putting out more varied stuff in the future. I think it's a good habit for me in that regard~

That said, if you really wanna move on to the next part, you really have to find a balance between removal and polish. It's a matter of "how can I tell the best version of this with as little clutter as possible?"

A lot of stuff I end up fixing is dialogue and pacing issues.. If it were a series, slower paced stuff might be fine, but since I wanna get to the action quick in a short story, compromises are gonna have to be made. It tends to come down to "I can't possibly take this out, it's absolutely crucial for the whole thing to work." and this'll include entire characters, scenes, and interactions..

It might be an extreme way to go about it, but trying to go the most minimal way possible might help see where the story needs fixing lol once you feel like it's too fast in pacing, I feel like it'd be easier to expand or add a few scenes to let the story breathe

Shanny8 2020-05-12 03:26:32 UTC #6

I usually write so much before I go back and review it- that comes after I've stepped away from it for a minute...if it doesnt feel right then I go back and re-script to make it better; If it's good, then I continue writing.

I havent had to do overhauling on a large scale with my scripts- I usually nail stuff the way I need it to be on first try...but I still leave that extra time in there just in case I fall into a groove where I'm not writing my best; it allows me the time to go back and fix it.

vothnthorvaldson 2020-05-12 03:35:11 UTC #7

Between 1 and + ∞ depending on sections

k5rakitan 2020-05-12 07:25:38 UTC #8

I write everything in paper notebooks first. Then I type it up and change a bunch of things as I type, so there's the second draft. Then I let it sit for a month and edit it some more the week before I plan to release it.

aqua03 2020-05-12 13:09:39 UTC #9

Neat, thanks for telling me how you guys do it. I think I might try something similar for my comics when I write them going forward. Probably will experiment a bit with the different ideas and wee what works the best for me. Thanks for all the help and advice!

Inspector_Spinda 2020-05-13 22:19:53 UTC #10

What I do is write a short story version of my comic. Then use that to write a script. Usually the script differs drastically from the short story as I've already thought of many dialogue and plot improvement. Then I used the script and start drawing the comic. I don't typically storyboard, but I do start with very sloppy sketches that I sometimes toss, sometimes move on to refining. Doesn't work for every comic, but mine is more episodic stories.

herhumanist 2020-05-13 22:31:21 UTC #11

I usually go through about 2 drafts of storyboarding/thumbnailing before moving on to inking but it really varies from time to time. Recently, I spent an entire week going through multiple drafts of storyboard. OTL it was....WHEW....very stressful!

I never had a rule for myself where I limit the number of drafts that I can do for a chapter (although, that seems like a very helpful thing to do 0v0!). I just basically try to reciprocate feedback from other people as fast a possible and be very efficient with my time so that I can go through these draft quickly. It's not the best way to go nor is it the best example/suggestion of how you could work on your drafts but so far, I'm okay, ehe..

Your method of keeping up efficiency pretty good, especially if you are don't want the number of drafts to keeping dragging on and on. Maybe I should try that too 0-0 !

aqua03 2020-05-13 22:33:20 UTC #12

Thanks! Yeah, I'll probably try that with a one shot I'm currently working on for a contest. I'll limit myself to probably 2 drafts for that given that it's due in September.

herhumanist 2020-05-13 22:54:37 UTC #13

Is it the short story contest in webtoon?

aqua03 2020-05-13 22:55:11 UTC #14

Actually, no. It's for the Tezuka Manga COntest.

herhumanist 2020-05-13 22:56:25 UTC #15

oh! omg I heard about that.

There's going to be a bunch of big names judging the entries, right? That's so exciting ovo !

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you have a good time creating your story!

aqua03 2020-05-13 23:00:37 UTC #16

Thank you! I'll probably post my one shot on Tapastic when it's done anyway, so please be on the look out for that some time.

Azifri 2020-05-13 23:12:34 UTC #17

Too many, probably.
Getting the general structure of the chapter done usually goes fast, but scenes and dialogues take forever D: I think I'm getting better at it, like I had to actually finish some chapters to get a feel of how I want my comic to be.