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Blue_C3ll
Sep '19

Hello everyone, I'm mainly an artist and up until now I never really tried doing a story, but recently there was a contest in the area I live in and while I was researching how to get a story done I came across the book "Save the cat", I loved the book and used it as a guide to get it done.
Now after I read the book I decided to level up a bit on the writing side, not as my main focus but still I don't want to leave the skill at 0, so to all of you writers with more experience in this I have a few questions:
What's the process in writing form start to finish?
Any other books like "Save the cat"?
Is there any book that talkes about dialogue?
Does the process change for comics?

Thanks in advance for the help, I really appreciate it.

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    Sep '19

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xeu
Sep '19

There are basically two main kinds of writers. Pantsers and planners. Pantsers just sit down and write, letting the story take them where it may. Planners plan out the plot, the characters, and then sit down to write the actual story. There are people who are a little bit of both. I plan a little, and mostly pants it.

About dialogue: Just read a lot of novels, man. Read diverse literature to see how authors show the difference in tone between characters. Huckleberry Finn is amazing for how Mark Twain writes dialogue. Stuff by Rudyard Kipling.

There are books on writing that I've read. Stephen King's memoir, Harry Strunk's The Element of Style, etc. Books specific to dialogue, I myself have not read.

Also, there's this website where "Save the Cat" is actually one of the formats that you can plan your novel around. https://wavemaker.cards4

Hope this helps somewhat.

yansusu
Sep '19

@NiharikaSarma already covered the rest quite well IMO but in regards to this point, I remember "How to Write Dazzling Dialogue" by James Scott Bell. I've read it and it's alright, although I'd also say you can learn about the same (and more) if you just look at how books and/or movies do it.

xeu
Sep '19

Nice, I'll check it out as well. I googled about books on dialogue, but I didn't feel right suggesting something that I haven't read.

hdansin
Sep '19

@NiharikaSarma already covered some of the best books about writing. I enthusiastically second Elements of Style for practical grammar and good style guidelines to follow. Another good one is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

The best way to improve is to write a lot and read a lot. There's not really a way to get around that.

For dialogue, besides reading good fiction, I would recommend listening to people's conversations and actively observing your own conversations. Most people don't speak in complete sentences and use a lot of fillers such as "um, like, mm" etc. I don't know of any books about dialogue, but as Stephen King says in his On Writing memoir, most books about writing are BS, the best way to learn is to do it. Not that other books recommended can't be helpful but they are only tools and nothing more.

Side note: I prefer the terms "gardener" and "architect" to pantser/planner because they are a bit more descriptive, and I don't really like the negative connotation of "pantser." Also GRRM, who coined "gardener" and "architect", is a gardener. One is not better than the other and you will probably need both to write a good story.

Writing is a strange magic that consists of hard work and putting one word in front of the other. It is very difficult but very worth it, and the process is different for everyone. Best of luck to you friend!

SeraphicMayin
Sep '19

Save the Cat is a really good start. I however hesitate about using the formulas presented in it. As it is very geared to Hollywood style storytelling.

I agree with the other books mentioned. Definitely On Writing By Stephen King and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamot. And Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.

The book I found most useful to visual storytelling in comics is Story by Robert Mckee. He has an excellent section about dialogue in that it ought to be the last thing you write. First ensure the events, actions and Subtext is solid before any of the black text of dialogue. Cause dialogue isn't like real life. It has to serve a purpose in stories. Doing everything but the dialogue is a sure way to make sure the dialogue isn't too on the nose and it more implies subtextual meaning.

Also yeah. Best way to learn is to do it. I started with two one-shot comics before moving on to something longer.

Keep studying and keep writing. That's the way to find your way.

nixxusnibelheim
Sep '19

For dialogue you can try your hand on "Anatomy of story" by John Truby, there is shit loads of informations so it can be heavy to read but it's great.
Especially because at the end of each chapter there is a Q&A from his students who ask more specific questions that you may have, it helps to clear things that you don't understand.

There is a long chapter on dialogue so you might be interested in that. Basically you don't want any fluff in your dialogue, you have to know why that exchange happens, for what purposes, what informations you want to give out to your reader.
Try to study your favorite movie/anime/serie/book/manga... look only at one scene and try to understand the purpose of the scene and if there is a dialogue, summarize what it is being said.

Do that until it becomes a habit :ok_hand:

CodeMonkeyArts
Sep '19
xeu

I agree with reading a lot of novels but also want to throw in reading comics and manga. I tend to be pretty visual and more in tune with images belying the reactions and how to fit that into writing to set a mood or emotion.

If you are a planner, I would recommend looking up the SnowFlake Method that builds up on the story idea and goes into the characters, summary, etc:

Blue_C3ll
Sep '19

@NiharikaSarma I would say I'm more of a planner. It does help me,thanks!
@yansusu I'll check it out!
@hdansin I agree, we definitely need to be a bit of both,thanks!
@SeraphicMayin I did notice that it was more Hollywood type, I had a fun time adjusting it to what I was doing.
@nixxusnibelheim will do!
@amcodamonkey I actually did that while doing my one-shot, once I knew what I was looking for ,it was really surprising the amount of things you can learn from them.