Plot as you go or completed before drawing?

[Mallory]

My story is roughly outlined (and broken into chapters) from start to finish, but I am missing details (some of them pretty key). I try to script the entire chapter before I draw it, but sometimes I do have to make fairly major adjustments as I'm drawing it (especially in the dialogue). As I work on one chapter's drawing, I do begin to develop and beef up the next chapter's outline and start to brainstorm designs.

[ButterflyEmpress]

I'd love to have the entire story finished and tightly knitted before starting illustrating, but I'm constantly learning new things about the world and story writing in general and end up having to make necessary changes. If I'd never touched my outline my comic would've gone in different direction.

I had a plot point where the lead finds out her friend knew how to cook steak properly and was amazed by him. I then ran into my sister at the grocery store who was planning to make a steak dinner for her kids. She explained to me how cooking steak really isn't that hard to do. Because of that I had to rewrite that plot point 'cause it just made the lead seem incompetent which would've been very out of character for her

[VibrantFox]

titles like plotser and pantser tend to confuse the heck out of me but i think i'm somewhere solidly in the middle.

i'm still in the planning phases of a lot of my projects but thus far the process has been:

• write general outline for story
• more detailed outline/script that narrows down specific story beats

then it's likely going to move into scripts for each chapter or episode with wiggle room in case something changes along the way

as for drawing stuff i usually have specific ideas in mind for certain scenes so there's some rough thumbnailing happening during the second outline phase and then smoothing it out when it comes time for proper scripting an drawing

i think my one weakness is just focus and consistency. if i've got energy and motivation i can plow through good chunks of planning and prep but if it's not there everything just drags along. there's also the double edged sword of switching between multiple projects because on the one i don't spend so much time on a single thing that i get bored with it but then on the other i sometimes put myself at higher risk for burnout because everything is calling for my attention at once. there's also probably some risk in me being so confident in that i already have most of my stories in my head so heavens forbid that i ever forget -frantically jotting things down + making copies-

[ricardoaltuna]

I have detailed scripts of the first chapters and a detailed outline that goes all the way to the midpoint of the story then things become nebulous from there. I have a clear idea of how I want it to end and a bunch of stuff that I want to happen and a lot of other stuff that is pretty much in the air, but since is after the midpoint ( and my story is very long ) I have the time to figure it out before the actual comic gets there.

[wekanian]

When I got an idea, middle and an ending, I’ll be ready to start. At least I will plot the first half of the story and the rest will go together as I draw the comic. But still write down major events to the end of the story to get the big picture of it and to make sure that the chapters before them build enough info that will lead to them.

[SpavVy]

I generally plan around 5 - 10 chapters ahead of where I currently am in the story but I also like to leave room for some changes.

[rajillustration]

I want my comic process to be as quick and as problem-free as possible so my plot is cemented. It's a script fully written. I may change things when I get there, but I want to put all of my focus on drawing once I start going, or I won't keep up with my schedule.

[dewarcomics]

I know where my finish line is but how I get there is more open. I usually have an idea of certain beats but I sometimes don't reach them exactly how I intended in my head. Sometimes that's more natural and it flows more organically.

The downside sometimes you may write yourself on a wall and you go "no, no, no that's not right" and have to go back and try again. Sometimes even start over an entire chapter. But that's why I do a rough first where I draw in a relatively quick manner to see panel and speech bubble layout and see if it flows right.

It always helps to know where you're going so at least come up with certain beats to hit, who knows once you get there those beats may change.

Best of luck!

[blakestackman]

I am writing a Novel not a comic, however - I always have the plot fleshed out beforehand. Currently, I am working from scripts that tell the story in a simple non narrative form. Then from the scripts I write the narrative and flesh the story out - expanding - digging deep into the characters psyche. The script to me is a tool and it is the map to my story - without it I would get lost.

[Iris-Grimoire]

I much prefer the plot completed before anything else along with outlines and character details, but then the script and the art itself are flexible. It's way too easy to get enamored with an alternate scene or ending halfway through, and running facefirst into a lot of foreshadowing that you didn't follow up on or setting up things that later scenes don't care about.

[Kaydreamer]

I'm half-and-half! I have most things scripted well before I get to drawing them, but I certainly don't have everything. And I almost always adapt and add to the script once I start storyboarding an episode. In particular, things to do with character development and relationships are figured out well in advance.

I'm actually starting to run out of the plot I have scripted - it'll certainly be all gone before December - so I need to start figuring out how to link this reflective, sombre part of the story to the next action-filled part, and choose what moments are going to bridge that gap. I also need to think up plot beats for the action part, because that's definitely not something I have much familiarity with, and I'll need to refer to some old-school plot structures to help me along. That'll be tricky.

All that said, I have the overall 'shell' of what happens complete. I know the direction my comic is going in. It's just diving into how some of those things happen which I need to get the ball rolling with, and soon.

[Teira]

I wrote out the entire script of the story...but I ended up deviating from it...some of the pages I've drawn so far weren't even in the script, so I'm just changing things as I go...still good to look at some of the ideas I wrote down though.

[Dialusion]

I have the whole plot ready to go before I start, however I found myself adding a little more to flesh out the story. Didn't know which to pick but I eventually settled with "Expand the plot as you go" since it's done but not how it will end up. I 100% am adding more to the story but I also keep in mind to only focus in on the essentials. What needs to happen for the story to progress. If I have the room, I'll expand and play a bit.

[gabriellabalagna]

My goal is to get my script 90% done before I start drawing. It's fun to leave a little room for tweaks and improvements.

I chose "complete plot before drawing." Here's why I like that method:
- easier to ensure good pacing throughout the whole story
- no having to spend hours redrawing anything, can just edit the script to fix plot holes
- have a better feel for the characters' personalities/goals
- easier to control the story length, so it doesn't get too long
- makes the drawing process so much faster, b/c you already know what to draw

Weakness of this method is you might put off drawing for too long, or get stuck writing for months. However, that's why I'm working on scripting and concept art/model sheets at the same time.

[gabriellabalagna]

Yeah, I agree that plotting/scripting is time consuming. Like you, I rather get it out of the way at the beginning so I don't have to focus on it as much when actually drawing the pages.

[jensrichard77]

With a story as Bunneh the Rabbit I had to plot everything before @nathanKmcwilliams even started the Storyboard.
The story is too massive and there are too many strong characters conflicting.

A story as Bunneh can’t be winged and pulled off as we go. That’s also why I have a team of Beta readers and @Chita concept artist

It has to be complete.

And we we have to complete the storyboard before even starting on production of the first episode.
We need to get everything right.

Also! Every character, even the small background NPC’s has a story and background that fits into the main plot and worldbuilding. Even that the reader newer will know this story and even that the character doesn’t have a line. They all have a story and you can feel that in the big picture.

But with my Blue Life... Everything is winged, even when it looks planned, it was not.

[cookieroach]

I’ve tried to plot stuff but I can’t do it since I lose interest when I know what’s going to happen. So my only choice is to make up stuff as I go... Even if I plan stuff I’ll change my mind along the way. I just love when the possibilities are endless and I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s more exciting that way

[Oto_Kouda]

I'm writing a novel, but I have a lot of the major plot points planned out already.

One of my favorite things to do is foreshadow, so it's fun writing and adding little hints throughout the story that lead to future plot points. I tested this with my friends, and they'd always go "Woah! That character mentioned in chapter 2 is actually the main whatever of the story! WooAAAAAH!"

It's satisfying.

[jensrichard77]

One of my favorite things to do is foreshadow

Oh ya! Stuff like that is brilliant

[Bokyongyo]

I plot and script everything that is significant.

Pretty much what it means would be like this,
If there are 3 key events that should happen in a
chapter than I put it in the outline

For my comic I have currently 10 planned chapters for this first part, and all are outlined in the broad sense of the word (Actual synopsis and key events that will play out). Before I start a new chapter I reference that same brief outline synopsis of the chapter then start making a more detailed outline and script for it, after that I actually start drawing the episode.

Rinse and repeat for each chapter.

However I do leave room for certain additional scenes I'd like to add that I thought of during the outlining/scripting process that I feel would enhance it in someway, this makes it also a little more fun because its not like im just smiley sticking to the planned outline entirely which I would recommend for your own story that could help with your creative process.

Not everything needs to be concrete, leave some room for changes to be made when need be