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milejdyvan
Dec '20

I'm thinking about writing a script for a comic for someone else to illustrate. So it needs to be understandable but also good for the comic format. The thing is, I've never done this and only ever wrote novels before :sweat_smile: I'm sure a full length novel is not necessary for this. Do you have any tips on how to do this? Have you ever written a script? Or if you are a comic artist, how much information do you need if you are adapting something written by someone else? I expect dialogue, descriptions of characters and background, and even expressions and movement would be necessary, but is there anything else that I might be missing?

Thank you to everyone in advance who leaves some helpful feedback!

Edit: additionally, if you are a comic artist looking to get hired for a project (in the future) feel free to let me know :grin:

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    Dec '20

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    Dec '20
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yoyoyoshiko
Dec '20

Hi there! You seem to be thinking in the right direction! When writing for comics it is important to keep in mind the visual aspect, and what can be achieved through drawing. I produce comics on my own, writing AND drawing, so the process I employ is very different and much more drawing based than that of a writer/artist duo, but I used to write scripts in school for a variety of projects. Depending on who you end up working with, be it a friend, a stranger, or even if you draw it yourself, your process will change depending on how you and/or your partner work best.
Generally, I would probably leave character descriptions out of the script. Aside from any incidental changes(small visible changes ie. injuries, outfit changes, props) you can talk with your artist partner before hand about drumming up some designs that you both like. Background descriptions would be super helpful at the beginning of each scene.
Your descriptions of things don't need to be as prosaic as they would be in a novel. The main goal is to have them be clear, so that the artist will have a good image in their mind of what the scene requires. Script writing is less a book, and more a list of things that make a story. Its not bad to get a little flowery if you are trying to set a mood, or explain how a character is acting, so dont think you can't get fancy if you dont want to, but sometimes it's not necessary. Your artist partner will likely have some good ideas in the way of acting and layout. Write as beautifully as you want for dialogue though because that is where your words will really shine for the reader. The description is just to communicate with the audience that is your partner.
This is an image of some pro scripts from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's run of Daredevil as an example of a comic script(with some drawings by the artist):

image.png982x735 811 KB

You can get as detailed as you like with your scripting, down to calling the number of panels on the page, but this is not necessary, and may be difficult for you to visualize for your first try. I am more inclined towards drawing than writing, and even I took a few years before I was able to accurately block out pages in my head. The most important parts of the script should be the flow of the action, conveying scene mood, and the character dialogue. Although, I will say that especially when working with someone who is not used to your style yet, more detail could not hurt.
Since this would be your first stab at working with an artist on a comic, you may want to work together to figure out the page and panel breakdowns. You should feel free to make suggestions to how things will look, but remember this is a partnership, and if your artist is so inclined, they may want to bring a bit of their own flare to the visuals.
I think you should expect some back and forth at the layouts stage. This is a big part of any team-based creative endeavor. If you and your artist partner are receptive to eachother's ideas and trust eachother and are respectful, you should be able to do fine work! Communication is key!
There are a lot of articles about how to write scripts for comics out there on the internet that you can refer to for formatting, and if you are looking for script writing software I can recommend Celtex, which is a free program (available on mac or web-browser) that does have a half decent function for writing for comics.
Poke around and do some experimenting to see what comics feel like before starting out in earnest! Best of luck and happy writing!

Eiranyx
Dec '20

(This isn't edited because the indentions isn't proper yet lol) but If I'm writing a comic script (this is for a manga btw), its in this format and it (roughly) looks like this

sample manuscript.jpg2893x4092 426 KB

If you noticed, I specify the page number, the panel numbers and a rough idea on how that panel should look like so there are shots included and whose POV it is. -- it so that the artist can have an idea on the story flow.

  • The dialogues are separate and its centered,, while settings, plot overview for that chapter, details, scene number, should be aligned left - so that it will be easier to distinguish from the rest
  • Panel counts for one page are usually a min of 4 and maximum of 8 in one page. unless the specific page has a spread
  • Knowing Abbreviation of Camera shots will be helpful, but not necessary--- it makes it shorter to write and it is so that the artist can have an idea on what perspective to draw, (if you can describe how it looks on a certain angle, please also specify it)
  • Please also specify the actions, expressions on the character's faces in each panels as much as possible
  • It's not bad to leave a little freedom for the artist on how he/she wanted to interpret a scene in a certain panel but it is also helpful if you can give them an idea/peg on how you wanted it to look
  • keep the character profiles and descriptions separate from the script itself -- it goes along with the character design sheets/ character sketches ^^
mickpaulusma
Dec '20

Alan Moor's 'Writing for Comics' and Brian Bendis's 'Words For Pictures' make for fascinating reads.

Both suggest getting to know the artist's art and storytelling style before you approach them making
communication between writer and artist easier and, I imagine, a more fulling collab experience. I haven't done any collaborations yet but come from a film writing and directing background and I can see the analogy. I hope I am lucky enough to do some collaborations in future!

milejdyvan
Dec '20
yoyoyoshiko

Thank you so much for the helpful advice! That was really insightful and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to explain these things to me :grin: I would say that I am the kind of person who is pretty blind design-wise and I espeically feel like the one thing I would be bad at would be to guess the page layout. It was the one thing I was worried would be necessary to include in a script. I wouldn't mind giving suggestions, but overall, I don't want to really force my ideas that much :sweat_smile: my ideal work would be if I were to work out the story, twists, and characters, pacing, while the artist would take control of the design aspect and layout of the specific scenes (except for character descriptions, that is just the one thing I am a little specific on šŸ¤£)...

milejdyvan
Dec '20
Eiranyx

Thank you so much! I definitely like to get detailed with certain things so hopefully that would be helpful :grin: may I just ask one question? Regarding your script, is your comic in the format of a regular comic/Manga page (A4) or the long page layout that the web comics are known for? Or would it be okay for me to describe it under the A4 format but still change it into long page format after (stick multiple pages together)... That's just one of the things that I am a little confused about how that would work :sweat_smile:

milejdyvan
Dec '20
mickpaulusma

I definitely agree! Although I have not collabed for a comic yet, I have done commissions with artists before and the one thing I love more than anything is if they put their own style into it :grin: I am paying them to draw it, so technically, I would be allowed to have it be word for word what I want, but I feel like that makes the experience less fun for both the artist and me (and that is the last I want to do!). I'm really not sure yet who I would ask to work with since there are so many amazing artists out there.

skicoak
Dec '20

There's so many ways to write a script for an artist to adapt...

Most of the variations revolve around how much storytelling control the writer wants to hand off to the artist.

When I'm just an artist on a project, my favorite is scripted dialoge and a general direction of action. This gives me control on pacing and what the "camera" is looking at. Then I try to draw the scene so that much of the dialoge can be eliminated for being superfluous. The artist should be firmly aimed at the goal of making the scene work without words if at all possible.

My thoughts and experiences so far.

milejdyvan
Dec '20

I agree that writing too much dialogue is unnecessary :joy: I know I've read a fair share of novels where the dialogue is such a mouthful that by the time you are done reading, you even forgot the point. Not to brag though, but I've had plenty of reviewers look over my novel drafts and if there is one thing they all seemed to unanimously agree on it was that the dialogue was usually very clear and important to the point. It's actually part of the reason why I wanted to try creating a script. The truth is that me writing my chapters initially is kind of similar to a script (sort of) since I first write down the actual dialogue lines between characters, polish them as well as I can and only then add narration and descriptions. I think it could be fun though I don't know if I would be fine with deleting that dialogue unless we both agreed on it :sweat_smile:

skicoak
Dec '20

Well... with just my artist's hat on here, blocks of dialogue are primarily a visual element in the composition.

And in just the strict structure of visual storytelling, they're one of the biggest (and wobbliest) things to control for pacing. One of the benefits to the infinite scroll is we can trick those big blocks of dialogue into the gutters so they're not fighting with the images...they can harmonize better.

If I draw say the saddest looking girl standing in the rain, it gives the writer a chance to cut away the girl's inner dialogue that's telling the reader she's sad...because the reader sees it...and now the words can be sparse and razor sharp. They can even conflict with the image to double the potential emotional impact.

Just my favorite approach as a collaborator. There's SO many approaches and paths though.

milejdyvan
Dec '20

Well, obviously :sweat_smile: it's the same for novels. When you show something you don't repeat it with dialogue :grin: it's the number one thing I criticize in almost every novel I review nowadays :joy::joy: but thank you for the insight.

Eiranyx
Dec '20
milejdyvan

the sample was written in for a Manga page that applies to almost any size of paper, the artist usually works on an A3 page size (equivalent to 2 A4 pages combined so that means they're working on two pages and also so that they can easily illustrate a spread ) then it will be resize usually in B4 page size --- the standard manga page, before printing/publication.
For the script , it is also applicable for the long page/scroll format layout, since a scene were divided by panels ^^ the only difference is when it comes to spread -- it is usually illustrated longer since it's vertical and regarding the canvas size when it comes to vertical format, I usually work on a 1240px by 10000px in 600dpi (half of a4 size when divided vertically) canvas or 2480px by 10000px in 400dpi (full a4 size) for one page --- its easier to resize it for both tapas/WT requirements then when all panels are complete, I combine all pages/canvas and divide it accordingly to WT/Tapas standard ^^

BrambleberrySquirrel
Dec '20

As an artist I would rather get something more like a screenplay than a novel if Iā€™m adapting an existing work into a comic. The visual aspect including camera angles etc is just as important if not more so than the writing.

PauWovenSkies
Dec '20

Here's a reply I just made for a related post :smiley:

Basically I go for the movie script style. I've worked on different types of scripts written by others, and I always appreciated the freedom of not having panels listed ā€” but having all the actions and emotions written out like in a film. The things that need to be there, allowing me to decide how to tell it all. Of course there might be a few "this is menacing, draw from a low angle" moments in the mix.

Many writers don't understand how much you can fit in a page, how one action has to be two panels instead, or how much dialogue will need space (in my experience often underestimating the amount of pages needed by 20% or so). So having that freedom is great.

Here's an example of the style I write in for myself. If I was to write for someone else, I might go for an extra level of detail in the descriptions:

NaĢˆyttoĢˆkuva 2020-12-18 kello 21.15.08.png1210x1254 64.7 KB