Speech script with your Comic? Need Advice

raelcsART 2016-05-08 00:41:34 UTC #1

I'm really bad about having a script written out for my comic before hand. I have a point outline and I thumbnails each of the pages, and I even have an idea of what they're going to be talking about on a page and with that I can work on speech bubble placement. The thing is I never have the script written out beforehand when making my comics. I usually do that after I've finished the page and speech bubbles.

Which isnt so bad besides that sometimes I run into trouble like not having enough room for all the text or having added one or more speech bubbles I thought I would need on the page and so on. I'm just curious if anyone has and advice or tricks and tips they use when making the comic along side with making the script.

I have a hard time at aligning both when planning. Sorry is my description/question is a bit hard to understand. Any help/advice or even your own stories is appreciated!

zetina 2016-05-08 00:51:22 UTC #2

I don't write a script either but so far I haven't had the issue of too much text per panel. I think you kind of start to get an idea for how much text is "a lot" for a page as time goes on.
You can try looking at whether all the text is a necessity to convey how a character talks and expresses their personality, or do you end up over-explaining which causes the word count to rise a lot. Also font size.

demthorshie 2016-05-08 02:07:45 UTC #3

I'm with Zefina, after a while you pretty much get a sense for how much text you can add to each page without ruining the page altogether. I do have a script written for my comic and while I definitely 100% do recommend having one, different strokes for different folks really. If your comic updates on a more frequent basis, having a script is going to be incredibly helpful, especially on those days where you simply don't have time to think of what to draw for the day.

sorrelma 2016-05-08 02:09:31 UTC #4

i'm an actor as well as a writer so i guess part of my dialogue creation comes from thinking about my characters' dialogue and acting it out, then scripting it
that said, i guess my "scripts" aren't really scripts at all

ex.
[character A] runs into a decrepit, neon-lit shop in Philadelphia. She is holding a brochure of somewhere in Latin America. She leans over the counter to beg the cashier, a shadowy figure wearing a plaid suit.
A: "How fast could you get me a ticket to.."
She looks down at the map.
A: "Peru?"
She shrugs.
A: "Or Colombia?"
A: "Anywhere, really."

my scripts tend to disappear during the page creation process, even when i jot them down in the speech bubble sketches. i revise them as i go

Michelle 2016-05-08 02:23:54 UTC #5

I always have a script written out before I start doing the pages, but I often make adjustments to the dialogue on a page-by-page basis. Whether you're working with a script or doing the dialogue as you do the page, I'd suggest finalizing your dialogue before locking in the artwork.

I do a really rough layout of the artwork and panels, then type out the dialogue and make sure the word balloons are going to fit with the art. I made the mistake of doing word balloons AFTER the finalized art in my comic's first chapter, and it made for some awkward balloon placement. @@; So now I make sure all the artwork and dialogue balloons fit together before I start inking, because after that it's really hard to make adjustments.
I think a common mistake is treating balloon placement as an afterthought, but really it's just as integral as the artwork because it all ties into the reading experience. You want to ensure it flows smoothly and isn't awkward or cramped-looking.

raelcsART 2016-05-08 03:08:55 UTC #6

@zetina Ah yeah, I forgot font size was a thing too @v@ I try and keep everything I have at the same text font unless theres yelling or something. I guess I'll keep working at it then until I pick up on it :3 thank you!

@demthorshie Thats a good idea O: ! I will try and work on trying to have something written when I go about making my comics, since I will be trying to publish regularly. Thanks for the advice!

@sorrelma Ah yeah, thhats a good way to go about it. I guess I've never really tried it that way since I think more in a visual seqence than a written or listed thing? If that makes sense. So how we go from one position or placement to the next. Probably why I have this struggle in the first place XD But thank you! I'll try the jotting stuff down in the speech bubbles and see how goes as well.

@Michelle Ahhh yeah, thats something I havent done because I struggle with finilizing the dialogue before the artwork. I always end up doing dialougue after art hrrrns c=w=" ! I learned that lesson about the balloons the hardway too though XD ! So I'm able to cooperate them smoothly with the pictures, Its just a matter of the text going in them I suppose. Its really weird for me to explain my struggle im sorry @V@" !!! Its like a three part process of art, bubbles and text. I will try and work towards getting text done before i lock in with the artwork. Thank you muchly~

Michelle 2016-05-08 03:13:08 UTC #7

I think if you flip it from art>bubble>text to art>text>bubble it will help a lot! I drew bubbles in my layouts for my first chapter, but when it came time to add the text, I way underestimated how much space I actually needed. By doing the text first and then drawing the bubble around it, you know for sure that you have enough space in your bubble!

raelcsART 2016-05-08 03:19:08 UTC #8

@Michelle arrrgggg actually that sounds so simple im mad i didnt even think about that !!!!! ahh I guess it never crossed my mind being at the loss I was at =V= It makes alot of sense too, I will def keep that in mind amg thank you so much sajbasdhb

mariusthered 2016-05-08 03:19:35 UTC #9

I not only write a script but I copy and paste it from my word processor to the page. this helps with avoiding typos and gaining attention from them horrid Grammar Nazi's.

one things is was taught and try to stick too (roughly) is never go over 20 words per speech bubble.

if i recall correct mark crilly has a video about this subject on you tube

donathinfrye 2016-05-08 03:23:09 UTC #10

I also come from a theatre background, so I find a script really helpful for me. I do it all in Google Docs since it's easy to share with my collaborators that way, but my format's pretty standard for comic book writing. One of the comics I work on, the artist appreciates simple, action-focused descriptions that let them play around with alternative ideas for perspectives. For the other, the artist very much appreciates a more descriptive style with a specific vision for perspective.

There are a lot of soft "rules" for how many words you should limit yourself to on a single panel or page. The most common rules (and I think that they're a good rule of thumb for a sort of standard approach to comics) is ... no more than 25-30 words per balloon, no more than 50 words per panel if you can help it, and try to keep each page below 200 words. That can be tricky, and writing the script ahead of time is a good way to avoid literally drawing yourself into a corner unprepared.

If it's helpful, here's a few sample pages from my script for the first issue of I, NECROMANCER:

Script Preview

raelcsART 2016-05-08 03:24:02 UTC #11

@aronthemason I've never heard of them but I'll try and look that up then O: ! I think I can do the 20 per (maybe), another comic artist friend of mine toldd me its best to minimize what characters are saying when and if you can, just enough to get the point across. But what happens during "explanation pages" tho. I dont really plan on having too many but im sure they come up in comics? Are they an exception or is there a way around it maybe? Also thank you for helping!

@donathinfrye Ah yeah! Makes sense, I suppose I have internal conflict being both the writer and artist and I'm not too good at the writing part. I'll keep in mind the word thing, tbh Ive never heard about these before XD I know there not actual rules but its helpful to know things like that are out there! I'll check out the links for reference, thanks much!

Michelle 2016-05-08 03:27:41 UTC #12

No problem! I only realized it through my own errors XD so I'm happy to save you the trouble!

donathinfrye 2016-05-08 03:30:33 UTC #13

I think that you can break the rules a little bit if what characters are saying is compelling! Too much exposition on one page can drag a page down, though, so try to think about ways you might sprinkle the exposition throughout the comic instead of dumping it all at once. Some comics dump a lot of exposition in the first page of a chapter so that it's almost like a page of pure text with a little flair, and I think that that's okay if the exposition is written really well.

As far as keeping your words per balloon down ... that part's easy! Find a spot within those words where you character might take a beat, a pause, a breath, and then put the rest of the words in a second balloon. You see this all the time in comics. It also helps to build a rhythm for the dialogue that will make your pages read more organically. I'd say re-read some of your favorite comic books and look at how they handle longer speeches and exposition. : ) Hope that helps!

raelcsART 2016-05-08 03:45:32 UTC #14

@donathinfrye def does thank you! I like the idea of breaking the speech the same time theyd breath or something too :3 hehe time to have some comic throwbakcs now!

mariusthered 2016-05-08 05:06:10 UTC #15

if a character has a lot to say I tend to break it up and connect the bubbles
Example

AnnaLandin 2016-05-08 05:44:45 UTC #16

I don't write dialogue-scripts ahead of time either! However, I do it at the same time as I do my thumbnails; I always plan out where the speechbubbles go on the thumbnails, and write the dialogue out beneath the page-thumbnail. That way, I know how much text is going to go on each page before I start inking anything.

If you realise you're going to need a LOT of words to explain something, you might have to draw an extra page to fit it all in.

This is what my thumbnails look like:

It's too small to read properly, but the text beneat each thumbnailed page is a.) a short description of what the heck all these stick-figures are supposed to be doing in each panel (in case I forget by the time I start doing the full-size versions), and part of it is first-draft dialogue. I can plan out how much space it's going to take up, because I know roughly how much of it there's going to be.

If it gets too crowded, I know I'm going to need another page.

raelcsART 2016-05-08 06:22:49 UTC #17

@AnnaLandin I'll give a shot at this kinda format :3 ! I think with the combination of all the other advice I'm receiving this will be pretty effective. I did avoid writing stuff with my thumbnails originally because I didnt like the crowding that happened but I guess the crowding was just supposed to mean that I need another page like you said.

And thanks for the examples, too small or not I really appreciate being able to see kinda what its like to what to expect. Thanks a bunch >u< !

shazzbaa 2016-05-08 06:47:42 UTC #18

I do write a script, but usually my dialogue changes by the time I make it to the finished page! I think it's pretty common for dialogue to change slightly after you see what the finished art looks like. :>

After I've written out my script for a few pages, I draw thumbnails (my thumbs are really similar to Anna's):

I scan those thumbnails in and use them to make a "visual script," where I type out all the dialogue so I can judge how much space it takes up before I do the final art:

This isn't final dialogue -- the actual page changed some things -- but I can get a good idea of whether or not I have room for the basic gist of what I'm planning. I'll probably tweak words up until the last minute, but things like, knowing the argument in panel 3 is gonna take up a lot of room meant I left a lot more room for it in the art when I started actually sketching out the page!

raelcsART 2016-05-09 04:57:39 UTC #19

@shazzbaa ahhhhhhh cool!!! I'm starting to think maybe i also skipped steps while creating each page now. Looks like a longer process but since its working out I'll give it a shot! Out of curiosity though, you dont have to answer but i noticed you keep all your font the same size in the thumbnail and final product. Whatre your thoughts on where each bubble has the same font/ if its okay to change font size throughout the page. Like in a normal exchange thing, not anything where I'm emphasize shouting or anything.

TY btw! I appreciate all this!

shazzbaa 2016-05-11 00:52:30 UTC #20

I don't think it's so much skipped steps -- everyone's steps are different! You just make new steps wherever you need them. ;u; I kept finding that I hadn't left enough room for my word balloons in my art, so that's why I started putting all the text in before sketching in the art!

The finished page I linked to up there actually does have different sized fonts! The lines "could you not find the church" "aw, come on" and "I think I did pretty well" are all based on pt11 font, whereas the rest of the dialogue is based on pt13! (I digitally hand letter but use the text tool as a guide so they basically have a font size, haha). I use that sliiiightly smaller font size all the time for little asides in the dialogue -- for me, it's kinda a stylistic thing!

But if you're talking about more of a "oops this dialogue won't fit so I'll make the font smaller" scenario, I personally only use that as a last resort. If I have a line that I reeeeaaallly feel like will lose some impact if I shorten it or break it up, and knocking it down to pt12 or pt11 will make it fit, then sure! One point smaller usually isn't noticeable anyway. (if I go any smaller than 10 pt, though, for the size and font I work with, my letters start getting too small)
But I think if there's a balloon full of talking and the font gets noticeably smaller to fit it all in, that looks kinda bad. It's like how your eyes automatically skip past fine print -- as a reader, you'll want to skim over that balloon. So I think if at all possible, it's better to break it up into multiple balloons and spread it out, and try to avoid having characters talk and talk and talk in one long balloon!

(I hope this answers the question but if I misunderstood please feel free to ask again!!)