Tips for writing a script?

[jerreaudriessen]

Until now i tried making my comic withoud a script and its not going well.

[AnnaLandin]

Yeah, going in blind without a script usually means you end up with a bit of a mess, unless you are very, very lucky - most of us aren't! XD

There are a number of ways you can write a script, and you're probably going to need to experiment a bit to find the way that works for you, but here are a few tips to get you started:

Outlines are your friend
The first thing you need to do is probably to sit down with a notebook or something and try to figure out how you want the story to go. It doesn't need to be detailed, you don't need to write any dialogue, you don't have to figure out the content of each page - just a general idea will do. Something like "The story starts with character A running into character B. They have an argument. They're interrupted by character C who is angry at character A for [some reason]. Characters A and B end up running away from C together." And so on and so forth until you figure out something like a plot.

There is no RIGHT way to write a script
Some people write down super-detailed scripts with descriptions of each panel and all the dialogue and where the page starts and ends, etc. Other people are less detailed, and tweak the dialogue or change their mind in the middle of the process (hi that's me) - try different ways and find out what works for you.

It doesn't need to be perfect right away
Maybe the line of dialogue in panel one isn't quite good enough the first time you try to write it. Leave it there and move on as though it IS perfect - you can go back and fix it later. No one's first draft is brilliant, and it's not a catastrophe if it isn't. You can edit stuff! Sometimes, you just have to write something wrong before you can figure out how to make it right.

[Michelle]

@AnnaLandin has some awesome advice! :>
I would also add that it's super helpful to have a trusted friend to look it over for you! They can point out oddities in your script that you may not see. And if you're stuck in your story or just need to bounce dialogue ideas back and forth, having that outside point of view can be invaluable!

[mckarenart]

Well... This are the topics I like (offtopic: what an ugly emoticon, haha)

Like @AnnaLandin said, there's no a right way to make a script. I'll tell my own experience. I write audiovisual screenplays and usually there is a standard format, an example:

JOHN walks into the kitchen. **A cat meows**

                            JOHN
             Where are you, Kittie??

Since I began to study script writing for audiovisual, writing comic scripts became a nightmare to me. When I was in highschool I made comics without any script and it was more simple to me, but then one begins to study and PUF!! Bye bye spontaneity.

However, some time ago I tried to make comic script with format and then set the pages, without worrying about the frames (all like it was audiovsual). Then in the paper I separated with "[]" the frames and imagined the design of the page before drawing it. Example:

 1.
 [JOHN walks] [into the kitchen. **A cat meows**]

                           [ JOHN
             Where are you, Kittie??]
  2.
  [JOHN sees KITTIE] [on the table].

I avoid to think in the structure of the page while I'm writing, that's why I don't write like:

FRAME 1: blahblhablah
FRAME 2: blahblahblah

By now, I'm back in drawing a comic without script, but the story allows me to be that free, maybe a more complex thread would force me to write one...

[sincerely]

Like they say, everybody does things differently so all I can tell you is what I do. I've personally got pretty well defined stages.

1. Ideas. I just collect all the big ideas at this stage. Characters and how they relate to each other, a rough idea for an ending and beginning, any big dramatic story twists. Sometimes I figure out the story's theme here or I get it later. Once I've got enough ideas I move onto:
2. Summary. This is where I try to get everything in order and find out where my gaps are and conflicts. What does Character A want and what's stopping them from getting it? I also like this stage for getting a feel for if I'm front end loading too much information or if I'm being confusing or whatever other problems that might crop up, so I can fix them.
3. Outline. This is when I break it down all the way to the level of the scene. What happens in what order. I try to be as specific as I can because I write dialogue as I go so it might be months or even years in the case of a really long story before I get back and I don't want to forget the purpose of any particular scene. I'll write stuff like "Character X and Y talk about the weather but what they're really talking about is how much they love each other" and then two years later I'll be shaking my fist at past me because I have to write that dialogue now.
4. Final script. By this point I've worked out all my plot so all I have to do is dialogue and choreography. Sometimes there are issues where I left myself an impossible goal or there's a plot-hole I missed through all the previous stages, but usually I can fix these things pretty easily because I've done so much groundwork.
5. Pace it out. After everything else, I break the script down into chapters and pages.
6. Thumbnails. Then I hand it over to my artist who breaks it down into panels. Some people write their scripts out all the way down to the panel level, but I tried that once and I found that I'm not really super great at panel-topanel pacing so now I save it until the thumbnail stage when my artist and I work together to come up with page layouts we're both happy with.

Haha, it's funny 'cause I'm supposed to be writing a script right now and I'm on stage 3 but I'm posting here on tapastic instead of writing because writing is hard...

[RandomEncounterComic]

I don't think there's a single wrong bit of information in this thread, so many fantastic answers.

The most important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to create a script. If you're working with another artist you may want to talk with them and create a format that works best for you both -- but if you're working alone then anything goes!

Plan ahead, work slowly, and most importantly share your work with someone else. Outside help gives you a lot of incredible perspective. Others may have questions about your work, may not understand something you think is really clear, and that kind of advice will make your comic really shine.

[ShellyShapiro]

For writing a good script you should be an expirienced writer. Many of screenwriters and scenary writers began their career as a freelance writers or started article writing jobs, and further after developing their skills build their way to top. Don't be afraid to write a bad scripts, it's also a good expirience. Most common advice, that can be found on the internet are:
* Immerse yourself in film script writing theory.
* Write visually.
* Keep lots of white space on the page.
* Write, write, write, every day.
* Understand that writing is rewriting.