What is your method: Character creation first or Comic and Story first?

[Tanako]

Okay, let me explain further. I have seen people who have an idea then jump right to character design, create the story/writing, and then begin drawing their comics. Not that this is a wrong pattern or process it's just that I don't get it because it has never worked for me.

I usually come up with an idea. The idea could come from maybe something I saw, something I read, or just spontaneous while going to work. absolutely random. Then I sleep on it for like let's say, two weeks or a month. If it's still strong in my mind then I jump right into the story and drawing. In the process of drawing the comic, creating characters as I go, during that process, I get to know my characters and understand their behaviors. this gives me leverage, a better understanding of who they are and then, I can now create a character Bio.

I honestly feel like I work backward unlike most artist who probably creates bio first, map everything out then jump right into the comic process. I try not to think too hard about starting because if you don't start, you may never get to it.
does anyone out there do the same thing that I do? or am I just weird lol.
Feel free to share your methods.

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[eochoa92]

Story first.
I think because I write and don't draw, character creation (or design) isn't at the top of the list for me. Even when it comes to making characters up for the story, my idea for them is pretty vague. It's usually the artist that really breathes life into them. And if I like what they came up with, I'll stick with that character.
That being said, my method is REALLY lose. For my current stories, I didn't create any bibles for characters and stories. I have ideas as to what direction the stories will go in, but that's as far as it goes. Even for my characters, I don't have sheets that state their age, height, personalities and all that.

[Teddy-Stonehill]

I'm a novel writer rather than a comic writer, but I'm the same as you. I start with a story idea, and then build characters that fit the story.

I've occasionally come up with characters on their own, but I'm never able to come up with stories to fit them, so I just end up not doing anything with them. My brain just doesn't seem to be able to work in that direction.

If anyone's interested, my novel: The Saintess and the Villainess

[artemficta]

I start with the character first then build the story around them, usually Sometimes I will start story first depending on why I'm creating the story, but the MC capturing my interest is more motivating.

[NotDawnKara]

My case is kind of a weird one, I create character first rather than the story itself...
The reason for this is, well, my story is based on a roleplay of me and my friend. So at first there were no plot, gradually, it slowly became a story. All I needed to do is weed out the unnecessary part while adding details I couldn’t implement

[shfra13]

Story ideas first, mostly. I know I'm a writer, but I used to draw when I was younger and have several OC's. But, until now, there are only two OC's (siblings) that I'm trying to incorporate to a plot (I haven't written the story yet, but they're in the character list). And that project is the only one where I'm trying to design my character first before plotting the story.

Some of my OC's were used solely for OC roleplay. They do have backstory, but that's it. I just don't feel comfortable turning my OC's into characters in my stories, especially reusing them in several stories. When I'm creating a story, I will create new characters. So, story comes first, character fits in the story second.

[Kiweevil]

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[joannekwan]

I've had both happen.
Sometimes I come up with interesting characters with their designs totally fleshed out, but then they sit around forever until I come up with a story for them.
Other times I come up with interesting premises, and then I have to build characters from the ground up for them.

[azzy-m]

Both happen, but usually it's characters first because many of my characters were the type of OCs you have but don't really use in anything, and then years later I built a world around them. Which is why so many of my stories are pretty character-centric, haha. Some of my recent story ideas are plot first though.

[Eiranyx]

Hi, new member here.
Before I used to do the same as your method but when I had my internship in a local comic publishing house ( I edit scripts and draw there ), I changed my method.
In there, they taught me that it's good to have an outline of the story, then character design/character outline and then write the story in script format (you know the ones with description on how the scenes should look in a panel). --- It is so that the artist/s can follow through and it will make it easier for both writer and artist to change scenes or track if the scenes is appropriate for the personality of the character / in case a new idea comes up before proceeding to drawing the comic itself then publishing it. -- So I decided to adapt it.

[jensrichard77]

For me, it is a symbiosis. I can’t have one without the other.
A character will grow with the story and the story will create more characters.
The new characters will change the way I see my first character and they will together change the story.

[rumpenstiltzkin]

For me, as I have always loved drawing and coming up with characters and their design, characters have always come first - and sometimes these characters come with a story while Im drawing them. And if I like them enough and I draw them alot eventually their story is coming to me and I start building the world around a bit more detailed.

Its fun to hear how other start their ideas and such, i dont believe there is any right or wrong way to write and come up with a story/comic, we just gotta do what feels right for us!
Ive read and seen so many "how to"s and I just think its sad that these guides sometimes make themself the only way instead of clearly telling this is just one way to do it.

[silverraven0]

Story first for me. My process is usually a very vague idea that I keep brewing on my head (or if I wrote it down) then I did a rough draft while everything is still vague and the plot or dialogues is mostly the thing idid last. Then the character finalization.

[Comicfan00]

Character Creation then Story/Comic

[Nyerelia]

They go hand in hand for me. If I come up with a story the important characters are already there because they're an integral part of it. Conversely if I come up with a new character (that's not to be in an already existing story) a few seconds later they already have their own story and world they fit in.

It seems like it's pretty common to have a bunch of OCs laying around and sometimes people even need help to create a story for them, but in my case I simply cannot conceive having a character that does not have a "place to belong". I once purchased a couple adoptables and I was fretting because they were simply a design, they didn't have any story. I had to come up with a story and world for them as quickly as possible because I couldn't stand it.

I feel similarly about having a story without a set of core characters defined, it is something beyond me

[TheGentleArtist]

Tbh, either or for me. If I did character creation first, I flesh out the character then build the world around them; if the story first, then figure out the beginning of it, then go on to character creation. After that, I just figure out the rest of the story later, mostly the ending second and the middle last.

[domisotto]

I favor books that are page turners, so for me story is the first step.

Until I have an outline that satisfies me in terms of interest, plot points and cohesion/continuity of plot, I don't start writing.

I do love character work though! For me it is a part of writing the story though, fleshing the characters out, making them real. But I have to know what happens first.

[lauragarcia511]

My methods can vary between projects.
For my current webcomic, I did the story first then added the character creations, and when I started brainstorming characters for the comic, I made side characters with different story arcs for different other projects.

[AmysGames]

A lot of my older characters were come up with before the story. Sanori, for example, I came up with before I decided what I wanted to do with her.

But nowadays I usually come up with the story first. For me, it's a lot easier to create a character to fit a role than to force a role onto a character.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Based on the OP, this sounds like more of a distinction between fleshing out the character in preparation for the story, or letting the story inform the character's personality...hm...

As much as I like to think along the lines of the first option (most of my stories are born from the idea of a single character) the process usually ends up like the second. ^^; I do a preliminary sketch and concept of the MC, then I start writing the story and eventually learn what they're really like, then I go back and re-conceptualize them.