Hi everybody.
I'm a writer who has worked on various complete manga and comics. I am entering this current Silent Manga contest with one (or more) of my team members -- and will be writing up multiple scripts for it to get a really refined entry. Since I'm already actively working on themed scripts, I thought it might be good to offer a hand in collaboration for anyone interested.
My portfolio has more information on me and my writing career, so if you want to know more, you can look it over.
Portfolio: https://dragonmasterportfolio.carrd.co/
Contest info: https://www.manga-audition.com/sma22-seized-with-rage/
It also has over fifty scripts on it -- with a handful of which being Silent Manga scripts.
To end my introduction, I just want to say -- I am actively trying to break into the Japanese Manga publishing industry, which includes extensively studying the language and (shortly) moving to the country. I believe that for anyone with similar ambitions, I am basically the ideal person with whom to partner up. I have a huge amount of writing experience, can easily write in any style, and make something that complements an artist's style. And I am putting in daily effort towards my goals.
However, I also want to be transparent about this specific contest as well. While I believe it is an interesting contest given the limitations and the fact they "promise" feedback on all posts, and it is one of the only English-friendly contests in the world that actually has the rewards of getting Editorial connections in the industry and publishing opportunities -- the actual realities of it aren't quite so pleasant.
Yes, it is an interesting contest in terms of not having dialogue and working around that. So, it can be worthwhile for that reason. However, its feedback "promise" is disingenuous. I know many artists (and I myself) have received identical vague copy-paste feedback replies from this contest. The hosts also recently had a very rough showing while running a spin-off contest for script writing that ended poorly.
To be very direct, this contest (like many others but perhaps even more so) really puts a heavy emphasis on art fidelity. I specifically mean just the raw quality of things like linework. Less care is given to shot composition, paneling -- and yes, very little care seems to be given to the actual writing when selecting a winner. This, however, is not uncommon for Global Japanese-run contests. And it is the case for every English-available one.
I just wanted to be clear on my experiences and perspective on this particular contest. Yes, it can still be a fun challenge and an opportunity to learn. Yes, the rewards are really fantastic. Being sent to an artist bootcamp to be intensively taught by pros and given an opportunity to be published afterwards is simply unmatched by any other contest offering. And the fact that they have multiple seats available every year is great.
(And it does make sense to select artists who already have a high fidelity -- because someone like that being paired up with a creative who is already well-versed in writing, shot composition, and paneling allows them to skip the most time-consuming part to teach and cover the other weaknesses.)
Anyhow, I am knowledgeable about writing, shot composition, and paneling. And I am up for tailoring a script to an artist's preferences, working closely with them to develop the visuals and give them the best chance possible to win. But in the end, the contest would still be theirs to win based on art fidelity.
Anyone can feel free to respond to this post, experienced artist or beginner alike. Winning would be good obviously, but what I am primarily seeking is to form connections with artists who would potentially be up for collaborating more in the future. And of course, to learn and grow.
If you have similar ambitions to me, please do reach out. And if you just want to enter a fun contest and get some feedback on your work, also don't hesitate to reach out. The contest might not give you feedback, but I promise I will.
That's all for now. Thank you for reading.
Let's make something interesting.
