Writing and Storytelling Resources?

[thel3tterm]

Hey everyone!
I've been getting more serious about improving my comic work, and have easily found a lot of resources for improving the visual side of things.

However, when it comes to working on storytelling and writing, what sort of resources exist? It's easy to draw 100 hands to get better at them over time, but when it comes to writing and storytelling practice I'm sort of at a loss hahaha. Are there any books, videos, online tutorials or courses that you would personally recommend?

Clarification edit:
Are there any resources that specifically delve into lessons on things such as beats and plot structure? Especially if it actually includes exercises or actionable things to practice.

Thank you all so much!

[WillowTree]

If there's a romance angle in your comic - Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes is my go to recommendation (https://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Beat-Structure-Romance-Kissing-ebook/dp/B01DSJSURY and a free PDF copy of her beat sheet can be found here - http://gwenhayes.com/free-stuff/).

@domisotto told me about the Save the Cat plot beats (https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Writes-Novel-Writing/dp/0399579745). I'm waiting until after Christmas to buy it and read it though!

Otherwise are there any specific parts of writing/storytelling that you're looking for help with?

Edit to add- I also use the Emotion Thesaurus series as references if I'm a little stuck in helping getting across certain emotions, but since yours is a comic I don't think those would be as much help to you? Here's a link in case it is something you'd be interested in - https://writershelpingwriters.net/the-emotion-thesaurus-a-writers-guide-to-character-expression/

[milejdyvan]

For basics, youtube does a pretty good job. Plus, videos about criticizing certain aspects of fiction are also great for learning. I personally watch KrimsonRogue's channel. He usually reviews books in depth while also giving suggestions for new writers to avoid such mistakes (but this is mostly for novels). Overall, there is a lot to find on youtube if you look for it.

Other than that, yeah, there are books you can read like was mentioned before.

[DiegoPalacios]

This site gives solid explanations and examples of storytelling conventions and how they are used in different media from books to television.

Tropes - TV Tropes

[thel3tterm]

Thank you so much! I'm definitely going to check out Save the Cat once I have some spare cash for it.

[miss.almuete]

I think you'll like the Writers Write website! Here is their page about basic plot structure:

5 Plotting Moments That Matter

Save the Cat has been mentioned, and you can find an exercise with explanations and examples here:

Save the Cat Beat Sheet

I also think the fantasy author Brandon Sanderson is an AMAZING resource for how to tell stories - I'm currently watching the creative writing lectures he gave at Brigham Young University earlier this year, and they've been sooooo helpful!

The playlist is on youtube here ~

For example, in his lecture about Plot, he breaks it down into 5 points: promise, progress, payoff, plot twists, and plot types. He then goes into detail on each of those, and if you're into it, he uses a lot of original Star Wars and Lord of the Rings references These lectures have honestly been soooo invaluable to me, my current story has improved so much because of them!

Hope you find these helpful!

[thel3tterm]

Thank you so much! These seem amazing! I'm saving them now hahahaha

[MoseyP]

Not so much teaching, but I've been using PlotFactory to plan out my next novel. It's really good, it has sections where you can plan out specific settings and characters. It also provides plot beat templates to help you plan out a story.

Online Story Planner

[WillowTree]

Just found this as well from R L Stine! Looks pretty interesting but I haven't deep dived into the info yet!

http://rlstine.com/writing-program

[thel3tterm]

Oh wow! Thank you for this as well!

[NickRowler]

Something that I found helpful is listening to people review and discus films. People will often breakdown what works and not works in a film. It will give you a good idea of what kind of things to avoid in writing. And even you could also do this, when watching a film/show or reading a book/comic, breakdown the story and analyze what you enjoyed and disliked. Also think about what you would do if you were in charge of fixing the issues in the script. And also look up or chat to see what other people think about the same media.

I would recommend against nitpick reviewers like CinemaSin. They don't really break down why something doesn't work or how to fix it.

[CorgsCof]

I recommend two books:

• Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Building Stories that Resonate by Brian McDonald
  Great book that explains how make a story interesting with a good theme. Very clear and concise.

• Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga by Hirohiko Araki
  A book on how to write compelling manga by the creator of Jojo . What else needs to be said.

[thel3tterm]

Both of those sound fantastic :0 I'll definitely try to find them soon!

[a.g.meade]

@thel3tterm - Steven King's On Writing is a good resource too, even though it's a memoir. It's definitely geared towards novels, but I think it could help with plot structure!

I haven't read Will Eisner's "Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative" yet (I'm still reading his principles and practices book, which is fantastic if you haven't read it), but I'm to understand that it's an excellent storytelling resource as well!

[thel3tterm]

I think I've heard of those! I'll make sure to check it out soon. Thank you!