what does it take to make a graphic novel

According to an annual study released past ICv2 and Comichron, graphic novel and comic sales striking $i.21 billion in 2019, which is significant.

Graphic novels and comics accept been gaining popularity in the past 20 years due to diverse factors, which we'll go into below. Most importantly, though, they are getting more shelf fourth dimension at comic book stores and book stores.

Additionally, kids love them (I can attest to the popularity of Dav Pilkey'south Dog Human and Captain Underpants and Jeff Kinney'sDiary of a Wimpy Kid graphic novel series from my fourth dimension at Indigo. Seriously, all the kids wanted to know where the books were).

And with a market that's growing stronger each twelvemonth, doesn't it brand sense to try writing one yourself. Or you tin do it for the fun of information technology. Information technology's something that I've considered. Earlier we jump in with both feet, let'southward define what a graphic novel is and its history.

What is a Graphic Novel?

The term "graphic novel" is not as straightforward as one might think. It ways a lot of different things to dissimilar people and is a hotly discussed topic in academia. Allow'due south brand it easy on us and stick with this definition:

Graphic Novel: a full-length (primarily, scientific discipline fiction or fantasy) story published as a book in comic-strip format.

I desire to go far articulate that graphic novels aren't exclusively scientific discipline fiction or fantasy books and tin can comprehend various genres.

The Characteristics of a Graphic Novel

According to Masterclass, graphic novels share all the cardinal characteristics of traditional novels. These include:

  • A clear beginning, heart, and end
  • A central narrative (or A-story) supplemented by optional B-stories
  • Character development and personal journeys
  • Thematic messaging
  • Precise, carefully considered dialogue and narration

The apparent distinction between graphic novels and text-based novels is that graphic novels allow their images to practice the vast bulk of the storytelling, with dialogue bubbles and narration boxes to elaborate the story.

How Is Information technology Different than a Comic Book?

Let's showtime with a definition of a comic book:

A comic book is an extract from a larger serialized narrative told via analogy.

Most of these serialized narratives are released weekly or monthly every bit books or comic strips in magazines and newspapers. These comics incorporate excerpts from long-running stories that can terminal for years or even decades.

Articulate as mud, right?

If yous're still unsure, take a look at these identifiers to help you discern the departure:

  • Graphic novels are longer than comic books.
  • Graphic novels encompass a broad assortment of genres and subject field matters. Comic books may likewise, merely the subjects are often associated with or explained through the lens of superheroes or heightened realities.
  • Graphic novels contain complete narratives, whether or not they are part of a larger series.
  • Comic books comprise excerpts of serialized narratives. It tin be difficult to read a comic book if you lot haven't read the comic that comes directly before it.
  • Both comics and graphic novels tin can contain circuitous characters with detailed backstories and inner conflict.
  • Comic books are produced with greater frequency than graphic novels, frequently arriving weekly or monthly.

A Brief History of the Graphic Novel

As we know from my post on comics, comic strips have been around for thousands of years. However, they didn't gain popularity until the 20th century.

Co-ordinate to Britannica, the "first" graphic novel didn't hit the stands until 1978 in the United states of america. Will Eisner's A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories is considered by many to exist the first graphic novel, mainly due to Eisner's use of the term "graphic novel." All the same, the phrase wasn't a new one and had been used by others starting in December 1971.

It sparked a boom in the graphic novel movement in the mid to late 1980s. The uptick was centered around three works: Frank Miller'southwardThe Dark Knight Returns (1986), Alan Moore'due southWatchmen (1986–87), and the Pulitzer Prize-winningMaus (1980–86) by Art Spiegelman.

These three pieces brought formal control to the medium as well equally artistic innovation and literary quality. The new graphics on the folio made these books seem unique and distinct from mainstream comics.

The 21st Century

So far, the 21st century has been a aureate catamenia for comics and graphic novels. Public opinion for the genre is up, along with sales, thanks to big blockbuster hits and TV shows, like Wonder Adult female and The Big Blindside Theory, which have gone a long way towards putting superheroes front and center in the minds of the public.

Additionally, graphic novels have been gaining critical acclaim outside of the comic globe due to the medium'due south ability to use art to transcend the traditional novel structure's limitations. At that place was also a significant influx of talent from outside comics, such as contemporary art and graphic design.

Graphic novels also received a heave from the creation of the straight-sales market place and the credence of comics and graphic novels into bookshops.

Still, the appearance of webcomics poses "a threat" to the graphic novel. Spider web publishing sparks more creative freedom, only information technology also contains shorter, serialized narratives, which go against the graphic novel's basis.

How to Write a Graphic Novel

Whether you lot can draw or not, you can write a graphic novel. According to Masterclass, you demand these four things to write a graphic novel:

  • People to aid yous out. Perhaps you can both write and depict. If not, you'll demand to find a partner. You'll besides demand to hire a colorist and a letterer.
  • A good narrative with a compelling storyline. You'll desire to center it around a three-dimensional main character and set information technology in a detailed earth. In this way, creating a graphic story is no different from novel writing.
  • A visual fashion guide to tell your artist how to draw the characters and settings.
  • A graphic storyboard (filmmakers use these) to plot each panel of sequential art in your graphic novel. A storyboard can be formally drawn on large panels or written informally in an creative person's sketchbook.

I'm glad to hear that you lot already have these or are working on getting them sorted out. In the concurrently, let'southward look at things in a chip more depth.

Infographic explaining how to write a graphic novel.

Start with an Idea and Some Research

Like any great piece of work of art, you need to have an idea of the story that y'all'd similar to put on paper. There are many means to come upward with i if you lot don't have ane already, just ane of the all-time ways to find an thought is to do some research into your topic and genre.

Pro-tip: option a visually-highly-seasoned setting because every graphic novel contains two forms of illustration: foregrounds and backgrounds. The groundwork reveals your setting, so brand certain they are interesting plenty to sustain a volume-length story.

But if you're a novel-writer, your research process isn't only going to be about the latest in scientific discipline fiction, romance, or fantasy. It will be spent learning how to write a graphic novel and what's happening in the market.

I know, I know. You're going to have to do some reading that you lot might not desire to do. But it'll help you out in the end, so don't skip over this step!

Write Your Script Outline

Through my research for today's post, the large piece of advice that kept popping upwardly is the need for an outline. My pantser soul recoiled from that proposition with cloy, simply it makes a lot of sense if yous stop to recall near it.

If you're able to draw, this might not be such a big deal, simply those of us who can't nosotros'll need to piece of work with others to make our vision a reality. It ways that we will need to write things downwards, and then the rest of the squad knows what we desire.

The Other Benefits

Aside from keeping everyone on the same page, this approach to writing a graphic novel also has some other benefits. 1 such advantage is that it keeps the "filler" words to a minimum.

In this example, the filler words are the meat of the story that goes into a novel. It's all of the words that are describing the setting, graphic symbol descriptions, etc. You don't demand as many of these things in a graphic novel considering the reader sees the globe as your character moves through it.

It also makes yous more aware of how much infinite you'll have in a panel, which affects your dialogue. Yous can't throw a bunch of words on the page. Y'all desire to choose the right ones to move the story forth and give context to what's going on.

An example

Hither'southward an example of Marissa Meyer's process for writing a graphic novel outline:

I set about writing a page-past-page outline , detailing exactly what needed to happen on each and every folio that would move the story forward.

It essentially looked like:

i: Establish scene – somewhere in Australia
2: Iko scaling cliff
iii: Iko arrives exterior abased mine
iv-5: Preparing to enter mine, Iko explains how she is hunting wolf soldiers
6: Enters the mine; bear witness how she is alone
vii: Searching the mine, establish creepy setting
8: A wolf soldier sneaks up behind her
9: Fight!
x: Iko tries to go soldier to surrender
11: Iko shoots soldier and misses; he discovers that she's an android
12: Soldier runs abroad; Iko chases him.

Etc. […]

I found myself having to pause before writing every. Unmarried. Panel. Intermission and ask myself:

What is happening in this console?
Okay, what does that expect like?
Movie it in my listen…
Okay, how do I convey that to the artist?
Type type type…
Okay, now what are the characters saying here?
Type type type…
Umm, okay, that'south pretty adept. Do we need any sound effects? Yes? Well, what does that sound like?
Think think think…
Blazon type type…
I recall I like that. Skillful job. *pats self on dorsum*
Moves on to next panel.
So… what is happening in this console?

So every step of the style would require me to terminate and consider the story, panel-past-panel, action-by-action, line-by-line.

The Art

Again, if you tin can't describe, y'all'll work with others to help you bring your graphic novel to life. It is recommended that along with a script outline of your book, you should besides create a style guide for your writer to follow.

Y'all can do this by giving your writer instructions on portraying sure character traits, facial expressions, and body language. Or you lot tin go out it upwards to their discretion.

Likewise your artist, y'all'll likewise be working with a colorist, who takes the black and white sketches your artist comes up with and adds color to it. You'll also work with a letterer, who adds the captions and dialogue to the panel.

graphic novel art

Edit, Edit, Edit

Equally with everything else in the creative writing world, you need to edit your piece of work. With graphic novels, you don't want until the terminate to hammer out all the kinks, though.

Information technology would be all-time if you were editing before sending your panels to the colorist and letterer. Every bit Steve Kissing puts it:

Perhaps needless to say, nosotros made edits and changes forth the mode, though nosotros ever worked difficult to become each stage right before moving on to the next, as it'southward much more than efficient to make changes to visuals earlier they are colored and the lettering is added.


Graphic novels are a booming business, and information technology would be a shame not to capitalize on the market place and talent out there to create a one-of-a-kind narrative. They are too a good starting point if you lot ever want to leap into the film industry, every bit yous utilize some of the tools that scriptwriters employ.

Regardless of which path you choose to go downwardly, the run a risk volition provide you with new opportunities and networking opportunities. It's also an exciting way to tell a story, coming with its unique challenges and triumphs.

What's your favorite graphic novel? Is anyone thinking most writing a graphic novel? If you've written ane, how did it go? Any communication yous'd like to give?

Stay safety, everyone.

Until side by side time.

Thanks,

Danielle

sulmanruspinfirl71.blogspot.com

Source: https://danielle-adams.com/2020/09/03/how-to-write-a-graphic-novel-from-start-to-finish/

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