Over the last several years, I have run a small web comic.
I am happy with my comic, but if I could do it again, there are plenty of things I would have done differently or done better.
This short little article is for would-be comic authors.
Here are some things I have learned haphazardly to make a comic that is readable, interesting, and sustainable.
Script before you draw.
It shocks me to learn that many people simply grab their pencil or a Wacom pad and start sketching their first few panels.
This is a good exercise, but if you learn to write first, you'll save yourself a lot of time and headache.
Script out your stories first -even if they are short- and then do your practice sketching.
Only draw the final product once you are satisfied with both the story and the art.
Of course, before you script, you should...
Develop your characters before you write stories about them.
To make a good, well-rounded, and likeable character, you need more than a few paragraphs of their biography.
Think about your closest friends.
You know they are complicated, multi-faceted, people.
All people are like that.
So should your main characters be.
Think about where they are born and how that affects them.
What about their family life? Are they generally introverted or extroverted? What kind of job do they have and what kind of job do they really want? Do they have any goals? If so, what motivates them? What kind of interests and hobbies do they have? What are some of their major flaws? The list could go on.
Another great way to develop your characters is to get familiar with Myers-Briggs personality tests.
This test shows sixteen common types of personalities based on four factors: Extroverted/introverted, Intuitive/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling and Judging/Perceiving.
A little research into this area will give you profound insight into who your characters are and can be.
The next two bits of advice come from Terry Pratchett.
Read extensively INSIDE your genre.
What does this mean for comic artists? It means read a lot of other webcomics, graphic novels, regular novels, even short stories.
Learn what works.
Learn what does not work.
You never know what you might find in someone else's work that will inspire your own.
But furthermore...
Read extensively OUTSIDE your genre.
This means literally anything.
Read eZine articles, editorials, and blogs.
Go to the library and find a few history books and biographies.
Read through some clever self-help books.
Get yourself familiar with literature on history, philosophy, and religion.
Anything might make you more informed and more inspired to form comics.
You never know what will influence you.
This final piece of advice is for those who hope to write in the fantasy or sci-fi genre.
It is my own, that I offer as an author, a fan, and philosophy student: Pay very close attention to the genres of history, philosophy, and religion.
What makes people like Tolkien and J.
K.
Rowling stand out? It is in my judgment how well they understood these three things.
Think about WATCHMEN.
Many of its chapters end with famous quotes from philosophers.
Rowling, as argued by John Granger, used many of the symbols common to religion in the middle ages.
Even the creator of the anime Neon Genesis knew 20th century existentialism.
Remember this: If you wish to create a convincing, immersive, and inviting world of your own, you must first know the world you live in very, very, well.
So there it is.
I hope that you find these guidelines useful.
Writing that comic of yours will be one of the greatest experiences of your life.
If you start on a good foundation, it will be even more rewarding.
Happy writing!