So, You Want to Write a Graphic Novel?

A couple of years ago I decided to attempt Script Frenzy for the third time. The first two times I wanted to write a screenplay for a feature-length movie. I read dozens of screenplays, studied Save the Cat!, and got a ton of advice from a teacher/filmmaker. It was fun, but in the end, screenwriting was not my calling.

Everything changed when I discovered the graphic novel script option. Now, I never read graphic novels growing up. To me, a graphic novel was a picture book.

To make up for this, I spent a month studying to prepare for Script Frenzy. By the end of April, I had won three times over and had two complete graphic novel drafts under my belt. It was fortunate that I was also preparing a portfolio for art school because I was able to switch to sketching whenever I needed to.

Unfortunately, Script Frenzy had to shut down due to lack of funding. BUT THERE IS HOPE! To make up for this loss (a bit), The Office of Letters and Light has added a Script option to Camp NaNoWriMo… which starts up again in July. That gives you a bit less than a month to study up.

Here is a tiny guide for writing your own graphic novel script. There are snippets from multiple guides, including the Script Frenzy archive, and plenty of resource suggestions at the end.

Beginning

SAVE OFTEN & BACKUP.

Okay, got that out of the way.

I’m writing this for a friend who is new to graphic novel scripts. Well, new to graphic novels. This friend is not an artist, has never studied art, and will not be illustrating this graphic novel.

This guide is for him: the writer.

Before you write a script, you have to have characters, a story, and a plan. You can’t go into it loosey-goosey because of the structure you have to impose from the beginning. It’s not necessary to get too anal with outlines upon outlines, but you should always know where you are going before you write your script. 

Going into your script, you’ll soon find out that you are going to have to keep a continuous image of layout as you write. You’re working toward something visual, and will need to set it up so that the reader can follow these visuals clearly. This is a composition where space and specific content are key. Each page needs to be its own, but is own with its sister page, its chapter, and the whole story.

Guidance:

“The format of the comic book presents a montage of both word and image, and the reader is thus required to exercise both visual and verbal interpretive skills. The regimens of art (eg. perspective, symmetry, brush stroke) and the regiments of literature (eg. grammar, plot, syntax) become superimposed upon each other."

-Will Eisner Theory of Comics & Sequential Art

Here is the Intro to Graphic Novels page in the Script Frenzy archives with some of my notes.

This is where I started when I first looked into writing graphic novels. So, that’s where I’ll start here.

One, teeny, tiny, itty, bitty… major flaw to point out here is this:

A comic book and a graphic novel are not the same thing. They DO both go into the “sequential art” category. Aside from that, they are different animals. 

A graphic novel is an independent, contained story with all the elements of a usual story plot arc. [Novel]

A comic book is an installment in a story. They are episodic, but not a whole.

You can think of it as a movie vs. a TV show if you really need to.

The person who wrote this obviously thinks that these two VERY DIFFERENT things can be used interchangeably. Don’t worry, I’ll point it out where it causes confusion. 

1. 

[Most “splash pages” take place on even numbered graphic novel pages (i.e. the page on the other side of the page you turn). This is to keep the element of surprise in tact.]

Keeping in mind your odd/even pages and how they fit together to represent your layout as a whole is very important, albeit tedious at first. 

See, Jason Brubaker.

His articles are great to look through! He focuses on building the story through art, but you don't have to be an artist to learn from this technique. Everyone is capable of creating art in your head. Don't feel pressured just because YOU YOURSELF CANNOT DRAW.

He talks about designing pages in spreads here.

It's good to think of the odd and even pages together as a whole composition. Always remember that this is a visual medium. I cannot stress this enough.

Confused about how to lay out these spreads by page number?

Okay. Pull a book off your shelf. The page numbering starts after the copyright page (a filler page doesn't add to the count). Your odd numbers will be on the right side of the page. The first page will be on an odd page (1) alone.

Personally, I prefer to place my chapter title pages on an odd page. It can be awkward because, if there's material on the even page, it doesn't give a real sense of a break. I like it because I want the introduction to appear before you see what's going on.

Play around with it.

?:
 I don’t understand the “even numbered graphic novel pages” comment, because I don’t see how it keeps the element of surprise in tact… 

If someone is willing to explain this to me… great.

2. 

[Most graphic novels range anywhere from 21 to 30 pages in length.]

This is a nice “fact”. However, this person is talking about comic books, not graphic novels.

Honestly, make your graphic novel as long as you need to in order to tell a clean and coherent story. You do have to keep in mind that illustrating a graphic novel is a time-consuming process. The length of this kind of novel is going to have to be much shorter than a prose novel, in that, space is your guide and your constricting overlord.

*At least in terms of writing, not number of pages.

However, don’t think of this as limiting! There are many other ways you can convey all the details of the story without long, rambling descriptions or dialogue. 

Illustrate it. (Well, point these things out to the illustrator).

Mannerisms, weather, settings, facial expressions.

If some kind of food smells good, you don’t have to point it out with dialog. The food could have delicious trails of steam coming off it that entices a character. That same character can still continue the scene without bringing up how good the food is. It’s all in the face, the body’s position, and atmosphere.

3. 

[If you are creating new characters, you have to write every detail you want the artist to convey. If you are writing established characters, the only time you need to write the details out is if there is a change to their appearance or behavior in that scene.]

Remember, you don’t have to do this IN the script. I find it’s better to keep most character details out of descriptions, unless it is relevant to what’s going on in the panel, or if there has been a significant change. Your artist should have all the character’s basic information laid out for them separately.  

4. 

[Lastly, there is no right or wrong word processing program to write your script in. Personally, I love and use Final Draft because of its automatic character pop-up capability in all of its script-based formats. But there is no “industry standard” that will make or break getting someone to read your script if you get so lucky.]

Final Draft

I have looked at Final Draft. It has a bit of a learning curve, but I’ve heard that it is fairly easy to use. It certainly has more conveniences than other programs. Something that I really like about final draft is that it offers a variety of script formats.

There’s also a handy plot outline template (or “stationary”, as it’s called). “Handy”. It’s very easy to do this yourself in literally any word processing program, but it lays out a guide for how to plan out your graphic novel.

It’s also $250 for Final Draft.

Celtx

I use Celtx, which has the same character completion feature and offers many ways to keep your files organized. You don’t have to worry about manually changing styles or anything like that. In Celtx, you can just hit enter for a new panel and tab for new dialogue. The speed is amazing. 

It’s also free. So free.

You can find the application on CNet. (Or, “program” if you’re a Windows user… which I am not). 

BUT MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING THE FREE CNET ONE! Celtx has changed over the years.

Scrivener

Don’t get me wrong… Scrivener is my God. I write this blog in Scrivener. I write my novels in Scrivener. I do everything in Scrivener (well…). Sometimes I open Scrivener for companionship. It’s no question that, no matter what happens, I will die happy with Scrivener (and Scapple). I want to be buried with the Literature and Latte logo. I want it tattooed onto my body like some maniac lunatic freak.

I actually use Scrivener while I use Celtx just to keep everything organized. Someone created a graphic novel template for Scrivener, which Literature and Latte has made “official”. Personally, I don’t like the layout, the organization (lack), the learning curve, and the lack of speed. In Celtx, I can move between script elements faster than I type (paradox), and the different elements are very clear to see.

Of course, a lot of people swear by Scrivener for their graphic noveling needs. So, study up and see if it’s something you’re interested in.

It’s kind of worth it, anyway. Hands down, it’s the best software I’ve ever come across. Literature and Latte is SUCH a caring and generous company. 

It’s $45 for TEN licenses of Scrivener. 

Formatting

Of course, there IS no industry standard formatting. However, there are common elements to every comic/ graphic novel script.

I’ll demonstrate all of these elements in Celtx, while also going over the basics of the program. There are so many features that this program offers, but I only use it for its efficient scriptwriting capabilities and beautiful catalogs.

Note that this is not a program for exporting your script into a final format. The Type Set/ PDF function creates this horrific format. You’re better off saving your script as an .html file and converting THAT into a PDF later.

Actually, this isn’t a professional program in any sense of the word. But it is free and super, super fast and easy.

First Step: Open the program…

This is your workspace:

Just about everything in the workspace is self-explanatory. Celtx only allows you to have the most basic formatting freedom. The program expects you to be working off its template.

The only “fancy” features of Celtx require money. Which, are not generally worth it. Not for these simple purposes, anyway.

ONE thing I did buy that was worth every penny is called A Beginners Guide To Comic Books by Wallace Ryan. It’s a good resource for learning how to write scripts in Celtx, and also walks you through the rest of the artistic process. The basics, anyway. However, it is a great starting place. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that it’s available anymore.

Now, the script & formatting. 

Click the picture to expand.

Page:

There is a lot you can do with this section. You can name your page, establish a setting for the page, establish a time, etc. You can even leave it blank. What you DON’T want to do is include too much information or any information that should be put into a panel instead.

Panel:

Panel descriptions are where you want to include all of the description for the panel. Be as detailed as you need to be.

I stole this quote from a Final Draft Template (or “stationary”):

“The most important thing to remember: if it isn’t in the script, don’t expect to see it in the art.”

Oh, and one thing, if you’re going to have a character speaking off-panel, you might want to note his or her absence. Otherwise, put “off panel” in the Balloon Type area with his or her dialogue. 

Caption:

Captions are places for narrations, voice-over narrations, continued dialogue, or explanations (editorial captions). 

The text in captions is quoted or unquoted.

Captions always need to be in quotation marks when a character is narrating the story as a reflection (past tense), usually accompanying a flashback, or when a line of dialogue is being continued from a previous scene. 

Narrations in the present tense are not quoted.

Explanatory captions occur when something going on needs to be… well, explained. 

See below:

Character:

This denotes which character is speaking the following dialogue. This is not the place for descriptions.

As far as I know, there is no “general rule” for capitalizing character names. BUT, it is the standard for other script formats. I’d say do it, for the sake of clarity. 

Balloon Type:

What kind of speech balloon is your character “using”?

A regular dialogue balloon need not be specified. However, if your character is thinking his lines, you’ll want a thought balloon. If someone is yelling, you’ll want a burst balloon. 

Speech balloons communicate different states of being, volumes, and tones of voice. Above are just basic balloons. There are also balloons for electronics, voices over the phone (or other electronic doo-hikeys), telepathy, weak and ghastly voices, etc. 

In the example script above, I called for an “angry bubble (balloon)”. There I meant that I wanted a jagged balloon, like a burst balloon, but not so exaggerated. Personally, I love to include dozens of different types of balloons, each representing an emotion or physical state of being perfect for that ONE moment. Of course, there’s no need to be as complicated as me.

It’s true, I’d never use a “drunk” balloon without first making it very clear that a character is drunk. They aren’t meant to be clear, but fun. Someone told me that the “angry” balloon would also work for someone who was very cold with clattering teeth. I agreed. There’s no reason that balloon can’t serve a dual purpose. 

Two types of balloons not shown in this example are the shared dialogue balloon and the split balloons. I’ll give the visual example as well as the script example so you can see the different uses.

Balloon (dialogue):

Of course, this is the most self-explanatory script element of them all. Here is where you write dialogue. This is also an alternative place to put sound effects. 

Dialogue in foreign languages should always be bracketed with arrows (< >). This indicates that a foreign language is being spoken, but translated for the reader.

Remember that it is up to YOU to write in any emphasis or alterations in the dialogue. Your graphic novel will be lettered exactly as it is written. That means all bolds, italics, punctuation, etc. are your responsibility.

Dialogue for graphic novels does have its own grammar that should be written into the script. See Blambot.com <http://www.blambot.com/grammar.shtml> for more information. 

Now, I haven’t read many comics/graphic novels/ webcomics that follow these rules to a T. For instance, the two ellipses in a split balloon don’t seem to be necessary. You could just put in the first one. The same meaning comes across… with a shorter pause. However, to me, not including both ellipses shows a lack of reflection on the character’s part. 

It is a good idea to try and follow the grammar rules Blambot lays out as best as you can. For the sake of clarity if nothing else.

Sound Effects (sfx):

Sound effects should always be onomatopoeic. That means, “BOOM!” instead of “an explosion”. And always be conservative in the number of letters you use for your sound effects. SPACE is your overlord in graphic novels. You need things to fit inside the panel in an uncluttered fashion. You need things to fit. period.  

Also, make your sound effects stand out in the script. I bold mine.

Advice:

No matter what program you use, make sure that you have an easy-to-read and well organized script. Keep consistent formatting. Separate the script elements clearly. Plan ahead. Enjoy yourself, your story, and your life.

Graphic novels are an extreme artistic endeavor that are SO rewarding. It is the perfect medium for pure immersion into your story and world.

Resources:

There isn’t a lot that I can cover in one blog post. However, I can offer some suggestions for further reading.

• Understanding Comics by Scott Mccloud
• Making Comics by Scott Mccloud
• Drawing Words & Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden
• Beginner’s Guide to Comic Books by Wallace Ryan. 
• This used to be a part of the Celtx Learning Series, but I cannot find it anywhere. Not even for pirating. I might contact Celtx at some point and ask for permission to upload it, or find a place where it’s still available. I bought it for only a few dollars and it was completely worth it.
• Theory of Comics & Sequential Art by Will Eisner
• This is a bit old, but is worth at least skimming. I think it has a lot of useful tips. At times it can also be insightful in a way that tickles my inner philosopher. 
• Script Frenzy Archives
• Writers on Comic Scriptwriting by Mark Salisbury
• Jason Brubaker’s RemindBlog - Articles

It goes without saying that you should also be reading graphic novels, right?