Start With Your Second Act
I’ve been seeing the same question float around social media a lot lately… Folks working on a maxi-series or larger graphic novel, asking “where exactly do I start my story?” […]
Author: nickmac
Character Flaws
Your end is only as good as your beginning… especially when it comes to character arcs. This following is a list of possible/potential character flaws—often the basis or anchor point […]
A Lesson in Visual Writing
I recently came across this panel description in a script posted to a public forum. “Twelve rebellion members were trekking through the jungle. One young member was struggling to keep […]
Pacing Dialogue to Reveals
One of the new things I discuss a bit in the digital edition of the Writer’s Guide is keeping dialogue and art in sync. This is particularly important when it […]
Breaking Bubbles – TIP
When I first started out in comics a million years ago, I thought the letterer held total mastery and control over dialogue placement. I thought the writer’s job was to […]
Fictitious Terms and Exotic Proper Names
At the end of Storycraft for Comics I talk about nomenclature for a few pages. One of the things I discuss, is a problem I see often in original universe […]
Repetition, Enemy and Ally
One of the first things I look for in the first editorial pass of a script, is repetition—unwanted, accidental redundancy. Unintentionally repeating the same thing, either specifically (having the MC […]
Comic Writing Trends
I always find it insightful to stop, take a moment and really look at the trends of comic writing. Not just the trends going on today, but the trends that […]
How to Find Comic Writing Work
A question came in from the internet this week: “Nick, do you have anything on your site that gives advice to freelance writers about how to go about finding work?” […]
Works in the Movies, Not in Comics
Lot’s of movies have powerful, emotional talking head scenes like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM-gZintWDc It works in a movie because of: a) Good Acting (emotionally charged delivery of dialogue with good timing). […]