Puff!! Do you have any advice on comic pacing? I'm tryna start short and coming from a novel/animation background where there's all the space in the world for little nuances means I am Suffering with panels. I feel like I go too slow but then when I combine panels I worry about readbility and being too fast
It ultimately depends on the type of comic you're writing - the genre, mood, etc. - and how you're planning on releasing it. If the visuals are a vehicle for storytelling within comics, then your GPS navigator is the pacing - it's up to you, the driver (i.e. writer), whether you want to take the scenic route or direct.
That said, here are some general 'rules' I like to follow when plotting out my own work!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professionally trained writer, much of what I know has been picked up along the past 15 years of making comics, for better and for worse. Because of this, it's kinda hard for me to put exactly into words what 'works' for me, because so much of what I do relies purely on instinct and my own tastes. With all that in mind, do NOT take the following advice as a one-size-fits-all solution for your own writing - what works for me might not work for you!
1.) Match the pacing of your scene to the intent of what you want your readers to feel. If you're trying to build tension, then slow the scene down. If you're trying to create thrills, speed up. Compare action comics to horror - the former is fast-paced so the reader can 'get to the action', whereas the latter often takes its time so that readers have no choice but to 'sit' with the horror.
If I can use one of my own episodes as an example, consider Episode 81 : SPLIT. It starts off building tension in both the story and the reader by showing Minthe's expressions changing slowly with each panel, many of which are repeated to really 'sit' with the scene. We see her eyes shift, her hands fidget, her eyebrows crease, while Hades flips open a chequebook.
And then when she finally explodes, the speed of the storytelling picks up to reflect that emotion. No more biding our time, this is the action-packed payoff to the slowburn occupying the first half of the episode ;3
2.) Treat every episode like its own story. Yes, your episodes are just separate parts of a wider story, but every episode can still have its own beginning, middle, and end. Though this will depend on how much you release per episode / chapter, you should pay attention to ways you can establish the 'theme' of a chapter within a few panels, and then deliver on that theme by the end in some way. It doesn't have to be the final word on that theme's meaning/intent, as there's still more story to tell, but it should still feel concluded to leave the reader feeling satisfied with what they got while also still yearning for more.
Ex. In Episode 78 - Lover's Quarrel, the episode starts from Kore's perspective, with a flashback of her relationship origin with Apollo. This transitions to her contemplating if she really loves Apollo. Her 'arc' converges with Minthe's in that very same episode, who's currently subconsciously competing for Hades' love with Kore. They have a spat, and afterwards, the perspective shifts to Minthe and her own relationship issues. While not much actual plot moved, we did move the individual parts of several different characters forward, including Kore, Minthe, and Apollo, all in the span of about ~45 panels. And of course, the end of that episode even gets a cliffhanger, setting up for the Fates in Episode 82 !
3.) If you have a background in animation, then try and view comics less like a novel and more like an animated film. With comics, you don't get to 'peek' into the mind of the narrator as easily as you can with novels. As you said, there isn't as much 'room' in the text for nuance (and that applies to animation as well). So instead of thinking it as novel > comic, think of it instead as novel > screenplay > comic. If you're unsure of how a paragraph would translate into a comic, think first about how it would translate into a movie. How would the characters - now your actors - convey the emotions that are written on the page to an audience watching them onscreen? Which scenes can be conveyed in a matter of seconds, and which need minutes?
4.) Remember that conveying information is often more ideal than realism. Yes, real people do tend to repeat information, say the same thing in different ways, etc. but that's not entertaining in fiction. Watch out for redundancy in your dialogue and visual information.
5.) Have a rough outline for your story. This does not have to be a fully detailed, completed manuscript, but it should be enough to give you a general idea of where your story is going. Start with the bigger beats and gradually hone in on the smaller beats in between. Having a general plan will keep you moving forward in the right direction; if you don't have a plan, you run the risk of spinning your wheels while you try to think of where to go next, which can result in poor pacing. I might even dare say that going in without a plan is often the primary culprit in most cases where a story has been murdered by bad pacing.
6.) Sprinkle, don't dump. Figure out ways to convey information that don't require outright dumping information on your reader to the point of slowing down the story's flow. Pinch your story details into the narrative like salt - gently as you go along, not all at once. You're telling a story, not delivering a lecture.
7.) Read comics that are written in the same genre as yours. Pay attention to how they pace their stories, how they use their characters, how they do their panelling, and learn from them.
8.) Find beta-readers. Not your friends or family. You need readers who have no personal attachment to you who will actually be objective in their analysis and reviews.
9.) Adjust your pacing to your release schedule. This is one that's harder to really give advice for, but I feel like it's something that's often overlooked by a lot of comic creators. If you have a comic that updates slowly or in small amounts, pick up your pacing. If you have a comic that updates regularly and/or in large amounts, then you can slow it down. From a reader's perspective, there's nothing more frustrating and disappointing than reading a comic that updates slowly / sporadically and never manages to get to the point because it's spending all its time on scenes that would only work in a comic that updates regularly and/or with more content per update.
Now obviously this isn't an entirely foolproof plan as, in hindsight, your comic will read differently compared to how it reads updating in real time, but it's something important to consider because I've seen it happen all too often that creators struggle to cut scenes that were entirely unnecessary or could have been shortened, simply because they came up with them years ago and got too emotionally attached to them. Sure, in the far-off future when that comic is done, no one's gonna notice that it took you 3 years to finish that one chapter, but you're making this comic now for your audience who exists today and they're the ones who are gonna remember when your comic loses its momentum from poor consideration for pacing and how it relates to update scheduling.
At the very least, consider the fact that comics take a LONG time to make, ESPECIALLY if you're doing it all on your own, so don't put yourself through the hell of drawing the same scene over the course of a year or more. Your readers will thank you, as will your drawing arm and sanity.
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What can one even say when any kind of dissent becomes treason? When someone can be murdered, and their instant death penalty is justified because they were already guilty in the minds of federal agents?
āIf you try to claim that this murder is somehow acceptable because the victim was in someway imperfect, all that does is legitimate killing us all because weāre all in some way imperfect.ā - Timothy Snyder
We canāt be helpless. Endlessly tell the truth, hold ICE accountable, and try to do good where you can. You can start here:
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I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard
Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.
Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.
Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.
Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.
SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.
SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.
Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.
Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.
Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.
Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.
Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.
MapCrunch. Environment artists rejoice. Random locations, filter by indoor or outdoor, rural or urban, specific country. Great for realistic/authentic building ref.
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So, I had to draw Rumi, more specifically in this moment, where they sing What It Sounds Like:
I think itās my favourite shot from this movie, I love that now she accepts her markings, sheās not hiding anymore and we can see hope in her eyes <3 I love the message so much
I LOVE Kpop demon hunters. Itās my favourite movie from now on, I donāt think I was this obsessed with movie ever. Animation and music is soooo good, the soundtrack just keeps playing on my phone and I want to draw so many shots from the movie Tā¢T
But I think the writing could be better. Like, I donāt think I had so many questions ever about the lore of any uniwersum? Who was Rumiās dad? Why did her Mom died? How the hunters are chosen? Why Rumi does not hear Gwi-Ma? DID THE MISSING PEOPLE COME BACK TO LIFE OR THEY JUST DIED? I could go on and on.
The discovery scene of Rumi patterns was kinda disappointing. If they wanted to go in this direction, at least I would make the girls, especially Mira, mad about the lack of trust from Rumi, especially when she asked many times if sheās hiding something. The focus would not be on the demon thing, but on the lies and lack of trust. And I would get rid of the weapons in this scene.
I feel devastated by Jinuās death, like cmon, he and Rumi had such fun dynamic. WE DIDNT GET A KISS, I FEEL BETRAYED. Also, in mine mind it would be better choice if Jinu lived so he could face the consequences of his actions. Dying feels like a easy way out, you know what I mean? Also, he has to come back, I WANT MORE ROMANCE.
I think that Sony just introduced too much plot and characters, the whole thing suits better for a series. Iām not saying that, because I want more, not at allā¦
But, all in all, I love this movie so freaking much, even if the writing has plot holes. I love ZOEY, my baby. The theme of shame is so good and it resonates with me so much. The girls relationship is top notch and I love their little family T_T.
THE TIGER AND THE BIRD ARE AMAZING, SO FUNNY AND CUDDLY, amazing
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Fun fact: I gave it to her a day after second adoption anniversary of this beautiful kitty <3 I didnāt even plan it haha I wanted to try drawing black cat and I thought it would be nice, if I could give my friend a little keepsake of her cat :D
I forgot to put the date, so now I donāt know which day exactly I finished this drawing. And it bothers me so much, I just know it was near the end of April. I canāt do anything with this, because I donāt remember. Also, I smeared a little chocolate on this, so im double annoyed.
But this is the first time I actually finished a landscape, and it wasnāt an exercise from the book. I still think I could draw a batter reflection in water, but overall Iām proud of it.
Also, I just want to end my bachelor thesis. Iām drawing less because of it. And itās so tiring. Soon. It will end soon T-T.
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I decided, that from now on, Iām gonna start posting here my drawings. Iām far for perfect, Iām quite good at redrawing other people works, but I definitely need to improve. I canāt draw yet from imagination, but its mostly probably out of fear. For starters, this is what I finished drawing today:
I was redrawing Loishās work, which I found on Pinterest:
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For starters, I noticed that I definitely got the face too short, which led to disproportionate hand. Also, the left eye ended up to far from the nose. Eyes are the worst, I always draw them too big or they crooked. Disaster.
But I like the shading, i think its really nice. Also, the most important part, I enjoyed drawing this, so the mistakes are not that important, I know what to focus on next.
I also watched Moana 2 when I was drawing this, and, not gonna lie, I agree that it was quite mediocre. In my opinion, none of the characters went through much growth, and this movie doesnāt really have a message. But I liked the songs and visuals, they were enjoyable. Of course, it could be better, but it wasnāt a total disaster.
For some reason the line ,,Go. Tell you mother Iām home.ā is a little funny to me. Because itās sounds like Odysseus just went grocery shopping, and not came back from the 20-years long, dangerous journey.
Odysseus: Tell your mother Iām home, I got that milk she wanted from the store. Also, I have candies for you.