D. Higbee

THE UNIQUE SKILLS WRITERS BRING TO GRAPHIC NOVELS

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I’m going to assume you want to write a graphic novel, but aren’t quite sure where to begin. If you’re still on the fence because you are a writer and not an artist, I recommend you read this post first.

It’s easy to feel awed by the wonderful art throughout graphic novels. As a writer, you can look at it and wonder why any artist would want to collaborate with you. All you know is how to write stories and hardly any of that shows up in the final book.

To be fair, many artists wonder the same thing, decide they can do it themselves, only to discover that writing a graphic novel takes skills they don’t yet have.

Please, writers, don’t undersell yourselves. You might need an artist, but they are just as likely to need you. Trust me, they are in awe of your skills.

So, what do writers bring to the table?

• plot structure
• character development
• dialog
• pacing

Plot structure

Unless an artist comes to the table with a storytelling background like animation or storybook illustrator, they may not have much experience telling stories. Think back to when you were first learning to write. How hard was it?

I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark trying to get from the beginning to the end. Books like Save the Cat helped me understand the pieces that make up a story and how to organize them into a cohesive plot.

The Story Grid Method taught me genre and reader expectation. I learned what kind of scenes need to happen and the tropes that belong and don’t belong. I learned how to center plot and character development around the themes, and how the story is always moving positively or negatively.

All of these mechanics apply to graphic novels, just like they do to any other form of storytelling.

I actually find it easier to plot a graphic novel because it is so visual. The jump from outline to manuscript is much smaller than when I write a prose novel. In prose, I can have pages and pages of written words between plot point 1 and plot point 2. In graphic novels, the plot points are much closer together because what might take paragraphs to describe only takes a few panels to show.

When a writer brings a full outline, it’s a large chunk of the project done. The skeleton without which the book would fall apart no matter how good the art is.

Character development

This is one of those almost invisible skills. Experienced writers bring characters from one worldview into another, or set them as catalysts for other characters to change. Readers move with these characters through their journey and barely notice the transformation until the end.

When you’re first learning character development, it can come across disjointed or confusing. Experienced writers know how to lay the groundwork that leads to those pinch points where the characters make big choices. Readers know these characters so well they’re ready for those moments.

Again, all the same principles apply in graphic novels, though you won’t lean as heavily on internal dialog or narrative.

Dialog

This is where I see the most difference between graphic novels with an experienced writer on the team and ones without. Dialog can be tricky, but it’s the most visible writing in a graphic novel and carries the most weight.

In prose, dialog works in tandem with narration, supporting and advancing plot and character development. In graphic novels, dialog still functions that way, but has to be much more deliberate and at the same time, extremely natural. There’s not a lot of room per panel for speech bubbles. You have to be succinct.

I actually love writing the dialog for graphic novels because it feels like a puzzle. I write out whatever I want first, then I identify the critical pieces, and then I figure out how to say it in as few words as possible. I use devices like split bubbles and sound effects to my advantage. (More on how to write dialog for graphic novels in a future post.)

Coming from a writing background helped me pick up the mechanics for writing dialog in comics much more easily.

Pacing

As a writer, you know how critical pacing is in storytelling. You also know that it’s largely intuitive. You learn to get a feel for it after writing a lot. You can feel where the story slows down and recognize why. And you know what needs to change to speed the story up.

In a graphic novel, the mechanics for changing the pace or the mood of a story are different than in prose. But, as a writer, you will still pick up on moments when the story isn’t moving at the right speed.

Next week’s post will cover the elements of visual storytelling you need to know to write your graphic novel script.

The value you bring to the table as the writer is enormous. Graphic novels may be visual art, but they still need to tell a story. Share your thoughts in the comments below or in my Substack community space.

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Not sure whether you want to try your hand at graphic novels? Read this post.

Want to read more original work? Check out my Medium account for flash fiction, personal essays, and articles.

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