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I’m going to assume you want to write a graphic novel, but aren’t quite sure where to begin. This post is part of a series on writing graphic novels, though today’s topic will cover a writing process I use no matter what format I’m writing for.
If you’re new here and want to learn about writing a graphic novel specifically, read this post first.
“Are you a plotter or a pantser?”
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this question over the 15+ years I’ve been writing. At first, my answer was always, pantser. I disliked plotting with a passion. It was boring, stiff, and uninspired.
But, I also found that writing by the seat of my pants got me nowhere. I loved the thrill of discovering new things about my characters and the world they lived in. The problem was that without fail, I would write myself into a corner and abandoned the project.
Now–after many, many years of failing–I plan my stories at multiple stages, and I freewrite.
What is Freewriting?
Freewriting is simply allowing yourself to write without self-editing.
I say “simply”, but for most writers, it is an acquired skill. When I was a “pantser” I actually wasn’t very good at freewriting because I labored over my words, trying to find just the right way to describe the characters and their experiences. I was editing as I wrote.
The result? Late nights and pages of partial stories that “had potential”.
In 2011, I found the book, No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty at the library where I was working. The book promised that anyone could write a novel in 30 days with a low-stress, high-velocity strategy.
My ambition was instantly ignited. I read through the book quickly and the next Monday, I sat at my computer and started to write, just the way Baty suggested.
I finished my very first book in under 30 days. It wasn’t quite 50k words, but the story was complete.
Those 28 days of writing were hard. Like “running a 5k for the first time without training” hard. I was physically and mentally exhausted every day. And at the end, I was elated. Honestly, this moment changed everything for me. I proved to myself that I could write a novel. And I had a taste of the magic of freewriting.
Why Freewrite?
After that first experience, I participated in National Novel Writing Month, where writers all around the world took up Baty’s challenge to write 50k words in 30 days. (That organization no longer exists, but the principle behind it helped countless writers.)
Every year, for 8 years I wrote a new novel, and every year it got easier. Sometime during my second year, something clicked. I could consistently access the creative part of my brain and let it take the reins. My editing voice started to quiet down, which felt amazing.
These freewriting drafts were–and often still are–crap. I don’t let anyone else read these. But the exercise allows my creativity to explore and truly create. By the end, I either feel super connected with the story or I discard it without feeling like I wasted my time.
Now I understand why my teachers wanted us to write a first draft and then a second draft and then a third. The writing gets stronger each time, and I believe that the first draft, or the freewritten draft, serves as a foundation for the final product.
The ability to set aside the editor and get “into the zone” helped me feel excited to write every day. I crave that feeling and miss it when I go a long time without freewriting. I enjoy other parts of the process, as well. Editing brings enormous satisfaction, but it can require extreme exertion and frustration sometimes.
Building the freewriting skill has also led me to be productive with the small windows of time I can find in the midst of full-time parenting to very young children. I can get into the zone almost instantly and write in those 15 minutes of solo play.
Freewriting for Plotters
Freewriting isn’t just for writers who prefer to explore rather than plot. If you enjoy planning and plotting, great! Your freewriting may actually be more efficient.
I finally had to admit that my creative brain does not plot very well on the fly. It will choose the most obvious, and boring plot directions. So, I started to plan my beats before freewriting. It’s not full plotting, but I need a direction.
I start with my idea. Sometimes, it’s a character, sometimes a theme, sometimes a scene. Then I build beats around that idea, allowing myself to connect to the freewriting part of my brain to jot down thoughts sometimes joining them to other thoughts, sometimes letting them sit alone.
This gives me more to work with, and I’m able to write major beats like the inciting incident, the turning point, the climax, and the resolution.
With this roadmap in hand, I can then freewrite the first draft, aiming for each of these points.
Maybe this works for you, too. Or maybe you prefer to have a very detailed plot in hand before starting the first draft. No problem. You can still freewrite the actual narrative.
How to Freewrite
Being creative, building something from scraps of material, is labor-intensive and requires skills you may or may not have. Freewriting is a skill I had to learn. That means I had to find and strengthen the neuro pathways that allow me to write freely.
It’s not much different from learning a physical skill like how to throw or catch a ball. For me it was super hard for a long time, with only minimal success after 60 days of practice. It was tiring, too. After a 30-day stint at full effort, I have to take at least one month off.
So, my first recommendation is to take it easy. Practice for ten to thirty minutes a day and build up to forty-five or sixty minutes. And take breaks if you’re doing longer than thirty-minute stretches.
The single best thing I did to build my freewriting skills was to set a timer and race against the clock. (Writing sprints.) I thrive off competition. So, I was determined to get more words down each time. Then I could visually see my progress.
My second year of freewriting a novel, I found other friends who were participating, too. We pushed each other and held ourselves accountable. One friend was always the fastest, and at first I was the slowest, but by the fifth year, I was able to keep up. Find accountability partners, and if you like competition, find a friend to sprint with.
And if competition and timers make you anxious, try writing during those inconvenient moments of your daily life. Like, write on your phone while you wait to check out at the grocery store. Or in the lobby of the dentist’s office. The finite moment will help you make the connection to your writing brain faster.
Now go ahead, put it into practice. Let us know how it goes in the comments below or in my Substack community space.
Next week’s post will cover outlining your story. Outlining is especially helpful when writing a graphic novel script. The jump from outline to first draft of your script is small and manageable.
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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You can find my book recommendations in my Bookshop, Amerixicana Books.
And if you are looking for classic literature for class, or for your home collection, check out my publishing imprint, Simply Classic Books.
D. Higbee 
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