National Novel Writing Month is here once again. Throughout the month of November writers across multiple disciplines and genres challenge themselves to sit down and write a 50K word novel. As of this post, it is Day 5 of NaNoWriMo. Having participated in it myself and having completed it once (when I was 16. And no, that novel will never see the light of day), I found it to be a refreshing challenge.
So how can the concept of NaNoWriMo be applied to comic creators?
Have you been flying by the seat of your pants each upload, just barely managing to get your thoughts together for a page? This month, challenge yourself to sit down and plan a bunch of episodes ahead. Write out a basic outline, maybe script a few pages. Take some time to thumbnail chapters or sequences. Write down a series of gags for future use, potential character moments or sketch a few designs.
Stuck for ideas? Look up drawing prompts to help you explore your characters. How would they look as the opposite gender? Pair two characters up who don’t get much screen time together and see what their relationship could be. Trawl through Pinterest and try out some “Your Character/s Here” (YCH) poses.
These are just some ideas that you can utilise throughout the month of November.
Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? What tips do you have for those struggling to write their comic? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!
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NaNoWrimo - Writing for comics in the month of November
Emma_Clare at 5:11AM, Nov. 4, 2021
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ChipperChartreuse at 4:33PM, Nov. 5, 2021
I've never gotten as far as the goal I wanted between working on my current comic pages and NaNoWriMo, but someday I hope to! This year I'm sitting out...maybe. In any case your goal can be whatever you like, whatever helps you keep going and at the end you can celebrate everything you managed to do. It's definitely a nice system that can work for some folks with the added benefit of making it a social event:)
skyangel at 3:57AM, Nov. 5, 2021
That's definitely a challenge I'd love to participate in, maybe next year though when my comics finally done over with. But I would have a story idea firmly set in my mind before I even committed to starting such a project. And that's the only advice I would ever give any one with regards to writing. There are some lucky people that can just make up a story as they go along but practically everyone I know who ever tried that approach just ended up baling out or tied in a knot. An imaginative and interesting idea can be literally figured out on the back of a postcard to begin with including that all vital middle and ending. After that it's just a question of putting flesh on the bones and the fun part is that even though the story starts coming to life you will nearly always keep getting fresh ideas which change the story as it goes along or even completely, and without ever losing sight of a good ending to keep those ideas reigned in.
PaulEberhardt at 8:13AM, Nov. 4, 2021
It sounds like something I should really like to try. The hard part seems to be getting a month off, though... Does it have to be November?
Andreas_Helixfinger at 6:16AM, Nov. 4, 2021
I particiapted in Camp NaNoWriMo, which was held the summer of 2018, and I completed it that time. Didn't do so well participating in the regular NaNoWriMo the same year where I got to disttacted by other story ideas then the one I was supposed to write on:P But the advice that I can give other writers, as someone who's been writing for a long, long, long time, is probably this. Don't think, just do. Let whatever is in your head at the time flow out on the document. Don't stop to correct what you write or think about what is the sensible thing to proceed with, just write whatever comes out. Let yourself be utterly lost in the process itself and worry about the results later. That way you keep writing and you'll reach your goal before you even know it.