Writing Comics: A Comprehensive Guide

Where the writer fits into the mainstream comics workflow, how that influences not only the way writers are paid, but how they create, and the two most common methods that writers, artists and editors use to collaborate – the Marvel Way and the Full Script.

A brief look at story basics, followed by an in depth description of pitching stories, how to fit your content into a the short space of a pitch, and how that plays into two very different, but equal, writing methods.

A look at how words and pictures change one another, what exactly constitutes a comic book, and the Seven Types of Word/Picture Relationships as defined by Scott McCloud.

The difference between a dramatic and a physical panel description, the visible and invisible elements of comic storytelling, how to use film terms in comic scripts, and implying composition without spelling it out.

Ordering panel descriptions for maximum clarity and results, motivating reader movement between panels and pages, how much fits where, and how to choose panel size and subject.

How to write in the limited space of a panel, deal with exposition, break up dialogue for dramatic effect, the three ways dialogue defines character, and the limits of dialogue in comics

How to recognize and eliminate the biggest bane to good writing -- the three types of Redundancy, and how repetition, when properly used, can be a useful tool.

A look at script formatting, the instructor's personal experience with the comic book industry, and the three paths to readers.