scriptstructure:Twitter thread by Gail Simone, [HERE]Okay, for...

scriptstructure:

Twitter thread by Gail Simone, [HERE]

Okay, for various deliberate reasons, I have not read nearly as many comics in 2017 as I normally do. And this week, I started reading a ton of comics. And I have stuff to say.
Now, if you are an aspiring comics creator, I hope you will listen. Ignore this advice if you like, but at least consider it first.First, for the love of god, remember that the reader does not know what is inside your head. That is your only job, to convey your message.Pro or newbie, shame on you if you don’t name your characters on panel if we are supposed to recognise them later.Over and over, I am reading comics where (t)he main character is not named or even introduced. The story just starts and we are meant to guess.This is just aggressively bad storytelling, unless there is some specific reason. If you are writing the Man With No Name, fine. But that’s mostly not the case.Second, learn what an establishing shot is, and what it accomplishes. Over and over, I was not told where the characters are.An establishing shot establishes not just location, but tone. One lonesome farm in the snowy emptiness can convey pages of dialogue and exposition. Better, too.Third, when did we forget that it’s important to know what a character wants? I don’t need a character’s D&D stats, I need to know what they NEED. What drives them.Over and over, I am seeing stories where a threat arises, attacks the hero, the hero fights back, bang, continued next issue.If I read your story and don’t know what the character’s motive is, that’s on the writer.Additionally, learn what a reveal is. In almost any story worth a damn, someone’s keeping a secret, regardless of genre. Secrets are storytelling nitro.Finally, I am still reading comics where the characters all have similar speech pattern, a sort of affected one-liner-spouting verbal malaise.It’s bad enough if TWO characters are indistinguishable in their speech, it’s bad. If all of them are, start over, you have hit a tree in the road.That’s it, just some things to consider. A lot of potentially very interesting comics out there are missing a little lesson in the basics.Just think it over, I guarantee you you will be happier with the result.

(thread is about comics, but the points apply to all forms of writing)