A Really Useful Tool For Professional Comic Writers
Jon Lock has just launched a really helpful notebook for comic writers on kickstarter and here’s a few details about it…
There is no right way to write a comic.
Whatever your method – or whatever you’re thinking of doing if you’re just starting out – all that matters is that it works for you. If you’re looking for guidance, however, or just to build upon your existing process, the Comic Writer’s Journal may be of use.
The Comic Writer’s Journal provides a simple framework for bringing your story to life. It’s designed to help you plan and organise your comic before even starting the script, leaving you free to focus purely on storytelling.
Through the use of customisable templates and examples, the Comic Writer’s Journal guides you through the process of completing a summary, overview and page plan of your comic – ensuring that you always know exactly what’s happening on each page, regardless of length.
Additional templates allow you to plan out panels and scenes, or keep track of characters as they come and go, while a notebook section provides plenty of space to bring your ideas to life.
Created by a writer, for writers, the Comic Writer’s Journal draws upon over 10 years’ experience of creating comics to provide a simple, effective method for telling amazing, well-structured stories.
Stretch Goals
Due to the incredible success of the project in our first day, I’m happy to announce the first of our bonus rewards: a digital edition of the Comic Writer’s Journal – which some of you have already requested.
The digital edition is available as a new reward tier for £4. Additionally, a digital copy will be included as standard with all physical rewards (at no extra cost). As such, everyone who’s pledged to receive a physical copy of the journal will also receive a digital copy as a small gesture of thanks for your incredible support.
How It Works
The Comic Writers’ Journal is designed to help you plan and organise your comic before writing the script. It does this through the use of customisable templates, which guide you through the process of:
summarising your story
writing an overview
planning your scenes
breaking down your story into pages
tracking your characters
breaking down your pages into panels.
Break down your comic using the page planner to know exactly what happens on each page.
By following the method described in the journal, you’ll produce three key resources: a summary, an overview and a completed page planner. While the challenging but fun task of writing dialogue, action and emotion still remains, with these tools in hand you’re free to focus purely on creativity, knowing that the plot and layout of your story are taken care of.
Perhaps more than any other medium, comics as an art form are all about restrictions. No matter how big your ideas, a page can only hold so much content. Knowing how to translate your story into the currency of panels and pages is the most important skill you can develop as a comic writer – something the journal may be able to help you with.
Want to see the journal in action? Check out the short introductory video below.
About The Creator
Hi, my name’s Jon and I’ve been making comics, games and podcasts for over 10 years. I’m perhaps best known as the writer and creator of Afterlife Inc. – one of the most acclaimed comics of the UK independent scene – which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
I’m also one fourth of Big Punch Studios, which I co-founded in 2015 along with my wife Lucy and friends Nich and Ali. Together we created Sandwich Masters, a card game about strategy, sabotage and (you guessed it) sandwiches. As part of Big Punch Studios, I’ve written and edited titles such as Cuckoos, Orb and 99 Swords, and hosted multiple podcasts.
Alongside my work in comics, I’ve also written for numerous video games, including the upcoming Toxic Crusaders from Retroware, based on the long-running Toxic Avenger franchise from Troma Entertainment; Spectacular Sparky for Nicalis; and The Lego Batman Movie browser game from Lego and Mind Orchard.
I created the Comic Writer’s Journal because this method has genuinely helped me over the years. I hope it will be of use to you too as you bring your own ideas to life.
The Journal
While it’s tempting to add extra rewards, I would prefer to keep things simple. The Comic Writer’s Journal is a self-contained, versatile tool for bringing stories to life – and the Kickstarter campaign should reflect this. As such, there’s only one reward to choose from: the journal itself.
The Comic Writer’s Journal is available for £10 plus shipping, which will be added later in BackerKit (see below). The journal is a 150-page A5 notebook that contains everything you need to start planning your comic, including a guided introductory section and multiple blank templates for repeated use.
About Backerkit
All rewards and shipping for this project will be managed using BackerKit.
BackerKit is a service that allows you to keep track of your pledge once the project has completed. You can add new items and add-ons at a later date (should you wish) and keep your shipping information up to date. The most important thing to remember is that shipping is not included in your Kickstarter pledge.
Once the rewards are ready to ship you’ll receive a survey from BackerKit, which will allow you to add any extra items, confirm your address, and pay for shipping.
Testimonials
Support the campaign here
The post Help Support Jon Lock’s The Comic Writer’s Journal appeared first on TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE.
A Really Useful Tool For Professional Comic Writers Jon Lock has just launched a really helpful notebook for comic writers on kickstarter and here’s a few details about it… There is no right way to write a comic. Whatever your method – or whatever you’re thinking of doing if you’re just starting out – all
The post Help Support Jon Lock’s The Comic Writer’s Journal appeared first on TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE.Read MoreTRIPWIRE MAGAZINE