Are you a young writer who wants to spread his wings in the fiction scene? To make your works look unique and different from published fiction novels, why not give a graphic novel a try? Instead of simply packaging the story in the form of a narrative, graphic novel writers also use visual illustrations to make the story seem more alive. Want to know an easy way to make a quality graphic novel? Read on for this article!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Gathering Ideas
Step 1. Develop a plot outline
A quality graphic novel must have a strong and interesting storyline. For that, you need to first create a plot outline which generally consists of five main elements:
- Exposition: At this stage, you begin to briefly formulate the setting, main character, and conflict of the story. For example, your novel exposition is a young alien who lives in a small town and falls in love with a woman from the human race.
- Turning point: This stage contains a moment or event that changes the course of the main character's life. For example, at a turning point in your novel, a female character breaks up with her ex-boyfriend and starts looking for a new partner for the school dance.
- Preclimax: At this stage, you begin to develop the main character and his relationships with the people around him. For example, at the pre-climax of your novel, the alien character begins to spend more time with the girl studying exam material.
- Climax: Climax is the most important aspect of a story. At this stage, the main character has to make the most important decision or choice in his life. For example, at the climax of your novel, an alien character decides to ask the girl to be his partner at the school dance. The woman accepts the invitation and the alien must think about what to do on their first "date".
- Post-climax: In this stage, the main character is faced with the outcome of his decision; this is why generally, this stage is full of action and suspense. For example, in the post-climax of your novel, aliens and girls are dancing together but those around them seem antipathetic to that reality. In addition, the alien figure also has to deal with the mafia who keep trying to chase them both during the dance party.
- Resolution: At this stage, the reader should know the end of the character's journey and whether the character has achieved his goal or not. For example, in the resolution of your novel, the female character helps the alien and the two of them together leave Earth with the help of a UFO.
Step 2. Focus on making the main character unique, engaging, and memorable
Give your main character a unique personality and traits. In other words, avoid characters that are too familiar to readers.
- For example, let's say your character was born with super abilities but has a hard time hiding them from those closest to him. You can also create characters in the form of aliens who are trying to win the hearts of humans.
- You can also focus on a group of characters to broaden the scope of your novel (for example, your main character is a group of friends or a large family).
Step 3. Don't be afraid to explore the setting of the story
Choose a background that brings out the depth of the novel and looks visually appealing. If you want, try choosing a slightly irrational background so that the landscape looks more unique and interesting in the eyes of the reader. You can also choose a setting that is familiar to you, and then tweak it to make it more whimsical (for example, by reversing its position).
For example, you can choose a story setting that resembles Earth but is inhabited by aliens instead of humans. You can also choose a familiar setting like your hometown, but add some weird and irrational elements to make it feel different
Step 4. Choose a specific drawing style
Make your novel look more unique in the eyes of the reader by choosing a drawing style that you like and are good at. If you've been inspired by American manga or comic drawing styles, use that. If you actually want to try a new drawing style, feel free to do so. Choose a drawing style that is unique, has character, and is able to highlight your abilities as an artist.
You should also choose a drawing style that is simple and doesn't take up too much time. After all, after the draft is complete, you can always revise the drawing which is still a sketch
Step 5. Create a storyboard or sketch image
First, try taking a scene from your novel. After that, transfer the scene to a blank sheet of paper and describe each panel in detail; if necessary, also include text or dialogue in the lower corner. Think about how best to represent the characters and settings in the scene. After that, try sketching pictures for other scenes so you know how rough your novel will look when it's finished.
You can draw all panels the same size or experiment with panels of different sizes
Step 6. Read a published graphic novel
To understand the genre better, try reading some of the graphic novels that have been published and are selling well in the market. It's a good idea to find graphic novels with different drawing styles to inspire you. Try reading:
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.
- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui.
- This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki.
- Watchmen by Alan Moore.
- Summer Babe by Adrian Tomine.
Part 2 of 3: Drafting
Step 1. Introduce your character and setting to the reader
The first few pages of your graphic novel should give the reader an idea of the big concept of your novel. For that, start the novel with a scene that shows the main character doing something in the main setting of the story. You can also start the novel with dialogue and pictures that give a little picture of the conflict in the novel.
For example, you could start your novel with a scene where the main character is getting ready to go to school. Show the main character's habits and introduce his school as the main setting of the story
Step 2. Create conflict between characters
A good story always involves conflict or tension between characters; For that, don't be afraid to put your main character in a difficult situation. Give your main character a goal and put down barriers or obstacles that make it difficult for the character to reach that goal. In addition, conflicts can also occur between the main character and other characters around him.
For example, you could create a conflict between the main character and his boss at the office. Throughout the story, show off everything the character is trying to do against the boss; if you want to be more unique, you can even give your main character super powers which he then uses against his bosses
Step 3. Keep character features consistent throughout the novel
When you start drawing, make sure you focus on a few key character features and keep them consistent throughout the novel. Undoubtedly, the contents of your novel will feel more coherent.
- Use a pencil to draw each panel in your graphic novel. The pencil makes it easy for you to make changes to keep the character drawing consistent.
- For example, if your character has a unique hairstyle, make sure you portray it consistently (or at least as closely as it should be) throughout the novel.
Step 4. Arrange an interesting and detailed story setting
Take the reader deeper by engaging interesting setting details (such as unique objects that are relevant to the setting of your story). Remember, what you need to think carefully about is not only character development, but also the setting of the story; By doing so, your story will definitely feel more complete and interesting for readers.
If your novel is set in a school for aliens, include setting details such as a dedicated UFO parking lot, a textbook entitled "How to Pretend to Be Human," and wall clocks with different time zones
Step 5. Include dialogue that can develop characters and story plots
Remember, every dialogue you choose must be able to represent the personality of the character in your novel. In addition, the dialogue must also be able to develop and emphasize the plot of the story. Avoid overly general dialogue such as “Hello,” or “How are you?”; instead, choose dialogue that is specific and able to highlight your character traits.
- For example, you can create certain lines of dialogue that the main character always conveys when he's surprised, such as "Crazy!" or “Bah!”.
- Some graphic novels have very limited dialogue (or no dialogue at all). As a writer, you have the right to decide to communicate the message in the novel through character dialogue or purely visual aspects.
Step 6. End the novel with a resolution or resolution of the conflict
Like any quality story, your graphic novel should end with a resolution or conflict resolution ending. For example, the main character in your novel has to sacrifice something to get what he wants. As another example, your main character finally realizes something about another character and feels the conflict is over after that. Try to make a resolution that is coherent with the overall storyline so that your ending can satisfy the reader.
You can include pictures that describe the conflict resolution process. Alternatively, you can also list the conversations the two characters had to resolve any misunderstandings between them
Step 7. If you are making a series of novels, make sure the ending hangs
Make your readers curious by including the word “To be continued…” at the end of the novel, or include an image that makes the reader understand that the story is not over.
Part 3 of 3: Refining the Draft
Step 1. Show someone else a draft of your graphic novel and ask for their opinion
Does your novel feel unique and interesting to them? Does the visual aspect of your novel also look interesting? To improve the quality of your graphic novel, be willing to be open to constructive criticism and suggestions from others.
Step 2. Read your novel aloud
Listen to how the dialogue goes; Do the sentences in your novel still sound stiff or natural? Also notice if your character has a specific communication style. Trust me, checking the dialogue in the novel can help develop the storyline of your novel.
Reading a novel aloud also helps you notice spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors
Step 3. Re-examine the storyline and plot development in your novel
Make sure every scene in your novel is connected to each other; Also make sure the plot in your novel flows well. Mark any sections that feel less coherent or flowing.
Make sure you also check the plot development flow in your novel. Ideally, the plot development in your novel is in line with the plot outline, and has a clear conflict and climax
Step 4. Revise your novel
Consider all the criticism and suggestions you receive from others; think about your personal opinion too. Take advantage of all these elements to finalize; feel free to throw out the parts that are not really important. In other words, refine your novel to make it more interesting and relevant to the reader.
Step 5. Bold and color your novel
You can do this process manually or with the help of a computer. If you do this manually, make sure you erase any pencil marks that remain after you've bolded the image.
