I've been having a MAJOR case of writer's block for some time now, and I was wondering, how long of a series do I aim for? It's a sci-fi/mystery series, if that helps. Should I aim for 5 volumes, 20 volumes, or some number in between? I want the mystery element to be strong, but I also want to show the story of two broken people and how they both come to terns with themselves and repent for what they've done (and fall in love in the process). What do I do?
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From a practical standpoint, consider your publishing medium. If you are planning to print your comic, the length and number of issues will weigh heavily in your costs, which might cause you to make your story shorter or more condense.
If you are publishing a webcomic, you aren't limited by printing costs and have much more freedom, but you will still have to maintain a regular publishing schedule.
Also consider your artist. It takes almost no time to write the words "This panel is a big dramatic landscape with hundreds of animals and plants all around", but it would take a very long time to draw that. Communicate with the rest of your creative team to make those decisions.
It would be really cool to have at least one other person(on line or off) you could bounce ideas off of, and talk through a story plot with. Talking through your ideas and placing them in order can feel stiff and 'unmagical' when you first start but really helps in clearing out the writer's-block blockage.
If outlining doesn't work well for you, it may be because that isn't your style. I've been attending Webinars from Jerry B. Jenkins, and he (plus also writers like Stephen King) writes by a process of discovery. For example: you've got two broken people. How did they get broken? Were they broken before they met? After? Whose point of view do you prefer? Pick a place to start, throw your character's life into chaos :) and find out what happens. These are questions to think about but if you don't know the exact answer, that's okay. It sounds like you have a general idea of where the story will go. My personal recommendation, feel free to throw it out, change it, or bounce off of it, would be to not get caught up in the length of the story. That can cause you to feel stressed out by the scope of the project or boxed in because there's not enough time to tell the story. Follow the heart of the story, and it will be as long as it needs to be, not a word more or less. You've got the story inside. Now comes the work getting it out. You've got this. I'd look forward to reading it if you ever need feedback or publish it.
Replies
From a practical standpoint, consider your publishing medium. If you are planning to print your comic, the length and number of issues will weigh heavily in your costs, which might cause you to make your story shorter or more condense.
If you are publishing a webcomic, you aren't limited by printing costs and have much more freedom, but you will still have to maintain a regular publishing schedule.
Also consider your artist. It takes almost no time to write the words "This panel is a big dramatic landscape with hundreds of animals and plants all around", but it would take a very long time to draw that. Communicate with the rest of your creative team to make those decisions.
It would be really cool to have at least one other person(on line or off) you could bounce ideas off of, and talk through a story plot with. Talking through your ideas and placing them in order can feel stiff and 'unmagical' when you first start but really helps in clearing out the writer's-block blockage.
If outlining doesn't work well for you, it may be because that isn't your style. I've been attending Webinars from Jerry B. Jenkins, and he (plus also writers like Stephen King) writes by a process of discovery. For example: you've got two broken people. How did they get broken? Were they broken before they met? After? Whose point of view do you prefer? Pick a place to start, throw your character's life into chaos :) and find out what happens. These are questions to think about but if you don't know the exact answer, that's okay. It sounds like you have a general idea of where the story will go. My personal recommendation, feel free to throw it out, change it, or bounce off of it, would be to not get caught up in the length of the story. That can cause you to feel stressed out by the scope of the project or boxed in because there's not enough time to tell the story. Follow the heart of the story, and it will be as long as it needs to be, not a word more or less. You've got the story inside. Now comes the work getting it out. You've got this. I'd look forward to reading it if you ever need feedback or publish it.
Sincerely,
Raquel
Allen Smerchansky said: