Writers/ storytellers- looking out for ideas? Ive come up with some prompts to try out. Feel free to submit your own prompts in the comments. COMIC WRITING PROMPTS (Part 1) Note: “Short story”= 22 pages or under 1. Write a Pitch treatment for an ongoing graphic novel or miniseries, as if you were pitching it to a publisher. (This will help you analyze the core of pitch-writing, synopsis, and what makes a story ‘tick’). 2. Rewrite/ restructure the plot of a movie gone bad. What was wrong with the structure of the old movie? What would you change? How can this be refocused into a new story? What are the missing beats or characterizations? 3. Pick an artist with a strong, highly distinguishable visual style- pick an artist you’re not so familiar with, and analyze their work. For example, Mike Mignola; Kajo Baldisimo; Jim Lee; Colleen Doran; Dan Decarlo. For example, Mike Mignola is known for moody gothic adventure. Colleen Doran is known for baroque, elegant art-nouveau-ish lines; Jim Lee for slick superhero stories; Kajo for moody horror with a fantasy feel; Dan Decarlo for shapely girls and comedy. You wouldn’t give Kajo an action comedy, but you might give it to Decarlo. What do the artists prefer to draw? What are their weaknesses? Write a short story tailored to their strengths and style. 4. Pick a well-known story- a fairytale, an existing superhero archetype, a movie, etc.- and change genres. For example: Star Wars (sci fi fantasy space opera) becomes horror- what changes? For example: Little Red Riding Hood in the modern world- say, a political spy thriller. Write a treatment and short story based on this new hybrid story. What elements change? What elements stay the same? 5. A comic story told in reverse- from last chronological scene to beginning chronological scene. Does it still make sense? (ala the movie ‘Brick’). Or other formal experiments. 6. A story in which ONE COLOR plays a significant role. Hard Mode: no body fluids. 7. A 5-6 page story featuring only talking heads- that is, two people in conversation about something. No actions or big scene changes, just talking. How would you stage it? Pacing? Camera angles? Body language? How would you symbolize their conversation visually? Lastly, what could they possibly be talking about? 8. Set limitations on yourself: Choose a page count (preferably 22 pages or under).Choose a character that appeals to you (change their name). Choose a devastating starting event, a hook that changes their life forever. What are the effects of that change? Steve Rogers- loses his serum and youth, suddenly Cap is black. The change is permanent. Go from there. HARD MODE: No white male characters. 9. A comic centered on a place, whether real or imaginary, that requires your character to interact with the setting in a way that’s significant to the story. Make the place as much a character as the characters themselves. For example: a post-apocalyptic radioactive city that forces your character to hunt other humans for food in an unforgiving terrain. Bed Bugs crawling around your room, navigating the mattress being their gross bed bug selves. Again, limit yourself to 22 pages or under. 10. Time limits: a story that expands from a short span of time (minutes and seconds) to eons. A story that takes place in split seconds, or across great swathes of time. 11. Wordless comics- a comic told entirely in visuals and sound effects, but no dialogue or captions.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:38:40 +0000
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