Aftermath

[rowyn]

Where to start?

One moment I remember from the challenge, in the wee hours of the morning as I was inking the last pages: "24 hours ago I didn't even know their names." By then, I could barely remember what the first pages were like, they seemed so long ago and far away from the ending that I was working on now.

I didn't even know their names. I didn't know the story I was going to tell. I sat down at 6:59AM, and waited for a miracle to happen.

No, that's not true: I sat down at 6:59AM and started working to make it happen.

Even before I started, I knew pretty well how my muse works. I'd done three individual test pages and one mini-comic. I knew if I sat down with no idea what I was going to do, but had the resolve to do something, then something would come to me.

Usually several somethings.

One of the things I consciously decided I wanted was something light-hearted. I wanted playful, funny characters who would be fun to draw.

Various things influenced the process. I got the idea for the character's names from a piece of artwork I'd been looking at the night before that personified emotions. The choice of faeries was doubtless influenced by my first test page. I considered various directions to go with the idea, scribbling down notes and possible dialogue. I used none of the possible dialogue. That's okay, writing down things I don't use is part of the process. I considered various angles for the overall plot, and rejected several. In fact, I almost rejected the whole idea, names and everything, and was in the midst of trying for something else when Lut came over to interrupt me with a question about laundry.*

That inspired the me; suddenly, the characters gelled and I wanted to do my first page.

I took a few more minutes to decide on the overall plot and resolution, then wrote in my little yellow notebook:

"It's been twenty-five minutes, I think this is as good as I get".

At 7:25AM, I started drawing.

*No, Lut and I didn't bicker over the laundry. But it was an inspirational moment: "Do faeries fight over chores?"

Comments

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Good plan. };)

[rowyn]

I'd originally thought I'd do actual scripting beforehand -- write dialogue and draw thumbnails. Or at least an outline. Something. Instead, all I did was get my central conflict and resolution straight in my head.

But I think that was the right plan. It was enough to hang my plot on, I didn't really need more.

Plot

[krud42.livejournal.com]

I try not to form a complete plot before I go into something, whether it's a story, comic, or whatever; they often form themselves (granted, with necessary changes later). Too often I find that if I actually figure out what all I'm doing ahead of time,including the conflict/resolution, then the "fun" is gone for me, and I'm less compelled to finish. (I think this is what killed the "Krud novel". And perhaps the "Portals novel", but i've not officially abandoned that one yet.)

Re: Plot

[rowyn]

I find that I work best from somewhere in between "knowing everything that will happen" and "no idea where I'm going with this". With "Prophecy", I had a complete outline to work from -- but still wound up changing and adding a bunch of things, and in fact dramatically changed the resolution.

With "Silver Scales", which has had the best ratio of "level of agony involved in writing' (very little) to "level of actual writing done" (quite a bit and still going after two years, albeit in fits and starts),* I had the resolution within a few weeks of starting it, and my plan for the resolution hasn't changed. But large portions of the middle I didn't know until I got to them, and I never did write an outline for it.

* This is compared to "Prophecy", which I finished in three years with much agonizing, or to any number of high-school-era projects, which I generally abandoned if there was much pain involved in working on them.

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

Yes, get the general plot going and follow it.

Very cool, Once again! *puurr!*

[rowyn]

*petpet* Thank you. I had a blast doing it, really. Well, I did by the time I finidshed page 7, at least. :)