What does it take to create comics? Award winning graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang has been collaborating with his brother-in-law Luke to help him create his first comic book.
Gene has been offering guidance, suggesting exercises, and essentially acting as an editor for Luke. The collaborators decided to chronicle the process on Gene’s blog “so other folks could see what the development of a comics creator looks like.”
Thus far, three episodes have been posted. Gene’s own editor Mark Siegel, the editorial director of First Second Books, chimed in with a tip in the comments section of the first post. We’ve collected three pieces of advice below so that other writers can glean from Gene’s wisdom.
(1) Gene feels that one must cultivate good habits at the start. He believes that “you’re not just making a comic, you’re making a way of life that supports making comics. Your life is the comics-making factory. You need to come up with a writing/drawing habit and stick to it. Set aside time on a weekly or even daily basis to work on your comic.”
(2) Gene recommends introducing an active protagonist at the beginning of the story. “By the end of the first act, we need a clear sense of the protagonist’s deepest desire. We need to have seen a call to action, what folks refer to as a spark or an inciting incident. This is an event that turns the protagonist’s world upside down. This is Bruce Wayne’s parents getting killed, Peter Parker getting bitten by a radioactive spider, Buzz Lightyear landing on Andy’s bed. We also need to see the protagonist’s response to that call to action. That’s what sets the second act in motion. All of this requires an active protagonist.”
(3) Gene warns that “when it comes to withholding information, you have to walk this fine line. You must intrigue without confusing.”