This will be the first in a series of 52 posts where I actually write something meaty. I know I’ve lost out on one week, so this week you’ll get 2 awesomely crafted posts, lucky (sorry if this post sounds a bit pompous, I’ve been watching A LOT of House recently, Hugh Laurie has never been better, not even in Black Adder).

So what am I going to talk about? I’m going to concentrate on the creative process that I’m currently employing in creating my first graphic novel (which I’ve taken a 6 month sabbatical to progress and reflect on my life). So far I’m 2 months into the process so I thought it would be good to talk about where I am right now with the process, what I’ve learnt and what you can learn if you’re thinking of doing the same thing.

This took a little while but the basic tip I have to give is when you are going to write and draw a graphic novel you have to just get on and do it. If you’re like me, you probably think you’re not professional enough to get on with it. Your art isn’t up to professional standard, your characters aren’t well developed, you’re just not THERE yet.

See the problem is, you’re never going to get THERE, unless you actually start with the process. Unless you put pen/pencil to paper, it’s not going to happen.

So how do you actually start your graphic novel? Well, obviously you need an idea, and you have to want to SAY something. You could be wanting to make a fluff piece on something, or make an action thriller about something, but I don’t care about that. I want graphic novels that push the medium forward, that make you appreicate the piece of art that you are holding in your hands, that is what I’m talking about.

After the Comica Competition, I finally found my method. It did take a while to understand it but here’s the first step of the process. Get your idea, and break it down in ACTS. These ACTS should be no more than a sentence. The describe your entire story in a single paragraph.

The idea is that you take something that is going to take a year to 2 years to make into smaller bite sized pieces, that you can actually digest quickly and easily. You instantly know what you are getting yourself into. You understand where the story is going. What the hook is, what the twist is. You get the skeleton of the story and that is a simple start.

Next post I’ll tell you what you do with that paragraph.