How to Make a Graphic Novel
The Terrible Anvil
Dialogue and Writing for Comics
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Dialogue and Writing for Comics

Episode 19 of The Terrible Anvil with Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart

Last week we recorded the penultimate episode of The Terrible Anvil, this time discussing scripts, dialogue, and writing for comics!

Art (slightly adapted) from Jess Ruliffson!

The words we use and how they are arranged on the page can guide readers' understanding of our comics and influence how they feel about a story and its characters. But how do you pick the right words? How much is too much dialogue? How can you make sure readers understand your text the way you intend?

Tune in for answers to these questions and more from Jess and Tom!

Some quick tips:

  1. If you've got a lot of dialogue from one speaker, break up the text into multiple balloons to give readers space to digest what they're saying

  2. Read your dialogue out loud to make sure it sounds natural

  3. Try not to repeat information that the images are already conveying, unless the text is there to clarify what's happening in the visuals—if your drawing is lousy, a good caption will help the reader 'believe' the story!

There's even more on the call, so give it a listen! And join us on Friday for the FINAL EPISODE!!!!

You can watch the call live by joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll also get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published!

Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

See you for the finale!

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Discussion about this podcast

How to Make a Graphic Novel
The Terrible Anvil
How do you make comics without all the frustration? Without feeling lousy and inadequate all the time? With the Terrible Anvil of daily deadlines! And a community, and mindset shift about what it means to make comics and art. Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart are working through the whole process, one piece at a time, turning frustration into fun and glee.