words and images by mk swanson
 
Entrails, Vampires and Vixens: Make My Novel Graphic, Please!

Entrails, Vampires and Vixens: Make My Novel Graphic, Please!

PAGE ONE
 
PANEL 1. TRANSITION… overwritten tome sliced ruthlessly down to sleekly plotted 100-page graphic novel. (SFX: Sssssnik!)

I may regret this, but I have committed to writing a comic book/graphic novel script in 30 days. In the past 48 hours, I have read up on formatting, time shifts, thought bubbles, captions and sound effects. I also bought a couple of graphic novels to support me in this endeavor.

Oof! I didn’t remember that the word ‘graphic’ meant like as in ‘graphic content’!

This whirlwind education is the tiniest portion of what I need to know. I will probably NOT be the genre’s next Phil Hester. But I am diving in, anyway. Why?

Because in one day, I have condensed 2500 words down to 1000 and figured out that I need to cut out the first scene, put in a new exciting scene in the first chapter, and dispense with explaining everything. I’ve revved up my dialog, promoted one plot point and demoted another. Woo-hoo!

I am enthralled. My guts are wrung with joy. This is the best rewriting device EVER.

Prompt: Dust off that novel, and make it a comic book!

3 Comments

  1. Genius! I love your cut-to-the-chase, go-for-gold (or is that "balls"), jumping-in-with-both-feet flying leap at this thing.

    AND I can't wait to see what Senya looks like, graphic-ized.

    (It's Senya, right?)

    Hugs.
    Have fun!
    jme/micinte

  2. Hey!

    I just read this post again, and I get it better with a full night's sleep under my belt. (Evidently, I've wandered my entire week half-witted from sleep dep.)

    Anyway, I laughed in all the right places at this read through.

    Thanks for the fun and sheer ballsy adventure of this. Keep cutting. And write about the process in word-blood.

    Hugs,
    JME/oxyhokhz (I'm guessing this is the oxygen-rich supplement I've been missing from my diet. I'm on my way to Whole Foods to buy it. And I bet they'll have it on the shelf.)

  3. I am reviewing some of my old posts, a la your post about tabitha's post response about reading journals (and now I breathe)

    This post reminds me that I LOVE graphic novels. I may never figure out how to get them illustrated, but Wow, do they make great storyboards! Maybe Zini needs a graphic novel treatment.

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