The Craft

Have you ever drafted a graphic novel? Lots of young writers set out to write their first comics-based story, but find themselves not really sure of where to start. At first, it can seem like the process wouldn’t be that different from working on a traditional novel, but anyone who’s written a comic can tell you there are lots of quirky differences in the process. Every comic artist I know has a completely different drafting style, and the only thing that’s consistent is that every young writer must experiment and learn what type of drafting works best for them!

My preference seems to be a bit more geared towards storyboarding. My first step in writing a graphic novel is writing a long bullet point list of things that happen in the story. I start really simply, putting in my beginning scene, my main first conflict scene, my resolution, and my ending scene. Once I have the larger, overarching narrative set, I start to work out all the scenes that happen in between those beats. I almost never start right at the beginning of the story, straight through to the end, as I tend to try and focus on writing out scenes I’m most excited about first.

There’s almost no dialogue involved at this point – unless I came up with something really genius in the bulleting phase and managed to scribble it down before I forgot it! Once I have a really solid grasp on the flow of the story, I’ll start to thumbnail out my pages. For those unfamiliar, ‘thumbnailing’ is an artist’s term for the beginning sketches of a project. In my case, I like my thumbnails really loose so I can change things easily. Stick figures are welcome here!

Thumbnailing is my favorite part of the drafting process. I get to start thinking about the book’s visual identity for the first time. What kind of style will I go for? Is there a certain color palette reaching out to me already? As someone who considers myself an illustrator first and a writer second, I find that skipping a more traditional drafting process helps me get to the page faster. This helps keep me engaged with the process and puzzling out the look of the project.

I also make very sure that I have enough space in the panels I’m sketching to fit dialogue! One common mistake I see folks make is designing beautiful panels with no space for speech bubbles to sit. I also find that when I try to write dialogue before working on the art, I end up writing way more text than could ever realistically fit on a single comic page. Trying to squeeze text in as an afterthought can be really challenging! Even if I’m not entirely sure what the character’s final dialogue will be, I’ll try to leave a speech bubble there, even if what I’ve written is… less than final edit material.

Once I feel I have a really good grasp of a chunk of pages, I start writing out my script. If I were left to my own devices, I’d probably just let the whole story live in my head, and edit text by hand, writing it directly into my thumbnails. I recognize that this could be a pretty fiddly way for an editor or letter to understand my final visit for a project, though! I simply review my thumbnails and transcribe everything from visual elements into a screenplay format, which is really common in film writing. My comics process tends to borrow more from a film writer’s point of view than a traditional novelist’s.

This is the finishing-up stage of the writing section. I revisit clunky dialogue, start getting revisions from my editors, and go in and revise thumbnails I don’t think are working. The process starts to become very fluid, making art edits from my script and vice versa. Sometimes I write a piece of dialogue I love, but I might need to tweak the art a bit to make it make sense.

Before I know it (or maybe a couple months later,) I have an entire graphic novel drafted out! Once I have my manuscript and thumbnails, all that’s left is to create the final art, which is an entire journey in itself.  Drafting can be a tricky and frustrating process, but I really encourage you to try and be playful and find your own process that makes drafting sing!

If you worry graphic novels don't offer enough depth for your children, consider how difficult it is to get kids to read and how engaging these books are to those in middle school and up. While you probably want a variety of literature types mixed into your family reading time, there is a place for graphic novels in the equation.

In the most recent survey available, comics and graphic novels grossed $1.015 billion in North America alone. Graphic novels are now becoming more popular around the globe. Lest you think the topics are shallow, that isn't always the case. "March: Book 3" was the first graphic novel to receive the National Book Award. The story is about the Civil Rights movement and touches on important historical moments. It offers a great opportunity for more in-depth discussions with your children. 

Here are some ways to get the most out of reading graphic novels with your children:

One of the great things about a graphic novel is that even pre-readers engage with the imagesin the book. Early readers sometimes use the illustrations to relate to a story before they recognize the actual words on the page. Gather the whole family and let each person tell part of the story. For children who aren't yet reading, ask them to explain what's happening in the photos and then read the text on the page, so the older readers don't grow frustrated.

In one study, researchers found that students who started the year as struggling readers but ended above average spent about six additional minutes a dayreading than their less successful peers. If a graphic novel is what it takes to engage your child and get them to read more frequently, then encourage them.

Even if you don't always read aloud with your children, try to read the same books they are. This allows you to open up discussions with your kids about what's going on in the novel and helps them with comprehension and deeper thinking. If your family reads "The Breadwinner" together, you can ask what they think about the character going to prison and if it's unfair and why. Any type of reading is beneficial, but especially when your child learns to love a good book.

Enhancing Comprehension and Vocabulary

Graphic novels significantly enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary. The combination of visual and textual storytelling helps readers decode complex narratives. Further, readers learn to infer meaning from the text and the images. Readers analyze the pictures and the words as the story’s plot develops. As the Northwestern Center for Talent Development wrote, “This provides information in both verbal and visual formats, which helps readers retain information better as it is presented in the two formats.” Research has shown that graphic novels can improve students’ reading skills. For instance, a study published in the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature found that students who read graphic novels scored higher on comprehension tests than those who read traditional texts. The visual context provided by the illustrations helps readers grasp the storyline and character motivations more easily, which can be particularly beneficial for struggling readers or those learning a second language.

Bridging Reading Gaps

Graphic novels serve as a bridge for reluctant readers, helping them transition from picture books to more complex texts. Their engaging format can motivate students who are otherwise disinterested in reading. For example, a middle school student who finds traditional novels daunting might be more inclined to pick up a graphic novel, thus fostering a habit of reading that can extend to other forms of literature.

Enhancing Curriculum

Graphic novels can be valuable additions to educational curricula. They can teach various subjects, from history to science to literature. For example, books like The Iliad and Poe: Stories and Poems have been adapted to graphic novel forms to bridge the literacy access gap. These works can make historical events more accessible and engaging for students.

Developing Critical Thinking

Reading graphic novels requires the integration of visual and textual literacy, which can enhance critical thinking skills. Readers must interpret the interplay between images and words, analyze the sequence of panels, and understand the visual cues that guide the narrative. This multimodal form of literacy is increasingly important in our digital age, where text and imagery often convey information.

Support for ESL Learners

Graphic novels are particularly effective for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. The visual context provided by the images helps these students understand new vocabulary and complex language structures more easily. Research indicates that graphic novels can improve reading comprehension and language acquisition in ESL contexts by providing visual clues that aid understanding.