(LAST UPDATED: 1/15/08)

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (click to jump)

01) Comic Writers’ Store
02) ENGINE Archive
03) Writing For Comics (General)
04) Comic Writing Columns
05) Publications
06) The Idea
07) The Characters
08) The Plot
09) Scripting
10) Sample Scripts
11) Pacing and Pageflow
12) Working With an Artist
13) Working With a Letterer
14) Writing the Pitch
15) Preparing a Successful Submission
16) Interacting With Editors
17) From the Editors’ Perspective
18) Short Comics
19) Staying In After Breaking In
20) Miscellaney

I now have a COMIC WRITERS’ STORE. In addition to a slew of books specifically about writing comics, it also has sub-categories of books on Lettering, Self-Publishing and Trades With Special Features of Interest to Writers. Click here to visit:

THE ENGINE has, alas, passed away and is no more. It was a fantastic resource for creators, and I saved as many discussions as I could, most of them being in some way about writing. I will eventually move the appropriate threads into their appropriate topics here on this page, but it’s a lot of information to go through. In the meantime you can visit my entire ENGINE archive here.

12/6/07 UPDATE: While less comic-centric, Warren Ellis has returned to the world of online communities with the FreakAngels companion board Whitechapel.

WRITING FOR COMICS (GENERAL):

The Craft - Alan Moore interviewed by Daniel Whiston
Writing Comics (part 1, part 2 and part 3) by Warren Ellis
Advice on Writing Comics and Breaking In by Brian K. Vaughan
Writing for comics by Kurt Busiek
Writing Comics - Warren Ellis interviewed by Neil Kleid
Writing comics by Mike Baron
Writer’s Style Guide by Christopher Priest
No Golden Biscuits (Breaking In) by Chuck Dixon
Comics Writing Fundamentals by Jennifer de Guzman
Script Writing by Alan Moore and Jeph Loeb
How 2 Rite Gud by Andy Mangels and Jonathan Clements
Comics Storytelling Tips That Work by John Freeman
How to Survive Writing a Graphic Novel by Grady Klein
Writing for Comics by Anina Bennett
Writing for Comic Books by Joe Edkin
Writing Comic Books by Barry Lyga

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COMIC WRITING COLUMNS:

Making Good by myself (be sure to check out the entire Columns section at Scryptuc Studios–the entire site, and therefore all the columns, are dedicated to the craft of writing comics)
“Creating Comics Step By Step” by Steven Grant (a series within his regular Permanent Damage column)
Come In Alone and The Ministry (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6) by Warren Ellis
What Th–? by Marv Wolfman
The Basement Tapes by Joe Casey and Matt Fraction
Dixonverse Articles by Chuck Dixon
12-Step Program by Dan Wickline
The Process by Sean Boyle and Keith Dallas
Writing Comic Books/Strips by Dave A. Law

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PUBLICATIONS:

(These publications do not currently appear on Amazon. For all other publications, please visit my extensive Amazon Comic Writers’ Store above.)

Gods and Tulips by Neil Gaiman
Write Now! Magazine
Wizard Xtra! Volume 1 Director’s Commentaries
Invincible Script Book and The Walking Dead Script Book by Robert Kirkman

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THE IDEA:

The Idea by Steven Grant
So, Where Do You Get Your Ideas? by Marv Wolfman
Where Do You Get Your Ideas? by Chuck Dixon
The Idea by Dan Wickline
The Idea by Sean Boyle and Keith Dallas

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THE CHARACTERS:

Characters and Characterization by Steven Grant
Developing Characters, Villains Intro and Once, Twice, Three Times a Bad Guy by Chuck Dixon
The Characters by Dan Wickline

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THE PLOT:

Plot (part 1 and part 2) by Steven Grant
Writing the Plot (part 1, part 2 and part 3) by Marv Wolfman
The Plot (And How to Hide It) and How to Work a Subplot(s) by Chuck Dixon
The Plot (part 1 and part 2) by Dan Wickline

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SCRIPTING:

Script Writing by Alan Moore and Jeph Loeb
The Script and Dialogue (part 1 and part 2) by Steven Grant
The Mechanics of Writing Comicbooks (part 1, part 2 and part 3) by Joe Casey and Matt Fraction
Scripting the Light Fantastic by Marv Wolfman
The Ten Commandments of Comic Book Scriptwriting by Chuck Dixon
The Script (part 1 and part 2) by Dan Wickline
The Anatomy of a Comic Book by Jeffery Stevenson
Script Writing Terminology by Brian Dittfeld
How to Format a Comic Script (part 1: full script and part 2: plot style) by Dave A. Law
Scripts by Sean Boyle and Keith Dallas

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SAMPLE SCRIPTS:

Download the Dark Horse Script Guide as a Word document or PDF.
Dark Blue by Warren Ellis
Teen Titans #34 by Geoff Johns
Script Archive by Christopher Priest
Various sample scripts by Dwayne McDuffie
The Black Terror: The Deep End by Beau Smith
Various script samples by Anina Bennett

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PACING AND PAGEFLOW:

Paneling, Pacing and Layout in Comics and Manga (part 1 and part 2) by Rivkah
The Page and How to Work It and More on the Page Turn by Chuck Dixon
On Timing by Joanna Estep

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WORKING WITH AN ARTIST:

Finding an Artist and Creators’ Rights by Dan Wickline
Locating the Artist, Hiring the Artist and Contracts by Sean Boyle and Keith Dallas
Working With Artists by Dave A. Law

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WORKING WITH A LETTERER:

The Three Rs of Lettering (part 1, part 2 and part 3) - Richard Starkings, Robbie Robbins and Robin Spehar interviewed by Jason Hanley
The Writer/Letterer Relationship - Richard Starkings interviewed by myself
Balloons are Round by Christopher Priest

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WRITING THE PITCH:

The Pitch by Warren Ellis
So How Do I Pitch…? - Tony Lee interviews Joshua Hale Fialkov, Lee Nordling, Michael Avon Oeming, Andy Schmidt, Heidi MacDonald, Rob Levin, Keith Giffen and Andrew Foley
The Pitch and Black as Pitch by Steven Grant
Writing Your Pitch by Drew Melbourne
What It Takes to Sell Your Pitch (part 2, part 3) by Lee Nordling
Do or Do Not; There Is No Try by Larry Young
Writing the Synopsis, from the 2000AD submissions page.
Some sample proposals by Dwayne McDuffie
Writing Submissions by Dave A. Law

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PREPARING A SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION:

First of all, be sure to read and follow the submissions guidelines of the publisher you’re submitting to. For links to the submission guidelines of over 80 comics publishers, visit my Creator Services page.

Proposal Etiquette - Scott Allie, Jim Valentino, Larry Young, William Christensen, Jeff Mariotte, Erik Larsen, Joe Quesada, Bill Rosemann and Paul Benjamin interviewed by Dan Wickline
Getting Your Submission Read by Erik Larsen, Devin Grayson, John Ostrander and Chuck Dixon
On her blog, SLG editor Jennifer DeGuzman does a series where she goes through their submission slushpile and points out people’s mistakes.
Top 10 Tips for Comic Book Writers (pertains especially to preparing a proposal) by Image Shadowline editor Kris Simon.
“The Rule of Four Ps” when submitting by C.B. Cebulski
Selling the Story by Christopher Priest
Submitting to Image - Jim Valentino interviewed by Dan Wickline
What Editors Look For in a Submission by John Freeman
Submissions, The 5-Page Trap by Ty Gorton
Here’s the pitch that sold Postcards to Random House/Villard.
For a good lesson in succinctness, the Image and Dark Horse submission guidelines succinctly cover what a fairly standard submission should contain.

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INTERACTING WITH EDITORS:

How to Approach an Editor at a Convention - Scott Allie interviewed by Dan Wickline
How to Talk to an Editor and A Little Convention Etiquette by Chuck Dixon
Live Pitching at Conventions by John Freeman

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FROM THE EDITORS’ PERSPECTIVE:

What My Job Entails by Image Shadowline editor Kris Simon.
Editorial Control - An ongoing column by Jason Rodriguez giving an editor’s-eye-view of the job.
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by SLG editor Jennifer de Guzman (she also maintains a LiveJournal)
Style Guide by Christopher Priest
Breaking Into the Big Two by Tom Brevoort and Johanna Draper Carlson
An interview with a Big Two editor.
An interview with several top anthology editors.

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SHORT COMICS:
Short Comics Part 1 - Phil Hester interviewed by myself
Short Comics Part 2 - Hope Donovan, Kazu Kibuishi, Joe Pruett and Jason Rodriguez interviewed by myself
Short Comics by Joe Casey and Matt Fraction
Fill-Ins, One-Shots and Inventory Stories by Chuck Dixon

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STAYING IN AFTER BREAKING IN:

Staying In After Breaking In by Joe Casey and Matt Fraction
Getting There is Only Half the Battle by Dan Wickline

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MISCELLANEY:

Alan Moore Interview Index (extensive list of links to online interviews 1984-present)
Grant Morrison Interview Archive (extensive list covering 1976-2006)
Getting Things Written by Antony Johnston
Theme and Setting by Steven Grant
DMZ #4 notes by Brian Wood
Reactive Writing, Staying Connected vs. Getting Lost and Endings by Joe Casey and Matt Fraction
Openings and How to Work Them and Stupid Gun Mistakes EVERY Writer Makes by Chuck Dixon
Writing Action Scenes by John Rogers
Scryptic Studios is a comic writing website and has a terrific resource page.
Comparative word counts on various Spider-Man pages by Bully (NOTE - I do not necessarily agree with the poster’s apparent point that more is more, but a good writer should have both approaches in their toolbox)

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