Drawing Manga - Story and Plot

Okay, a solid story/plot line is the first thing you'll need to make a good manga. Personally, I'd rather read a comic with an incredible story and amateurish art than a comic with incredible art and an amateurish story. In most cases, it's the story that will keep readers coming back, even if it is the art that first catches their attention.

Sounds daunting, ne?



The process of creating a story is kind of hard to explain, since pretty much everyone has their own way of doing it.


What I find happens to me is some new character pops into my head and shoves their life story down my throat. Or they show up, hang around for a while, and then shove their life story down my throat.


Most stories are like a jigsaw puzzle or a patchwork quilt, with bits and pieces taken from other people's works, beliefs, current events, even the mood of the storyteller. This isn't an excuse to rip someone else's idea. Originality is the key. Take something a bit overdone, and do something totally different. As Herman Melville said, "It's better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."


Of course, you don't have to start with something that's been done before. That's the wonderful thing about comics. It's an underdeveloped medium; there are no real guidelines on what you can and cannot do. Whatever kind of story you want to tell, you can tell. All you have to do is stick with it.


Now, you don't have to go into insane detail here, although I highly recommend taking notes. What you need to do is make sure your main plot is solid, and you won't suddenly be compelled to change it halfway through the story.


I find that the best way is to just let things mull around in your head for a while. Don't try to force every little bit you think is cool into your story. Just think about them and your characters will tell you if it's something they will or will not do. (We'll go more into this in the charry tut)


Going back to the jigsaw analogy...

Imagine doing a 1000 piece puzzle without the box. You have no idea what the bigger picture is, but you'll start to piece together bits; a quest here, an adventure there. Eventually the image will become clear, and you'll just know what your main storyline will be.


I hope this helps. Pester me if you have questions or whatever. :3


On to the next Tut - DM- Creating Characters

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