I can't remember where I heard it but this reminds me of the idea that every scene needs to either move the plot forward or show character development.
Everything on the page has to matter. If you read a comic, screenplay, novel with this in mind you can almost always see the relevance and the ripples. It's a fun experiment.
Those ripples are what compel readers to keep turning pages. As long as the moment matters to the character enough to impact the next scene in some way, you're on the right track.
Right on. I hope it helps when you take a look at your next story. It's not always easy to recognize, but once you start to see it in your own work, it's hard to unsee it (which is good).
Glad you liked it. Looking back, I already sort of wish I had made the post more...emphatic. It really is the big, underlying problem I see in so many scripts I edit (and many published indie comics, too).
Great advice James!
I can't remember where I heard it but this reminds me of the idea that every scene needs to either move the plot forward or show character development.
Everything on the page has to matter. If you read a comic, screenplay, novel with this in mind you can almost always see the relevance and the ripples. It's a fun experiment.
Those ripples are what compel readers to keep turning pages. As long as the moment matters to the character enough to impact the next scene in some way, you're on the right track.
Okay... The subject line caught my attention... And this is hands down the best advice I've heard in a long time on writing impactful comics.
Right on. I hope it helps when you take a look at your next story. It's not always easy to recognize, but once you start to see it in your own work, it's hard to unsee it (which is good).
This is solid gold advice. Thank you so much! This has woken me up, for sure.
Glad you liked it. Looking back, I already sort of wish I had made the post more...emphatic. It really is the big, underlying problem I see in so many scripts I edit (and many published indie comics, too).