What A Great Idea! Let Me Help
You've come up with a great idea for a comic book or graphic novel. You've talked to your friends about it and they love it. The problem is, you don't really know where to start. Maybe you're not a writer. Maybe you just need some help organizing your thoughts.
That's where story development comes in. It's a service I offer to help turn your ideas into something more substantial. Most people want to jump straight into writing a story, but with something like a comic book, where you'll have multiple people working on your project, there's quite a bit of groundwork to establish first.
What goes into a Story Development Package?
What I offer with a story development package is a collection of pieces put together specifically for other people to use as the base of a “production bible”. It includes: story development, character development, basic world building, (up to) 12 issues of story outline (roughly a page per issue), and pre-pitch documentation (logline, synopsis, other general information). What I don’t include is scriptwriting and character sketches, but I like to recommend my friend and artist, Chris Staggs.
This is all pretty easily stated, but the effort that goes into it can be pretty intense. In film, tv, and animation, this is usually referred to as a “production bible”, but will include some scripts and character sketches (turnarounds, character specific do’s and don’t’s, vehicles drawings, weapon drawings, backgrounds, etc).
To give you a visual, here are some bits and pieces from some production bibles of popular animated series.
Images: Spiderman (90s cartoon, turnaround and poses); Batman (Batman: The Animated Series, "black overlap theory"); Brock Sampson (Venture Bros, "Beware the Fatal Flaws of Brock"). These are great examples of the type of material you might find in a full production bible.
It goes without saying that in order to create a solid story development package, I would require some definite one-on-one time with the creator to squeeze out the last drop of information as I go about organizing and expanding on it in a way that benefits their story.
Why would I want a Story Development Package?
If you're working with a creative team, everyone should have access to the package: the writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, and even the people working on the cover. A character's appearance, personality, and background can influence everything from their dialogue to how that dialogue is lettered. The mood and themes of the story can make a big impact on writing, which in turn affects everything else.
Images: Dream and Azazel (Sandman #27), Delirium and Dream and normal people (The Sandman #43), and Death and Dream (The Sandman #8). You can see how the dialogue is different between all of these characters, while Dream's dialogue looks consistent throughout.
A story development package is something you can send to everyone to ensure consistency and establish the rules for your characters and story. It's also a living document that you can add to as the project develops. Perhaps your colorist works out a fantastic color scheme and you add their color palettes to the package for future reference (and consistency!). You might even want to start adding a copy of each issue cover since cover artists frequently change.
What is Pre-Pitch Documentation?
Pre-pitch documentation is a pitch letter and supporting information that you might need to make a pitch. When I put this together it’s usually 90% complete. I leave it up to you to add people on your creative team and a little blurb about yourself as the creator. I have it as part of the Story Development Package ($300 flat fee), but it is also something I can help with as a standalone piece ($50 flat fee). [see COMMISSION]
Getting a pitch ready can be a difficult thing. In general, a cover letter is part of it. Different publishers have different submission requirements. Some want to see sample art pages (anywhere from 5–20 pages, depending on the publisher), some want a mock cover, and others want a complete issue-by-issue series outline. One thing I will do, is send you a copy of my list of publishers that you can submit your stuff to.
When don’t I need a Story Development Package?
If you are working with the same team on a graphic novel or a one-shot series, you could possibly not have a story development package. You could take on an on-going comic series without one, if you really wanted to. You’ll field a lot of questions from your team that could be answered directly with a story development package. The goal here is to make it easier on yourself and your team.
At the end of the day, your great idea is just the beginning. Turning it into a comic book or graphic novel takes planning, organization, and a fair amount of creative problem-solving. Whether you're starting from scratch or already have a few pieces figured out, I can help you put everything together so you can get on with the fun part: actually making your comic book.
Have an idea you want to develop? Check out my Commission page and let's talk.
Posted a little early because I'll be out of town on Wednesday. Future posts will be out every Wednesday.
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