2.5 Drafting: Using a Panelled Layout
2.5 Drafting: Using a Panelled Layout
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Write a draft of my graphic novel using panelled layout
Write dialogue bubbles and narration boxes to help move the plot forward
A. What is Drafting?
Authors take the ideas they come up with while planning, and put them into
the written form during the drafting stage.
We write out our points in complete sentences during this stage1.
Creating a draft is like making a rough outline of what you want to happen in
your story or how things will unfold. It is like making a practice version of
something before we make the final version1.
We have the freedom to explore and expand more ideas. This involves
providing supporting details, adding examples or instances to improve and
enhance your story1.
Note: At this point, the author may not be concerned with grammar, spelling, or perfect phrasing. The purpose here is to allow ideas to flow, and develop a rough draft.
B. Why Do We Create a Draft?
Helps plan the storytelling structure: Often, when we draw a picture, we begin with a pencil to create the basic shapes and lines. This is like creating a draft of the drawing. We can see if the proportions look correct and make any adjustments before we add colours and details. Similarly, the draft helps you organise your thoughts and see if you like the direction the story is taking, after which you can make changes2.
Helps showcase the visual composition: Graphic novels use pictures to tell stories. Artists plan where everything goes on each page and in each picture. They decide where the characters, objects, and backgrounds should be to show the story's feelings and actions. This planning makes words and pictures work together, making the story even more exciting2.
Provides an opportunity for feedback: Drafts let us get helpful feedback. Just like when you show your drawing or story to a friend or teacher, they can give you suggestions and help you make it even better. Making changes based on feedback is like polishing and improving your draft.
So, creating a draft is a helpful step that allows us to practise, plan, and improve our work before we finalise it.
C. How To Draft a Graphic Story?
Writing a draft for a graphic novel is different from writing other stories.
There are some important details to keep in mind while drafting a graphic story7.
Step 1: Panel Layout with Text
Fig 5.1: Example of planning the panel layout with text7
Step 2: Panel Layout with Visual Storytelling
Fig 5.2: Example of building on the panel layout with visuals7
Step 3: Panel Layout with a Balance of Text and Visuals
Fig 5.3: Example of planning the panel layout with speech bubbles7
Step 4: Panel Layout with Dialogue
Fig 5.3: Example of planning the panel layout with balanced text and visuals7
D. Examples of the Drafting Stage of a Graphic Novel
Here are a few additional examples that show what a 6-panel graphic story looks like.
Taking the inspiration from the story map created during the planning stage, let us now see what the graphic novel story in the drafting stage looks like.
detective sophie black and white.pdfBonus
StoryBoard That is a fun and engaging digital visual planner that will help you to plan and organise your graphic novel story. You can select the characters, settings, panel layouts, etc. from the many given options and explore your storyline, thereby making it more interesting and visually appealing. Give it a try!
Glossary
Glossary
graphic: visuals/pictures
panel: a single drawing depicting a specific moment in a comic; generally contained within a square or rectangular frame
structure: the way something is organised
perspectives: different opinions
feedback: to provide guidance to help someone learn and grow
layout: arrangement of panels, images, and text on a page
excessive: too much
snappy: engaging
illustrations: images
visually appealing: something that looks nice and attractive
Summary:
Summary:
Authors take the ideas they come up with while planning, and put them into the written form during the drafting stage.
Graphic novels are divided into panels that represent different moments or scenes. To draft a graphic novel we may use the following steps:
Panel layout with text: Consider the clear sequence of events and decide how many panels are needed. Include the events in the panels in a sequence and make a note of it in each panel.
Panel layout with visuals: For each event, sketch out the different settings and we bring our characters to life by sketching them out in action poses to show what they are doing.
Plan for the balance of text and visuals: Balance the amount of text with the visual elements, avoiding information overload or excessive text that may overwhelm the artwork.
Panel layout with dialogue: In a graphic novel, you have limited space for text, so make sure your dialogues are short and snappy. Avoid long explanations or too much detail.
Graphic novels show you the story rather than tell you. Therefore, the illustrations are an important part of the draft. With graphic novels, both the words and illustrations work together seamlessly to make the story come alive.
Extension/Further Reading:
To learn how dialogues can make a story exciting, read Writing Amazing Dialogue and complete the activity given at the end of this document.
References
1 Drafting. Reading Rockets (2014) (link)
2 Reasons Drafts Are Important To Writing. The Writing Cooperative (2020) (link)
3 How To Write a Graphic Novel. Writers.com (2022) (link)
4 Visual Writing in Graphic Novels. Kids Comic Unite (2022) (link)
5 Create a Comic: How to Plan and Layout Your Comic. Envato elements (n.d.) (link)
6 Teaching Dialogues with Comic Strips: Enjoy Teaching with Brenda Kovich (n.d) (link)
7 How to Make a Comic Strip: Get litt (n.d.) (link)
8 Graphic Novels: Teaching Books (n.d.) (link)
9 How To Write a Graphic Novel. One Minute Lessons (2022) (link)
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