I've stumbled onto a number of these for a story that's been simmering for 12 years but having it all in one place is incredibly helpful. I've got a lot to think about with this story now :)
Also, as the parent of a BIPOC trans kid, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"When everything is possible because you haven’t actually started yet." - I felt this in my BONES lol
I really love the idea of digging into specific scenes, characters, and arcs you want to explore at this stage. I've never done that before, so I'm going to give it a try and see what happens!
The way I come up with my stories is usually a combination of all the examples you listed. I'm almost always pouring personal experiences and baggage into my fiction. I find it super cathartic, and inevitably I hear from readers who saw themselves in the narrative as well, which is always satisfying.
Wow, I can already tell this is gonna be well worth the sub. I especially appreciated hearing that you also grapple with the "this project is doomed and life is short" brain gremlins, even as someone who has successfully been making comics for a decade! Really comforting to hear, thank you. <3 Also, this whole first installment got me REALLY FIRED UP to blue sky the hell out of my current projects! THANK YOUUU, looking forward to the next :)
Thank you for doing this! I believe it was just the other day you posted that you are beginning a new graphic novel along with pictures of your brainstorming process. I thought to myself, ‘man, I hope she posts more updates to this so I can see how she does it,’- prayers answered!
When coming up with an idea I sometimes start by going 'Hey I like horror (for example) what can I do that I would enjoy?' Or sometimes I get an acorn of an idea and I love it so much I build a story around it. My much misfortuned classic crime fiction love letter 'Living With Death' has one story that blossomed from just wanting to do one scene where people are smoking on a plane. Then it's like 'where are they going and why and what can I do with this influence or that'
This is super helpful! I'm really grateful that you're explaining the story generation process and sharing your sources of inspiration. Something I've struggled the most with is just not knowing where to start with a story, and this is a useful guide!
My story ideas often stem from real-life experiences and emotions that I need to explore more deeply. In terms of developing ideas, I find that going for a walk outside is a great way for me to relax and let my mind wander, and during these times my mind always turns to stories. I love letting scenes in my head run over and over, adding something new each time - I find this lets me really get to know the characters; what they want, how they interact with each other and the world around them (and as a bonus, these scenes are pretty much already fully developed by the time I sit down to write!)
For visual references, I love using google maps - I often start with a general idea of what sort of place the story is set (old growth forest, costal town, big city); and then I find a place on google maps that is similar in size, climate and location. I find it very helpful in terms of “city planning”, and google maps also lets you see places from multiple angles which is super helpful when it comes to adding details.
This brainstorming phase is one of my favourite parts of the storytelling process, and I spend a lot of time at this stage. Out of curiosity, how long do you tend to spend in the blue-sky phase?
Thank you for this. I know I’m extremely “late to the party” on this, but I saw your re-post of one of the other parts of this series, and wanted to start at the beginning.
I have been looking for people who are teaching about the process of creating a graphic novel, because I/we need to learn. The reason I say “I/we” is because we have DID (dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.) We have been wanting to do a graphic novel about our life, because there are FAR too few halfway decent stories about DID out there. The vast majority of stories about us are extremely overdramatized and unfairly stigmatizing.
We have some writing and artistic talent, we just need to learn more about the process of putting it all together into a graphic novel. Our ideas for it are mostly in our collective head at this point, we really need to start getting them down on paper more.
We also have other “irons in the fire” so to speak. I have been writing reviews on our Substack about fictional portrayals of DID, to educate about where they get it right or wrong. (Most of them are mostly wrong, but I do try to find some of the somewhat better ones.) I also have plans to start a podcast at some point, along those same lines.
I have already been a guest on some podcasts, talking about DID characters like Moon Knight, the Hulk, etc. I have also been a DID consultant for Jed MacKay, the current writer of Moon Knight comics for Marvel. I would LOVE to do more of that kind of thing, because I think that the best way to fight the stigma of bad stories about DID is to help tell better stories.
So, if you or anyone you know has a desire to write about DID characters, please let me know! I would love to be a consultant, to help other writers tell better stories about DID.
“Thank your darlings for their service, and put them to rest” got me. Thanks for that.
Cue Kenny Banya: This is gold Molly - GOLD!
I've stumbled onto a number of these for a story that's been simmering for 12 years but having it all in one place is incredibly helpful. I've got a lot to think about with this story now :)
Also, as the parent of a BIPOC trans kid, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"When everything is possible because you haven’t actually started yet." - I felt this in my BONES lol
I really love the idea of digging into specific scenes, characters, and arcs you want to explore at this stage. I've never done that before, so I'm going to give it a try and see what happens!
The way I come up with my stories is usually a combination of all the examples you listed. I'm almost always pouring personal experiences and baggage into my fiction. I find it super cathartic, and inevitably I hear from readers who saw themselves in the narrative as well, which is always satisfying.
Ah! As an animator who is just starting their thesis film, this helped me SO MUCH, thank you Molly! Im looking forward to continue reading from you!
Wow, I can already tell this is gonna be well worth the sub. I especially appreciated hearing that you also grapple with the "this project is doomed and life is short" brain gremlins, even as someone who has successfully been making comics for a decade! Really comforting to hear, thank you. <3 Also, this whole first installment got me REALLY FIRED UP to blue sky the hell out of my current projects! THANK YOUUU, looking forward to the next :)
Thank you for doing this! I believe it was just the other day you posted that you are beginning a new graphic novel along with pictures of your brainstorming process. I thought to myself, ‘man, I hope she posts more updates to this so I can see how she does it,’- prayers answered!
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Thank you molly!!
These classes are really helping me make my new graphic novel called (journey of the sea)
:):):). I emailed you a few weeks ago with my moms email and sent you a clip of it , and you gave me a critique.
Thank you , again !🙂
-myla jack
PS I subscribed to in the telling and I LOVE the darkest night
this is so helpful! I find that I've already begun to do this and your questions helped me ground my ideas.
When coming up with an idea I sometimes start by going 'Hey I like horror (for example) what can I do that I would enjoy?' Or sometimes I get an acorn of an idea and I love it so much I build a story around it. My much misfortuned classic crime fiction love letter 'Living With Death' has one story that blossomed from just wanting to do one scene where people are smoking on a plane. Then it's like 'where are they going and why and what can I do with this influence or that'
Glad I found this, thanks heaps :) This is super helpful!
❤️❤️❤️❤️🏳️🌈
This is super helpful! I'm really grateful that you're explaining the story generation process and sharing your sources of inspiration. Something I've struggled the most with is just not knowing where to start with a story, and this is a useful guide!
this is awesome, thanks! lots to think about
My story ideas often stem from real-life experiences and emotions that I need to explore more deeply. In terms of developing ideas, I find that going for a walk outside is a great way for me to relax and let my mind wander, and during these times my mind always turns to stories. I love letting scenes in my head run over and over, adding something new each time - I find this lets me really get to know the characters; what they want, how they interact with each other and the world around them (and as a bonus, these scenes are pretty much already fully developed by the time I sit down to write!)
For visual references, I love using google maps - I often start with a general idea of what sort of place the story is set (old growth forest, costal town, big city); and then I find a place on google maps that is similar in size, climate and location. I find it very helpful in terms of “city planning”, and google maps also lets you see places from multiple angles which is super helpful when it comes to adding details.
This brainstorming phase is one of my favourite parts of the storytelling process, and I spend a lot of time at this stage. Out of curiosity, how long do you tend to spend in the blue-sky phase?
Looking forward to your next post!
Thank you for this. I know I’m extremely “late to the party” on this, but I saw your re-post of one of the other parts of this series, and wanted to start at the beginning.
I have been looking for people who are teaching about the process of creating a graphic novel, because I/we need to learn. The reason I say “I/we” is because we have DID (dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.) We have been wanting to do a graphic novel about our life, because there are FAR too few halfway decent stories about DID out there. The vast majority of stories about us are extremely overdramatized and unfairly stigmatizing.
We have some writing and artistic talent, we just need to learn more about the process of putting it all together into a graphic novel. Our ideas for it are mostly in our collective head at this point, we really need to start getting them down on paper more.
We also have other “irons in the fire” so to speak. I have been writing reviews on our Substack about fictional portrayals of DID, to educate about where they get it right or wrong. (Most of them are mostly wrong, but I do try to find some of the somewhat better ones.) I also have plans to start a podcast at some point, along those same lines.
I have already been a guest on some podcasts, talking about DID characters like Moon Knight, the Hulk, etc. I have also been a DID consultant for Jed MacKay, the current writer of Moon Knight comics for Marvel. I would LOVE to do more of that kind of thing, because I think that the best way to fight the stigma of bad stories about DID is to help tell better stories.
So, if you or anyone you know has a desire to write about DID characters, please let me know! I would love to be a consultant, to help other writers tell better stories about DID.
Thanks again!
Leyna Vincent