Last post, I talked about decompression. This post, I wanted to talk about an exercise in compression I do when I start working on a story. It also touches on my process for developing an idea into a story concept.

Regardless of how long I believe the story will be, I try to write a short version of it that encompasses the basic plot of the story, the high concepts of the story, and the protagonist's personal conflict. Usually, I limit myself to 8 pages at most. If I can make it any shorter, I do, but I like 8 pages since 1) its divisible by 4; 2) makes me feel as though I'm writing a back up story for a Big 2 comic (this is some daydreaming stuff right here); and 3) if I decide to print it later, 8 pages is the shortest comic I'm willing to charge a dollar for. Anything shorter than that, and I'm posting it online for free.

The short doesn't always reflect the longer story's plotline, and sometimes they act like pilot episodes or proof of concepts. The real point of the exercise is to check that I understand the bare bones component of my own story. If I can't get to the point of my story in a contained space, I won't be able to properly extrapolate it in a longer form.

This also gives me a chance to work with an artist I've wanted to work with, but hadn't have the chance. As we work on the story together, I can see how we work as a team and, if I want to work with them again, what things I need to adjust in my script to take advantage of both our abilities.

#comics #makingcomics #comicinprogress #kyuss