Well, what do you know...

Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue this blog due to personal reasons, but I'm really thankful to you all for spending a share of your internet time reading through my crazy ideas. If some of my posts seemed ludicrous, then I credit that to an overactive imagination.

Again, what I've written may or not ring plausible to many who have experienced creating graphic novels, but then at this point there are really no set rules. There are many ways to sell, and many would have different takes on what would be "sellable." But the main thesis of this blog is that to be able to sell, you need to touch, enthrall, inspire, even tickle. You can showcase your artistic side, but you need to be understood and appreciated as well.

ICv2 reported that over 3,000 graphic novels were released in 2007. Question is, how many of them have made a significant impact in the name of the medium? How many of them have gone far and wide, passed through many hands, and been talked about? How many of them have made the bestsellers' list, and how many of their authors have been given recognition beyond the comics culturati?

Some say that the graphic novel is the "literary" version of comics, and I beg to disagree. Anything can be explored in a graphic novel, and can be as literary or as K-Mart as can be imagined and rendered. The task of the graphic novelist is to broaden the field, to capture the fancies of the general public, with stories that can be enjoyed as much as those we see on the silver screen, the boob tube, or the theater stage.

There is nothing wrong with comics commercialism, as long as the creator remains true to his artistic vision--by giving an audience what it wants but, at the same time, doing so in an ingenious, insightful, memorable, and heartfelt manner. By introducing and reinforcing the kind of magic that only comics can weave, the general public can begin to tune itself to comics' unique sensibilities. When this is successfully done, the industry can grow further and farther. Comics will no longer be seen as fodder for Hollywood, but a creature strong enough to stand on its own two feet.

Can a graphic novel reach number one on the bestsellers' lists? Can a non-manga graphic novel sell over a gazillion copies? There's no reason why it shouldn't. The money can be good, yes, but think about it. The more that graphic novels repeatedly make fiction headlines, the more buzz it creates for the medium. The more buzz, the more curiosity generated. Everyone benefits.

So fire up your word processors and open up those sketchbooks. Take a long, hard look at how great stories are really made. Strengthen your writing. Fine tune your art. Build your style. Find your niche. Get in touch with your intended audience and find out what they want to read, and dish out a tale that fits--that is, with your true creative voice written all over it.

Most of all, have fun with it. It's going to be a helluva ride.

Tracking the Physical and the Non-Physical

There are authors who say that there's no such thing as a plot driven story, since at the heart of every story is a character through whom we witness the story unfold. So, effectively, all stories are character driven at varying degrees.

In my book, a plot-driven story is one where there is an obvious focus on physical events. While there may be character development, the resolution of the story is greatly dependent on completion of physical tasks. A character-driven story, on the other hand, has stronger focus on what's going on in the characters' minds. There are physical aspects involved, yes, but the course of the story is dependent on the characters' personality and the emotional risks they take.

Let's look at the diagram below:

In my previous post, I mentioned that every story can be broken down into a series of events connected by a pivot, with each event seeking to "raise the stakes." If it were a diagram, it would look like that shown in Figure A. (click to enlarge)

In Figure A, a story Event has to result in a change of circumstance, whether physical, non-physical or both. In effect, the Event that follows begins with a new set of givens, as depicted in Figure B. This Event-Picot chain continues throughout the story, reinforcing or altering circumstances, building upon one another.

Now Events don't change everything. They either change the environment (what's happening around a character), the character's physical circumstances (e.g. injury, loss of money, gaining of property, relocation, etc.), or non-physical circumstances (relfection, sadness, anger, insanity, loneliness, exuberation, positive outlook, etc.). This is shown in Figure C.

Given this set-up, a plot-driven story is one where the Pivots more often directly affect the environment and the character's physical circumstances. In a character-driven story, the Pivots take more potshots at the non-physical circumstances.

Now, here's the punchline. The Event-Pivot setup in Figure A can be seen as two panels of a comics story. In fact, you can conceivably do a very rough draft of your plot by drawing and writing each event in two panels--the first being the Event itself and the next being the result of that Event as the Pivot. When you do this, it's possible for you to track the physical and non-physical journey of the story, and ensure that each journey reaches a sensible and satisfying ending.

What's important to note is that an Event can be great or small. Even as small as waking up late in the morning. What makes an Event worth stressing is not its scale, but its impact.

"Series of Un/Fortunate Events"

In the previous post, I wrote out a basic outline which can be matched with many traditionally structured dramatic stories. In this outline, I included what I call "Major Pivots" or "Major Twists," though I'm partial to calling them the former, only because other books call it differently.

A Major Pivot is a radical shift in a story's narrative that strongly influences how the next scenes will play out. It's like saying, "Whoa, now THIS changes everything."

We realize that all stories are just a series of events, but what makes an event more compelling is when it institutes a change, great or small, in the physical and/or emotional circumstances of the lead character. If an event does not contribute anything to the whole story, the event is useless and thus unnecessary. As Sandra Scofield says in The Scene Book, every scene has to have a function.

So, effectively, every event or scene you have in your story should end with a pivot, a change.

Event ---> Pivot ---> Event ---> Pivot ...

For a simple example, Joe wakes up late in the morning (event). He starts off his day frustrated (pivot). The roads are clogged with traffic (event), leading to greater frustration (pivot). His girlfriend calls him up on his mobile and berates him for failing to remember her birthday (event), convincing Joe that the day isn't going to be a breeze (pivot). And so forth and so on.

Notice that every event contributes to a change in Joe's mental/emotional state. They all add up, fueling Joe's negativity, and orient the readers into the development of Joe's state of mind.

Now all these are just little itty-bitty pivots. Individually they're not much, but provide indisputable impact on Joe's growing ire. But somewhere along the line, according to your grand story plan, you will introduce a Major Pivot, after an event that will bring about a whammy of an impact. Every pivot before it was the fuel, and then you light the match.

The Major Pivot comes into the story first with the Inciting Incident, or that one event that will provoke your major character into doing something, the action core of your plot. At this point, your character thinks, "It's going to take a lot of work, but I have to do this!" This tells the reader that, "Okay, this is the reason you're reading this story." Will your main character succeed or not?

The next few events and pivots involve your main character in the process of trying to achieve his goal. There will be Complications that will test your character's patience. The second Major Pivot happens after you throw in your first mother monkey wrench. This is the point wherein you character says, "This isn't as easy as I thought." Doubt begins to set in.

After that, your character continues to pursue his goal but with a little more caution. You introduce a series of more events, each one changing the character's assessment of the situation. He begins to think that's he's got it all figured out. Then, boom! You throw in your next monkey wrench, but this time from left field. Your main character goes for a tailspin. The Major Pivot happens--your main character is left with very little, if not a single, option. In other stories, the main character throws in the towel.

The third act comes in, and the next series of events is meant to put your main character back in the situation in time for the home stretch. The "final battle" happens--will the story's Conclusion place your character as a success or a failure? That's your choice. The Denouement caps your story as a postscript, essentially allowing your character to assess what has happened, if he survives.

Again, the above is a very simple approach. It can actually become more comprehensive than that. And an event does not have to be physical. It can be emotional, mental, even spiritual. What is important is that each event contributes to the escalation of your story's urgency, repeatedly challenging your character's intent of pursuing the goal.

Now we go to your chosen plot. What is your inciting event? What are your monkey wrenches? Indicate them with conviction--encircle them or highlight them with a marker. If you're not convinced that these events are strongly significant, then you may have to rework the events a bit by giving them more punch. Traditionally there can only be one inciting event and a couple of monkey wrenches. Having three is still okay if you have a particularly long story; more than three can tire your reader into thinking, "When is this ever going to end?" And you wouldn't want that.

In my next post, I'll talk about "plot-driven" and "character-driven" stories, and how you can figure character action and emotion into your story using the Event/Pivot scheme. It's very simple, at least theoretically.

Plot Basics

Books on fiction writing define Plot differently, but the essence is the same--a Main Character wants to achieve An Objective despite An Opposition. And I'd like to think that each of your four plots would have these three elements in place.

The next step is breaking down your Plot into sections that will cover the traditional Three Act Structure or Beginning, Middle and End. While there are arguably other ways to structure a story, the three act is the most accessible. It has worked since the day people have had stories to tell, and the rhythm of the "Three-Acter" is more readily digestible. (Very much like appetizer, main course, and dessert; breakfast, lunch, and dinner... you get the drift.)

At this point you either have your plot in outline form or in prose form. Either will do. All that's needed now is for you to divide that whole plot into three sections. But where exactly do you place the dividing lines? Where does Act One end and Act Two begin?

For the purposes of this entry, I will divide a whole story as follows:

ACT ONE - The Setup
Introduction
Inciting Incident
1st Major Pivot/Twist

ACT TWO - The Journey
Complication
2nd Major Pivot/Twist
Unexpected Turn
3rd Major Pivot/Twist

ACT THREE - The Wrap
Final Battle
Conclusion
Denouement

The above is pretty much self-explanatory. The First Act contains everything your audience would need to know to get them into the story. It ends with the Main Character realizing that he or she must reach a certain goal, or attain a specific objective.

The Second Act details how the Main Character goes about reaching that goal. There will be Complications and Unexpected Turns, and the act usually ends with the Main Character getting involved in a major crisis, or having to make a make-or-break decision.

The Third Act wraps everything up. Conflict ends, for better or worse.

(You can imagine the ends of the First and Second Acts as the sudden burst of an orchestra playing ominous, foreboding music, just before end credits.)

The "Major Pivot/Twist" will need a more lengthy explanation. That comes next.