Sequential Storytelling with Allison Danger

In January, we welcomed admirers of comics, graphic novels, and other sequential stories. Allison Danger took us on a journey through sequential storytelling. Since we are a group of writers, Allison skipped over idea generation and story arcs, and got right to the meat of it.

Sequential storytelling is a team job. There isn’t just the writer, there are the artists. Potentially, there are contributors involved in drawing, colouring, lettering, and more. There might be an editor overseeing it all, because the writer and everyone else working on the project need to mesh.

Part of sequential storytelling is writing for your artist. You have to think about how they will interpret your words. Some writers use turn-arounds, the artist’s interpretation of the character descriptions, to discover if they have landed on the right artist. Allison shared her process for how she finds an artist she can collaborate with. She also explained there are two common methods used to create sequential stories, the Marvel comics plot style and the DC comics full script style. Allison described the pros and cons of each option, and which one appealed to her under what circumstances. Need an example of good sequential storytelling? Allison recommended taking a look at DC’s Kingdom Come.

A great comic book writer can make you feel like part of the conversation. As with other storytelling formats, avoid telling the reader what’s going on. The art and words will show them what’s happening. Wondering about “bam” and “pow” and all the other sound effects colourfully illustrated? Allison talked about those too! Sound effects can be presented in any way you want. Though be aware, they can alter how the reader interprets the story. This was an enlightening evening, learning another way to craft a story.

Find Allison on Instagram or at Glass Cabinet Creative

Upcoming Events:

20 Social Media Superchargers with Anne McLachlan – March 14, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Marketing Yourself & Your Work (Fiction & Creative Non-fiction) with MJ Moores (Free for Members) – March 25, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

BAM! Branding and Marketing for Indie Authors with Patti Jefferson – April 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Annual General Meeting 10th Anniversary Edition – April 11, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Writing Comedy with Steve Shrott – May 2, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm