Tips on web comic script formatting

Anyone have any experience?

If you're doing it informally, any sort of script will be fine, but if you want a specific example, I write comic strips, so you can check that for reference.

Ditto. I can email you the first few pages of the Remus script as a PDF. Worth noting that the program I write it in (Celtx) does the formatting for me.

http://scriptfrenzy.org/howtovformatcomicbooks

Having a clear script is important if you plan on getting someone to draw it. Using a common format like that helps too.

edited 12th Jan '12 9:54:04 PM by Culex3

It is probably best story board it rather than to script it, because otherwise you might end up writing something which would not fit on the page or would look wonky in story format.

Depends on the writer. It's encouraged you write scripts for many publishing companies. Since panels can be virtually any size, you could easily have 15-20 panels on a page, and not cram anything in. Or, you could have as little as 4, and have just as much plot going on.

edited 13th Jan '12 6:37:42 AM by MrAHR

Not in standard A4 sized books, which is what most comics are printed on. And most publishers won't accept a script, they'll want to see an actual comic. It is not generally as easy as you being an idea person and having someone to draw for you. Unless you are some sort of comic writing genius, they'll just laugh you out of there.

Not true at all.

And panel size can indeed vary greatly

It depends on the page limit. I've written a couple of (terrible) stories for a webcomic which other people drew and there was a page limit on it. As such, everything's pretty badly squashed together and the dialogue takes up too much space in each frame.

Additionally, to the best of my knowledge you need to have some kind of portfolio if you want to work professionally; obviously the advent of websites like deviantART has facilitated this to some degree, and writing for fan publications is also a good way to develop your skills. To the best of my knowledge, unsolicited scripts submitted to a publisher tend to get thrown on the slushpile until somebody has an opportunity to sift through them.

That being said, I'm not interested in writing professionally (for one thing, I'm not a talented enough writer to ever do it) so perhaps I'm not entirely correct.

edited 13th Jan '12 9:40:49 AM by TheGloomer

The scripts I've written are just panel-by panel descriptions of what is happening in each panel and of the dialogue and sound effects.

Celtx is a good general-use script formatting software which will save you loads of time.

Or, you know, just copy ideas you like from the best (find some examples here)...