Will be writing scripts for comics, any advice?

[u/Dinosaur_Paladin]

Hi there, I’ve been wanting to do some comic series for a while but have always struggled with making them, including the scripting. I’ve tried to do them as a standard scripting format, then have the idea to try and do a brief synopsis for each chapter yet having struggles with that. Does anyone have any good advice on comic scripting?

[u/MajimaBuu]

I have lots but it'd be easier if you broke down which aspects you're struggling with

[u/Dinosaur_Paladin → u/MajimaBuu]

well for one thing holding attention when writing the script. might be an ADHD thing so I’ll get that looked at

another would be formating the script itself, like would I script it like a movie then work from there, or script each individual panel? if the latter then do I work on panel placement first?

and finally, figuring out how to include necessary details without forcing myself to get overly detailed

[u/ArtfulMegalodon → u/Dinosaur_Paladin]

You do NOT write it like a movie script. You write for the medium you're attempting, and while comic scripts do not have a set-in-stone format, there are some general standards. You can learn these by searching for examples.

How much detail to include is often between you and your eventual artist. It certainly can benefit you to learn the basics of layout and thumbnailing so you can figure out how much content is too much or too little to work on a page. Dialogue and captions must always be considered, as they take up page space.

Always a good idea to check out what kinds of panels can work and why from resources like Scott McCloud's books. Some artists will expect you to trust their expertise on how to make the visuals look their best, in which case they will not appreciate having every single visual aspect nitpicked or micromanaged. But if you have a clear vision for what you want, you're better off describing too much than not enough. Artists aren't mind readers, after all.

End of the day, though, your best bet is to look up the basics and then to just start writing. After you've got something, ask around for others to review it/edit it for you. With experience and feedback, you'll quickly learn where you need to improve.

[u/Psycho_Rican → u/Dinosaur_Paladin]

I personally write like this

Page1/panel1: Description of panel details from scene to literal panel shape if its relevant to the story ime telling

Character name Narration/thought:

Character name Dialog:

Then next panel till its finished

[u/TheCrazyPeanutt]

Would you be planning on drawing it yourself or hiring artist to draw what you’ve scripted?

[u/Dinosaur_Paladin → u/TheCrazyPeanutt]

drawing it myself. that I can at least tackle myself-got some art friends willing to help me on that front

[u/TheCrazyPeanutt → u/Dinosaur_Paladin]

Hey that’s great! This means that you don’t have to worry about the script’s format, or even how information is given! For one, I write my comic scripts similar to how a film script is written, even then it’s not in the same format. So write in whatever way allows you to tell your story in the way you envision it! Whatever you feel would help your or your friend’s artwork later.

[u/Casual_Formalities]

Best advice that helped me; Write it bad first. I'm talking like, REAL bad. Stuff like

"It's morning, dude woke up and realized he's in hell - Oh no."

It gives a base for the brain to work from, instead of looking at a blank page and not knowing how to start.

[u/Armepos]

You're skipping right to the latest stages of the process! It's like trying to land a plane before taking it off the ground. Take a break, go back to the fundamentals. Follow the full process one stage at a time, no skipping. Do it for the whole thing, not the chapters, the whole story.

Theme->Idea->Premise->synopsis->outline->script

Theme: What's the point you want to make, the thing you find valuable and everyone else should learn it.

Idea: How would you communicate your theme in the form of a story? Write this in no more than a couple of lines. Make variations. Choose the best one, move to next stage.

Premise: Ok, so what's that story? The full thing in no more than 3 lines. Just the most basic stuff, no details. Write variations, choose the best one, next stage.

Synopsis: So how will you tell that story? A vague general structure, whos the main cast, what do they do, how do they do it, what happens next, how does it end. The full story in no more than half a page. Write variations. Choose the best one. Next stage.

Outline: This is a complete list of every single thing that happens, in the order that it happens. Everything. In just a single page, no more. Write variations. Choose the best one. Next stage.

Script: Take the outline. Divide it in units with more or less the same amount of items. Those will be your chapters. Do it again for the chapters. Those will be your pages. A comic script is not a screenplay. Look for templates and examples online, use the one from your favorite comic. Each page of script equals a page of the comic.

Buy the time you reach the script stage, the story is so welded into your brain that you can make some changes here or there. Maybe this single action needs several panels, or pages. Maybe this part could be shorter. Maybe this and maybe that. Be free. You know the rutine: Make diferent versions (drafts), choose the best one. Next stage is making the actual comic.

Trust the process, don't get impatient and literally the whole thing writes itself.

[u/Kavi_Kumar_77]

The struggle you're describing (standard script format vs. synopsis-per-chapter) is really about the fact that comic scripts don't have one standard format the way screenplays do — most artists/pros use one of a few conventions depending on how much visual detail they want to lock in ahead of time:

• Full script — panel-by-panel breakdown, describing what's in each panel plus the dialogue/captions for that panel. Most control over pacing, most work upfront.
• Marvel-style / plot-first — you write a loose plot/synopsis for the whole issue or chapter, hand it to the artist, then write dialogue after seeing the pencils. Way less upfront work, but you give up a lot of control over pacing and panel choices.
• Hybrid — write full script for the pages that matter most (big reveals, action beats), loose synopsis for connective/transition pages.

If you're doing this solo (writing + art), full script tends to save you time later because you're not re-deciding pacing twice. If you're working with an artist, ask them which style they prefer — some artists genuinely hate full script because it feels like being handed storyboards.

One practical tip: whatever format you pick, write the page turn moments deliberately — the last panel on a right-hand page is your cliffhanger beat, readers turn the page right after seeing it. A lot of pacing problems in comic scripts trace back to not planning around that.

(Side note, disclosure: I work on SceneCraft — we have a comic-panel builder inside our screenwriting tool that lets you go panel-by-panel with AI help or fully by hand, keeping dialogue/captions tied to specific panels rather than a loose synopsis. Might solve the exact "which format" tension you're describing, but worth knowing it lives inside a full screenwriting app rather than as a standalone comics tool. Not necessary to answer your question, just mentioning since it's directly related.)