Top Ways to Keep the Creative Writing Rolling

Writing the story is one of the most important aspects of creating your own comic book or graphic novel. Many comic book creators begin writing the narrative with gusto and passion, only to experience a bout of writer’s block at some point during the project. While this is completely normal, it can hinder the completion of your comic or graphic novel and cause frustration along the way.

Thankfully, you can use many writing exercises to jumpstart the creative writing process, whether you are having trouble beginning or have gotten stuck along the journey. Explore some of the top ways to keep the creative writing rolling so that you end up with a superb story for your next creative writing project.

Discover Why You’re Blocked

If you feel stuck while writing, the first thing you should do is discover why you’re experiencing writer’s block. Various factors affect your ability to think creatively. For instance, you may be distracted by social media, feel unwell, or have pressing personal issues that you need to deal with.

You might feel intimidated by the project’s scope, or you may be fixated on questions about the end product, such as how you’re going to format and print the piece once the story and illustrations are done.

Try to narrow down the exact reason you are unable to write. If possible, address the issue directly. Depending on the reason, this can mean taking a day to recuperate from an illness, turning off your phone while writing, or doing a bit of research about  available printing formats to envision how your comic will look once finished.

Start in the Middle

One writing technique you can use to keep the creativity flowing is to start in the middle of the overall story or even the chapter you are working on. Many creative writers try to write their narrative from start to finish; however, moving to another part of the story is helpful if you are stuck.

Choose an exciting scene and start throwing words on the page. You can always go back and fill in the rest of the story at another time.

Stop Editing Yourself

Editing and proofreading are important steps in the writing process, but they are creativity killers. If you constantly edit yourself as you write, you may be squashing your creative flow.

When you sit down to write, let yourself write freely. Don’t pay attention to misspelled or repeated words, awkward sentences, or improper punctuation. Those elements can be edited away later; for now, focus on getting the story onto the page.

Focus on Character Development

If you’ve been paying too much attention to the story’s plot, it may be time to kickstart your creativity by focusing on character development instead. Realistic, relatable characters are the  backbone of your graphic novel or comic story. Without them, even the best plot twists fall flat with readers, so it is essential that you focus on character development just as much as, if not more, than the narrative.

Developing your characters is an effective way to boost creativity. When you flesh out your characters’ struggles, mannerisms, motivations, and backstory, you gain more insight into what they will go through. It helps you connect to them and drive you to tell their stories.

Read Something

A great way to keep creativity flowing is to take a break from writing and read something instead. J.K. Rowling, the author of the world-famous Harry Potter series, touts reading as the  most important thing an aspiring author can do to generate ideas and improve their understanding of the structure of stories.

If you have trouble thinking of a story idea or feel lost on which direction to take your story, read something. Read a few short stories, poetry, or an excerpt from a novel. Chances are, you’ll glean inspiration from the material and implement it as you continue writing.

Write from a Different P.O.V

A fun, creative writing technique you can utilize to inspire creativity is to write a short section of your narrative from a different point of view. The more imaginative you are with this method, the more creative your ideas may be. Write from the perspective of a different character. Write the scene from the perspective of an inanimate object or animal in the story or a different narrative perspective.

Writing from a different P.O.V allows you to see the story from an alternative perspective. This type of writing prompt sparks new insights into your main character’s motivations or potential plot twists that even you didn’t see coming.

Get Back to Basics

If you try several techniques to get unstuck but nothing works, go back to the basics of how to write a graphic novel. This can help you move forward, especially if you jumped in without a roadmap about the writing process.

Going back to the drawing board can help you reorganize your thoughts and develop a plan for going forward. It allows you to reassess your story to ensure that it is in the genre you like and that you have enough knowledge about the setting and characters. It also encourages you to outline your story, which can help you stay motivated and on track while writing.

Beat Writer’s Block and Finish Your Story

No matter what part of the story you are stuck on, by implementing these writing techniques, you can boost your creativity to finish your story and put it out into the world in hard copy format. Although writing the story can be intimidating, pushing through writer’s block and finishing your comic or graphic novel is well worth the effort.

Once you’ve finished your story and illustrations, take advantage of the convenient, professional printing services offered by Comix Well Spring. We specialize in printing comic books and graphic novels that portray your story in crisp, vivid detail. Follow our easy online ordering process to see your printed story in the final product.