Welcome to my first entry into a Journal I intend to use to describe my foray into the world of writing a Graphic Novel.
Why am I doing this?
…Good question…
In the past few months I’ve been playing with an idea for a story that could work as a stand-alone prequel to my fantasy series, The Shifting Balance. While working on and sharing various painting projects, I had three different people ask me on three separate occasions if I had ever thought of creating a graphic novel. I had often thought of what my fantasy series might look like as an illustrated edition, but I hadn’t really thought in terms of a graphic novel.
So… Yeah…
My experience with comic books and graphic novels is… limited, to say the least. I admire the artistry and attempts to change up the style and design that most indie publications have done, but there was always something that still made it a ‘comic book’ in my view. And I could never get into the hobby of reading them. I enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but reading the comics themselves has never been something I wanted to do. So when someone said I should think about a graphic novel, I waved it off… at first. Yet the thought started to stick in my mind, and this new story idea started to show up in my head as possible panel designs, color schemes, even drawing style.
::face palm:: Now what do I do…?
I have a lot to learn; I will admit that right away. But I am also willing to take the time and have the patience to work through it and do it right. I have started to become a bit obsessed with the story and the characters, the idea as a whole. So I hope others will get excited too, and give this newcomer a chance. Maybe, in not being a life-long fan of comics, I will be able to approach it with a fresh take that still ‘works’ for the genre and medium. I also had someone ask me if I thought, being a woman writing a graphic novel in this ‘man’s world’ venue was something that would be viewed as… odd. The thought had not even crossed my mind… but, maybe it should.
What do you think?
Watch this space for updates and news and especially revelations as I seek to find my way through this very popular world of the Graphic Novel Medium. I plan on learning a lot, and making it count!
The Shifting Balance 