How to Write a Comic Book

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Your mind.
Your time
Your passion
Your commitment
People skills

Step 1

First, you have to tell yourself that you can do this, like all the amazing stories you have read before and all the cool pictures you have seen from your favorite illustrators before you, you can do this just like any of them. Because you can. All it takes is you, depending on how far you want to do.
Step 2

Figure out what kind of story you want to write. This is huge. There are a million people with "ideas" to make comics. Are you writing the classic superhero story with a masked avenger? Does your character work with a secret organization? Or is it him or her or "it" going it alone? Who is the villain or villains? why are they evil, what do they want? Why does your hero need to stop them, what about them as a person makes them stand up to the call for arms? Or are you writing something more realistic, more gritty, dirty and down to earth, something that will turn heads and make people wonder why they never saw life quite like that? I do everything at once.
Step 3

One you know what you want to do, think about where you see yourself going with it. Do you want to write this out in issues? Or do you want to put it all into one big book? This will matter for publishing reasons.
Step 4

Create you're script. Download the softwar "Celtx" online it is free and has a comic template on it. This will sort of cheat you through knowing the margins and instead let you write in the industry standard styling without the learning curve (though it is sort of nice to have gone through). Write your story and put it all out there, errors, typos, everything. When you have finished, revise. Hone the thoughts, the ideas, and the point and theme of your story down until it reads with a great, clean pace that matches you're idea. Work your story to the final draft. While it may go fast for you, often this takes time... don't get discouraged. If you need to walk away from the project for a bit, DONT GIVE UP. START ANOTHER IDEA. Most likely, you will finish the second idea, or hit a wall and return to the first, and bounce back and forth between ideas to stay interested and occupied.
Step 5

With the story done, you need the art. If you are an artist, by all means create the art to go with your stories. If you are not, or you know that outsourcing to another artist will make the story look better, then DO IT! Go online to myspace, search comics, search facebook for comic artists, search the web for illustrators for hire, go to your local art school and put up posters and flyers. Chances are, doing all these things will turn you onto other ways to make it happen, as well as get a few good bites along the way! To find an artist that will not flake on you, payment is probably in order. If you have a friend... YOU'RE LUCKY! Get him or her on it, and get it drawn quick!
Step 6

Through out this whole process, hopefully you have believed in your idea and your project. While simultaneously making progress through the previously listed tasks, you should be researching where the next comic convention is going to be held near you, or even far from you. It is as simple as this... if you want to work in this industry, then you need to go where the industry is. San Diego Comicon is the BIGGEST! hands down comic book convention held yearly. BE THERE. BE THERE. BE THERE. Get you're tickets. Now you have a timeline. You need you're project done in time.
Step 7

With the writing and art all completed (now that is a mouthful!), you should contact independent publishers on the web to actually print your book. A simple google search will yield numerous results. Find the company that works for you're price range, and have you're book reproduced. If you would like to have 500 copies to sell to friends, at coffee shops, etc... then order them! But let's be honest, you didn't want to make this comic book to just have the comic, though that is a grand day! But no, you made this comic book because you want to MAKE them, to keep making them, because you love them and want to continue this joyous process of creation. So... you need to set aside a handful of copies, maybe fifty or so, and take them to comicon.
Step 8

If you haven't made any connections on the internet while searching for artists in the comic industry, then you will at Comicon. Go down artist alley, shake hands and be cool. Don't be the weird guy from his basement who dreamt up another flop remake of a third generation photo copy of his favorite comic book story... be COOL. Be YOU. (Subsequently, if you ARE that guy aforementioned then hang up your spurs. Write another story. Come back when it's fresh.) Meet as many people as you can on the "work" side of the booths. Be funny, charming, witty, don't be pushy with your stuff, just casual and easy to relate to, because that translates to easy to work with. Ask advice, and when someone gives it, take it and find the right moment to slide in you're work. Show off what you created all on you're own. When someone looks at it, flips through the pages, and says "Wow"... you're in. Get the card, stay in touch, do whatever lunch/dinner they want after the comicon closes that night. There is NO substitute for getting in the trenches and working with these people, because WE ARE these people. We ARE writers and artists and creators, and if what we have put all of our energy into is great, it will get seen. I truly believe that. And so can you.
Step 9

Take all you're contacts and new friendships with you, and hopefully, something will develop. If not then be stoked on the fact that with you're own energy you have made a great comic book, something you can put into a protective bag and slide in with you're collection, but this time... It's YOURS!! And that's why it's so great!

And if you really caught the bug in the process, I'm sure we'll see you back at another comicon/writer's group/anything you can find to be at because you really love doing this ...soon!

Best of luck!