When I was in the 9th grade, Mrs. Patterson  was going to give a huge English test. Diagramming sentences. I was horrible at it. My grades were terrible. There was no way I was going to pass unless I stayed up all night an practiced diagramming sentences. I got home. Starting going through my stuff. The old blue English book was not there. I’d left it at school. I panicked.

I ran looking for Dad. He was on the porch. I really hated to bother him, but a scolding now was better than getting a whipping for failing.

    

      I made it back to the van, and then Dad asked me if I wanted a co’drank (that’s cold drink, which could be any cold drink, usually referring to “soda”). Of course I said yes. We went down to Potts Grocery. We got our drinks. As we we’re leaving, we saw the coolest thing….

This is the beginning of the story. The beginning of the story should catch the readers’ attention. The beginning should tell a little bit about the topic of the story. A story, comic or otherwise, must have a beginning, middle, and an ending.

As I told you in the last blog, go to Dollar Tree, spend $3, and buy pencils/pens, a writing tablet, and a drawing tablet. I told you to start jotting down your ideas. Make sketches or doodles of your ideas. Now, it’s time to form your ideas into a story. A story with a beginning, a middle, and an ending.

The middle of a story should contain details that tell about the topic. The middle should explain the topic and hold the readers’ attention….

It was a military chopper. A military chopper landing in the field across from Potts Grocery! Cars were stopping in the middle of good ol’ highway 7. Dad and me were just amazed at this chopper across the field. Then I saw some of my friends from school. “Dad I’m going across the road and check it out.”

The ending of a story should bring it to a close. The ending should keep your reader thinking about the topic…

I made it back across the road. Climbed in the van with my Dad. Dad sipped his Pepsi. I sipped on my Mt. Dew. I held my English book all the way home. Dad and me didn’t say much. He turned on 103.3 KDF.  I stared harder at the English book. When I got home I told my brothers and sister all about what we had seen. They were just as excited as if they had been there.

After supper, I picked up my English book. I stared at it. I never opened it. There were no “selfees” or cell phones. No digital cameras to take a quick pic of what we saw. What my Dad and me experienced that day now only is remembered by one. I think about my Dad whenever I see things that are “out of the normal”. Memories of that day, when I thought I needed my English book, but what I got was time with my Dad.

The ending can also reveal something personal about the author too.

You can write fiction or non-fiction, I chose non-fiction here. When you do write your story for your comic, have a beginning, middle, and an ending….and make sure, even if it’s fiction, that part of you is in it.

NOW…GO MAKE COMICS!!

Go to the Dollar Tree, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and buy 1 pack of mechanical pens or pencils, 1 composition notebook,  and 1 drawing tablet. You have spent a little over three bucks. Find a quiet room, open your pens or pencils, grab either the notebook or drawing tablet and start jotting or doodling. Usually, if you have the desire to do comics, you already have some ideas in your old noggin. Now, start fleshing out rough versions of your ideas. I have boxes of these notebooks and sketchbooks where I would spend weeks, months, even years fleshing out ideas.

Once you get a basic idea of what this comic will be about, start working on character sketches. If you cannot draw, get a friend who CAN draw. If you are completely broke, see if they will trade goods for their services. Old video games, comics, or clothes in exchange for the artwork (or, if you can draw, and are broke, then trade for writing skills.)

I’ll be back next week with part three.

HERE’S WHAT I DO

Check out one of my comics here.

Check out my drawing videos at youtube.com/user/astrofist

Please support my my work by visiting and sharing vancecapleyart.com on social media.

The Grizzly Bear Man was the first comic book character I created when I was around 10 years old! I still enjoy writing and drawing adventures of my first superhero. You can read some of his exciting, and yes, sometimes funny, adventures by clicking this comic cover!