Hi, I've been cooking this idea in my head for a long time, now it's all written in Word as a first messy draft. But I'm hesitant. Should I write it as a book or a graphic novel? I see the story progressing into many separate smaller stories, conflicts that the main character faces, so I see it would be good for a 28-36 page issues of graphic novels. But then a book might be taken more seriously, as the subject is not for kids (crime, mafia, violence, sex, etc.). Basically, here are the list of pros and cons for both and I thought maybe someone can help me to stir myself into one direction, as I'm very indecisive that way... Thank you. Graphic novel PROS: - Easier to adapt shorter stories for separate issues - Less dialogue, more "show, don't tell" (dialogue is my weakness) Graphic novel CONS: - Have to find an artist, because I can't draw myself - Might not get the attention or get to the wrong demographic Book PROS: - Will be taken more seriously - Less "rules" to abide by when writing, better flow Book CONS: - Will have to write more compelling dialogue - probably something else... Any advice, guys? Thank you!
I think you should work on your dialogue skills. I read a good amount of web comics because I enjoy looking at art and reading equally. Dialogue is important regardless of the medium you use. I don't take a graphic novel or comic any less seriously than a book. Both take a tremendous amount of work and skill, it's just different ways of presenting it. Bad dialogue can ruin a graphic novel just as easily as it can ruin a book. I would suggest doing some people watching. Also pay attention to people's speech patterns and the flow of conversation when you speak to others. While it's true that there's less opportunity to mess up with show vs tell in a graphic novel there's still the challenge of presenting something properly. Hone your writing skills in general and it will greatly improve the end result of whichever medium you choose.
