3 Lessons I’ve Learnt As a Content Writer From Making Comic Strips
I Make Brain F(art ) Comics and Turns Out It’s Not All Trash
April 23, 2017 | Singapore | By Jeng
A copywriter with a morbid humour tumour freeloading off my head space, comic strip making is the latest way I capture my unsolicited brain farts — after I’ve secretly released them on the train. 💨
To clear the air, it means I conceptualise my 4-panel webcomic series while commuting.
What were you thinking!
Brain fart (in a comic sense)
n. Mental lapses that make sense if you have a sense of humour.
I started making brain fart comics. Turns out comic writing actually makes perfect writing sense.
I’d thought making comics would set me on a regressive path as a “serious” writer — little did I know it’s actually an opportunity for me to practise being a mindful content writer!
Here’s what I’ve learnt from making webcomics.
✍🏽: Writer’s note
1. Even Comics Have Call to Actions
Are Comic Makers Writers or Artists?
Trick question! Comic makers are storytellers. In a simple 4-panel comic, there are elements that form a:
- Visual narrative
- Written narrative (dialogues, thoughts, captions)
What Has This Got to Do With Call to Actions?
There is no buy now or click here button in a 4-panel comic, but comics usually have something designed to provoke an immediate response in the reader.
Comic makers want to make you laugh/cringe in horror, so they plant punch lines in the written narrative.
If the objective of the comic strip is to make you laugh, then the call to action (CTA) is the punch line.
This punch line usually appears in the final panel of the comic in the written form, closing the written narrative loop. ✍🏽
If your find yourself writing a piece of content that has no call to action, you’ll need pause and question — what’s the purpose of this again? What do I need to achieve? What are my readers supposed to do?
2. Comic Makers Take Ownership of Readability
I’m not a graphic designer, so making my own webcomic series is the only time I truly become hyper aware that I’ll need more than just a typeface that is not my handwriting.
Readability is more than just what you’ve written, it’s how your readers get to read it — or not at all.✍🏽
These physical factors affect a comic strip’s readability:
- Typeface
- Font size
- Kerning
- Layout
- Colour of text
Writers deal with the other side of readability:
- Difficulty of vocabulary
- Syntax (sentence structure)
- Text structure (i.e. paragraphing, sectioning, formatting of content)
- Content coherence and cohesion (imagine every piece of content is Donald Trump’s word salad speech)
Other readability concerns:
- Readability of text on different platforms i.e. mobile.
Graphic designers, web developers and writers all share the load when it comes to making a piece of readable content!
As writers, we may think ourselves as the more discerning reader because of the sheer amount of time we spend reading, analysing and designing written content —but is that always the case?
Designers have the eye to select aesthetically coherent typefaces — but are all typefaces reader friendly?
Are you listening when a web developer tells you a piece of content is mobile responsive?
Opening the ground for discussion on readability can be as simple as a 20-minute fall in!
After all, everybody writes, and everybody reads.
3. Targetting the Audience With an Original Punch
Humour is a weapon — it can get away with poking fun at serious things without being taken seriously. And like how most weapons work, the result’s either a hit or miss, with the former working best when the target is taken by surprise.
As content writers, our readers are our “target audience” for a reason. We aim to deliver a punch of delightful content, knowing we’ll hit some and we’ll miss some. ✍🏽
When I started Hello Mimoselle, I knew I can’t please the world. But I can entertain a crowd by aiming for the funny bone with an original punch instead of trying to tickle readers with old jokes.
So when it comes to content writing, know who you’re trying to please, then aim high or go home!
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