I'm pooling together a list of links to FREE, helpful articles and blogs concerning writing, story and character development, and tips for designing comic book pages. While an education in courses dealing specifically with literature or sequential art would be ideal, not everyone is made of money, and sometimes we must sacrifice such things as that-super-cool-class-all-about-writing-your-own-comics.
Part I: The Writing
The Great QuestionsA list of questions that typically hold great weight in the theme of a story.
The 12 Archetypal Personalities (as aimed at businesses)A list of well-recognized personas, now commonly used in advertisement
Another Take on the 12 ArchetypesThis time, with less sales pitches!
The 7 Types of ConflictSomething you should be aware of if you plan on writing anything at all ever pretty much.
The 36 Dramatic SituationsImagine the 7 conflicts exploded into specific situations and with required character roles.
100 Questions to ask about your Most Important Characters if you Happen to be very Bored and Have a Lot of Time on Your HandsWarning: If you answer any of these questions in less than a paragraph, you are doing it wrong.That last one is very optional and also very time consuming, but I've found that the way I'm forced to answer the questions in specific events and stories of their own gives me a marvelous insight into a character. Good if you're completely stumped.
Part II: Comic Book Design
Panelling, Pacing, and Layout in Comics and MangaIn 3 parts, a fairly effective way to look at paneling--a guide to visual communication with your reader.
Comic Book GrammarInside and Outside the speech bubble. When do you use Italics? What kinds of speech bubbles are there?
Hand Lettering a Comic Book PageKnowing how to hand letter is a great way to gain a better insight on creating more effective lettering designs digitally.There may be more to come. If I find something particularly helpful, I'll post it!
So, have you come across any really good articles on plot, character development, or sequential design lately?