Use your favorite manga characters for inspiration. If you have a visual character idea, start with that and then move on to writing the character’s personality traits next to it. First, look for a concept. Then think about how the plot will work. [3] X Research source Usually, that involves structure and character, which mostly go together. [4] X Research source There should be something that gets in the way of the character. You can include an antagonist or circumstances that get in their way. [5] X Research source
Be sure to give eyes light reflections in the form of 2 ovals: a small one near the top of the eye covering primarily the iris and a bit of the pupil, and another smaller oval on the other side of the eye covering the spot where the iris touches the white part of the eye. [7] X Research source Try giving males a smaller iris, which typically creates a more masculine look. [8] X Research source
Always consider your genre before creating your setting. Look at other similar manga and see what kinds of settings are commonly used. Consider your characters as you create your world. For example, ask yourself where each character currently resides and where they were born.
Don’t be afraid the change story points and characters as the story develops.
Start writing down all of your main story events and points and group them into specific scenes. Afterward, group the scenes into chapters, and the chapters into volumes.
Narratives in action manga are often told through flashbacks. Action manga speech is often characterized by intense, fast words such as character names and attack names. If you’re writing a Japanese manga and have a limited understanding of the language, make an action manga. In recent years, shonen with female protagonists have become more common.
Magical girl manga fall into the shojo category, which means they are aimed at a young female audience. Common magical girl manga are Sailor Moon and Powerpuff Girls Z.
Try a seinen if you want your fight scenes mixed with dark storylines and characters. [16] X Research source Common seinen manga are Ghost in the Shell, Tokyo Ghoul, Berserk, Gantz, and 20th Century Boys.
Select the jokes you want to focus on: clean jokes, parody jokes, romance/comedy jokes, and/or dirty jokes. Comedy manga can take place anywhere you like, but are most often in real-life settings, such as high school. If you’d rather a more magical setting, consider an action manga.
Consider drawing robots that are made from several smaller robots to make a “super robot. "
Ask yourself who your audience is. For example, if you’re writing your manga in Japanese, consider making your comic read right-to-left. Whichever reading direction you choose, make sure you stick with it—there’s no changing your mind after!
In general, stick to about 4 pages per scene. Always separate panel groups by a space of 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (0. 64 to 1. 27 cm), which is called the panel gutter. Be sure that the small panel gutters within each panel grouping don’t align with the gutters in other panel groupings.
When using this layout, use the first panel to set the scene, the second to create the event that creates the climax, the third for the climax, and the fourth as the reaction or conclusion of the scene.
Replace square and rectangular panels with triangles or unique zig-zagging borders to create a dynamic feeling. Use smaller panels to focus on the action rather than the setting, which is typically unimportant for these scenes.
Make sure the panels are big enough to show character faces and reactions. Change viewing angles to make the conversation dynamic and keep the reader interested. Minimize the number of dramatic changes between panels to keep the focus on the words. Don’t use speech bubble tails to indicate the character speaking. Instead, place the bubbles close to the speaker and—if necessary—use slang to make it obvious who is speaking. [25] X Research source Create spiky outlined bubbles for yelled words and hazy bubbles for a character’s thoughts.
Use large panels to start your manga or break up a fast-paced fight or small panels. For example, create a large, connected image to shock the reader or contrast a close-quarters fight.
Fade your panels in and out for dramatic storytelling. Read your favorite manga and emulate their dynamic panel layouts. Use dynamic panels to showcase different viewpoints, bird’s-eye viewpoints, and low-to-high panel angles. Think of each panel as a camera angle.
If you’re making a shonen, make the background flames during a powerup or scene where the character is angry. Create swirling knots and black shadows if your character is in a psychologically dark place. Use a hash mark on the forehead for someone angry or a group of spirit wisps when a character is sad. Combine mood backgrounds and visual grammar or use them separately.
