Tragedy and Comedy in the Graphic Novel Memoir with Cece Bell

DESCRIPTION:

Yeah, shame is an awful thing. But it’s also the perfect grist for the mill. Whether or not you’re currently working on a memoir, come prepared with embarrassing stories from your childhood and we’ll do a series of exercises to get you thinking about how to present these awkward moments in the graphic novel format. If you’re anxious about your drawing skills, don’t be! The focus is less on drawing and more on writing (narration and dialogue), pacing, panel size, and point of view. You’ll complete this Creative Lab with a better understanding of how you might tell your own story—in any format—so that it really resonates with your audience.

PREPARATION:

•  If you haven’t already, please read (or re-read) Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. Pay particular attention to these chapters:
•  Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter
• Chapter 4: Time Frames
• Chapter 6: Show and Tell
• Come prepared with one or two embarrassing stories from your childhood. These should NOT be traumatic to you or uncomfortable to share with others in this sort of setting.

SCHEDULE:

Introduction (5 minutes)

Part I (20 minutes)

• Sharing and analyzing tragic depictions of difficult childhood moments in successful graphic novel memoirs: how the narration, dialogue, pacing, panel size, and point of view make the moment feel tragic. We will be crying our eyes out!
• Sharing and analyzing comic depictions of difficult childhood moments in successful graphic novel memoirs: just like the above, but we will be laughing our asses off!
• Using process materials from El Deafo, I’ll share my own methods of figuring out how to depict a moment with comics.

Part II: It’s a tragedy! (60 minutes total)

• Partner up: share your embarrassing stories with a person that you don’t know. Taking turns, use all your oral storytelling skills to make your embarrassing moment come to life for your partner, in the most tragic way possible. (15 minutes)
• Sharing your work with one another along the way, you will:
• Plot the action with thumbnails that map out pacing and panel sizes. (10 minutes)
• Add narration and dialogue to thumbnails. (10 minutes)
• Sketch out full-size pages. (15 minutes)
• A brave soul or two can share their work with all the participants. (10 minutes)

Break! (15 minutes) (If you’ve been holding your bladder all this time, we’ll call that a tragedy. But using the bathroom and getting a snack and a drink will make it a comedy!)

Part III: It’s a comedy! (60 minutes total)

• Partner up again: share the same embarrassing story you shared earlier, but with a new person that you don’t know, and comedically. Really ham it up! (15 minutes)
• Sharing your work with one another along the way, you will:
• Plot the action with thumbnails that map out pacing and panel sizes. (10 minutes)
• Add narration and dialogue to thumbnails. (10 minutes)
• Sketch out full-size pages. (15 minutes)
• A brave soul or two can share their work with all the participants. (10 minutes)

Closing (20 minutes)

• Sing-along to alleviate the stress and tension from all of your hard work!
• Q and A.

PARTICIPANTS WILL:

• Analyze how and why moments from successful graphic novels work well
• Analyze the differences and similarities between presenting stories tragically and comedically
• Determine which viewpoint(s) might be best for their own childhood memoir or MG/YA novel based on childhood experiences
• Hone hyperbolic storytelling skills by:
• Experimenting with narration and dialogue
• Experimenting with pacing and presentation
• Recognize the similarities within the emotional responses to embarrassing moments, and use those similarities advantageously to craft stories that elicit empathy and sympathy
• Have fun!