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catharsis development session 3: the outline
🕑 Added 2020-11-12 23:14:37 +0000 UTCi haven't written about developments about catharsis for a while... i didn't want to show my face again until something substantial was written: the outline. i can work out an entire comic from an outline, so this is an important step in the script process for me.
for me, an outline includes a summary of what happens in every scene in the comic. the summary for any given scene can range from only a sentence to paragraphs, depending on the details and "beats" that i have in mind.
from this point, the next step would be reviewing the outline with the goal of condensing and attempting to tighten themes, and rewriting all summaries in a numbered format with more detailed descriptions of the settings and visual elements. after these are written out, it's time to just write out the dialogue so that it is an actual script.
one reason that this outline took me so long is because i rewrote it... this final version is the third version of the outline. sometimes i hit such a hard wall with outlines or how i'm conceptualizing a plot that i just need to start from scratch.
however, i have all three outline versions still, so i will attempt to go over some of the changes from start to finish.
the first outline i tried to write out in a mechanical way to make it easier: i numbered every scene identified in the skeleton i drew, and then tried to write down a summary of what the literal plot events would be. then i would highlight significant words that indicate pacing or purpose.
the first issue was that trying to force the presumed structure onto it was not helping. the other major change i made was axing the romantic subplot, because it was uncomfortable for me personally. i am not a very romantic person. let's look at the second version's first scene:
you can see that the second outline doesn't entirely do away with things that i thought of from the first one. you can also see i was aware from the previous outline that it lacked the presence of felix's alters by focusing too much on the literal driving actions of the plot.
this also introduces a more conscious choice to make the theme of self-acceptance prominent by planting the problem belief in the first scene.
the biggest change between version 2 and 3 is that i removed the therapist. i didn't like the similarity to drawing a blank's structure, but i think that the therapist is too integral to drawing a blank. i wanted to see if i could push more support from the side characters to replace the therapist. anyway, here is scene 1 in version 3:
you can see a lot is adopted from the previous version because the therapist is uninvolved. the next scene is charlotte's introduction, which changed a little bit.
the most important tweak was removing felix's misinterpretation of attraction to charlotte as a "bad feeling" because it can come off as racist. aside from that, version 3 modifies the scene to be outdoors for believability. i was also introducing food as a recurring mode of connection between the characters. a high school english class drilled into me that food is always symbolism for peace or conflict, but this was mainly for believability.
because the second version of the outline was much more complete than the first, i got to look at what some of the larger issues with balanced appearances were -- for example, noticing vincent never really showed up much except when the conflict necessitated it, despite the fact that he is necessary for the main conflict of the plot.
the third scene became one that used floyd as a vector for character development in version 3, whereas it jumped straight to izzi meeting felix at work the day after and giving him charlotte's number before.
here's an instance shortly after where vincent is intentionally given more characterization. let's jump to where the big changes happened between version 2 and 3.
izzi steers the plot away from therapy, which makes sense for her already established characterization. i feel like getting an EKG for panic attacks "just in case" is a pretty ubiquitous experience when it comes to having that kind of anxiety, so this added some realism.
what this edit also pitches is replacing one half of the function of therapy -- a view into felix's inner goings-on -- by literal views. the next scene in version 3 is felix checking in on their alters to try to get what's going on. ironically, this scene doesn't really yield any development to the plot, only characterizes felix's system more and sets up the dissonance between saga's statements and actions in the viewer's eyes. it isn't one of the scenes i've considered chopping yet, but who knows...
i know that you're supposed to keep everything essential in writing, but i do feel that some non-essential pieces can really do a lot for the emotional satisfaction with engaging in a story. feeling like the world is bigger than the scope of a narrative or setting up foreshadowing that can be seen later adds to satisfaction.
the second version of the outline builds itself by going back and forth between therapy scenes and writing scenes, but the third version hands off support through the writing scenes to izzi, floyd, biff, and felix's alters. this was trickier to write, but felt more fulfilling.
i could go over all of the changed scenes, but it would be overexplaining a lot of obvious things. i can probably just instead post the entirety of those 2 outlines if people want to look at them and compare.
overall, the third outline has 33 scenes listed -- i think this is about par for the course for my longer form comics.
the other major development since the last time was working on charlotte's design. i don't think her personality changed much. she was given curlier afro-textured hair, and it was made darker instead of the same color as the white in her design. i also brushed up on how to simplify her body shape and neck.
i got really tired writing this post near the end, so i'm just gonna stick a pin in it there. i wish i had written down more notes about the changes i was making, since i feel like i forgot a lot of them.
Comments
SharkSnek
Great insights, looking forward to re-reading this in the future when the comic starts up
bramblepaws
this was fascinating to read, thank you so much for taking the time to write it out!!
