Draft Three Taking Shape

Draft Two was in worse shape than I thought. There are many improvements to make, so many it's hard to keep them clear in my mind. For future reference (if I ever create another graphic novel) please note:

1.  The work of art that takes shape before your eyes looks great compared to the void from which it came. But compared to the finished product it's a mass of garbled lines/words; there are hundreds if not thousands of adjustments to make.

2.  Do not under-estimate the amount of time it takes to change 2400+ word balloons. I regret starting with an inferior font. The new one looks great but what a chore to change 'em all.

Panel 6 of this page will be the "reveal" of a new character, a muscle bound militarist.
In panel 4 I'll be pulling an Alfred Hitchcock--putting myself in the strip.

3.  Currently I'm preparing (in Publisher) Draft Three which will eventually be printed to hard copy. That prep involves changing the font including size and position and outlines, improving the flow of the narrative. Sadly, it bogs down a lot. Poor Doc Q speaks in fits and starts. After his every utterance the class goes riffing and quipping and cracking wise. He is thus reduced to sound bites. I'm still not sure if the format is a lost cause or pioneer work of uber-creativity. I'm also paying close attention to see if we can combine characters; why have two characters when one will do? I'm also entering into Draft Three the corrections I made with pen on Draft Two.

Tedious Note Department 1: I've changed Mr. Q's name to Dr. Q. With the switch of a letter he's just got an advanced degree. "Mr" is for laymen; "Dr" reinforces the notion that he's a man of letters.

Tedious Note Department 2: Draft Two exists in two states: digital [Publisher] and hard copy. To create a digital copy of Draft Three I open the Draft Two file and with hard copy in hand I make the changes to Draft Two calling it Draft Three. All the while I'm adding new ideas to Draft Three as they occur to me. All this to say, editing is more work than the original composition. Anyone can do a mind dump. The skill is carving that tapestry into a woven story replete with mixed metaphors).

4.  On the hard copy of Draft Three I'll draw pencil sketches of each character. I've yet to design those characters since I'm still sorting 428 pages of dialog, making sure characters stay within character.

5. The process is agonizingly slow. What keeps me going? A sense of calling. I believe that this comic treatment of Ecclesiastes will aid and abet the growth of the human spirit, foster endurance, and inspire faith and virtue. That, and get a few laughs.