Chapter 5

CREATE YOUR MEMOIR AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL

— By Natasha Peterson —

Illustrations by Natasha Peterson

Like so many crafts, cartooning is fun. It’s satisfying, and it’s a remarkably unique form of self-expression. When you illustrate your own memoirs, you go far beyond cartooning, entering the bold and infinitely creative world of graphic stories. No two are alike.

DO YOU LIKE TO DRAW? DO YOU DOODLE THROUGH MEETINGS AND PHONE CALLS?

EVEN WHEN YOU WERE A LITTLE KID, DID YOU LOVE ARTS AND CRAFTS AS MUCH AS RECESS?

DID YOU LOVE THE CHILDREN’S BOOK HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON AND REALLY LOVE HOW HAROLD WOULD ILLUSTRATE HIS OWN STORY AS IT WENT ALONG?

IF THAT’S A YES, THEN YOU MIGHT WANT TO CREATE YOUR MEMOIR AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL.

MEMOIRS AS GRAPHIC NOVELS USED TO BE RARE, BUT THEY ARE QUICKLY BECOMING AS POPULAR AS COMIC BOOKS. TODAY, YOU CAN FIND GRAPHIC NOVELS IN SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES, IN BOOKSTORES AND ONLINE.

GRAPHIC NOVELS, MANY OF THEM MEMOIRS, ARE FINALLY BEING ACCLAIMED BY EVEN THE MOST HARD-NOSED CRITICS AS A NEW LITERARY GENRE. SOME GRAPHIC MEMOIRS HAVE BECOME FAMOUS, LIKE PERSEPOLIS BY MARJANE SATRAPI, MARCH BY JOHN LEWIS, ANDREW AYDIN, AND NATE POWELL, EISNER AWARD-WINNING SMILE BY RAINA TELGEMEIER, NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST STITCHES BY DAVID SMALL, AND NBA FINALIST CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? BY ROZ CHAST.

COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS—WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

THE BIG QUESTION THAT COMES UP OVER AND OVER IS THIS: SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GRAPHIC NOVEL AND A COMIC BOOK?

BOTH COMIC BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE ILLUSTRATED STORIES, AND BOTH FEATURE NARRATION THAT APPEARS AS CAPTIONS, DIALOGUE, AND/OR THOUGHT BUBBLES.

COMIC BOOKS, HOWEVER, ARE ALMOST ALWAYS PART OF A SERIES (VOL.1, NO.3, ETC.), THAT REVOLVES AROUND A SUPERHERO AND VILLAIN. COMIC BOOKS ALSO COMPLY WITH STRICT GUIDELINES FOR THE SIZE OF THE COMIC, LENGTH OF THE STORY, FONTS FOR THE CAPTIONS AND DIALOGUE, AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR INKING IN COLORS. WHEW. THAT’S A LOT OF GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW.

GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE DIFFERENT, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT NEED TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES THAT DEFINE COMIC BOOKS.

YOU ARE CONSIDERED THE “CREATOR” OF YOUR GRAPHIC NOVEL, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT ANYTHING YOU WANT AND ILLUSTRATE YOUR STORY YOUR WAY.

MY FIRST GRAPHIC NOVEL, THE 9-11 STORY BOOK, AROSE FROM MY HUSBAND’S MEMORY OF WITNESSING THE 2001 ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY AT GROUND ZERO. SEE … HERE HE IS.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALAN GERSON.

AND EVEN THOUGH I WROTE THE STORY, I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE MY DRAWINGS WERE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE SUBJECT MATTER, SO I WORKED WITH A REAL ARTIST (ACTUALLY, A FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL) WHO MADE THE STORY COME TO LIFE.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALAN GERSON.

I WROTE THE STORY BECAUSE, AFTER THE DISASTER, I HAD SO MUCH EMOTION INSIDE OF ME ABOUT THE ENTIRE EVENT, I HAD TO DO SOMETHING WITH ALL THOSE FEELINGS. I NEEDED TO EXPRESS MYSELF AND GET ALL THAT NEGATIVITY OUT. SO I CREATED A SCARY NARRATOR, AN ANGRY ANGEL OF LIFE AND DEATH, WHO TELLS THE STORY. MY POINT-OF-VIEW ABOUT THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY IS EXPRESSED BY THE NARRATOR, WHO TELLS THE STORY WITH A LOT OF ATTITUDE. HE’S ANGRY AND SARCASTIC, JUST LIKE I WAS.

AFTER IT WAS COMPLETED, I FELT A LOT BETTER AS THOUGH THE EMOTIONS I HAD BEEN CARRYING HAD BEEN TRANSFERRED OUT OF ME AND INTO THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT DOING YOUR MEMOIR IN GRAPHIC NOVEL STYLE.

ANOTHER TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL THING IS THIS: THERE ARE NO RULES! IT’S ALL ABOUT CREATING YOUR MEMOIR WITH ALL THE CREATIVITY, WIT, AND EMOTION YOU WANT, SO THAT OTHERS WILL NOT ONLY READ IT, BUT SEE IT LIKE YOU DID THROUGH YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS. WHEN YOU COMBINE PERSONAL ILLUSTRATIONS WITH YOUR MEMORIES, THE RESULT CAN BE VERY POWERFUL, AND CAPTIVATING.

CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENCE: “HE DRONED ON, AND EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS LISTENING, I HAD ACTUALLY LEFT MY BODY.” OR …

YOU CAN EVEN SHOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE WITHOUT USING ANY NARRATION BY USING A THOUGHT BUBBLE INSTEAD. FOR EXAMPLE:

DO IT YOUR WAY!

EVERYBODY HAS HIS OR HER OWN WAY OF CREATING A GRAPHIC MEMOIR. SOME FOLKS WRITE THE STORY BEGINNING TO END AND THEN GO BACK AND ILLUSTRATE IT. OTHER PEOPLE DO THE OPPOSITE. THEY START THE ILLUSTRATIONS AND CAPTIONS FROM THE GET-GO, OFTEN DOING A DRAFT FIRST ON PLAIN PAPER, AND THEN A FINAL DRAFT ON CARD STOCK. HERE’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE SAME PARAGRAPH WRITTEN AND THEN TRANSLATED INTO GRAPHIC NOVEL FORM:

I WAS SEVENTEEN, AND THANKSGIVING DINNER WAS IN SEVENTEEN HOURS. ALONE AT LAST, I WAS WATCHING THE ANNUAL TWILIGHT ZONE MARATHON WHEN MOTHER CAME IN. UNCLE RAD WAS WAITING AT THE AIRPORT, AND I HAD TO GO PICK HIM UP. I CRINGED. THAT OLD POTHEAD SMELLED LIKE A CAT BOX.

MIX IT UP! YOU CAN ADD GRAPHIC NOVEL-STYLE ILLUSTRATIONS AND CARTOONS TO YOUR SCRAPBOOKS AND EVEN AS AN ACCOMPANIMENT TO YOUR FAMILY RECIPES.

CHILDREN ARE NATURAL CARTOONISTS, OFTEN SO EAGER TO DRAW WHAT’S AROUND THEM AND ADD THEIR EXPLANATION (OR CAPTION). WHAT FUN TO INCLUDE CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED AND CAPTIONED ADDITIONS TO FAMILY MEMOIR PROJECTS!

GRAPHIC MEMOIR ELEMENTS

THERE ARE SEVERAL PARTS TO A GRAPHIC MEMOIR/NOVEL:

1. NARRATION. THAT’S YOU TELLING YOUR STORY AS YOU REMEMBER IT. YOU ARE THE NARRATOR, AND THE STORY IS FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW. IN MEMOIR, THE NARRATION IS MOST OFTEN WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON. NARRATION CAN BE WITHIN THE BORDERS OF THE ILLUSTRATION, OR NEXT TO IT LIKE A CAPTION.

2. ILLUSTRATIONS. LARGE, SMALL, IN THE MARGINS, FILLING THE WHOLE PAGE, BLACK/WHITE OR IN COLOR, BEAUTIFUL, JARRING, SIMPLE, DETAILED. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT.

3. DIALOGUE. DIALOGUE IS DRAWN WITHIN THE CELL WHEN ONE OR MORE CHARACTERS ARE TALKING, CONTAINED IN A DIALOGUE BUBBLE.

4. THOUGHT BUBBLES. MANY ILLUSTRATORS USE DOTTED LINES FOR THOUGHT BUBBLES TO SEPARATE THEM FROM DIALOGUE. AND SOMETIMES, THERE’S A FIFTH ELEMENT …

5. ANNOTATED NOTES ALONG THE SIDE WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

GETTING STARTED: TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

IF YOU ARE THINKING, “I NEED SOMETHING TO DRAW ON AND SOMETHING TO DRAW WITH,” YOU’RE NOT FAR OFF. STILL, IT’S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.

PENS OR PENCILS

YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT IF YOU’RE MORE COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH A PENCIL OR PEN. REALLY, YOU HAVE TO PLAY AROUND WITH SOFT NO. 2 PENCILS, ART PENCILS, AND EVEN MECHANICAL PENCILS, AND SEE WHICH ONE FEELS BEST TO YOU. YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE DIFFERENT PENCILS (OR PENS) FOR DRAWING AND LETTERING. WHILE YOU’RE TESTING OUT PENCILS, TEST OUT ERASERS, TOO, BECAUSE YOU’LL NEED THEM.

THE SAME GOES FOR PENS. CLASSIC WHITE-OUT WILL GET YOU THROUGH YOUR ERRORS.

PAPER

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SKETCHBOOK, THE MOST COMMONLY USED PAPER FOR GRAPHIC NOVELS IS BRISTOL “BOARD.” BRISTOL IS SOMEWHERE IN THICKNESS BETWEEN COPIER PAPER AND CARDBOARD, AND IT COMES IN A SMOOTH FINISH AND A ROUGHER “VELLUM” FINISH. IT DOESN’T STOP THERE, HOWEVER. YOU’LL ALSO HAVE TO DECIDE ON YOUR SKETCHBOOK SIZE, AND WHETHER YOU’LL CREATE ONE CELL PER PAGE OR HAVE SEVERAL.

SOFTWARE

YOU CAN ALSO CREATE YOUR GRAPHIC NOVEL ON A COMPUTER. YOU CAN COLOR YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS IN TWO WAYS: DO IT YOURSELF WITH INK OR PAINT AND SCAN EACH ONE INTO YOUR COMPUTER, OR SCAN IN YOUR DRAWINGS AND ADD COLOR TO THEM WITH “INKING” SOFTWARE.

YOU CAN EVEN CREATE YOUR OWN FONT FROM YOUR OWN HANDWRITTEN LETTERS AND NUMBERS ONCE THEY ARE SCANNED INTO YOUR COMPUTER. NEW, INEXPENSIVE SOFTWARE ENABLES YOU TO CREATE AND WORK WITH YOUR OWN FONT ON A MAC OR PC. THIS MAKES REWRITING A LOT MORE MANAGEABLE, BECAUSE YOU CAN KEY IN YOUR EDITS.

ONCE YOUR MEMOIR IS COMPLETED, SCAN ALL YOUR PAGES INTO YOUR COMPUTER. ANOTHER STEP SOME PEOPLE TAKE IS TO WORK WITH A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, WHO CAN ADD PAGE NUMBERS AND PULL ALL YOUR ELEMENTS TOGETHER DIGITALLY. I DID THIS WITH MY GRAPHIC NOVEL, BECAUSE I WANTED A VERSION THAT I COULD POST ONLINE, IN ADDITION TO A PRINTED VERSION.

THEN, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR BOOK BOUND AND PRINTED-AS MANY COPIES AS YOU WOULD LIKE! YOU CAN USE A LOCAL OFFICE SUPPLY STORE TO DO THIS (MOST OF THEM HAVE PRINTING SERVICES), OR SEARCH FOR PRINTING COMPANIES ONLINE. A COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, INCLUDING COMIC BOOKS, IS A GOOD CHOICE.

THERE ARE ALSO NUMEROUS DIGITAL-ONLY COMIC BOOK AND GRAPHIC NOVEL WEBSITES. IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR GRAPHIC MEMOIR TO ONE OR MORE OF THESE SITES, SO FOLKS CAN READ IT ONLINE. PLUS, YOU’LL ALWAYS HAVE A READY LINK TO YOUR WORK.

FOR INSPIRATION, STUDY A FEW POPULAR GRAPHIC NOVELS. AS YOU READ, TAKE NOTE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THE MAIN ELEMENTS (NARRATION, DIALOGUE, ETC.) ARE HANDLED.

ULTIMATELY, PENCIL IN HAND, IT’S YOUR STORY. IMAGINATION UNLIMITED!

KEEP IN MIND

• LIKE CREATING ANY MEMOIR, CREATING YOURS AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL CAN BE EMOTIONAL AND SATISFYING.

• GRAPHIC NOVELS DON’T HAVE THE SAME GUIDELINES AS COMIC BOOKS. THERE AREN’T ANY FORMAL RULES; IT’S WHATEVER WORKS WELL FOR YOU.

• YOU CAN WRITE UP YOUR MEMOIR AND THEN ILLUSTRATE IT, OR DO YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS FIRST AND CAPTION THEM WITH YOUR STORY.

• TEST OUT PENCILS, PENS, PAPER, AND ERASERS-OR COMPUTER SOFTWARE-TO FIND OUT WHAT FEELS BEST TO YOU.

• MEMOIRS AS GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE MORE POPULAR THAN EVER.

• HAVE A BALL CREATING YOUR MEMOIR!