Suggested Works to help you with Narrative

Ball D. 1983 Backwards & Forwards Southern Illinois University Press
ISBN: 978-0809311101

Ostensibly written as a “technical manual for reading plays” (stage plays), this slim volume is a no nonsense guide to understanding dramatic structure and building drama into storylines and plots. A thorough understanding of the concepts in this book will aid writers in crafting a story with direction and dramatic punch.


Caputo T. 2002 Visual Storytelling: The Art and Technique Watson-Guptill
ISBN-10: 0823003175 ISBN-13: 978-0823003174

Visual media artists-comic book artists, film and video storyboarders and animators, and creators of interactive games-must express purely with pictures everything that the writer can't communicate in words. As a result, truly effective visual storytelling must be compelling, dynamic-and have the appearance of reality. In Visual Storytelling, veteran comic book publisher Tony Caputo demonstrates everything the aspiring visual media artist needs to know in order to master sequential art. In Part 1, artists will discover, through clear illustrations and pictures, each stage of the production process, including plotting, writing, penciling and lettering, inking, coloring, and painting. Part 2 shows, step by step, the basics of figure drawing and anatomy, and basic light and dark techniques. Finally, Part 3 details the basics of page composition, layout, and design as well as the art of creating incredible comic book covers and splash pages. Filled with fascinating illustrations by such legendary artists as Mat Nastos, Jim Steranko, Neal Adams, Wally Wood, Andrew Loomis, Scott McCloud, Terry Moore and Jeff Smith, Visual Storytelling also features a ready-to-use guide that helps chart progress and skills in visual storytelling media.

Madden M. 2005 99 Ways to Tell a Story – Exercises in Style Chamberlain Brothers

A series of engrossing one-page comics that tells the same story in a variety of ways. Inspired by Raymond Queneau’s 1947 work of the same title, a mainstay of creative writing courses, Madden’s project demonstrates the expansive range of possibilities available to all storytellers. The series has found a broad audience and widespread critical praise on the Internet, where Madden’s website, www.exercisesinstyle.com, has developed a cult following.


Walker G. A. 2007 Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels Firefly Books Ltd

Presents a collection of wordless graphic novels that cover the themes of social unrest and the plight of the downtrodden worker and are illustrated with wood cuts and lino-engraving.


Wolk D. 2007 Reading Comics – How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean Da Capo Press

This is the first serious, readable, provocative, canon-smashing book of comic criticism by the leading critic in the field. Suddenly, comics are everywhere: a newly matured art form, filling bookshelves with brilliant, innovative work and shaping the ideas and images of the rest of contemporary culture. In "Reading Comics", critic Douglas Wolk shows us why this is and how it came to be. Wolk illuminates the most dazzling creators of modern comics and introduces a critical theory that explains where each fits into the pantheon of art. "Reading Comics" is accessible to the hardcore fan and the curious newcomer; it is the first book for people who want to know not just what comics are worth reading, but also the ways to think and talk and argue about them. Illustrators included in "Reading Comics" include: David B; Chester Brown; Steve Ditko; Will Eisner; Frank Miller; Gilbert Hernandez; Jaime Hernandez; Craig Thompson; James Kochalka; Hope Larson; Carla Speed McNeil; Alan Moore; Grant Morrison; Dave Sim; Jim Starlin; Kevin Huizenga; Charles Burns; Art Spiegelman; Chris Ware; and, Alison Bechdel.