This is the first time I'm scripting a comic, so I am still unenlightened as to the whole process of it... But, this is getting a bit crazy - I've hit the 30 page mark, and I haven't even started my rising action, yet! I have a few parts I can cut out after editing, but I'll leave that until the end to do.

Has anyone else realized that if they keep writing as they are now, they'll have a 200 page script in order to cover their entire plot?

My script is meant for a longer Graphic Novel, so I expect it to be a bit big, but I think I'm taking a bit too long with it.

Anyone have any good suggestions on how to cut down on the amount of unnecessary things in a GN script?

Thanks so much, guys!

Well, my script is a series, so I expect my scripting to just keep on goin'. In fact, the whole first book just establishes the main characters and situation.
I don't know about cutting things down. I'm on 33 pages of script and just 20 pages of comic so far, and I don't even think I'm being detailed enough. Then again, as the artist I don't really need to worry so much about how descriptive my writing is.

Donate & get your own shiny halo!

Yeah, my script is a series, too. I'm not quite as high as you two are (been having a bad couple of days, but I'm still aiming for 40 pages by tomorrow), but I can see this script taking a while as well.

I figured at the start that this series was going to be about 5 volumes long, with four chapters a volume. Script Frenzy should carry me through the first and possibly second volume, and by then I should have a better grasp of my characters and story so that I can fill in the gap between the beginning and the end of the series.

My chapters are going to be limited to about 30 pages each, and I'm only on page 44 right now...I think I'm going to have to go back over the last couple of pages though, because it's just lousy and I'm only writing myself into a corner by introducing characters too early.

Huh...just thinking about it now, I might have to make a couple of lists. See what I can get out of rewriting, and what definitely has to go or be gone over in more detail.

30 pages seems about right to me if you think of your GN in terms of a story arc. Act 1: Introduction, 33 pages. Act 2: Conflict, 33 pages. Act 3: Resolution, 34 pages. 100 pages!

Or, in comic book terms.
Issue 1: Introduction, 25 pages.
Issue 2: Conflict, 25 pages.
Issue 3: Obstacle, 25 pages.
Issue 4: Resolution, 25 pages.
100 pages again!

Well actually I realized my first issuse was going to be longer then expected and well didn't really want to cut anything. It's all pretty relevant so far. It got me thinking about my outline and how I want to break up my various issues more too. Ended up reworking my outline and going to actually split up my first issue into 4 issues. And adding a lot of scenes that I had intended for later in the series. Since I'm doing alot of flashbacks and forwards I get to really play with what order I want them in so I think this is gonna work better for the series.

But yeah I'm up to 62 pages right now and I have like 1/2 of each of the first 4 issues done. So probably around 120 pages for the first 4 issues. But that's before I really get into the myth arc for the series too. It's gonna be hinted at in the first four and alluded to but it isn't until issue 5 that the MC's really get confronted with it up close and personal like. I have parts of 5 written too but it's all in a notebook right now so I'm not counting it towards my page count.

But considering that my mytharch is planned out for about 10 issues I think I'm basicly on target. All depends on how many issues you think it's gonna take for the story line. I'm shooting for about 20-25 comic pages for each issue and 10 issues total. And I'm pretty wordy so for every 10 comic pages it's taking me about 15-20 pages of script.

So yeah you might end up with a lot but I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you are telling a good story that's all that really matters.

Yes, I am definitely having this issue.
My story is based on a roleplay that I've had going with my friend for a little over a year now. Since we have so much material and so much that we are still planning, (we're not even halfway through, and it's been almost two years!) I figured that I would divide the story into thirds, since there are three main characters.
But then I started to improvise like crazy. Brand new characters are popping up all over the place, a new story arc, and it's evolving from a simple idea into a more complex one.
A LONG complex story. I have around 70 pages of our roleplay saved on my computer in a word document. I have written 55 pages of script. I am on page 13 of my story.
I am screwed.
Sorry for that little rant there. As far as your question, how to cut down on page numbers... I'm really not the best person to ask. I tend to ramble anyway. (see above)

Bad Company will be something like 3-400 pages long as a novel, so the GN will be pretty long as well. But now that the prologue's done (10 comic pages or so), the action begins at the exact moment that Charlie's suicide is interrupted by her sister Desiree knocking on the door after running away from home. Once Desiree knocks on Charlie's apartment door by page 15, all hell can now break loose.

The secret I learned from my library of screenwriting books is to start with the "inciting incident", or the event that kicks the plot into gear. In BadCo, that's the murder of Charlie's reporter fiancé Bob on page 6 or 7.

For what it's worth I agree with Dennis, starting at the (or an) inciting incident is often a good idea. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be background, but often background is more interesting if it is added later - in flashback or alluded to by the characters (flashback is a bit corny in most media but I think it works OK in comic format). That way you're not saying, "This happened to the character and that is why he acts like that," instead you're saying, "The character acts like this," which creates an appetite in the reader to know WHY. Then, when you reveal why later, it is of great interest to the reader as they already have a vested interest in the character.