Prose VS Visual Art: What works better for you and your story

Let's say that you are fired up with the desire to create a story. You have the concept of the story, characters and world in your head; now you only need to put it on the page. Let's also say that you are both a prose writer and a comic/manga artist. Which option is better for your story? How do you decide? Well, let's check them out!

• Prose

  This is always a fun option. It allows the reader to use their imagination while following your descriptions. It gives a lot of freedom to the reader but also to the author. The author is able to deep dive into a character's thoughts or a specific scene or a setting as much as they want. For example, if the author writes 2 characters arriving at a cabin and then having a fight, the author doesn't need to remark the fact that the characters are in a cabin; the author can deep dive into the fight as much as they want and describe what they want (expressions, actions, feelings, etc.)

  The descriptions can be used for the sake of the narrative, but also it gives the author the opportunity to showcase their personal writing style.

  They are able to show their craft; how they describe characters going through intense emotions, how much focus they put in the scenery, how they build a character's personality through their word choice. When writing prose, the author also has a lot of fun options when it comes to perspective: will they choose 1st or 3rd person? Will it be a book with dual POV? Will the author include a prologue or epilogue from the perspective of a different narrator? So many options! Prose is a good option for people who love to write descriptions, getting deep into trains of thought, and to let the reader use their imagination.

• Visual Art (comics, manga, graphic novels, etc.)

  This option is also really fun if you are a person who prefers visuals. Although the reader is not able to use their imagination to picture how places and characters look like, a comics writer/artist is able to use the visuals for other interesting aspects. They can show emotions and inner monologues in an abstract way, they are able to use the "closure" (a phenomenon described by Scott Mc Cloud. The phenomenon allows comics reader to take parts of a story and perceiving the complete picture) in any way they want, and they are able to leave clues about future plot points in a visual way that does not interfere with the main story (for example, a character can go into a temple and see a mural of a legend that will be debunked in the future).

  Despite their visual nature, the writing can also shine in this medium. The comics writer/artist is able to use dialogue and/or visual cues to express an unreliable narrator, a lot twist, a character going through a mental breakdown, etc.

  When it comes to perspective, there isn't usually a lot of variety (3rd person most of the time and 1st person for specific moments) but you never know what an artist is able to do! This is a good way to tell a story if you are okay with the work that images bring. Although it's hard it can sure uplift a story.

At the end of the day, it depends on what you would enjoy the most! Both mediums have their pros and cons, but both can showcase any genre so neither is superior to the other. Don't let the myth about one medium being superior or more legitimate than the other be a deciding factor.

Plus, those are not the only two options! There are many stories presented in different formats because first, that's what the creator wanted and second, it was best for the story. There's theater, animation, games, virtual projects and more! You can even mix them up! There are no limits when it comes to human creativity.

As lovely said by the Chinese animated show (or donghua) "Link Click:" "There's no hierarchy in creativity." As an editor and fan of stories, it's a phrase I live by, and I think other creatives should too!