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(1) The smell of roasted chicken, rosemary, and cooked brisket permeated the air. The accompanying mouth-watering sight of sautéed asparagus, melting potatoes, carrot soup, flourless chocolate cake, candied sweet potatoes, and ratatouille ignited the appetites of every person sitting at the table. And sitting second closest to the door was none other than Victor. Despite the feast lying right in front of them, no one was eating. Instead, every ear was glued to the man of the house telling an all-familiar story. This long-winged retelling of the story was an answer to Victor's usual every-year question, "Why do you people do all this?" Yes, Victor was given the role of the (temporarily) wicked child. It has become his regular role. He has become quite good at it if he might say. He did tend to wonder why all this had to last so long! His impatience was growing alongside his hunger! 'Surely this could be done quicker.', thought Victor. Almost as though the host heard him, a soft smile appeared on his lips. The words uttered seemed as though they were directed as much at Victor as they were directed at the question of the 'simple child'. "What is all this? All this is in commemoration of all our God did when He took us out of Egypt where we were slaves. Great was the affliction and suffering of our people, yet God showed up with His mighty hand. In return for all His faithfulness, all He commanded us to do is observe this day each year. To feast before our Abba and remember Him." With a sheepish look, Victor looked down at the Passover table and decided he could wait just a tad bit longer. Image created via canva.com .

(1) Shouts of joy. Toasts and clinks permeated the air. Loudly music blasted away. Every once in a while a crash of a glass could be heard. And amidst all this, Victor found himself being dragged by his first cousin once removed across the patio.  Their destination? The dance floor. Tere a group of boys and young men were dancing the night away.  Victor had been to weddings before, but none that would compare to this. Victor and his family are messianic Jews. They used to be conservative, but his father and mother had an encounter with the Yeshua during one stormy winter day. After that, they changed their religion. Victor being so young was naturally being taught according to his parent's beliefs.  The rest of their families remained conservative with some far-removed branches that were orthodox. So while Victor most certainly had been exposed to some exuberant joyous celebrating in the past, this wedding was something else. It was a Hasidic wedding. His first cousin once removed, Reina, was getting married to a Hasidic jew named Ari. Uncommon it was for a Hasidic to marry a non-hasidic. Not unheard of, but uncommon. Considering the strict rules Hasidics follow, the wedding was carried out according to their laws.  Some of the customs were just plain weird to Victor. Even the dancing was a bit unusual but sublime.  There was a special presence though, exuberant joy Victor had never felt before. And peace. Victor was enjoying himself like never before. This was by far the best wedding he had ever attended. And it was about to get even better.  Victor and about 12 other young men were circle-dancing and enjoying themselves when out of the blue a second group approached them. A puzzled look appeared on Victor’s face. Noticing his confusion, his cousin told him a dance battle was to take place.  ‘A dance battle?’ Victor wondered. Standing there a bit sheepish, Victor then took a step back with the rest while one youngster remained in the circle. He was joined by another from the opposite group. And the battle began.  Victor thought things couldn’t get even more crazy, but these two guys sure knew how to dance. And they were good at acrobatics too.  Things turned wild and Victor was swept away by the euphorics. One by one others joined the two until the two groups joined and danced for the rest of the night.  _________________________________________________________________________ Well into the night the wedding continued. Victor and his family retired around 2 a.m. Way past the hour they usually left. But, as his father admitted, even he was taken over more than usual. In the morning they joined the bride’s extended family for breakfast. Since they traveled far, they were provided with lodgings at the nearby hotel. There the bride’s and groom's immediate families also slept. Slowly they entered the dining room and took their seats. After the standard hamotzi prayer, they all dug in.  Despite none of them receiving proper rest, the joy from the wedding had not died off. Everyone was loud, and exuberant as they could be. It both puzzled and ticked off the oung Victor who was feeling cranky from the lack of sleep. After breakfast, they all headed to the synagogue. While Victor did not usually mind the sermons today he was feeling oddly ticked off. He was hoping the long sermon would end soon and his moodiness was steadily growing ever more. When the rabbi finished he couldn't get out of the place sooner. His broodiness was getting to him more and more. His countenance was growing darker. Every little thing became a bother. Even stopping for some ice cream upset him. "Why was everyone so happy and full of energy? I can barely stand over here.", Victor thought to himself. While Victor's family and friends were getting energized and filled with more and more joy, Victor was starting to feel more and more drained. He really wanted his bed. When the bride's family suggested stopping at the park for a picnic, Victor managed to catch himself before snapping at all of their cheerfulness. He was paralyzed for a second, shocked at himself and his thoughts. Following his family absentmindedly, an inner battle with guilt began. Finally, Victor was starting to notice his ever-growing dark thoughts. And guilt was finally starting to eat him up. They stopped at the supermarket to collect some food and then managed to reach the park about 10 minutes later. As they were entering the park Victor was finally coming to terms with his sinful behavior. Repentance was beginning to fill him. As he was surrendering to God, he remembered a verse from scripture, from Proverbs 15: 15 to be more precise. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Proverbs 15: 15 (NIV) Releasing his frustration, Victor actively chose to appreciate the food and company during the rest of the day. Steadily his countenance began to lighten, the heaviness departed. The tiredness that was so unbearable became almost like an afterthought. Back at the hotel, Victor couldn't help but conclude that today was a lesson well learned. SOURCES Image created via canva.com .

(1) INTRODUCTION Every project begins with a concept, a basic blueprint. This basic blueprint is the foundation upon which we then build our product, for instance, a house.  With mangas it is similar. It all starts with a basic plotline. And from there we let our imagination run.  STEPS TO WRITING A MANGA On HomeLight.com 35 steps are listed for building a house. From finding and purchasing land, deciding which type of house we would like to build, hiring a building team, to getting the required permits.  Each step is equally important and following them in a certain sequence allows for the process to be smoother and quicker.  There are steps to writing mangas too. The steps are similar to writing other texts, material and books, but have some distinctive features.  PLANNING AND PREPARATION CHOOSE YOUR MANGA TYPE As with house building, we have to choose the type of manga we wish to create. Will it be a slice of life, fantasy, sci-fi, historical or any of the other types? This will help clarify the type of characters and settings we will have. (2) RESEARCH AND BRAINSTORM Researching your genre. Read other manga and comic books to get a feel for what works in the chosen industry. It may also give you ideas for your story. (3) WRITE A QUICK SUMMARY A quick summary will help us stay on track when writing and also help us combat any feelings of weariness and overwhelm. (2) While your story does not have to be completely original, do try to include something that stands out in some way. (2) CREATE CHARACTER PROFILES AND DESIGN Develop a profile for each character. Define their personality and characteristics. Describe their appearances and basic background story. Be original. No coping of other existing characters unless permitted by the owners. (2) DETERMINE THE SETTINGS Determine the setting. Is this a fantasy world? What are the major places? Plan out the locations of the manga where the majority of events will take place. (2) Design and draw out a world (only necessary for a fantasy world), and town maps. Use simple icons to draw the map and only for locations that are relevant to your story. (2) If the town and locations are real, taking photos of them is advised. Next sketch out the locations and some important interiors. (2) DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF YOUR MANGA Write out point-form notes of the major events for each chapter and the characters involved. How much of the story will unfold in each chapter? (2) PLAN FOR PRINTING BEFORE YOU DRAW THE MANGA Do some research on the standard print sizes that are available to use in our location. Also be aware of the “live area”, “bleed” and “trim” areas when choosing to print. You might want to ask for some help from a graphic designer. (2) WRITING AND FORMATTING PLAN YOUR PAGES AND DETERMINE THE PANEL LAYOUT Create rough sketches of each page for a given chapter. The arrangement of these panels can affect the pacing and flow of the story, while the panels’ size and shape can also influence how the reader perceives the story’s events. (2, 3) There is a wide variety of boxes of different formats, rectangular, but also oblique, and even if the principle of a maximum of four vertical lines applies, you can happily exceed this number. Choose what style you will use. (4) When drawing these rough sketches, you can help yourself by drawing Chibi characters. Include the dialog that will take place. Dialogue and narration are essential. Dialogue is the spoken words of the characters, while narration is the voice-over that describes what is happening in the story. Dialogue should be used to reveal character, advance the plot, or provide exposition, and narration should set the scene, provide context, or create an atmosphere. (3) CHOOSE SCRIPT FORMAT The most common format used in manga and comic book writing is the Full Script format. The Marvel Format is also popular. (3) LEARN THE DIFFERENT SPEECH BUBBLES Different styles of speech bubbles can be used. For instance, regular oval shape tends to be used for normal speech, while jagged ones tend to be used for shouting. Stick to the same style. (2) CREATE STORYBOARD, DRAW YOUR MANGA After you have planned everything out, you can begin drawing. Do a light pencil drawing first and ink it afterward.  If you have a pen tablet and the right software you can draw your manga digitally. (2) SHOW , DON’T TELL Instead of telling the reader what is happening, we show them through visuals. (3) PACING AND TIMING Pacing refers to the speed at which the story is told, while timing refers to the moment something happens in the story. (3) REVISION AND REWRITE EDITING AND POLISHING When we are done with writing, the process of editing and polishing begins. Editing includes revising the script for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as well as improving the flow and clarity of the story. (3) Polishing on the other hand involves fine-tuning the script for style and tone, ensuring the story is interesting and well-written. (3) GET FEEDBACK  Get some basic feedback by showing people your character designs and giving them some idea of the plot. Ask for honest feedback. (2) PUBLISHING CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE Choosing the right size is crucial. It is important for overall appearance and readability. PROFESIONAL DIGITAL PRINTING It helps comic book creators produce stunning, high-quality graphic novels, manga, and comic books. (3) MARKETING AND SELLING Choosing the right marketing strategy and company is essential for converting sales.  CONCLUSION There are several steps to writing manga as there are in the case of every project. It all starts with research and brainstorming. Creating a summary becomes the foundation upon which we then further build. SOURCES Image created via canva.com . Anime outline. 10 Steps to Make Your Own Manga or Comic Book. Available at https://www.animeoutline.com/steps-to-make-your-own-manga/ Comix Wellspring. How to Write a Manga or Comic Script? March 27, 2023. Available at https://www.grekoprinting-comixwellspring.com/blog/how-to-write-a-manga-or-comic-script/ Repaper. How to create a Manga? Tools, Techniques, and Digital Mastery. Available at https://www.iskn.co/eu/discover/54614397/how-to-create-a-manga