SEPTEMBER
Week 1 (9/9): Intro to Kids Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are a FORMAT, not a genre! So let's learn the basics of what makes a graphic novel a graphic novel, from terms and definitions to length, size, and format standards.
Week 2 (9/23): Critique Meeting
OCTOBER
Week 3 (10/14): The Graphic Novel Script
It may seem counterintuitive to start with script formatting before story, but graphic novels are so different from writing prose (or even screenwriting), that understanding the way a script is written and how it's interpreted by artists will be one of the most important things you'll ever learn about writing for kids graphic novels!
Week 4 (10/28): Critique Meeting
NOVEMBER
Week 5 (11/18): The 7 Steps of Story Structure
Use the 7 Steps of Story Structure to create a story spine for your graphic novel!
Week 6: Critique Meeting (groups meet on their own this month!)
DECEMBER
Week 7 (12/16): Characters & Dialog
How do you write about and develop characters in a graphic novel that you aren't drawing? What are the nuances in writing dialog for children of so many different ages vs dialog for adults?
Week 8: Critique Meeting (groups meet on their own this month!)
JANUARY
Week 9 (1/6): Beginnings, Middles, & Ends
Graphic novels move FAST! So what makes a strong opening, middle, and end? We will use our story spines to guide us and common-sense techniques to drive us!
Week 10 (1/20): Critique Meeting
FEBRUARY
Week 11 (2/3): Pages & Panels
Even if you aren't an artist, understanding how panels and page turns work will help you visualize your story so that you aren't writing stories that are either too long or too short and so that you are making the absolute MOST of this amazing format!
Week 12 (2/24): Critique Meeting
MARCH
Week 13 (3/9): Editing & Polishing Your Script
How do you edit a graphic novel script? Well, we start by storyboarding! Even if all you can draw are stick figures, we will learn how to make a "dummy" chapter of your book to help you edit and polish your script!
Week 14 (3/23): Critique Meeting
APRIL
Week 15 (4/6): The Business of Kids Graphic Novels
How do you get your work seen by editors? Should you look for and hire your own artist? How do you put together a pitch packet? What's your role in working with an artist once your script is done? What are contract standards for GN writers? We'll learn all this and more in a discussion with both Rivkah and her agent, Janna Morishima, in this final lesson of our series!
Week 16 (4/20): Critique Meeting