You don’t need to know how to draw to write comics—you just need to know how they work.
Panel by Panel: How to Write Comics & Graphic Novels (Even If You Can’t Draw!) is a LIVE six-week, writer-focused course that demystifies comics and graphic novels, giving you the tools and confidence to write visually compelling stories for young readers.
Designed for prose writers, picture book authors, and anyone curious about comics, this course breaks down the essential building blocks of graphic storytelling: panels, gutters, dialogue, captions, sound effects, pacing, and page turns. You’ll learn how comics control time, emotion, humor, and suspense—and how to use those tools intentionally on the page.
Through clear instruction, playful exercises, and hands-on scripting practice, students will explore how storytelling changes across formats, from early reader comics to chapter book, middle grade, and YA graphic novels. Along the way, you’ll begin scripting your own original comic pages, learning to think like a visual storyteller while staying grounded in story and character.
And, because the class will meet LIVE every week, you'll be able to ask questions and get answers each week.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
• Understand the core language of comics, including panels, gutters, captions, speech balloons, thought bubbles, and sound effects
• Break scenes into clear visual moments and write with pacing, flow, and emphasis
• Use page turns, reveals, and splash pages to create surprise, humor, and emotional impact
• Write effective comic dialogue that works visually as well as narratively
• Match story ideas to the right comic format and age category
• Script comics clearly and professionally, creating strong blueprints for artists
• Complete original scripted comic pages—no drawing required
Who This Course Is For
• Writers curious about comics and graphic novels
• Picture book and prose writers looking to expand into visual storytelling
• Anyone who has ever thought: “I love comics… but I don’t know how to write one.”
This course takes place in six live sessions over seven weeks. We'll meet live every Monday night at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific from September 14 - October 26. (We will take October 5th off.) Each class will be approximately two hours long. All paid registrants will have access to the replays of each session within a few days of the live session.
"The class was great—a ton of information arranged in an easily understood way and homework that reinforced each lesson before moving on to the next."
- Laurie Young
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Schedule and Topics
Week #1 - September 14th at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Comics Are a Language: Understanding how comics tell stories
- What defines a comic or graphic novel
- Why comics are not “illustrated prose”
- The role of the writer in visual storytelling
- Collaboration between writer and artist
Week #2 - September 21st at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Panels, Gutters & Visual Pacing: One moment per panel
- Panels as storytelling units
- Gutters and reader participation
- Controlling time, movement, and rhythm
- Visual variety and clarity
Week #3 - September 28th at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Dialogue, Captions & Sound: How words live on the page
- Speech balloons vs. thought bubbles
- Captions and narration
- Writing concise, visual dialogue
- Sound effects and onomatopoeia as storytelling tools
Week #4 - October 12th at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Page Turns, Reveals & Emotional Beats: Using pages to create impact
- Pages as storytelling units
- Odd/even page logic
- Page turns for humor, suspense, and surprise
- Splash pages and big moments
Week #5 - October 19th at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Format, Age Category & Story Scope: Matching story ideas to the right format
- Early reader, chapter book, middle grade, and YA graphic novels
- Page counts vs. word counts
- Panel density by age group
- Choosing the right format for your story
Week #6 - October 26th at 7pm ET/4pm PT: Scripting Comics Like a Pro
- Comics scripts as blueprints
- Action lines and clarity
- Numbering panels and balloons
- Writing for collaboration
Materials
• No required textbooks
• Students are encouraged to read comics in their preferred age category
Each class will be approximately two hours.
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Your Instructor
In previous chapters Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books! She is the acclaimed author of THE SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS chapter book series with Macmillan/Imprint, as well as picture books, LOVE, TRIANGLE, illustrated by Bob Shea (Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins), PENGUINAUT!, illustrated by Emma Yarlett (Orchard Books/Scholastic), and THE BEAR'S GARDEN, illustrated by Alison Oliver (Macmillan/Imprint). Her latest picture book, SURVIVOR TREE, illustrated by Caldecott Honor Winner Aaron Becker (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) celebrates the real life story of a pear tree who survived the September 11th attacks and was named a 2022 ALA Notable Book!
Marcie is an Epic! Originals Senior Writer/Editor, creating comics and other prose for their digital platform, including KITTEN NINJA that has over 6 million reads! She lives with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey in San Diego, California.
Course Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
"This course was FANTASTIC. I looked forward to it each week, even though it was past my bedtime - haha!"
- Angela Antonelli