The Graphic Novel: Workshop For Writers
Sundays, Feb 22, 2026, TIME – Sunday, June 14, 2026
3:00-4:30 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: All levels
Instructors: Elizabeth Bicknell & Eugene Yelchin
Cost: $3000
Registration opens December 1, 2025 and closes January 16, 2026.
Are you a graphic novelist who wants to deepen your craft?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a graphic novel, but don’t know where to start?
And, if you haven’t considered writing a graphic novel, now is the time to explore the genre!
Graphic novels continue to be one of the strongest and most resilient categories in publishing, with readers of all ages gravitating toward visual storytelling. For writers and illustrators alike, graphic narrative is a powerful form that blends character, voice, pacing, and visual design in ways no other genre can.
This four-month intensive teaches you how to plot, script, storyboard, and lay out your graphic novel with support from two master mentors: longtime Candlewick editor Elizabeth Bicknell and award-winning author-illustrator Eugene Yelchin. Together they bring years of editorial knowledge, storytelling expertise, and hands-on guidance to your project.
As a group, you’ll look closely at the genre — studying both the art and the writing. You’ll brainstorm, narrow in on an idea with your mentors, and then you’ll work independently with mentor check-ins. You will explore the elements of visual storytelling and address key ideas such as: How graphic novels differ from “regular” novels or from other illustrated works. How do graphic novels convey the major elements of storytelling. How the use, placement and size of dialogue conveys the passage of time and emotional tone. How the use of light, color, and composition carry tone and genre. How panel/page flow creates the pacing of a scene. And more!
This is an intensive workshop. Please be sure you’ve put aside time (we suggest 20-25 hours per month) for writing and/or drawing .
Who is this writing workshop for?
Writers exploring graphic novels for the first time.
Writers with a graphic novel draft who want expert mentorship
Writers who have a story idea for a graphic novel but don’t know how or where to start.
Writers looking to expand their toolkit and add a new genre to their repertoire.
Illustrators or author-illustrators developing sequential storytelling skills
Picture book illustrators looking to expand their portfolios.
Picture book illustrators looking to move into an older genre.
Writers and illustrators who have written graphic novels, but who wish to elevate their craft through mentorship.
Illustrators or author-illustrators who want to expand into graphic novels, animation storyboarding, or digital comics.
Writers and illustrators preparing pitches for agents or editors
Creators transitioning into digital comics or animation
No artistic background is required for writers. No full manuscript is required for illustrators.
You’ll Complete This Workshop With:
Writers:
A full outline and multi-page synopsis of your graphic novel.
A clearer sense of your creative voice in a visual medium.
Tools that apply to prose, picture books, digital comics, and future graphic novels.
Mentorship from two highly respected leaders in the field.
Author-illustrators and/or illustrators are also encouraged to produce:
3-5 polished sample panels of varying sizes.
Storyboards for up to 15 spreads.
Workshop Details
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This course runs over five months and is divided into two sections.
The first section: five lectures on the rise to prominence of graphic novels over the last 50 years. The focus will be on nonfiction topics, especially biography, politics, and history, both in adult and children’s publishing.
The second section: two group discussion sessions per month with at least one, one-on-one meeting per month. These personalized meetings will keep participants on track and provide the scaffolding needed to complete the project.
All formal workshops will be recorded, however we expect participants to attend all group meetings.
You must dedicate at least 20 hours of writing/illustrating time per month. Writing a graphic novel requires planning and plotting.
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Due to the workload of this workshop, we can only accept ten students. Liz and Eugene will each work with up to five students. You will be assigned to the instructor who best suits your needs.
Writers may apply to the program between December 1 and January 16.
When you register, you will be asked to answer three questions. Authors must submit a writing sample (about five-pages or 1250 words), and artists will be asked to share a link or upload their portfolio so our instructors can understand where you are in your craft journey.
Please email your sample to: submissions@whalerockworkshops.com.
Your sample must be 12-point Arial or Times New Roman, double spaced with one-inch margins. File names should include your name. For example: The House Around the Corner_JaneSmith. Any sample that does not follow these guidelines will not be considered.
We will inform accepted students in the second week of January.
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Meetings are in 2026 and will take place on Sundays at 3:00 PM EST. We will schedule two group meetings in both April and May. Dates are still TBD
Meeting Dates:
February 22
March 1March 1 - March 14 initial check-ins with writers/illustrators.
March 15
March 22
March 29March 29 - April 12 Check-ins
April 12 - group presentationsMay 10 - Submit to Liz and Eugene
June 7 - Deadline for revisions
June 14 - Final gathering and final presentation
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Liz Bicknell has worked as an editor, publisher, and mentor for more than 30 years. As Executive Editorial Director at Candlewick Press, she acquired and edited books for young readers of all ages, from board books to picture books to graphic novels to YA fiction and nonfiction, working with such luminaries as M. T. Anderson, Lauren Child, Carson Ellis, Ekua Holmes, Jon Klassen, Stephan Pastis, Laura Amy Schlitz, Carole Boston Weatherford, Allan Wolf, and Eugene Yelchin. Books edited by Liz have won a National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Honor, National Jewish Book Award, Coretta Scott King Author Award, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and many others.
Eugene Yelchin is a painter, designer, and a writer / illustrator of books for young readers. His many accolades include a Newbery Honor, National Book Award Finalist, a Sydney Taylor Award, Golden and Crystal Kite Awards, a National Jewish Book Award, and the Tomie DePaola Award. His books have been included in Best Books of the Year lists by the New York Times, People Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and have been translated into fourteen languages. With a graduate degree in film production from the University of Southern California, Yelchin teaches screenwriting, character design, and sequential storytelling at the Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. For more information, please visit eugeneyelchin.com.
Registration for this workshop is now closed