Write, illustrate, and produce a 24-page digital comic in 6 weeks

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

A guided creative workshop for creating your first comic, from start to finish

By the end of this workshop, you'll have written, illustrated, produced, and published your own 24-page digital comic!

Join instructor Kayla Cline and the Storytelling Collective team for a 6-week project-based workshop! Build a creative process that will carry you through any project. Note: you don't need to be a traditional "illustrator" to create amazing comics!
A woman with dark curly hair sits at a desk writing in a notebook. She gazes out the window over her shoulder. Above her floats a thought bubble, which contains a castle and a dragon.

Register for Write Your First Comic

Upon registering, you can start accessing your welcome kit and private community before the workshop begins!

The workshop begins on May 8, 2023

Register now to begin your journey as a comics creator

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Meet Your Instructor

Kayla Cline, StoCo Creative Producer and Comics Creator

Kayla Cline

Kayla Cline is a graphic novelist and illustrator based on the East Coast. In addition to working for Explosm (Cyanide & Happiness) as a marketing specialist, she's a prolific comic creator and artist. Kayla is the co-writer and illustrator of The Rite of Rumble, which recently raised over 600% of its funding goal on IndieGogo. She has illustrated for Hit Point Press, Wizards of the Coast, and for many other community driven tabletop roleplaying products. Her work is featured in the comics anthology Insider Art. She can be found recording her podcast Spooky Scouts, designing clothing for the brand We Crowing Hens, or just coming up with new creative ways to connect with communities. Learn more at KaylaCline.com.

In this workshop, you'll learn how to...

  • Develop a Writing Process

    Make writing an important part of your life with tools and systems that work for you.

  • Set a Project Scope

    Plan out your project and timeline so that you can complete it on a schedule that works with YOUR life.

  • Create Compelling Characters

    Establish a reference guide with the unique characters your story will feature.

  • Craft a Script

    Draft a script that encompasses your comic's story arc and visual components.

  • Design & Illustrate

    Learn how to "illustrate" your comic and design dynamic pages using traditional and non-traditional artistic elements.

  • Polish & Publish

    Tackle the "finishing touches" and prep your project for publishing!

Plus, your registration includes:

Support, encouragement, community, and additional resources

  • 24/7 Chat

    Join the Discord channel to share ideas, receive feedback, and brainstorm with fellow writers.

  • Supplemental Videos

    Delve into more detail on select lessons with accompanying videos.

  • Downloadable Templates

    Download templates and resources to aid in your writing and playtesting.

Industry professionals like Insha Fitzpatrick recommend Write Your First Comic

“If you’ve ever thought about creating comics, whether it be your first time or you want to know more, Write Your First Comic is the course for you.

Kayla’s love and talent for comics is unmatched — she will guide you in refining your ideas, writing them, illustrating, publishing your comics, and MORE! This course brings out Kayla’s passion and creates a warm and welcoming environment that allows you to dive deep and explore your own passion for the medium.

 So, what are you waiting for? Create something incredible with Kayla and your fellow creatives today!” 

— INSHA FITZPATRICK

Receive a Certificate of Completion

Upon completing the program, you'll receive a digital certificate to add to your writing portfolio.

A screenshot of a certificate for completing Write Your First Adventure. The digital certificate is outlined in red and there is a field that reads,

Workshop Schedule

The lessons are released over the course of six weeks and unlock on the dates specified below. Here is the schedule. The dates are when that lesson goes live; the deadlines for each activity are included in the lesson content.

Unit 1: Ideation and Organization

May 8 - May 14, 2023

The first week of lessons will help you solidify your idea, create your compelling characters, and set up your story arc for writing! We will also go over how you can best distill your established story into a single issue for the purpose of this workshop, and how to set yourself up for success with a Narrative Reference Guide.

✅ By the end of this section, you'll have your story selected, outlined, established characters, and compiled into a Narrative Reference Guide for production of your issue.

LESSON UNLOCK DATE
Lesson 1: Welcome and Getting Started May 8, 2023
VIDEO: Welcome to WYFC! May 8, 2023
Lesson 2: Setting a Project Scope May 9, 2023
Lesson 3: Brainstorming Your Idea May 10, 2023
Lesson 4: Creating Characters May 11, 2023
Lesson 5: Crafting Your Story Arc May 12, 2023
VIDEO: How do we distill our story into a reasonable issue? May 12, 2023
Lesson 6: Crafting Your Narrative Reference Guide May 13, 2023


Unit 2: Crafting a Comic

May 15 - May 21, 2023

This is when you'll begin creating your comic issue! We will go over writing a script for yourself, turning that script into a series of thumbnails, and discuss some best practices for converting your story into panels.

✅ By the end of this section, you'll have your script completed and the issue thumbnailed in preparation of production.

LESSON UNLOCK DATE
Time to Write: Getting Ready for Part 2 May 15, 2023
COMICS MILESTONE: Narrative Reference Complete! May 15, 2023
Lesson 7: Drafting a Basic Script May 16, 2023
VIDEO: How to Turn a Script into a Scene May 16, 2023
Lesson 8: Thumbnailing May 17, 2023
A NOTE: Skill Level for Illustrators May 17, 2023


Unit 3: Editing and Producing Your Comic

May 22 - June 1, 2023

Now it's time to produce your comic! You've set up all your materials from the last two Units, so we will spend Unit 3 sketching, inking, and coloring our issues together.

✅ By the end of this section, you'll have your issue fully colored and ready for lettering and borders!

LESSON
 UNLOCK DATE
Time to Art: Getting Ready for Part 3
 May 22, 2023
Lesson 9: Setting up your files May 22, 2023
Lesson 10: Sketching and Refinement May 23, 2023
VIDEO: Project Check-In May 24, 2023
Lesson 11: Artistic Scope May 25, 2023
Lesson 12: Inking and Refinement May 26, 2023
Lesson 13: Coloring and Refinement May 27, 2023


Unit 4: Polishing and Final Touches

June 2 - June 10, 2023

This unit is all about finishing touches. This will go over lettering, borders and gutters, understanding when something is "good enuf," and crafting a compelling cover!

✅ By the end of this section, you'll have a finished issue and will have completed the workshop! 😁

LESSON UNLOCK DATE
Time to Wrap Up Your Project: Getting Ready for Unit 4 June 2, 2023
Lesson 14: Lettering June 2, 2023
Lesson 15: Borders and Gutters Part 1 June 3, 2023
Lesson 16: Borders and Gutters Part 2 June 4, 2023
Lesson 17: Understanding Completion June 5, 2023
Lesson 18: Crafting a Compelling Cover June 6, 2023


Unit 5: Basics of Layout and Print Best Practices

June 10 - June 15, 2023

This last part contains some high-level tips about print, setting up a book, and color modes! This does not serve as a walkthrough for print setup (since this workshop is digital focused!) but helps you understand what these requirements are and why.

LESSON UNLOCK DATE
VIDEO: Why are we talking print? June 10, 2023
Lesson 19: Reader's Spreads and More on Bleed June 10, 2023
Lesson 20: An Overview of RGB vs CMYK June 11, 2023
VIDEO: Conclusion 🎉 June 16, 2023

June 16, 2023: Publishing Day!

Register for Write Your First Comic

Sign up with a one-time fee or pay OR two monthly installments.

Not sure if the workshop is right for you?

Try it out for free!

Sign up for free to access helpful free content, including select lessons and resources in the workshop! If you decide you're ready to jump in, you can enroll for the full program any time between May 8 and June 16, 2023!
Register for Free

Apply for a scholarship or nominate a friend

We have a limited number of scholarships available. Apply by May 4th, 2023 to be considered.

Submit an application

Donate a scholarship

100% of donations go directly to providing scholarships to our storytellers. Donating two or more scholarships (at $75 each) makes you an official Friend of the Storytelling Collective!

FAQ

  • What do you mean by "self-paced"?

    The lessons in this workshop unlock over the course of 6 weeks starting on May 8. (Check out the full schedule above.) This means that you can log in when you're able to log in and complete the lessons on your own schedule, any time during the workshop!

  • When does this workshop take place, and do I have to be online at a specific time?

    The workshop takes place from May 8-June 16, 2023. You do not have to be online at any specific time; we have a global community and scheduled classes are unfeasible. The lessons unlock on UTC time, but you're encouraged to complete them on your own schedule. We provide suggested deadlines to keep you on track.

  • What is the format of the lessons?

    In this course, most of the lessons are written (like blog posts/articles) and there are a few supplemental videos that delve into a little more detail on select topics. Each lesson in the workshop's 5 units includes activities to guide your learning.

  • Where does this course take place?

    Right here on this website. On May 8th, just simply pop over here to StorytellingCollective.com and log in. The course will be available in your account!

  • Who the heck are you?

    The Storytelling Collective team and instructors are all prolific, passionate creative storytellers and educators. This is the 10th time we've hosted this course; more than 12,000 writers have taken our workshops since we started in 2018.

Join the Storytelling Collective Discord

Get help and support from our global community of writers! Our alumni agree that the Discord server is one of the most valuable assets of our programs.
Join the Discord server
Two women with dark hair sit on either side of a large typewriter. They each write in a notebook, and speech bubbles float above their heads.

Don't just take our word for it: hear from our community members

@serpymatt

#StoCoComics participant

I really appreciate these courses! I tend to brainstorm by throwing words out — seeing this method was a great way to see something different.

Rori @ Montford Tales

#StoCoComics Participant

I took part last year — it was honestly great. I'd never made anything sequential before, but Kayla's process steps were just what I needed to learn and feel like I could trust the process and not fall prey to scope creep.

@Zed

#StoCoComics Participant

This has been a really fun workshop. I hope there's more comics stuff down the line!