Discount only valid on one course between £99 and £500 inclusive. Discount ends midnight Monday 2 December 2024. 

See full terms and conditions

Writing comics and graphic novels

Course Dates: 17/02/25 - 24/03/25
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Location: Online
Tutors: 
Bobby Joseph
Learn the skills to write comics on this introductory course. Discover the history and key features of the medium and create your own project.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Download
Book your place
In stock
SKU
223802
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
Choose a start date

Writing comics and graphic novels
  • Course Code: HW195
  • Dates: 17/02/25 - 24/03/25
  • Time: 19:00 - 21:00
  • Taught: Mon, Evening
  • Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
  • Location: Online
  • Tutor: Bobby Joseph

Course Code: HW195

Choose a start date  

Mon, eve, 17 Feb - 24 Mar '25

Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)

Any questions? writing@citylit.ac.uk
or call 020 4582 0415

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

This is a creative course focusing on the skills necessary to write short and long form comics. It will also contextualise the various genres in comics to show the range possible in the medium.

Students like: "practical experience, good feedback, and a supportive atmosphere"; "analysing comics/scripts and workshopping our written work"; "it helped me to gain confidence in my work"; "interactivity"; "it really put everything I needed to know into easily-digested classes and I feel very prepared!".

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone can be used if you don't have a computer but please note the experience may be less optimal.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

- How to write a comic.
- The vocabulary of comics.
- Different methods of storytelling.
- Different genres of comics, from autobiography to superheroes.
- Developing your own idea for a comic or graphic novel.
- Insights into comics as culture.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Plan and write a comic.
- Be able to call on a number of different storytelling skills to do so.
- Have developed an ongoing project to work on.
- Have an idea of how to get published.
- Have the beginnings of a comics network to support your further output.
- Have an idea of the range of stories it’s possible to tell in the comics medium.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

- You need to be able to read and write English.
- You need to be able to have a certain level of sightedness as the course works partly with visual material.
- The level is open to all comers, from amateurs to professionals. Enthusiasm for the medium is the key requirement.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

- Teaching will include group and individual writing exercises in class, lectures, some viewing of film and group discussions.
- There will be some required reading/writing exercises outside of class time, but this will be minimal.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Pen, paper and notebook. You may be encouraged to buy comics, but only within students' means – it won’t be essential.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.

Bobby Joseph

Bobby Joseph is the comic book author of Skank Magazine, Black Eye and the Scotland Yardie graphic novel. He has written for The Guardian, Vice.com, The Voice newspaper, Radio 4 and BBC1's Lenny Henry in Pieces. His comic work was featured in the 'Anarchy in the UK' comic exhibition at the British Library. The piece, 'Co-Co Nutts' was viewed by over 60,000 visitors during the summer of 2015. He is a vocal advocate for diversity in comic books. In 2023 he was appointed as the UK’s comics laureate.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.