How to do you do it?

[Milton Davis]

I'm a novel writer and I want to convert a novel to a graphic novel. Are there any good instruction books out there? I bought The Everything Guide To Writing Graphic Novels but it's kind of lame Help please!

[James Burns]

What I would do is work with an artist, or maybe an experienced writer.

I think the main thing to keep in mind is that a comic script is kinda like a screenplay; include stage directions, motivations, details, etc. The next most important thing (for me) is determining the page breaks. Figure out each scene so that each page either begins or ends with an important frame. The last thing to deal with is to trim the words down - waaaaay dow, in order to let the pictures tell their share of the story.

That's my 2¢.

[Milton Davis]

Thanks, fellas! The project I'm working with is in script form. My challenge is modifying this in a panel format and, as James suggested, cutting down on the words.