Catrena's+User's+Guide

To make a graphic novel you must first have an author and an artist. It is quite possible to have the author be the artist, but not necessary. Next, you must create or find a story that will be well translated into images. Some popular themes include actual historical events, especially wars and revolutions, and personal narratives, often dealing with taboo or controversial topics. You must then decide what details will be shown and what details must be said. Remember that generally, it is better to show more and write less in graphic novels, or they are more like illustrated novels. To set the scene, be sure to pick the right pictures for your narrative. If you are writing a war scene, for instance, using action shots rather than images of soldiers being lethargic will evoke a fast paced, thrilling experience, while the other will make the reader feel like he or she is waiting for the action. It is important to pick the right moments to capture so the proper tone and pacing is attained. This means not leaving too much out, but also realizing that the reader will get bored if it takes five pages for someone to walk across a room. Once you have sketched out your panels and added text that moves the scene forward (often voicing characters' inner thoughts/ narrative voice) without describing it (there are pictures for that) you can begin drawing in hard lines and adding color if necessary. After all of this, you can consider titles. You want it to be interesting and vague enough to intrigue, but not too obvious or outlandish that the reader will be insulted or confused. Then you work on getting published, which is another ball game all together.

You focus on essential issues and the general purposes very well.
== I think between the two paragraphs you need some discussion about pacing and what to include and exclude. The strategies are "explode a moment" and "shrink a century." These relate to the size of the images, the ways to make transitions, and the amount of space devoted to dialogue. The topics are endless, but some more detail would make this more valuable as a "User's Guide." ==