Any tips on how to not go on hiatus

[Chronitis]

I was thing some of you could help not only me but others who struggle to make a schedule for themselves as well.

[DiegoPalacios]

Hi Chronitis!!. The key to make a schesdule is to develop a habit. If you are not uploading a comic yet, but are making it. I would recommend you to draw at least one page weekly without uploading yet. Do this for at least a couple of months. After you are used to make pages every week, then start uploading pages, but only enough to establish the kind of story you want to tell. In some cases one page is enough, in others, more may be neccesary. It varies a lot from story to story.

This has 2 benefits:
1-The first one is that you will get used to work on a weekly basis.

2-the second one is that you will build a buffer in case you are not able to do your weekly pages during one or more weeks.

Hope this helps!

[xanedis]

First off, don't burn yourself out. Second, schedule your drawing time while keeping in mind your particular tendency for procrastination. Be realistic, but have a goal.

[Kann]

It never hurts to have some pages ready, before you start uploading. Developing a realistic schedule is also a nice idea. And don't push yourself to draw more, than you can handle.

[beta1042]

buffer!!!! Like even if you get good at drawing an update within a week, sometimes life happens.

I had a 6week buffer for the last 6 months, and just the last two weeks I got super sick and couldn't work on my comic, so I'm really happy for my buffer because I never had to go on hiatus.

[LCT_m_a_d]

Planning ahead. Don't waste your energy on doing a project you have to make too many emotional compromises on. I think hiatuses to an extent are inevitable, but the more personally fullfilling the project is , the more mindful you will be with the temptations of overthinking, second-guessing, and ultimately burnout.

With that said, don't correlate hiatuses as a bad thing. If you know you're just excessively prone to this, look for ways to minimize or balance it as part of the routine. Some of the largest cult following projects Ive seen have been riddled with them. Sometimes, you cant always get 4 seasons of summer. You may just have to make winter a welcomed part of the cycle.

[kip]

Plan your full comic- know your beginning, middle and end. a lot of comics start with just a concept and end up going on hiatus to gather their thoughts

time yourself and plan accordingly. if a page takes you 6 hours, that can be really rough to put in once a week, especially if you’re also working or studying. in that case you can make a buffer accordingly or upload once every two weeks instead.

make a buffer - you’ll probably want at least 5-10 pages ready when you start posting (i started with 5 and ran out pretty quickly, personally) some people even go for more with 20-50 pages, totally depends on your work speed and how long your comic is going to be

work past artblock. eventually you’ll probably be pretty tired of drawing your comic, but you’re really gonna have to power through- even if you have a buffer, don’t let yourself loose too easy. it can be hard to maintain willpower but if you’re serious about your project it’ll be rewarding in the end

look forward. a lot of artists go back and redo pages or panels. while that can be okay sometimes, in the long run redoing your work overcan be an onstacle and cost you time and effort that could be put towards progressing. even if you’re not completely happy with it, your readers probably are.!

best of luck dude, you can do it!

[Chronitis]

I don't know what a buffer is. May you explain it please.

[beta1042]

A buffer is like having a bunch of unpublished chapters all made and ready to be published.
So right now in my comic I just posted episode 26, but I have episode 27-30 already done and ready to be published, meaning I have 4 weeks of content

[thomassayle]

or 27-30 weeks of content woop woop!

[punkarsenic]

seconding @beta1042 - OP, i recommend you find a time to go on hiatus and develop a nice big buffer. its honestly such a lifesaver.

also, schedule in little hiatuses - no more than a month - at the end of every chapter / part / however you divide it up. its really important you dont burn yourself out, and if you end your chapters on cliffhangers (you should, tbh) then the little wait will make your return that much sweeter for the audience. lots of little hiatuses are so much better than one long hiatus, for you and your audience.

also, try working in batches when producing your pages. where you may be able to produce a complete page in a day, you could probably produce five pages in two days if you did five lots of pencils, then five lots of inks, five lots of colour - working on 5 pages at a time can seem daunting, you can start at two and build up to a place where you feel comfortable (five is just my number of choice, you could do more or less, it depends on your style, speed, and computer). this method means less switching tasks, and makes everything just so much more efficient.

and if you do end up making five pages a week, well, do not post five pages a week. i make five, post two - im always building my buffer, and i can miss a week with no consequences.

[sheap]

Set an update plan you can follow
End the page. Doesn't matter if it not your best page, end it the day you chose and upload it, go to the next one.

[fleohr]

I'd say the best way is to have a couple episodes done before you release them one by one every week. So when you're not in the mood to draw or don't have much time to focus on your webcomic, you can take a rest

Also try to release more than one page per week, so readers can comment what they think about the story so far!

[sandpaperdaisy]

I apologize if someone already mentioned this, but if you do have to take a break for whatever reason, you can try and arrange for friends or fans to make Guest Comics. I've seen this in some of the more long-term/successful/professional comics on here.

I would imagine it's a symbiotic process since the guest artist gets more exposure by being featured in your comic.

[SpavVy]

Work on a buffer before you upload. I personally like having an 8 page buffer at the minimum but some creators will do more or less than that. I at least try to work on my comic every day but I take many breaks and I upload by 1 page each on Mondays and Wednesdays but I sometimes will skip one or the other if I want to build a little more cushion. Go at you're own pace and see what works best for you.