Do you ever have that feeling of embarassement about your creative ideas?
I´m not talking about imposter syndrom / the feeling of not being good enough.
An obvious example would be in erotic writing but it can also be in all other kind
of stories.
I´m interested if some of you ever feel like that
Oct '23
Oct '23
I always feel bad when I hurt my characters a little too much, if that makes sense.
But I don't think it's shame, more a looming sense of dread, especially when it makes sense, you know?
And you sit there like I'M SO SORRY!
I feel the same way too. I’m just like “It’s for your own good! I’m so sorry!”
Sorry to kill off your father Evan’s twins. And giving you the worst mother in the universe.
Sorry for stabbing you Wellington.
Sorry Ernest. I’m just sorry. 
It’s only going to get worse but also better for you lad.
(edited to make it big, I feel like people need to see this)
Lmao this is the perfect example of what I'm afraid my ideas might become. I'm not ashamed of ideas, just afraid of how I'll feel about them further down the line.
I have no doubt that the creator of that particular fanfiction thought it was a great idea at the time. I've been sat on ideas for years that have aged poorly and gone in the bin.
So yeah @Lensing, I guess I am ashamed. Preemptively. Because I know when I grow, my perspective will change and I'll be able to see things I'm unable to right now, for good or for bad.
I mean, what value do opinions and perspectives have if they are not to change with time and new information, absolute opinions and perspectives are the products of closed minded people,
if you feel like your thoughts have changed, and you feel ashamed of what you felt in the past, that just means that you're growing.
I, for example, feel kinda ashamed of my writting of the first chapter of my comic, I used to much vulgar words and feel like it felt very pushed.
No, not really, to be honest. My stories are mainly for myself to enjoy. For as long as that's the case, I don't see myself being ashamed at anything I come up with.
@KSlinger You make a good point.
In my case, some past ideas may be worse than others, but even then, I usually believe that my current ideas wouldn't have become what they are without at least a few of the aforementioned stinkers that came before. No other way to learn but from your mistakes.
In Elsie I also wanted Houdini to be in there because he’s awesome.
Not my art, but he and Bess are a power couple!
I want to do a short story where he comes to Smelton and Ernest makes an act for him to do with handcuffs that get tighter the more he struggles to get out. Also Elsie has a huge crush on Houdini.
Roy would also attempt to do what he does but ultimately fails, having Harry save him.
The creative side of me is like YEEEEEEEEES!! The history buff in me. NOOOOOOO!
Houdini didn’t become well known until after 1899. And Elsie takes place in 1896-1898.
That’s why it would be a side story though. I’m not ashamed of this idea, I love Houdini and he needs to be in Elsie.
Well, I wouldn’t want my mother to read Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days. It’s not so much that I’m ashamed of the story, but… well… it’s one thing to come out as gay to your mom. It’s another thing entirely to describe the mechanics of being gay in all of its erotic glory.
Yep, that´s the kind of stuff I´m thinking about.
The sexual orientation doesn´t matter much, I can´t imagine anyone not feeling shame
when going into sexual details and their mom reading it 
There’s nothing wrong with using vulgar words if your character is vulgar, especially if you’re trying to emphasize that vulgarity. This suits your character Henry well.
There’s also nothing wrong with vulgar words if you’re trying to make your characters’ dialogue realistic. For example if somebody shoots at you you’re more likely to shout “Oh shit!” than you are to shout “Oh gosh!”. Realistic dialogue makes for believable characters.
Now, if your character is the epitome of innocence, using more wholesome language works. I couldn’t imagine your character Larry uttering a curse word to save his life, because to me Larry is the sweetest, most innocent character in all of comicdom. He’s a good contrast to Henry, and hopefully some of his goodness will rub off on Henry.
My mom read Cracking Eggs and Eric and Winston are gay. She freaking sat me down for it and I got in trouble.
But I don’t regret it!
In my older series, I sort of regret having the adults hit the children. The characters are suppose to be morally grey but I feel like if I was a reader, I could not really look past that.
I am also worried that some people might criticize me on how I talked about an eating disorder. I didn't want to romanticize it or dwell on it. It's something that I never really liked about other media that talks about it.
My current comic tends to parody major religions, but I forget sometimes that because I've substituted a lot of my own chicken-related mythos/terminology/traditions with a humorous twist, then it really doesn't bother me all that much.
There are some, uh, awkward moments between some human characters (and some coming up) that I tend to worry about, but I try to depict them humorously in a it's-not-what-you-think kind of way (racial, or it appears that way) I kind of base humor on broad stereotypes, but of coarse the characters themselves tend to override them, or at least a few of them. Beginnings are always kinda awkward - or maybe that's just something about my personality, but my hope is over time that awkwardness fades and you get to know the characters as they develop, albeit slowly (story is kinda slow, I admit).
Here's a moment out of context that illustrates what I mean:
Alec(basically Col Sanders): So, Aldi, white or dark?
Aldi(his African-American female assistant): Is he serious?
Alec: Or do you even like chicken?
Yeah, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells, but no harm no fowl. There's bound to be someone out there that will get overly-offended, and I would understand, but it's solely meant for comedy.
Oh, on another note, I want to make a furry noir series that features NSFW, super-rated-M erotica, wanton violence and just plain vice. Even a human-doggo relation O.O ...
Not ashamed of that one, cause I'm gonna publish it under a different name/profile(don't want to soil this one too badly, Lol!) But it'll take a couple years to get the art done and I gotta do more--research.
I can't wait!
I agree with @ThunderChicken !
Reading Henry Hare, I saw the word f*ck in like the first one or two panels, and I KNEW I was in for a good and fun series!
Keep it up!
Me, on the other hand, my overly-cautious butt tryin' to censor vulgarities, and it kinda fits the 'sanctity' of the story, with c*cks(roosters) and whatnot. But I'm saving the f-bomb for a very satisfying moment way later down the line, hehe!
When I first published my comic back in 2022, I felt very ashamed for a long time. I am still a little bit ashamed about it but I believe it'll pay off once I finish the story.
Basically all my main characters are kids and oddly enough some people think it's weird. I don't know what they mean when they say that because I was just writing a story about friends being there for each other. Without a friend some people are just aimlessly existing.
Oh yes, all the time. I’m very sensitive to embarrassment and quote unquote “cringe” stuff, so whenever my ideas have like a drop of awkwardness or cliches in them, I get very embarrassed and ashamed. I grew up in an extremely country and conservative town where basically any hobbies other than hunting, fishing, sports, and camping were considered weird. I’ve kind of carried that over to my adult life and so I barely speak about my interests in comics, art, and storytelling. I’m lucky enough to have my mom be very supportive of my interests and a few close friends, but because of that I get very embarrassed and ashamed whenever someone brings up the fact that I enjoy these things.
I've been spending a long time slowly getting out of the mindset that my magical girl comic (which debatably isn't even that much about magical girls) is cringe, lol. Nowadays I embrace the cringe. 
Yes. 100%. I've found ways to work around my embarrassment of writing spicier content but I still have to power through the discomfort.
But in general, the only time I've felt "shame" toward my creative ideas is when I'm forcing myself to do something that I didn't want to do, per se. I've written a couple of tropey romances and frankly, I've hated writing them. I felt ashamed to write them, though I did "want" to write them. Eventually, I felt better rewriting them the way I wanted instead of the way that made me ashamed
so I was close lol. I'm surprised typically my guesses are wayyy off. Everyone is either 16 or 30 NO INBETWEEN
Just know, you don't have to admit to what no one has sought to point out! Just don't be heavy handed about most things and you'll be fine, haha
I wanted to write a spicy for their time scene for Elsie and Roy. I decided to not add it in there because it slowed down the story like by a billion times. I might add one in a future episode possibly.
And what I mean by spicy for their time is Roy in his union suit or long underwear and Elsie in her chemise and drawers.
One thing is clear sure, I am not ashamed of this artwork of Roy! He looks great!
But yeah there was also the motive of me feeling discomforted by the scene. I may do it when all the gang is in Paris or something.
However, with this scene.
I had second thoughts. It’s kinda strange. I put a warning at the beginning of the episode that said “Fair warning: Roy’s butt”
I mean I don’t know it bothers me. I might delete the warning but I’m not sure.
There's a few times where I have been like...maybe this is too far, in regards to what I make my characters go through. They're not so tragic right now, but I really made the worst (most upsetting) backstories I possibly could for them. Call it projecting a bit, but I was feeling pretty hopeless a year or two ago when the idea came into my head.
Hey, at least it will be worth it in the end, right? For everyone to get what they want 
I have very little shame about my work now lol
My mom's decided to make it her mission to promote my comic to every single relative she meets because "the art's so amazing!" (it's not). It's really sweet tho, and at this point I'm no longer embarrassed.
Before starting Light Rising, I had a bunch of ideas for it but didn't think they were legit because it was just a "drama" and mostly pandered to my own interest of girl-groups and made-up politics. It wasn't like any of my other Fantasy Adventure Epic story ideas with like 12 major plot twists or something. I thought no one would want to read it.
This was because the only genre I ever really read/watched was Adventure-Fantasy. Once I branched out just a little bit, I realized how stupid I was being and that I do have an interesting story to tell. And such, Light Rising was born.
I remember feeling embarrassed for what I chose as an excuse to get Noah into the church. Many people complained that "just for a silly joke Noah is chased by bullies?? Why he said that if he knew it could happen??"
Noah basically tells a girl she is not as flat as he thought. She tells this to his boyfriend offscreen and with his friends he waits for Noah to avenge the insult. They chase Noah, who hides in the local church.
I wanted the chase to begin for a silly reason that ended up in something over the top, like what happens in some mangas or comedies from the 90s. People my age find that situation funny, they understand my intentions... Teens however reject it for beeing "too much nonsense" or something that excalates quickly
Not sure if it counts but I put my rock band 4koma back in the oven because it became nothing but an anti-man-o-sphere screed.
As much as I despise those limp dicks that wasn't the sort of comic I wanted to make.
I am rather ashamed that probably my skill cannot bring the best in the ideas.
Another case is when I have an idea regarding a field I only have a surface-level or no knowledge of (e.g. swordfighting). Even worse when I have very little ways to confirm it, combined with the dread of being ridiculed by "experts".
I always worry that my ideas are too weird and niche. Like, I show my parents or co-workers what I'm working on and they don't get it or thinks it's stupid (behind my back). I even had my mom compare my art to a middle schooler just starting out. I know my art isn't top tier, but I didn't think it was that bad. My ideas so far are about magical girls and made up deities. The only slice of life story I have stars kemonomimi. No particular reason why. I just like kemonomimi.
Also most of my OCs are black girls, and I'm a black girl, so anyone who knows me IRL is guaranteed to ask the same annoying, teeth grinding, hair pulling question: "Is that supposed to be you?"
Not really, but I don't think my stuff's out there enough to even approach the territory of "shame". My writing's not the best, but not the worst and I like to think I'm learning everyday, so no shame there. I don't show my fam any of it though, but that's mostly because I don't think they'd genuinely care/enjoy it, and I'd rather they not feel forced to take a look at it or give me fake compliments.
Ohh definitely 
There are a number of things I've been terrified of getting cancelled over when they eventually show up in my stuff, and I never thought I'd talk about them beforehand, but since someone who is 100% not my sockpuppet asked this question, I guess here's my chance 
So I have this character who can't just accept things without truly understanding them - including the wrongness of bigoted ideas such as
'race realism', how defining gender by identity (rather than biology or even presentation) doesn't seem to make sense bc it seems tautological, how there seems to be no way for men to express sexual interest without being accuse of creepiness,
and so this character is kind of torn between:
And (not just because of this; there are other reason too) this character sometimes gets in a really bad place mentally; like they do some pretty extreme self-harm. And there's also this sexual bent to the self harm (I guess the best way to describe it is: what's the worst thing you can imagine to happen to a person? What if someone really, really hated themself a lot; then it follows they could legit wanted this thing to happen to themself, right?)
So yeah, this is a plot that's super embarrassing to talk about for a number of reasons
I might be fetishizing mental illness, and also undermining the idea that 'people with rape fantasies don't actually want to be raped' by having a character who does actually want to be raped, because they feel like they deserve to be hurt that bad.
Anyways, I hope that wasn't too much for this forum
that’s so sweet of her.