Do you have any good habits that help you stay consistent?

[saejin]

One of the hardest things for me lately has been figuring out how to use my time well: balancing my day job with writing, which is something I’ve only recently returned to after a very long hiatus.

I’m curious: how much time do you usually spend researching or exploring new ideas for your stories? Do you have any habits that help you stay consistent?

And do you ever struggle with this balance too?

Thanks!

[Phoenix_fly]

In my case, I imagine an arc ending and all that, is going to happen in between before I start writing about it. It just seems so interesting to me that I want to write the end of the arc as soon as possible.

[yaziroburrows]

for me, I usually create a general roadmap. Basically just a list of key moments I want hit in the current season/arc without it being a rigid outline. That way I have room for the character moments to happen or for extra stuff but I still know where I'm heading in general. And if there's a drastic change, I revisit my roadmap.

I am actually trying to figure out the roadmap for the next season/arc so I'm focusing on editing the remaining chapters of the current one, which keeps me in the character's head and where they currently are.

[Leyelle]

well I schedule myself to write 6 days a week so that helps me stay consistent, I also send in submissions for magazines and literary journals monthly which forces me to keep putting my work out there and making new work, especially because many of these magazines have writing prompts and such they want artists to make work for

[saejin]

Thank you all for your feedback

I have been able to keep consistency so far only because I had most of my material already written since a while back. I only revisited and changed it in a few places. But soon I’ll reach the point where I’ll need to start writing new material again, and I’ll admit... I’m a little worried I won’t be able to keep up the same pace. I don't wanna lose the fun for it either.

I have been writing very short poetic chapters so I was able to publish them daily. But maybe it's healthier to switch to weekly soon.

[NGChloe]

I occasionally take a week off if things get too much, and I try to hold myself back on writing throughout the week. Like I only release a chapter each week. I've tried releasing multiple chapters a week, but it doesn't really work. It gets overwhelming, so I try to hold off

[MelancholicOtaku]

Whenever I have new idea that could work for my novel I tend to write it down on my brainstorming notepad.

[yaziroburrows]

I would definitely say if you need to slow down, then do it!

i manage posting daily because I maintain at least a 5-chapter buffer. (my current buffer is 10 edited chapters, with 10 waiting to be edited) I also average at least 2 chapters a day, so I can afford a few days where I don't write because every day I do gives me 2 days to post.

If you do slow down, just let your readers know so they understand why you are switching from daily to weekly! Always do what is best for you in the end!

[Maxouco]

On my side I try to add some variation to my workflow to motivate me and to feel less burdened by it. When I'm tired of colouring, I sketch thumbnails, when I'm tired of sketching thumbnails, I writte bubbles, when I'm tired of .... you get the point I think! As long as your work continue to be done I think that it's fine.

[Maxouco]

OH and there is always the night table notebook for the insomniac-spiration. You write stuff that you think before sleep, helps you getting the idea out of your head and helps you sleep also

[kyupol]

I work on my comic on schedule as best I can. Thank God my job is more or less predictable and it's not one of those "work until the job is done" type jobs where the ending time is unknown.

[moontokkym]

Obsession meaning even if i fall off schedule, I'll always go back.

[jwabeasley]

One of the hardest things for me lately has been figuring out how to use my time well: balancing my day job with writing

That's hard for me too, but it's just in finding time rather than discipline. I don't HAVE to go make comics, I GET to make comics, most of the time it's what I would definitely be doing if I lived alone and had no job or need for one.

how much time do you usually spend researching or exploring new ideas for your stories?

I have a story cooking for years usually before I get it into production. For Etherwood, I did preproduction from 2019-2022, with some story elements dating back to 2014. My next story is 80% of the way done with preproduction but it has to wait until I finish Etherwood. But if you're going to spend multiple years doing production of a work of art, then an equivalent amount of preproduction is warranted. Most of that time was finding out all the wrong ways to make Etherwood.

Do you have any habits that help you stay consistent?

Don't tell anyone about a creative project until it's almost done, telling sucks the energy right out of it. Otherwise I try to break my project into manageable pieces - which is why I complete a page at a time rather than doing all the pencils for a chapter, all the inks for a chapter, and all the colors for a chapter. A single color painting a week - a comic page - is doable most weeks.

Most of my struggle is literally getting large blocks of undivided time for comic work.

[simplykit]

I have a few of good habits, yes.

• Watch a lot of anime - helps me to be consistently aware of anime related stories, reference, dialogue, plot stuff

• Eat a lot of junk food - get consistent nourishment and keep me from dehydrating so i can continue to make my manga

• Watch porn - consistently helps me design male and female anatomy

• Gamble at the casino or card tables - consistently helps me fund my manga with art stuff

[XiuLyn_12]

Setting goals can be very helpful! Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable, and consider gradually increasing their difficulty. This approach helps to reduce pressure while also improving your speed. I found that making goals has helped me finish many projects on time. While it's not always successful, I do notice improvements!

[saejin]

Can I ask about what you said regarding “spending time to find all the wrong ways”? If that’s ok for me to ask… I do have a story in preparation which I’m trying to expand more than I would usually do.

[CarltonIsaac]

Working on three to six projects at the same time, in rotation by days and hours. Keeps from getting bored and writer's block, and also helps getting fresh ideas.