Do you like starting new projects?

ueonts 2023-07-30 06:23:57 UTC #1

I am finishing something up and genuinely have no idea on what to start next. A lot of people I know love when they embark on a new project, but for me, the fear of not knowing where to go KILLS me at the start haha. Thoughts?

VibrantFox 2023-07-30 06:54:13 UTC #2

I think out of everything conceptualizing is probably my favorite part and something about exploring this new idea to see where it goes is part of the fun. it may be a consequence of perspective and i guess stuff like sonic turning the "fear of the unknown" into excitement for new discovery

like there's definitely parts of the early stages that i can find stressful or a little worrisome like things i may have to research, the kind of stuff i'll have to reference to know how to draw (or in my current case figuring out how to use a program i don't know to try and render it myself) but going through the ups and downs of the early writing process are probably some of my favorites coz it means testing and trying new ideas or seeing where my characters take me or what they show about themselves or their story as things move along

kalmia 2023-07-30 07:03:17 UTC #3

I love starting new projects. Plotting and comic uo with the characters, story, and themes is honestly my favorite part of writing and comic creating. Because of this, i have like 6 different story ideas I want to turn into comics eventually (probably won’t get to though). I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping myself from making new ideas so i’m not overflowing with them.

I think the fact that i don’t know where to go or have a specific goal in mind when i start out with a story is the best part. I don’t have any expectations, nothing that needs to be done, just me and the paper. I like to let the story write itself and that’s the easiest in this stage!

faisalhussein394 2023-07-30 07:48:41 UTC #4

I like making new projects so long as it is part of my first project, like side stories, Lores, expositions. Right now my next project will be based on sci-fi but it is part of my medieval fantasy comic but set in a different place, and different timeline. So I'm very excited to release my second comic at 2025, I know it's that long but that will give me enough time and planning for my upcoming comic.

allenT 2023-07-30 08:16:40 UTC #5

I don't want to start projects when I have more than 2 projects in my hands. I already have several side projects on hold and can't seemed to commit into them... Unless inspiration strikes (had a few times before), I'll just focus on my main project which is my comic series. I will only have 1 comic project & it will not be another until I finish it (side contents don't count).

AmazementComics 2023-07-30 12:38:55 UTC #6

Starting new projects can be a massive undertaking. Especially the longer you work on one series. I always advice people who want to start new projects to be inspired by one of their favorite shows or movies, and then either add to or deconstruct the narrative points of said show or movie and then add your characters to it.

It takes time and a lot of imagination (don’t get me started if you’re working on several new projects at the same time) to commit, but for me, I find great reward in it.

smokesalty 2023-07-30 12:54:34 UTC #7

Lol replying to this right as I started writing ideas for a novel I'd like to write. Erm- I find it very exciting, because there's so many directions it could go, and it's something new! However, it does take me a while to take all these ideas I've written down and turn it into something cohesive. But I really enjoy coming up with cool concepts and getting excited over them.

I have realised that my current project- which has been completely planned out will always be my main focus. It's refined so well and I know the characters so deeply that I am inherently more invested and hooked to working on my current project because of this reason. I think this is why I'm not a "constantly abandon and start new projects" kind of person- I have a love for my story that I've already got a good grasp of.

And I have a bunch of "new" projects, but I sort of just work on them occasionally in the background. When I finish my comic, one of them will become my main focus and I will complete it. But for now, I have like 5 "new" projects that I just choose to work on sometimes for fun. Not much done for them, but I don't have much pressure to do so tbh.

(lol shoutout to the ppl on the forums who've seen me talk about the 50 different sequels, new novels, visual novels and comics I have planned for the future lmao)

ThunderChicken 2023-07-30 13:28:33 UTC #8

I’ve got one fully published on Tapas, one about 50% published (but it’s fully written), another that I’ve just started (book two of the one that’s currently being published), and one more “in the chamber” (a sci-fi AU story featuring the characters from my current works).

And it is taking every bit of will power that I have to focus on the current one before starting the SCI-Fi one, because I’m so excited about the sci-fi. I’ve written the outline for the sci fi though, so I don’t lose it.

My problem isn’t so much with writing projects, however. I tend to start too many “real life” projects, and my urge to move on to the next one before the current one is finished is even stronger than with writing. Case in point: I’m building an addition onto my house. It’s in the early stages of the build (so far the floor and two walls are standing). A lot of work is still required. And yet I’m already building a covered deck onto it in my mind.

NickRowler 2023-07-30 15:47:31 UTC #9

Starting new projects can be stressful because it involves a lot of preplanning. I feel like once I start something, it’s so much easier to develop and add onto it.

I think when it comes to stress about the “unknown” of your work. It is possible to make a plan before you start. Usually when writers start writing a story, they have a general idea of key events and how the story will end. Sometimes this may change over time but it is a good thing to keep in mind.

darthmongoose 2023-07-30 16:04:21 UTC #10

Having the initial idea for a project, and the following "honeymoon period" where you write down a bunch of random ideas and make a pinterest moodboard and design a few characters for it is awesome!

....But then you hit the part immediately after it that kills most projects where you realise you need to do things like write a comprehensive plot overview, thumbnail out pages, design a bunch of minor characters and work out your pipeline for making pages or assets, carefully making sure to future-proof them for print or different platforms, come up with a title, make sure that title isn't taken by something else look for appropriate fonts, and then start slogging your way through writing chapters or drawing pages. Getting through all that is the hard part, especially because you probably won't be getting any audience reaction during it to keep you motivated.

So... thinking about new projects is fun! But starting a new project and properly sticking it out is really hard work.

Emalie 2023-07-30 16:56:46 UTC #11

I love starting a new project. I am currently publishing a BL novel and once I finish it I will work on a horror comic with a female character. Nothing to do one thing with the other and if I could write more stories, I would without hesitation.

VividRunning 2023-07-30 21:04:26 UTC #12

No.
Coming up with the story is the hardest part for me. But, once I get it going, it's actually pretty fun. But building a world, building characters, that's really hard. I'll usually use a Name Generator (this one https://www.name-generator.org.uk/ pretty sure it isn't AI, but you never know). I'll look at one of the names and think What is this character like? And build on from there. I'll also come up with the title before I even start writing (I know we're told not to do this, but it helps me, like a lot.) I can come up with an entire story with a title. It's like a writing prompt, but it's open to more creativity.

2DLenzy 2023-07-31 16:47:53 UTC #13

Oh, good gravy, I LOVE starting new projects! Been doing it for half my life.
The only problem is--I have ADHD/ASD, which propels me to overcreate.
I have too many projects, and often they will go on for too long that I end up dumping them. (RIP to the 50+ projects I started since teenhood)
I do have some saving grace with this current comic, which I'm actually posting in order to motivate myself to keep going (not forever, there is an ending, just might be a few years before I get there).

But I still get "new ideas" which fuels my manic-like episodes.
My greatest event happened a few years ago, when some emotional ad played on YT (ended up being a lottery thing, but it was too late, I was hit with inspiration). For three sleepless days/nights, I worked on some feature-length script for a movie, then I overdid the writing and it slowly became a full-@$$ show. I modeled scenes, characters, rigged, and even storyboarded a pilot. Four seasons!

What stopped me was two things. Voice acting/music license and...I can't model a car...
Not to mention the demand of 3D rendering some scenes and fear of, well, going far and not finishing with polish.
Now, the project's in purgatory, like a ton of others. Maybe I'll return to it someday, if I don't keep creating a 'backlog' of "ooh, story idea! Crap, can't execute cause of X, Y and Z".

ADD/ASD sucks. Or maybe I'm insane (aka "ambitious"). But no matter how much time passes, at least I have the backlog I can fall back on when I finish this--current comic...praying...

TheLemmaLlama 2023-08-01 02:02:47 UTC #14

I don't start new projects for the sake of starting new projects, so I don't 'like starting new projects' in the sense that I enjoy the innate experience of starting a new project per-se It's just common for me to get struck with ideas of specific things I really want to address, and if it doesn't fit in with an existing project, I start building on it as a new project :]

What I actually enjoy is those flashes of 'vision', of 'this is something I NEED to talk about', even if it's part of an existing project and not the start of a new one. Conversely, if I were to start a new project without such an accompanying vision, I'd hate it because yeah, it's a big unknown (though for me it's less fear of the unknown and more 'I'm totally lost as to what to even do, where to even begin'. Just picking a random direction not knowing where it leads doesn't feel scary, just pointless ).

I need that vision so I can be excited about moving in a particular direction - hence why I never start new projects just for the sake of starting a new project (unless I literally have nothing better to do, like in my childhood :P)

Basically this