Ever struggled with motivation?

[Kelheor]

I tried posting my draft for review the other day, but it's in early stages and not readable at all so I got no feedback, so I'm stuck here without knowing how good it is or what I need to improve.

Well first of all you need to draw something =) no one will give you a feedback or "read past chapter 1" unless you have this chapter 1. Right now you barely dug up the ground for seeds, but already worry if your cucumbers will be a hit on the market.
Try not to think about "money and fame" for now, if you like drawing and creating, try to concentrate on enjoying this part remember, that finished work is better than perfect work that is never done.

[Dizwikz]

For me, I've always been interested in telling stories since I was a young kid. I really enjoyed consuming stories and it was always a hobby of mine. Later on, when I was a teen it became something that I wanted to actually do to some capacity after I had an idea for a really good story. I wanted to experience life more though and learn as much as possible so that I could really breathe life into it, and it's still ongoing. In the meantime, I've written some scripts and started just writing a less serious story and started posting it on Wattpad and now I post it here. I think part of it is escapist and part of it is to just kind of make something ridiculous while working on how best to communicate my ideas and help paint a picture in someone's head.

I still have difficulty sometimes finding the motivation to actually write things down sometimes and now with all the turmoil currently going on it's become much harder for me to jump into my goofy story and develop it further. I'm feeling just kind of worn in general right now so I don't know.

My advice for you wanting to make something fun and good, I would say just write something that you enjoy. There are plenty of stories that are told in odd or strange ways with weird execution that find an audience because it's authentic. Make a comic that communicates something genuine to the audience. It doesn't have to be anything profound that will solve world hunger or achieve world peace, it just has to be you. Maybe try to focus more on "am I communicating this idea in a way that people can understand" instead of "is this good" because that's something that's way too broad. Try to look at things how a reader who isn't inside your head might look at it.

Also, understand that not everything is someone's cup of tea, and not all criticism will be good criticism. I did a script contest where I wrote a fairly whacky spy story that the judges ended up liking and critiqued some of the grammar and pacing which were legitimate good criticisms, and then I just had one judge that very much disliked my story for being campy and humorous and having fantastical elements. While it's fine to have opinions, that judge wasn't really critiquing the story on the story's level and if I didn't have those elements the judge would have liked the story, but I wouldn't've, and neither would the people who found it funny.
So focus on what you like first and then work on communication. Go back and look at your favorite pieces of media and try to observe it on a micro-level and see how they communicate particular ideas or moods.

[Darth_Biomech]

All the time. But I see my view counts on my comic on various platforms, think "there's a small venue worth of people who wait for the story to continue. Do you want to disappoint every single one of them? Stop whining and get back to work!". So I get back to work, and working eventually restores my motivation.

[kmlangleyauthor]

I write stories (vs comics) but this is all super relatable. I always have some aspect of some story going on in my head. Maybe a two sentences I can’t quite get edited properly. Maybe a scene that I know needs to happen but I can’t figure out how to start it (my current problem) or maybe trying to figure out the best character arc. But then, I stall out when I actually open up a word doc. Or I finally have time and I decide to work on it “later.”

I would say just write something that you enjoy. There are plenty of stories that are told in odd or strange ways with weird execution that find an audience because it's authentic.

^^^ this is fantastic advice. It baffles me when people try to conform to a “standard” when I love reading SO MANY different kinds of things. Because you can tell when the author/creator put their heart into a project or not.

Maybe try to focus more on "am I communicating this idea in a way that people can understand" instead of "is this good" because that's something that's way too broad.

Also, understand that not everything is someone's cup of tea, and not all criticism will be good criticism.

Getting your story and idea out there is so important. You will regret it if you don’t get it out of your head. And sharing it with people is always scary, but I personally think it’s worth it.

Not everyone is going to like your story. Not everyone likes coffee (weirdos LOL), but, chances are, if you like it, someone else will, too, and that passion will translate through the screen.

Keep pushing forward. Keep posting. Set yourself realistic goals and remember that motivation is a fickle bitch, but persistence pays off

[CommanderMarty]

Yes I have, I procrastinate a lot. (Its one of the reasons why Uber Upgrades is monthly)

[muchazuke]

Ah, I get it.
It's a balance of knowing why you do it for yourself and why you do it for others. You have to have a reason for both. Sometimes creating a comic just because you like it does not feel enough, but creating something just for someone else makes you hollow in the end. It's tricky, but you have to find the balance of "this is fun to make" and "this is fun to read". Creating a comic is a longer process compared to coming up with a story (writers might fight me on this), because technically it's like doing the same thing over and over again (you have the page in your mind, you draw the same sketch, you ink the same page, you color/tone the same page, you letter the page going through the story again in your head), so the burnout is real.

If there is ever something I've learned over the years, it's to:
(1) Have a creator friend whom you can talk ideas with. Going through the same story over and over again in your mind can make you "blind". You wouldn't spot what's fun, what's weird or even offensive about your story, and it's not as exciting with only yourself. Having a "what do you think" before finishing the product is important for motivation, so you don't feel like you've done so much work for nothing.
(2) Appreciate your readers. Even if there is only 1 person, it's a comic worth making. Make it for that person. Comic is a medium; think about what you want to convey through your comics, like a very subtle long-winded letter, if you'd like. A stupid but kind character might be relatable to someone, and might make them feel less lonely reading it. Even something as simple as 4-panel comic strip can make a person smile if it's funny. That person might have had a bad day and that smile might be the first in their day. And that's the worth of that comic.

In terms of technicality, if your draft is really rough, accompany it with character designs and summary so people can imagine what's going on in the draft.
And if you can already see what's lacking from your comic on your own, pat yourself on the back! That means you are already improving, and it can only get better from there as long as you listen to yourself. But remember: finished is better than perfect.

In the end, don't be too hard on yourself. Not having a grand goal is fine. It's okay to just be an indie creator if you're happy with your full-time job. Not everybody needs to hate their full-time job just because they like comics. It's okay to keep this as your retirement plan, maybe. You don't have to aim for pro just because that's what everybody seems to be aiming for. Even those who are, would still have times when they doubt themselves.
You are not alone!
Hope you're feeling better!

[Rhonder]

Constantly and at every single stage of the process, different issues arise xD

Drafting out the story: I fancy myself more of an artist than a writer, but yet I really like coming up with stories too. So that leaves me with a conundrum where it's hard to force myself to sit down and write the whole thing out, but I know from experience that when I just try to wing it that it doesn't turn out very good so it's a necessary evil... But so usually this phase takes me a really long time because I just slowly chip away at it.

Editing: Related to the above, but for most folks the first draft of a story won't be at a publishable quality and it'll need a few editing passes. When I have the story finished though the motivation to just jump right in is always looming overhead so it's hard to force myself to take my time. Again though, I've made enough half-baked stories in the past to know that I gotta force my way through this part.

The actual drawing: Even though this part is fun, it takes so so long to make comic pages. I usually start out strong on a new project but then slowly lose motivation and my speed suffers. It helps if it's a short story and you can see the finish line. The long-form project that I'm currently writing scares me a little bit though lol. Part of the aforementioned editing is going to be me trying to reduce the length as much as possible while still telling a good story xD

[Shanny8]

I struggle with motivation ALL THE TIME. Especially lately, with me learning this new task on my job- the process is frustrating...so when I get home at nights and weekends, I'm trying to de-stress and relax; drawing isnt exactly high on the priority list.

It gets even worse when I hit a burnout point; my mind wants to create all sorts of art stuffs, but my body is like "not gonna happen"...

[NickRowler]

I do struggle with motivation because for the most part I feel like I create art and put it on the web for random strangers to see. I don't really have support from anyone close and I rarely get feed back on my work. So I feel for the most part alone, and it hard to even tell if my work is even good or not.

However, if I stop creating comics, I get super anxious. So I have to sort of fight through the loneliness.

I tried posting my draft for review the other day, but it's in early stages and not readable at all so I got no feedback, so I'm stuck here without knowing how good it is or what I need to improve.

I can take a quick look at it if you want.

[jamontoast98]

Thanks! You can see it here: https://imgur.com/a/F4dyeTT
It's a fighting game manga. Read from left to right.
The pictures are very rough, but the text is all there, however it is not finished. There's a page where it just says 'idk' and a load of text, please ignore that...
Come to think of it, it's pretty obvious why it got no feedback. I feel embarassed to even post it in this state. I just really wanted a second opinion. Well with all that out the way, let me know what you think! XD

[jamontoast98]

Thank you for this, that's really good advice! I think I really need a friend to read it, or at least get some feedback. I have been doing it all on my own (up to chapter 6 of my first draft) because I wanted to write something true to myself and figure out how to solve problems on my own. The comic I was planning before this one I was working with an online friend who helped me with writing. Even though his advice was good and we got along well, I felt like I didn't have much control over how the story would go and I wasn't drawing something true to myself, and I couldn't go through with it in the end. When drawing the draft for the story I was thinking "will he like it or will he reject it?" which is a really bad mindset.

Maybe it will be different next time; I could ask my brother who isn't a writer but understands me and somehow gives really good advice. Also since I've already drafted so much it should be more clear what my vision is
Even so I want to clean up my draft so that people can understand it XD

[jamontoast98]

Thanks, I will work to finish it!!! XD

[foxnflames]

Above anything else, YOU have to believe in your story. When i first started i had so much anxiety about if people would like it or not. I've always felt like I've been good at storytelling and i love to read but writing a story (and i'm sure a comic too) is a completely different thing. And now that I've started writing and posting, it really does consume a lot of your time, not even writing, but constantly thinking about the story and what i can do to make it the best that i can.

You can always interact in the forums and learn from those who've been at that stage (like you're doing now) and get some tips on how to overcome writer's block or gain motivation. Every so often I post writing exercises and they've helped me come up with things for my story.

Even when you do start uploading, you'll never stop learning. Looking at other people's stories and studying their works and how they promote can help you improve. I constantly feel like I have to improve my own skills when looking at the people here because everyone is so talented. Whenever you're ready to show your work, we'll all be here with helpful feedback so you can get your work out there

[jamontoast98]

Thank you thank you thank you for this! The authenticity bit is really good advice. I've always been someone who is conscious about the page count of a chapter "Is it too long? Too short?" but I had an epiphany recently that whether you achieved what you set out to do is more important.

I've been in a slump recently, it's hard moving forwards because I am already 6 chapters into my first draft, (I'm the kind of person who thinks his work is bad at first but as I leave it then go on to do something else, then come back to it, I can see the heart I put into it and my opinion of it gets better and better) so I know I need to move on and try something new, but I end up just repeating what I have already done. I know that I need to take a deeper look at my process of making comics, my mindset and what it means to me, else the advice I received will be pointless (how to change a mindset, tho?). In the end, I just want to capture the awesomeness of fighting games (hence why I'm drawing a fighting game comic) and communicate cool stuff like tech skill, intense action, tournaments, storylines etc. that I have experienced playing them. To break them down at a fundamental level and see where those feelings come from. Although I am also easily influenced so doing research whilst maintaining a strong vision is hard, but that's for a different topic haha

I think going forwards I will focus more on communicating why fighting games are cool, rather than try to make something 'good'.

[Dizwikz]

Not everyone is going to like your story. Not everyone likes coffee (weirdos LOL), but, chances are, if you like it, someone else will, too, and that passion will translate through the screen.

Keep pushing forward. Keep posting. Set yourself realistic goals and remember that motivation is a fickle bitch, but persistence pays off

A someone that doesn't really like coffee I feel that lol. And that's great advice.

[jamontoast98]

IKR everyone is so talented, right? I've known for a while the secret that people only post their best work, and that most of the art you see is going to be good because a lot of people have liked it. Even knowing that, I can't stop from comparing myself to others and being too hard on myself. Hell I was watching a drawing tutorial on poses and the teacher drew a literal STICKMAN - and I tried to draw one and thought "Why can't I even draw a stickman as good as his one?". I do believe my story has the potential to be really good, but it all comes down to my skill as a writer and how far I'm willing to go to make it happen.

This forum has been really helpful so far, I use it a lot whenever I need that 'creator's perspective' lol. Maybe I'll clean up my draft and post it here

[jamontoast98]

LOL I don't like coffee either, hi five, seconding the great advice

[foxnflames]

I drew my own cover, banner, and thumbnail and i KNOW i'm talented but my 1st renditions in hindsight were TERRIBLE. I'm glad I didn't have any likes when i had those. That alone made me want to delete my chapters i uploaded. But i stuck it out and worked hard to draw another one. And even then i knew it could be better. I'm only like 11 episodes in and i've changed everything like 3 times lol. And me wanting to take the time to create something i was really proud of was partially because people here have good art they had to present.

And i as good as i know i am, i have my days where i'm like "how do faces work?". Sometimes i completely forget how to draw

Whenever you're ready, please post!

[Dizwikz]

No problem! And since you're doing a niche thing like fighting games, I'm sure that as long as you communicate well enough, people will feel your passion for fighting games and that will attract that audience. Character connection to fighting games will also be something that really helps to sell your love for the game on a personal level as well. And just try to keep chugging. With my series there are moments where I feel I could've done something better, paced it better or done something else. Since I'm posting it online I will make some corrections and tweak it here and there, it's largely remaining the same, and I just have to keep going. Although it's difficult lol.
And ayy. I'm more of a tea person lol.

[jamontoast98]

Well here it is so far, it's really rough (https://imgur.com/a/F4dyeTT)
After reading these comments I am having a lot of new ideas. The first chapter could end up completely different. Please stay tuned