Help me figure out why I’m so slow

[crimson_mystery_cake]

I can relate a lot to this bit. Procrastination like that has been the bane of my life. ADHD meds help me, but I try not to rely on them very much.

I'd like to get diagnosed for ADHD. I think maybe that could help.

For me, I can overcome my tendency to procrastinate over my work if I stick strictly to a routine. If you have a set window every weekend, say between 2pm and 6pm, and during those hours you're only allowed to work on your comic, you may find yourself settling into that routine pretty naturally after a few weeks. If you tell yourself you're not allowed to use those hours for anything else, you can strong-arm yourself into working.

That's a smart idea. I'd be totally willing to try that. I think I have tried something similar in the past, but I wasn't able to stick with it so that kind of killed the momentum. Thanks for the advice!!

[crimson_mystery_cake]

What do you feel when you've actually finished a panel or page? The reason I'm asking is because I had a big problem with procrastination. I never wanted to work on or finish anything, because I would beat myself up when I didn't think it was good enough. So it kind of created this negative spiral where I didn't want to work on anything, because I'd just feel bad afterwards. Then I tried to change and be happy that I actually made something, even if it sucked. And now I've been working on and updating my crappy comic every week for almost a year. Lol

I more so just feel relieved when I finish a panel. Like I can finally move on to the next panel. But unfortunately whenever I finish a panel I can't really seem to kickstart myself to working on the next panel. I always want to take a "short break" and then that ends up me being done for the day. I do kind of feel what you're saying , I usually like to work on a panel until I get to a point where I can say "Ok this is good enough" even though there are a bunch of tiny little things that I kind of want to improve on.

And I agree with what has already been said, I think keeping habits and a weekly schedule makes it so much easier to get things done.

Yes so habit building seems to be a good part of being consistent. I shall try my best to keep a habit of working on it.

[crimson_mystery_cake]

Another roadblock is that some days I just don't really feel well, mentally. Like, today I woke up not feeling so great, and it was kind of like that for a while last night too. It's kind of hard to focus on a comic when you're battling negative thoughts.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Are you perhaps the kind of writer whose stories percolate in the subconscious when you're occupied otherwise & then flow out when you finally have some time? Maybe too much time to consciously focus on the work (maybe trying to force the words out) is, for you, kinda not productive.

[Tailzkip]

I see a lot of writers going for perfection on here...why? You can only get better if you fail. You won't produce the perfect story now, nor ever. It does not exists. Who cares if your stuff goes out and it's mediocre? The fact that you wrote something is an achievement that more than most out there will accomplish, ever.
Your skills grow as you get older, that's just facts. I started posting comic's when I was 14, I knew they were bad and I still had readers who loved them for some reason so I kept at it. If it's something you enjoy, it should never be such a chore to make. If you had fun writing it, who cares how perfect it is? not everyone is going to love what you create. But as long as you love it and the chances are at least one or two people out there will, that is a win.
You might make it big one day, you might not. You might get lucky, you might not. Just enjoy the ride and inspiration will come to you. I find that trying to force it only makes it worse, both for your mental health and for your creativity : )

[crimson_mystery_cake]

Are you perhaps the kind of writer whose stories percolate in the subconscious when you're occupied otherwise & then flow out when you finally have some time?

Yeah that sounds about right.

Maybe too much time to consciously focus on the work (maybe trying to force the words out) is, for you, kinda not productive.

Well, it’s not so much that I have a problem with “forcing the words.” I know where the story is going and everything. I have chapters 1-4 completely outlined and storyboarded, I kind of just have to make a few slight changes here and there (mostly just jokes I forgot to throw in lol.)

It’s moreso I have a problem with sitting down and creating the darn thing. Whenever I try and make time to work I always find something to distract myself with.

[crimson_mystery_cake]

I see a lot of writers going for perfection on here...why? You can only get better if you fail. You won't produce the perfect story now, nor ever. It does not exists. Who cares if your stuff goes out and it's mediocre?

I would like to say that I really don't think it's an issue with perfectionism. Trust me I have been there done that. And I still am a bit of a perfectionist at times, but I am learning how to handle that part of me. But I also really appreciate this ^^;

The fact that you wrote something is an achievement that more than most out there will accomplish, ever.Your skills grow as you get older, that's just facts. I started posting comic's when I was 14, I knew they were bad and I still had readers who loved them for some reason so I kept at it. If it's something you enjoy, it should never be such a chore to make. If you had fun writing it, who cares how perfect it is? not everyone is going to love what you create. But as long as you love it and the chances are at least one or two people out there will, that is a win.You might make it big one day, you might not. You might get lucky, you might not. Just enjoy the ride and inspiration will come to you. I find that trying to force it only makes it worse, both for your mental health and for your creativity : )

Thank you. This is very deep and it means a lot to me!

[Xentama]

It sounds like you've done the hardest part, which is planning it all out. Now you just gotta do the time consuming part and render the dang thing.

-Personally I like to listen to a podcast or a long youtube vid while I render because it keeps my brain engaged. rendering is just such monotonous (but necessary) work.

-As for time, realistically (especially if you're a one person show), you should probably be aiming for like 3-6 finished panels per week. Most people aren't sitting down banging out five pages all at once.

-also maybe try different kinds of rendering processes. Perhaps the one you're thinking about using isn't actually the one that's fun for you to use. (for example I appreciate soft shaded/painted comics, but I know I'm way too impatient to do that so I opt for flat color/cell shading because it's fast and still carries impact when I need it.)

hope this helps

[Sethstiel]

ㅇㅋ I don’t know how lazy you are BUT it also might be cause of the parts you’re drawing in your current chap.
For example;
I hate drawing backgrounds.
Whenever I need to draw a detailed background, I get cold feet drawing the whole novel. (Mine is a Lightnovel turning into a comic rn)

Maybe you’re working on a part you’re not that excited about? (Like me?)

Or maybe your chapters are too long (again, idk but) ?
Maybe you think you’re slow but you’ve actually done a lot?

And if these are not it, I’m sorry hahhah
Anyways, you mentioned that you wanted to publish your comic weekly. If you think you’re slow, the best advice I can give you is;
Be patient before hitting your first publish button and save up couple of ready-to-go chapters ^^
This will help you A LOT, so you can have extra 4-5 weeks (depending on how many chaps you saved up) for the next chapters

Have a nice dayy!!! ^^