How do you find Motivation to finish your comic?

[Sailor]

I just started my comic Level Number: Death. And the thing is- I've been planning this comic for so long, so I was happy to do it. But after sketching the first episode I lost all my motivation. I kept on telling myself that it'll be fine and that I should just post it- but I guess you can tell how rushed it was. I tried to do better on the second episode. I worked 5 hours on two of the pages. Then I turn away for 5 minutes and all my progress is lost. Like all of it. None of my sketches and thumbnails for the second episode are there. And I don't want to start over. But I also don't want to quit so early. I know I can't produce better quality the second time around- I just know it. School is starting soon for me and that just adds more stress to my plate. Apparently in my household we can't have 'electronics' (except for our television) until the weekends or summer depending on how you do academically. What do I do? How do I find motivation to finish? Please help me! I'm desperate, and crying doesn't seem to do anything.

[skullkaizer]

for me it helped to not expect too much from myself but also others(subs/likes/comments)
like draw when you can and want, it should be fun..
also alway save, like every 5 minutes O..o

[Kaydreamer]

If actually drawing the comic is going to be way too much to deal with right now, just script. Write the dialogue. Worldbuild. Decide the direction of the plot, and slowly nail down the fine details. When you feel like drawing, maybe do some storyboards, character designs, and standalone illustrations.

You may not start actually posting it as a comic for a few years yet, once you're out of school, but you'll have a fully-fleshed and edited script to work from, solid character designs, and a bunch of promotional illustrations, all which will make the end product much more polished than it would otherwise be.

If you're losing motivation after a single episode and one setback, you're probably not in the best headspace to be committing to a large-scale, long-term project right now. Pace yourself, and just work on what makes you happy and relaxed.

[Tailzkip]

Don't focus on perfection to much, improvement comes with time. I've seen plenty of published comics with screw ups in the art. There's a chance they also have touch up artists who go in and fix their errors.
The most important is to write something that excites you. If it's not fun you won't have fun making it. You can play music or watch an anime to get inspired and put you in the right mood. It's all about getting in the mind set of wanting to create and share a story with the world. There's no real secret, just don't force yourself to over work and take breaks when needed.

[thecrystalrook]

Your art doesn't have to be flawless. Mine freakin' sucks. If you like your story, then that will be enough to push you. If you write it, they will come

[hjpetersonauthor]

I definitely have to take breaks: I get burnt out on projects really fast if I dedicate too much time to them. The biggest piece of advice I have is to take some time drawing or writing that has nothing to do with your comic every once and awhile. I have a bunch of scripts/novels that I rotate with on which one I'm actively writing so I'm not constantly working on the same thing. For art, I try to do some fan art, or draw something that's totally different from what I normally draw, like animals, or landscapes. Besides helping with burn out, it will help you look at a project with fresh eyes when you come back to it, and might even help you get ideas for what else to do with your comics.

[lizardlullabye]

I like to remember Jake if I need motivation to finish and to take breaks.

The first time working on a comic, there are no expectations that it will good. So it is best time to make mistakes and be terrible at it as long you learn from it. From then on, just look at the next project as something new too.

If you don't feel like working a project, then don't. It's difficult to work on something if your focus is running away somewhere else like life, food, and fictional things that may or may not happen, etc.

[reapcykesart]

I look back on the past abandoned comics I've made and say to myself "I will NOT make the same mistake. I will not abandon my comic for the flaws I discover, and I will push through!"