How long have you been writing/drawing?

[Testaccount]

Out of curiosity, since you haven't been writing long, how did you grow your readership online and get a premium story on Tapas?

Any tips and tricks you can provide will be appreciated

If you don't want to hijack the thread with responding here, I'm always open to a PM.

[sarrowsmith10]

I have only created comics for maybe 6 years? But I've only been on tapas for 1 year.

[turtleme]

I basically had my own niche of readers I accumulated from a different site that I had posted before coming to Tapas. Since the novel section on this platform is fairly new, it doesn't do a great job of building a readership, so finding a site that best suits the type of genre you write will yield the best results.

I've also created a thread about premium content so feel free to check it out and ask more questions there!

[Testaccount]

Thanks! I agree about the readership here. I know other premium writers who used Wattpad to gain their readership before moving to Tapas.

I'll check out your thread

[turtleme]

Wattpad isn't really the only site (while it is a major one). A lot of Wattpad novels--the ones that do well--cater to young females. If your novel is heavy genre/action or litRPG, Royalroadl is a good place to try uploading, while if traditional epic fantasy or thriller is more up your avenue, posting your novel on their forums is a good way to steady gain readers.

That being said, it doesn't hurt to try out every platform and find the one where your novel fits in the best!

[Testaccount]

I wrote stories on Wattpad for three years, but I started with fanfiction in a popular fandom. When I moved to original work, the stories I wrote were more for an older female audience, so I don't think the teen readers releated to my characters enough. Ah well, I hope things will be better on Tapas.

[Ayusaurus]

I've been writing since High School and drawing since middle school. I took a break from both after High School due to life and such and about 3, almost 4 years ago, have gotten back into both. Writing is a bit less of a priority, but I do try to write when I have time.

All together - Drawing: 11 years combined, Writing, 7 years combined.

[dawgofdawgness]

I've been drawing since I was a fetus

and i still can't draw straight lines

[KoreanTacos]

Been drawing cartoons for about (oh god) 16 years now... I only just started putting my comics on the internet about three years ago, Tapas a year in about 3 months from now.

[Shanny8]

I used to write on Wattpad a couple of years back, but the day I started doing comics again I just upped and quit writing there. The type of material I wrote there is a total opposite of what I do with comics, but I did continue my concept of trying to build & develop solid characters & characterization to drive the story part of the way.

[anitacomics]

Looks like we all have a different idea of what this question means. Some talks about the very first time they took a crayon in hands, some talks about the moment they started pursuing it a career or something, some talks just about the project they're working on now.

Well, as you can imagine, I had some pencils when I was a kid. I've started studying how to draw about ten years ago. I've been drawing semiprofessionally for about 6 years now, but finally what I feel to say is that I've started -creating- stuff no more than two years ago. Previously I've been drawing for school or some other assignment, so it wasn't really my stuff, it was just the learning phase

[Griffian]

I've been writing since they started pressuring us to choose a career in the 6th grade.
I started drawing sometime during my first year of high school -

I was pretty shy my freshman year, and didn't really know anybody, so I started doodling during lunch one day. Someone asked to see my drawing.
I said "Okay, but I'm not very good at drawing."
They looked at it, said "Wow, this is bad. You could never be an artist!" then handed it back.

So naturally, I drew every day for the next five years and haven't stopped since.

I guess spite wins over all.
Really, I almost feel like I owe them for giving me my favorite thing to do.

[Bones]

I've been serious about writing for fourteen years, it'll be fifteen in April.

[Rhombik]

I'm an amateur so my professional career never started.

I've always drawn. I used to do little books when I learnt to read and write (like take 10 pieces of blank A4 and fold them together).

Later, when my Saturday morning cartoon addiction began, I would pause the TV and trace the characters. Then I got good enough to do it on my own.

Then I started doing video game characters. Mostly Zelda. And I wrote quite a lot of illustrated fan fiction. Then I made my own illustrated fantasy novel (aged 13 so it wasn't very good) which was basically a Zelda rip off.

Since then I've just been working on little projects and doodling here and there. It's mostly for my own fun but I wouldn't mind doing it properly.

[Croik]

Heck yeah that counts! That's super impressive

I've been writing for ~23 years. When I was young I wrote mostly original stories and then got swept up in fanfiction. It's only been recently that I've seriously taken up original work again.

[DiegoPalacios]

Since i have memory. I always loved inventing stories, drawing characters and showing them to my family. My mom found many drawings i did as a kid.

[erma]

I've been writing stories and drawing since I was in elementary school, but it wasn't until junior year of high school that I started taking art seriously. I was basically just doodling and making short comic strips about dumb things that happened in class. While I regret waiting so long to learn the foundations of art, the past is the past and it's really never too late to learn something.

[375]

Back in 1999 so around 18 years ago. When I was five because I wanted to tell the weirdest children stories ever (and had the craziest thought of "Because Im a child, I know what children want") and never stopped writing.

[sandpaperdaisy]

34 years. I've been on the web doing it for about 20.

[scarlet_wings_kaili]

I've been drawing all my life but I only started writing in grade 8 because I was told that I wasn't supposed to be any good at it (cause language delay + learning disability). It's been 7-ish years since then, and while I still have a long way to go, I'm pretty proud of where I am now ^-^