1 / 12
Oct 31

Hello folks! I'll be introducing this simply because I don't want to look too odd, so I'll start off with a personal topic I've been thinking about.

Personally, I keep having those thoughts about my writing. Not only "Is it good enough?" but more about the pressure I give myself. I don't know if I'm the only one to be feeling this way, but when I'm into my story, I feel like I have to post regularly.

I tell myself I have to promote one chapter every two days, approximately, and I don't know why, but every time it takes me more than two days, I feel pretty guilty.

I know that I'm not the only one to feel pressured, which reassures me. Does any writer here have a trick to handle the pressure you give to yourself-or the pressure in general? Because sometimes it just kills me to see how hard I'm trying to be so perfect.

Thank you!

  • created

    Oct 30
  • last reply

    29d
  • 11

    replies

  • 213

    views

  • 1

    user

  • 15

    likes

As far as I'm concerned... "pressure" doesn't exist. When I work on my webtoon it's the same as someone going camping or fishing or playing a sport (leisurely not competitive).

It's just a relaxation activity and when I need to do other things, I keep webtooning on the shelf.

So it's a matter of reframing perspective. Honestly don't care if my writing or art is good enough I just roll with it. And accept that some people will love my work and some will hate it. I have a very laid back approach considering my webtoons cover heavy subject matter.

Hope this helps.

I think its important for people to allow themselves to be imperfect, because no one is. Something as simple as telling yourself its okay that you couldn't upload this week goes a long way in the mental health department. It relieves a lot of pressure to sort of forgive yourself so you can actually open up more mental space for moving forward.

Like when I end up having life stuff pop up that stops my uploads first I got to give myself a reality check of like, "hey this week was busier then you thought it'd be, so take some time to relax and then get back to writing. That's what you need right now." Which then allows me to update my audience with "hey I'm skipping a week cause life stuff." Then I can relax that week and sort myself out before coming back to my writing with a clear head. I'd love to have a backlog and be able to keep a consistent schedule but that isn't my reality right now and that is okay. You can always strive to improve, but don't forget give youself some grace when things don't work out exactly how you want it to. Everyone has bumps in the road just don't get stuck on them.

I definitely hear you on this. There's an aphorism that comes to mind here; "perfection is the enemy of good." In the attempt to find an unattainable "perfection," it may only leave you feeling worse about the output instead of empowering you to continue the journey for its own sake.

The question that comes to mind is why do you feel the need to upload every two days? Is that a realistic and sustainable goal for you? It sounds like it takes longer than two days to comfortably put your work together. Is this schedule/deadline entirely self-imposed or are there outside factors involved?

Well, I've been writing online for a while and my trick is pretty much to remind myself I'm not getting paid enough to stress myself out, lol. I think it's important to remember that no one expects perfection from you, or any other creator. What readers expect is just a good story, but good is subjective, so the best you can do is create the story you want to tell. Not everyone will like it, like with any other story, but as long as you enjoy the story you came up with and the process of creating it, that's what matters.

Back when my work was getting a little more popular on another site, I started to feel some pressure about what my next book would be and whether people would enjoy it. Then I realized it didn't matter. There's a lot of books I've enjoyed, but just because I liked them doesn't mean I liked the author's other works, and that's okay. I still think they're good! So even if the things I create aren't for everyone, they're for someone out there and they're for me.

Ultimately, it really comes down to learning to write for yourself first and letting go of self-imposed expectations that give you anxiety. Have fun with the process and be kind to yourself!

I don´t let the internet and social media and the constant upload thing pressure
me and I live better that way.

Being a creative person already is enough pressure.
The only deadlines which are important for me are long term dead lines for personal
projects which I set with enough buffer and deadlines for paid commission work

Recently I do feel it.
I started to draw comics in my teens, I had readers who liked them. But as I grew up I became less productive, burn out kicked in, so I lost my readers.
Now I'm working on a new comic, which I'm planning to start to upload next year. But I'm full with worriest like "Will people like it?", "What if it won't grow as I hoped?" "And what if I will have a burn out again?"
This could be my restart, but I'm a bit afraid that it will be an other failure.
Maybe I'm not the right person to give you an advice in this, but feeling guilty about to not posting is something I know so. I think a hiatus to build up some buffer maybe could help you. Meanwhile you can still promote your story, and when you feel ready, you can start to post again but scheduled.
It takes off the pressure from your shoulders, and you can breathe again, have some calmer times to work on the next chapters.

Have you ever thought about traditional publishing and having someone doing the promotion
for you instead of publishing online and worrying about growth and promoting your comic?

Well, it's become on my first book, it used to take me that time, so I judged those were my capacities. Since then, I don't know why but my brain associated a writing speed from my first novel to even my fifth because I was used to it.

I think one thing that helps me is to create buffers. I often don't start posting until I have chapters stocked up so I can take my time writing new ones. Also, if you're burned out, schedule a hiatus and let people know when you're coming back, that way you can again, take a break and give yourself time to stock up a buffer without feeling guilty about missing deadlines.

Since I'm a writer for a living, I can relate to the stress, and I think it's common. We just have to do things to help us arrange our schedules so we can avoid that or at the very least mitigate it

Think about why you're doing this. The think about who you're doing this for.

Comic publishers, print and online, are sleazy exploitation factories. Comics fans are selfish and inconsiderate of the amount of work that goes into making comics, and they will abandon anyone who doesn't please them at a high rate of constancy.

If you're not willing to let yourself become a burnout case constantly shucking and jiving you simply don't have a place in comics. And even if you do, the odds are so stacked against you you're better off playing the lottery. Meritocracy simply doesn't exist. In the real world your "protestant work ethic" only rewards the people in control.

Thus the only rational approach to take is, "Fuck the fucking fuckers. I'm going to make the art I want in the way I want."

Being a clown and hoping it works out isn't working for you. So do it in a way that keeps you sane.

I try not to let those intrusive thoughts go through me, and post whenever I want. I post my current comic series, Haru and Tsukasa, once every week, but that's only because I'm too busy.

I'm actually hoping to write a few novel series, but whenever I want to start writing, they usually go nowhere. I'll try, but even if I get to work, since they're series I'm only half-interested in writing, they would be uploaded only sporadically, and any fans would have to deal with long breaks in between these chapters.

So that's what I have to say. Don't cave into the pressure, and post your chapters whenever you yourself are feeling ready!