I don't trust serialized stories, and I feel I'm missing out

[melindemari]

I hate reading something and then it just ending... there in the middle of some epic scene and the whole series cancelled!!! And this doesn't just happen to stories or comics but a lot of TV shows I love only has 1 season and then when I go to check out when the next season starts I learn they cancelled it!!! NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!

But on the plus side, having an over reacting imagination (I myself who rarely sleeps and spends my nights telling stories) live ourselves in unfinished stuff!!! I, taking where a story ended, I'd tell it to myself with vivid details and all to such a point I'm inspired to insert some of the scenes synopsis into my own stories, hence I have about 6 novel length stories I'm writing as I go!

So negative point - yeah serialized stories suck, to the point it infuriates me!!!!!!!!!!
Positive - It can be inspirational, or if not, helps pass the time on restless nights!!!

[KingsClubComics]

I understand you. I pay my bills as a comic book artist too (over 10 years), working for publishers as an artist. I know the financial instability is a problem in our area.

It's good to have, at least, a part time job or some contracts lined up, because you should have some peace in your mind to work better in your own comic. And it isn't only a comic book creator reality, it's an industry entertainment thing. I heard about a game designer who was working as guard security to pay the bills while he was working on his game. (and other horror stories as a game designer doing radiotherapy when his cancer advancing and the only thing he could think about was doing the textures in his game level).

I don't blame the creator giving up their projects. But they could use this experience to think about the project scope in their next try

[natchevil]

Hi there. I am the terrible person who begins a serialized story, and then stops when it's getting good!
Nope. Not joking. I'm one of those guys you shouldn't trust.
So, let me tell you what that's like.

11 years on one comic, Natch Evil, and over time it became less and less consistent.
At the end, I shut it down forever while I was 2/3rds through the story.
The reasons? Frustration/Despair/Fed-Up with the direction of the story/lack of interest.

Since then, I've come to realize I'm a man who starts a bunch of projects and doesn't finish them.
Let's plays? I've done them. Finished only half the video series I've started.
Games? I've designed them. Nothing's done.
Novels? I've written them. Three of them. Nothing edited nor revised.

Webcomics?
I've started 6 or 7 of them since I stopped drawing Natch. I have finished 0 (Zero) stories in my life.

When someone tells you they're going to update three times a week and breaks their promise every time, do you trust them?

When you tell yourself your going to update three times a week and never do, would you trust yourself?

No.
No, I don't.

So I took about three years of souls searching, literal and figurative meditation, and came upon what I hope, THIS TIME, is the answer: First to forgive myself, because frankly no one else will.
Second that the final comic isn't important. It's the process.

The god-father of Let's Plays (Slowbeef, for y'all who are keeping track), was asked what the most important part of doing an LP was. He said "Coming up with a good process. If you can plan out the process then at least you'll finish." (I'm paraphrasing because I can't find the actual quote anywhere).

So, heh heh heh, I've started a new comic! It's a serialized story! Updated Mon/Wed/Fri!
No promises.

I recommend waiting till I'm finished.

[UbePie]

You maybe missing out, you can always wait for a story to be done, no harm in that. I'm one of those people that likes to read mostly finished things. There aren't a lot of webcomics I've seen that are finished, but if they have a lot of pages, I read.

But also think of this, sometimes life does happen, and a creator wants to come back and finish, but now they are scared. They are afraid that they have already lost their audience, and it's to late to pick up again, or afraid of answering questions from readers. But if they are determined they will come back, be it to finish their old story or start a new one.

[NiLukka]

Honestly, I never worry whether a webcomic will be finished or not, or how often it updates. If a series looks interesting, I'll subscribe. Who cares if it'll update once a week or once a year, I'll read the comic. And if the series is cancelled? No can do, shit happens, that's life, move on etc. Of course I'll be sad, disappointed, maybe even devastated, but why let those feelings stop you from reading a nice comic (this applies to TV, books, etc too) while it lasts? Every sub, comment, and like is important for comic creators - we'd like to have the support while we're making the series, and not hear the praise afterwards.

[Cronaj]

I mean, it's been many months since this topic was active, and I don't know if anyone cares anymore, but...

Honestly, reading these responses makes me utterly sad. As a reader, I realize how frustrating it is to follow a story and then it gets abandoned. Actually no, not frustrating. A bit disappointing really. I can't blame a creator for abandoning a story. Life happens.

Some of you touched on this already. As a comic creator, I also have had way too many hiatuses, and I am only on chapter 2. Why? Because I am a milk-drinking webcomic noob. Because it's my first time. But overwhelmingly, it's because I don't have the financial means to justify spending that much time drawing a comic when I still live with my parents and don't have a car. People forget that, hobby or not, drawing webcomics is work. But whatever, I understand why I don't make money. I'm new to the craft, and no matter how talented I may or may not be, no one wants to put their trust in me and donate. I get it.

But overwhelmingly I am sad after reading these responses. There seems to be this prevalent belief that a comic creator owes their audience something. They don't. While I—and many others, I'm sure—are grateful for every subscriber for their time, I know that if they didn't enjoy the story, they would leave. So I owe them nothing. If they were my financial means, it would be different, but since I am barely making 14 dollars a month on Patreon from patrons who follow me for my illustrations and not my comic, it makes it very difficult for me to feel like I owe my readers anything.

Why do people feel so goddamn cheated from reading a comic that has yet to be resolved? Did you enjoy the ride? Yes? Good. Be glad the creator cared enough about your readership to work on it for as long as they did.

[arushiangelica]

I understand what you mean. But for me, that's part of the fun. In real life story never truly concludes...Or maybe I have just read too much Beckett.

Personally I love reading all kinds of stories. And while I can't promise that you will get a satisfactory ending, I can at least take the onus of completion of one story.

If you feel like giving serialized stories a chance, you can check out my slice of life novel Beautiful Rebellious Brainiacs, assured in the fact that this story is going to have an ending, and an epilogue and also a sequel and spin off

And if you prefer one offs, then you can check out my poetry comic Existentialist Crisis which is basically an anthology of various sub-series. A whole bunch of endings there.

[ratique]

What is funny to me, that this exact issue was what ultimately brought down my first comic. When I realized that at the rate I was going and my poor (non-existant) planning, it would likely take me 15 years to complete the story. It was absolutely impossible and when I realized it, it killed all fun I had at creating.

Luckily now I get to work on a new comic, my planning is rock solid and I'm contractually obligated to complete the story. And I'm hoping that some of my old readers moved over to the new story, so I can keep trying to entertain them.

[Zpreader]

When I realized that at the rate I was going and my poor (non-existant) planning, it would likely take me 15 years to complete the story. It was absolutely impossible and when I realized it, it killed all fun I had at creating.

Yup. This was an important thing that I had to realize before I got serious about making webcomics. You really have to take the time to plan, if for no other reason, just to figure out how long a project will take you and decide whether it's worth it for you. At that point you're already working from a better foundation.

[joe_galindez]

There seems to be this prevalent belief that a comic creator owes their audience something.

There's an unspoken agreement between a storyteller and his audience. The storyteller promises to finish what they stared. The audience promises to invest their time and energy. To just drop a story without even a "rocks fall, everybody dies" ending would be to betray the audience's good faith.

[Cronaj]

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Maybe for published stories/comics, that was the case. But for creators posting their work on the web, many without much if any financial backing and support, I don't think those same standards apply. This is especially true if the creator is, as has been mentioned, a hobbyist.

Part of that unspoken agreement rides on the actual, written agreement of publishing companies forcing authors to take responsibility and finish their work. Without that corporate backing, to me, that "unspoken agreement" becomes null and void.

Webcomic creators often work in small teams of two or three. Even more frequently (and in my case as well) webcomic creators are a solo team of writer, artist, editor all-in-one. How can we hold a solo freelancer to the same expectations of an entire publisher's comicking team?

As a reader, I understand the desire and hope that the author will finish their comic/story. But that doesn't mean it's any sort of binding contract.

[joe_galindez]

It's not binding, but it's a bit like making love to someone and pulling out just before the really good part.

[Chroma]

I think this is true to an extent. If someone is just creating their work to share what they have, they don't really owe their audience anything. There is no unspoken agreement to finish the story or update consistently. But this is only true if they are ONLY creating as a hobby.

The instant money comes into the equation, the story is no longer a hobby but a service. If people support you on Patreon or something similar, you are expected to deliver. After all, no matter how much one argues that your audience is just supporting you out of the kindness of their hearts, they are literally paying you for your creation.

[Cronaj]

A great metaphor. Art is certainly like that. I don't disagree with the sentiment that readers have certain expectations of their favorite creators. I'm just saying that the blame placed on freelance artists and writers as a whole for being unable to uphold those expectations is a bit unfair.

[keii4ii]

The audience promises to invest their time and energy.

Not true at all. Nobody's even slightly required to keep following a story they started reading. Readers come and go all the time, and that's the way it is.

[joe_galindez]

I'm just saying that the blame placed on freelance artists and writers as a whole for being unable to uphold those expectations is a bit unfair.

Sure. But it starts out as something reasonable.

Nobody's even slightly required to keep following a story they started reading. Readers come and go all the time, and that's the way it is.

They aren't required to start reading in the first place. They pay you a courtesy when they do that. And I don't think anyone ever starts reading with the hope that they'll be left feeling unsatisfied.

[keii4ii]

And I don't think anyone ever starts reading with the hope that they'll be left feeling unsatisfied.

Same for the creators, honestly. No one starts a story, hoping to abandon it prematurely.

Personally, I'd rather see a story unfinished than given a half assed ending for the sake of giving it an ending. Of course neither is a good situation, but we can't have good things all the time.

[joe_galindez]

I'd rather see a story unfinished than given a half assed ending for the sake of giving it an ending.

I must disagree. Even a small release and a peck on the cheek are better than being left wanting.

[keii4ii]

Different people, different preferences.

EDIT: I guess I also don't see a half-assed ending as a "peck on the cheek." I see it as someone shoving the ending in my face and going, "THERE, you happy now? Leave me alone!!!" But yeah, like I said... different strokes for different folks!

[joe_galindez]

Maybe "half-assed" is the wrong term. I prefer to think of it as a quick but heroic effort. A quickie, if you will.