I feel like giving up on my comic. (Rant)

[Hecarim]

I only have a few minutes to type this before work, but I´ll try my best to make it readable.

I´m 19, almost 20, and I've been drawing seriously since I was 15.

Before uploading my comic this April, I had zero experience in writing (aside from high school essays) because I never expected myself to do a comic. Coloring was a mystery until the start of 2018, because I rarely did colored pieces. Yikes, I know. I wasn't very brave.

I started my comic on a whim, wanting to illustrate a story I had in my head. I thought it'd be a good way to strengthen my drawing weaknesses and practice writing. I didn't expect anybody to read it (I only had experience with tumblr, and we all know original stuff is nearly invisible on that site).

Fast forward to now. I had 35K subs on Webtoon until recently, when I was lucky enough to be promoted in the carousel on the front page by the staff. Because of that, I got a crap ton of attention. And with that... came critique and critics.

As you now know, I don't have experience with writing, and this comic was for me to practice with. I thought I was doing decently well, but then came the comments about my art being pretty, but the writing being... bad (some of that was because of the interaction of my main characters, but it's intentional). I had a comment inform me about an artist on Instagram "talking shit" about my writing. I couldn't find the person on instagram, but I did find other posts rating my comic somewhat low, and that really crushed me.

The comments like that are the minority, and there are so many sweet, supportive people! Both on here and Webtoon. However, I'm one of those people who think the people who hurt me are just brutally honest, rather than haters- and the majority are too nice to point things out. Instead of looking forward to reading comments like I usually do, I find myself with a sense of dread as I scroll.

I'm extremely grateful for the exposure, but I'm also not prepared for it. All of the confidence I managed to build up about my comic is leaking out pretty fast, and it's become so hard to work on it when I doubt myself so much. There's more I wanted to type, but I'm out of time

[Harmony-S-S]

How about you put your story on hold instead instead of giving up on it

[LortiaMJB]

You're always going to get criticism and people wanting something better from you. But clearly you started this with the need to get a story out there and if you barely started? Well tough luck for your readers, you'll get better in time!

Hell, you got picked by WT themselves, sounds like you're doing a good job no matter what some people might say! I'd say keep on going, show them you can do better and you can only do so if you listen to those who give feedback instead of those who talk shit.

[TimCaloweh]

Yeah a story ain't a story without the writing. Take a step back and think on it.

Edit: I read it. It's called fluff.

[seru]

Writing is not my strongest suit but I got to where I am right now because of my ludicrous concepts and ideas. No matter where you go and no matter what you do, you can't please everyone.

I suggest stop reading comments altogether if you don't have the mental capacity to pass scroll the negative comments.

Write for yourself, not for others.

[minerrale]

Don't give up because of a few! Keep going because of the many who like what you're doing! You can't please everyone, that's the only thing certain in this world, but dude you got picked by WT and had lots of positive feedback! People don't take the time to say something nice if they don't mean it!
Don't let a few haters bring you down, keep up the good work, and you'll get better and better, like the rest of us

[Edgmont]

Don't wanna fright you my dear, but you already have 90K. Definitely you have a good reason to keep going

[beta1042]

I haven't read your comic, so I can't comment on your writing specifically, but 10s of thousands of people like your comic enough to subscribe to it, that's saying something in and of itself.

There are always going to be people who will hate, and there are always going to be people who critique. And maybe your writing isn't all that great, or maybe it's just that your genre isn't to their tastes, who really knows. The truth is, we all have places where we could improve, even the pros, and so if you like making your comic keep making it and through time and practice you will get better. If you quit now you'll never improve. I wouldn't harp on the negative comments unless they actually give you advice that is helpful and useful to your growth.

[punkarsenic]

being launched so suddenly into the spotlight must be stressful. looking at your comic, i think you should keep it up - youve set things up well, and youve got a fun concept. getting something, no matter how crap, finished is the first and most important hurdle. after that, better things can come.

also, like, its not bad. maybe you have a bit of a telling over showing issue, but you have good hooks at the end of your scenes, youre setting things up at a good pace, and youre so close to the start that who can really say? any genuine concerns about your writing are things you can take note of and fix as you write the further chapters

the important thing is to shirk off the pressure - this is your first comic, your first writing experience, this is your practice comic. its gonna be crap. your brilliant crap. say that to yourself 'hellish is gonna be complete garbage. and im gonna love it.' everyone has 200 shit comic pages in them, and the only way out is through, and youll learn so much on the way that it wont matter that this story - this charming, already quite successful story - is the worst thing youll ever write. it means everything after this will be so much better. it means youve got potential, so long as youve got drive. look forward to it! starting near the bottom means the future is bright, even if the climb is a little long.

also, your fast success is gonna lead to bitter people. if someone is talking shit about your comic, its probably because theyre jealous of your relative success.

[ISNEKO]

Don't give up. Broken things can be polished. Rough things can be shined. Your writing can be improved. One of the most important aspects of any creator is continuing to create. Haters or brutally honest, if YOU think there's room for improvement then give it some time and effort.

[joe_galindez]

The art is good and the writing's okay from what I've seen. Wouldn't hurt to read a writing guide but I see no reason for you to quit.

I'm terrible at playing emotional cheerleader, so I'll just say that you ought to focus on the certainties in your life. Does this comic make you happy? Then keep going.

[Harmony-S-S]

You may not be an emotional cheerleader, but you sure gave him the advice he needed

[seru]

I forgot to add this to my last post.

If you need resources, I recommend these books:

The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment: Susan Thurman, Larry Shea: 9781580628556: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition (9780205309023): William Strunk Jr., E. B. White, Test Editor, Roger Angell: Books

If you need a good resource for creative writing or ideas, I highly recommend this site. Most are free~

Welcome to Writers Write - Writers Write

If you need ideas or to relieve creative block, I suggest reading books or watching shows opposite to the genre you're doing.

[joe_galindez]

Dude draws a nice booty. I couldn't let that vanish from the world.

[Harmony-S-S]

, you people are unbelievable!

[joe_galindez]

I meant what I said, OP. The writing's okay. If you'd like a short-but-complete course in writing I wrote one for Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/7321vz/meta_the_ruthless_writing_guide_part_1_description/

It's even shorter than The Elements of Style, and that's one skinny book.

[Chopythes]

Do you agree with the criticism given to you? If not, don't listen! After all, that's only another person's opinion and they might differ quite a lot from your point of view.

Do you have close friends who've read your comic, and whose opinion you trust? Do ask them if they agree with the criticism!

I've had my comics being brutally slaughtered by both friends and critics but I'm aware that mine's a slow paced comic (too slow paced if you ask them, haha!). At first I got really down and sad about it but I kinda felt like: Heck, I'm going to prove them wrong!
My comic was my very first long running comic (still running after 3 years after the critique I got) and I had (and pretty much still don't) no knowledge about how to create an interesting comic!

You say you've got 35K subs BEFORE getting picked by Webtoon and holy shit D:
That's lots of people enjoying your work so you're definitely on to something here, don't quit it! As others have said in the thread: Take a break!
Sometimes that's needed to improve your skills<3

[joe_galindez]

. . . I still maintain that you can judge a work as high-quality without necessarily liking it and vice-versa. Taste may be subjective but there are still generally-accepted standards about what makes a piece good or bad.

[Nes]

That's what happens when anything or anyone becomes popular, not just comic writers. Just remember that not everything is for everyone, but also that many people who comment, don't always know what they're talking about. The subs you got are the ones that appreciate your art, writing, or both. The ones that just started hating on it are the ones looking to see why your comic got so popular. These are the people who have different tastes, so don't focus on them, focus on the ones that actually enjoy your content.

Like I said, not everything is for everyone, but there will always be someone who likes your work. There's always room for criticism of course, so keep that in mind as well. If you yourself think your writing needs improvement, then do some research, learn about what works and what doesn't, and just keep practicing like you do with your art. Practicing with your current comic is also another reason to not quit, if you really do want to improve. Just don't be afraid to try something new.

For the record, there's a chance I don't know what I'm talking about either, especially since I don't have past experience on this kind of stuff. But I do hope this helps somewhat.

[ISNEKO]

.....

Well now I have to check the comic out.