I say this because I have so many projects that I want to share. But I add projects I haven’t even touched yet. I plan on working on them after I work on my other two projects... but should I even add projects that I won’t touch till after I finish my two projects?
Nov '19
Nov '19
Do you mean add as add on Tapas? I'd better not. Because if you add them and then make some huge pause, you'll never going to make in some promotions on first page, like they sometimes promote just-published-comics or rising stars or whatever.
But also don't try to do a lot of works simultaneously, it will drain you, and in the end there will be no strength left for anything. I don't even mention that it can become depressing to do so much work if there won't be much feedback. Especially if you want to publish accordingly to some schedule, like once a week. If you make 2-4 comics, one day you may find out you have nothing to publish this week. Just work on your plot and concepts.
I do the exact same thing! I’ve got at least 7 or so different story ideas right now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a ton of ideas. You’ll always have more. Thus is the life of an artist. 
I think it would help focus-wise to write down your other stories and store them away for later use. And you can always add ideas to your already thought up stories. 
It’s not like you put it away and ONLY touch it for future use. But it is best to store it somewhere other than just your brain so that it’s off your chest and somewhere else.
I have tried that once: I have three regular series and started an additional one on Patreon, then posted the first period here on Tapas as an info that I'd be uploading the rest there on a regular one chapter/week schedule and then post the rest on Tapas as soon as I finished over there.
I thought I'd finish in a few weeks since the project was supposed to be on the shorter side but it turned out to get longer and is still running (I set it up in summer). I don't even have 10 subscribers on the series, it can't turn up on the new episodes list or anything and is basically just sitting around on my profile in case somebody comes to look over what else I have.
So in my experience: It doesn't help much in terms of giving your series a headstart for when you really start posting the episodes. Because of that I didn't do it again when I started another 'Patreon-first' series and will just wait for when it finishes over there before I post to Tapas.
I could also imagine that readers who genuinely liked the first episode might be disappointed if they don't hear any updates for several months. (And comics take much longer than novels, most of the time so I guess it might be even worse for them.)
I have way too many ideas, and I want to work on them all at once, so I feel you ... BUT!
My tip would be to write these ideas/projects down in a notebook or something of the sort, so you can get them out of your head, and then pick a few projects to actually focus on with the intention of completing them.
A too scattered mind that is overwhelmed with too many projects, can end up with bringing a total of none of them to life - subsequently adding to am ever-growing chunk of so-called "idea-debt". (You can read more about idea debt here1).
I don't recall the quote exactly, but it's something along the lines of that a bad idea that is actually executed is still better than the best idea that stays forever in your head.
Haha, absolutely relatable. As others have suggested, you should keep an ideas journal. The brain tends to replay things that it wants to remember. Once you write it down, your brain will (theoretically) think about it less often because it knows the knowledge is stored safely somewhere. It also helps you sort out which ones you'll really care about versus the ones that just seem super cool right now.
I also have a private side project of "snippets" that I just can't get out of my head. For instance, if I have an exceptionally cool character design idea, or a great scene that I can't wait to write, I'll draw that one design or write just that scene. I don't post it anywhere, but it helps get that energy out without having to design every other character, or write every scene that leads up to the one I really like. And hey, if I get around to doing that project for real someday, I already have a head start.
I have the same problem but I recommend waiting. For whatever reason I always feel pressure to update them or feel bad that I abruptly quit. Especially when those works continue to grow subs. It makes me wish that I had held off and finished he first project I started. I’ve even thought about taking them down until I’m ready to give them the proper attention.
But if you’re able to handle it, you may as well go for it.
My rule of thumb is to never start publishing a project to the public until at least 75% is scripted and I know how it ends. Ideas come fast and cheap, most never get developed past the opening premise. Just keep some docs running in the background and you can develop each story at your own pace without the pressure of meeting an update schedule. You can even start building a buffer if you really want to move past writing to draw the story. Just don't get people's hopes up for a full comic unless you are sure you can deliver on it.
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