Should I do two or three comics at once?

[Kaydreamer]

I'd say no. Unless you're the kind of person who needs multiple projects in order to maintain enthusiasm, juggling too many comics is a recipe for burnout, scheduling issues, and eventually, abandoned stories.

Plus, when episode releases are missed, or inconsistent, audiences can quickly lose interest. It's why putting a webcomic on hiatus, unless you're a featured creator on Tapas or WEBTOON, often results in diminished engagement once the creator resumes working on it.

We learn a lot by finishing things. My advice is to finish what you're working on first, before adding more. By working on one comic, you'll create it faster, finish it faster, learn from it faster, and then be able to apply those lessons to your next one.

[oliveoly]

I think it is better to focus on just one, back when I would do multiples it resulted in me dropping them all and none of them are finished to this day even though I might have started them ten years ago... however, working on only one and keeping focus helped me get close to finishing my first comic work!

[a.g.meade]

@SkittishMoon - Speaking as someone who has been working on two comics for most of a year, I can say that it's doable if you really want to.

That said, it's important that you know yourself and your limits before committing. Burnout, discouragement, and time-based stresses are all very real threats to the success of even one project, much less multiples.

I'd also suggest you take a really serious look at your motivation for wanting to do multiples at once. Is it to drive traffic? Is it because you have so many stories to tell? Etc,. Knowing what's really driving you to do more than one can help you avoid setting yourself up for failure.

Lastly, I'd suggest that if you do decide to do two at once, you should make sure you have your script ready to go. You don't want to be trying to develop your story while you're trying to meet publishing deadlines.

[Kann]

If you feel you can handle having two or more ongoing comics at the same time, I think you could give it a go.

Speaking from experience (I have two ongoing series), before you start posting your second one, it's better to have a solid buffer ready for it.

[starless]

I also consider making a second series but I'm not gonna publish it unless I finish writing and storyboarding at least 10 episodes of it. It'll be really exhausting to draw and edit both series later.

Prepare plenty of episodes done before showing yours to the public. If you're diligent enough, yes you can.

[joannekwan]

Do it only if you are capable. Consider the time you have to devote to each, and please look out for your mental health.

I was able to maintain 3 on-going comics for about 4 years, each updating weekly.
I wasn't fussed by it until I was hit with some physical ailments that really fed a long-brewing burnout. I got my illness in check after a while, but the comic burnout is still lingering so I'm vowing not to start another comic until my last on-going one is done.

[SplashOfExpression]

I would stick to two. I think it's easier to be productive when you have less projects, so you can focus all your energy into one. If you do too many projects, motivation is lost. I would save your third idea for another time.

[KoreanTacos]

As someone with two comics I really don't recommend it, especially if numbers are a big deal for you. If you don't care about that and are ok with dropping quality then yeah go for it. Have your story be told, but if you're a magnum opus person I'd work on one at a time less you feel like you actually can handle two, but like I said I don't really advise on doing so if this.

Use the time working on your one to really get an idea of how you would want to do the other two.

[TheDoublekey]

Focus on one, it's better. It is a huge sacrifice, and I perfectly understand this, since I have sooo many original ideas, but that's it. I can work on multiple series at a time, but when I want to do things well, I stick to just one and put the best effort in it.

Besides, if you keep your interest in only one of your projects, you can come up with many interesting ideas for it, such as cool plot points, foreshadowing, etc. By having just one comic, you can also fix plot holes and inconsistencies, that otherwise, with multiple comics, you wouldn't consider.

Then again, it's all up to you to decide, but that's my suggestion

[Quintessa]

Hii , I think it's nice to do 2 or more because you can do crossovers,etc and if you feel like you're running out of ideas for one comic then go to the next (it helps with my 3 novels) and I hope this helps you too {It all depends if you are ready to multitask}

[MissEljebel]

I think it’s entirely up to you and how disciplined you are. It you can sit down and actually put time aside to work on all three, without sacrificing your mental health, then go for it! If you don’t think you can, you might want to save the third idea for later.

It you do end up doing all three, I’d suggest having a very big buffer just in case.

[thedude3445]

Do multiple, but only post one. Keep the other one under wraps to build up that backlog and to help you when you're feeling meh about the one posting.

[lostscrolls]

I am also in the camp that advises "stick to one".

A difficult trick to pull off is making a decision and committing to it. As artists we want to do everything and have a bad habit of doing our own thing, looking up to see what the next person is doing and thinking "Aww, I wanna do that to." I've found that to be destructive to my artistic experience. My joy has come not from me making a commitment and saying "They're going a great job - but that's their thing and this is mine" and focusing on my own craft, skill and project development.

If it's about the traffic and numbers, same answer. Multiple comics will lead to inferior quality or erratic releases because you're doing to have to sacrifice somewhere and the causal web comic reading crowd is a fickle bunch. They'll drop it in a hot second when you drop the ball. Remember that it's not about how many people you attract - it's about the audience you retain. Audiences are retained because the product is good, consistent and always delivers for them.

[crossedvessel]

Alright,,,, my sincere opinion... Remember that making comics is not only about you, is about your audience, the people that have been with you and love your work,,, saying this, if you get overwhelmed, tired, don't meet your own deadlines, get sick of working too hard to keep up with 2, you will stop one or both right away, because you got sick of it, then, you'll also disappoint your readers... I am one more who thinks you should stick to 1. It is better to create one amazing piece of art than 2 or 3 in a rush,,, one is already hard enough imo

[lomcia]

No. I made that mistake many times. Just focus on 1. finish that one and do next. two projects at one is a bad idea

[monochrome0M394]

oooh i used to do it at around 4 pages. as my layout of my comic is small and easy to draw things without getting overwhelmed. although there are some tendencies that i may take long because of burnouts,life's other plans and getting criticism that you decided to redo the pages you made for the last three months. as long as you take breaks and plan things you will be alright.

just make sure that you don't drive yourself into the wall from a burnout or stressing yourself too much.

[jcmraz]

Can you manage 2 or 3 comics at once? If so then go ahead. If not then maybe not. I did it for a few months back during the webtoons contest. I did more art in those months than ever in my life and worked my ass off to get it done. I couldn't manage that today. Had fun doing it for the time but it was a LOT. Wouldn't recommend a schedule like that unless you're making money or one of the stories is short and has a definite ending in sight

[lynestjules]

I think it's fine if you know you can manage the two. If the two are simple and quick to do a page, then it shouldn't be an issue.

I thought about doing 2, but the main series is very time consuming and requires a lot of work and I want to put all my energy to make it as good as I can.
I'll see if I do decide to add another comic, but I'd need at least 1 year worth of content published bi-weekly on the weeks the other one doesn't update.

[dewarcomics]

Work on one at a time, I would say. If you have other stories you want to tell I would say give yourself a set goal for the current one your working on such as "10 chapters" then put on pause and work on the other one and give yourself a similar goal to reach.

You can either switch to and fro by reach each goal or if one is a shorter story it will give you time to finish one and go back to the other longer running series. Plus giving yourself a finish line to strive for can be encouraging such as finishing a certain number of pages.

Once you reach those goals you've given yourself that's where you can see how your current situation and make your own judgement call on how to proceed.

[SkittishMoon]

Thank you, guys! I appreciate all of your advice, I've just been feeling tense about just writing one story that I felt like I'm shackled to one. I feel like I have so many stories to tell and I already started with the second one. However, I will take your advice when it comes to scheduling, burnout, and not doing three at once (that was a bit ambitious) I have ADHD, so it's hard for me to stick to one so I feel like having two at the same time to ping pong when I get bored of the other I think will be better for me!