Feb 2019
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Feb 2019
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Fierce_Chai
Feb '19

Hello there!

I currently have the issue that I'm at the beginning of my webcomic with a few chapters but made a mistake of already starting the comic without having completely finished writing the plot.
(The plot and lore also turned out more complicated than I thought and I assume I will take a long time)
So I started to take a hiatus to sort things out, but I'm somewhat concerned about a few things:

  1. Would I lose most of my current subscribers if I stay away for too long? (I already declared a
    hiatus and linked them to my twitter)
  2. Would it be bad that in case my finished plot would require to reboot the comic completely, would people lose interest too?
  3. Should I paint and write the plot at the same time? (Im worried that if few things change in the plot, I would have to throw away some panels and chapters and it would be a shame)

How do you handle writing the plot and painting it? Do you finish the entire writing before painting the comic?

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    Feb '19

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punkarsenic
Feb '19

nah - until you update to alert them again to your presence, theyll mostly forget youre there until you return

that said, you might get a flush of unsubs when you return, people realising theyve lost touch with your series

ive seen fans stick with a series after a reboot before, but when you do that you do give people an opportunity to leave, and some will take it. in some ways thats a good thing though; a few engaged readers is far more valuable (emotionally and algorithmically) than lots of disengaged readers.

dont make final paintings / drawings of things you might have to cut - if you look at it like an animated movie, all the editing decisions come at the storyboarding phase; once stuff is fully animated and rendered, it very rarely gets cut from the final production bc too much time has been put into it, so they edit at the beginning. in the same way, editing of comics should be done at the sketch stage, and sketching as you write will make for stronger visual narratives.

also, youll always have to throw away some chapters or panels that you dont need - another reason not to put too much heart or effort into anything until its confirmed going into the final product.

i go kinda like this:

1: plot plan, zoomed out to the events alone and sectioned into chapters.
2: zoom in on chapter (x), write out the events in more detail and break into scenes - some concept sketching may occur, this is where the most editing takes place for me
3: break chapter into a page by page plan of events, also a place for lots of editing
4: turn that page by page into... pages. this is where i actually start sketching page layouts and poses. by this point ive workshopped the content and structure of the chapter several times and know what the function of each page is in the narrative, so big edits are rarely required. a lot of small edits to action or dialogue happen at this phase
5: final pages - at this stage theres no backsies, i only allow myself 2 revisions maximum per batch
6: repeat the process - zoom back out to plot plan and tweak further chapters to meet the changes ive made. if i regret a decision ive made in a past chapter (as i do... often...) i can decide to A: retcon it, fuck continuity or B: let it slide as part of the learning process. i usually go for a bit of both, depending on the error

QueenofBabyLoon
Feb '19

If people love your work now, though you might lose some members of your fanbase, you will most probably gain some once you come back.

The question is, what would make you feel you are living up to your own criteria where work quality is concerned? Do you feel that working on your plot will help you produce a better quality comic? Or do you feel that you can come up with the plot as the story moves on? Some people need to organize everything beforehand, others like to be carried by the tide of their creativity. What is your personality as an artist?

At the end of the day, you want to produce work you can stand behind. Work that makes you proud. You don't want to be spending sleepless nights thinking about inconsistencies in your plot. But you don't want to feel like you are losing your time thinking up a plot when you are more inspired to draw.

I guess what I wish to say is that you shouldn't worry too much about subscribers. The fact you built yourself a fanbase means that you produce quality work people like. Whether you change the plot, whether you take a while to rethink where you want to take your characters, there will always be people who will enjoy what you make for them.

Good luck, stay strong!

Klaustasya
Feb '19

Ahh, i was currently thinking about your situation!
I'm writing the plot for a comic too at the moment and i'm struggling a lot at trying to not start drawing anything yet because i have to wait for the plot to be finished (though i'm that type of person who prefers to go with the flow, without drawing things that i already scheduled in my mind, for me it's very limiting and boring) and i have no idea about how to move to build your comic up from the pratical part of it (the drawings) XD
But beside this, as someone said before, don't worry too much about your subscribers, i mean, they do are important to a series but those who really appreciate your work are the same that will stick with the series regardless of how long you'll be absent or if you plan to rethink some stuff and do a reboot (i need someone to explain me what it is, i just generally know it) true fans will understand and follow you through your journey till the end! :slight_smile:

Good luck!

RiidDisBuk
Feb '19

LUL. I almost fell in that situation, too. However, since I have been planning for two years, it's not something I'm really dreading about as long as the plot goes out well and meets the writing requirements. You really don't have to go on a haitus when you can make something within in the story (like a long fight or back story) to keep your reader engaged while planning at the same time.

  1. That mainly depends if Tapas has burnouts. From what I've experience on this website in particular, people aren't too worried about waiting for more content and are understanding. Just keep in mind that there are all kinds of people.

  2. It's not a bad idea, to reboot your comic but do not make that your primary content. Have something new for your audience while rebooting your horribly written content.

  3. To me it sounds like you are more of an outliner than a discovery writer. It's best that you do not do both at the same time and make sure you have everything written first.

How I handle plot and writing is by outlining the events that the characters go through and just run along as you meet the requirements. And yes, it's best to finish writing before you paint.

Fierce_Chai
Feb '19
punkarsenic

Thank you for the useful advice! I think I'll stick to the hiatus to figure everything out and sketch in the meantime!

Fierce_Chai
Feb '19
Klaustasya

Oh I wish you good luck on your process! I think its also helpful to make sketches of panels or do some concept art alongside writing to not get bored
And by the way, thank you for your advice! I'll try to worry less about subscribers in the future :smile:

Klaustasya
Feb '19

No problem!
And yes, sketching a little bit can only help you getting more into your own story, i'm just taking a break from that part haha XD
And yeah, sure thing subscribers are our "bread" but it's not healthy to be sad because of less feedback our not at all, it's always a reason to make things better :muscle: