The “Don’t do your Magnum Opus first” argument

[sushy00]

Looking back on all my years of creating the only advice I can give is, if you want to make something (your magnum opus etc) JUST DO IT
Life is short, it is never the right time. You will never be fully ready, so just start anyway. I spent too many years just holding back.
In fact I sometimes still do. There are some comic ideas that I would love to start but I am not sure if I can pull it off and if I have the time for it... So maybe this advice is for me too now. XD Just start.

[Snickerdoodles]

Stephen King waited years before he felt confident enough to tackle a certain project, I think it was The Dark Tower. Then again, Stephen King is a machine and what worked for him may not work for everyone else.

My advice is to use your best ideas, but on a modest scale. Use your best ideas because it'll help keep you motivated. You'll have other ideas later, and there's really nothing stopping you from revisiting old concepts. Do it on a scale that's not unrealistically-large, and yet substantial enough to be a respectable accomplishment.

[Kura]

I mean, how do you know your current magnum opus is always going to be your magnum opus? What keeping you from writing another after that one?

For me I did the 'work on other stuff to get experience for my 'big story' and in doing that got bored as fuk for my big story and got more invested in the ones I was currently working on to the point that they became my magnum opus stories and my actual magnum opus is never gonna see the light of day, not because I hate it, just because I like my new stuff more now.

Thinking back I probably SHOULD have done my magnum opus story just so that it had a chance to get out there, and get more practice in so that I was better at the 'practice comics that ended up being my big stories'

[Bokyongyo]

Your last point is also true.

My friend and I are working on a fan comic of Blade Runner that he’s drawing and I’m writing and while script wise it’s far ahead he has stated he wished he had done more long form works so this project wasn’t such an endeavor.

So honestly it’s a catch 22 somewhat, but maybe gradually getting to the long magnum opus over the course of various projects is the solution, how many years will it take to get to that point though? I don’t know.

[elyss]

Firstly, I'm of the mind that no popular artist or writer started with their 'magnum opus' (MO). They no doubt wrote stories or drew mini-comics for a while, that's how passion starts after all. The one we see is the one they chose to publish.

I personally think it's best to start with something in the world of your MO. That way, you can get a style, build the world, and prepare some fun continuity stuff for the MO. I'm in the middle of 10ch comic to learn with that take place in the world of my MO and I'm enjoying myself. I initially started with my MO and found myself redoing chapters over and over because THIS IS MY MO AND IT MUST BE PERFECT. Taking a step back to something smaller has restored me and I can't recommend it enough.

[IdiotWithPencil]

But my question is why have a lot of famous Webcomics and mangakas got their start with their first go in the industry being their Magnum Opus?

on the mangaka, side remembers that many of them have either independent experience (they worked on making it or drawing in general since they were teens like the bleach guy) or they have really good editors. on the webcomic side if you read the first pages usually they are very bad compared to the others and also remember that in the internet you are anonymous, those so-called first time Magnum Opus could be made by a guy who had 5 years drawing fanfiction with another name and you would be none the wiser.

look if you want to start your Magnum Opus nobody is stopping you, but as someone who tried making a long-form comic once can tell you, you are gonna look back at it with either cringe or regret for not finishing it =/, what's the hurry? get some experience, draw some one-shots, and then draw your Magnum Opus. it's not that hard to wait is it?

[Bokyongyo]

The question wasn’t more so for me, I am currently working short stories/strips set within the same Universe but nothing long running; the question was put out there to see if in some individual cases should someone start with their MO learning during it instead of learning through Previous short works.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I absolutely disagree with being told not to create my "magnum opus" first. I'll write what I like. Not everyone has hundreds of ideas to throw out into new stories.

I've only ever had one story that I want to tell. And I waited way too long to get started in the first place. I waited until I was 30, even though I'd had ideas for it at least 15 years before that.

Look, I always hear people say that you need to practice by making unrelated stories first, but as I said before, not everyone can do that, creating characters and stories isn't easy, especially when you've had one eating at you for years and it's all you can think about.

[Bokyongyo]

Feel like everyone is different.

Some learn with their Magnum Opus.
While others learn before their Magnum Opus.

Each have their pros and cons but neither are Inherently wrong, Just different ways of approaching the medium.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I just get heated whenever I see people tell creators that they can't succeed unless they do "X + X"
Someone will always come along and break those rules and succeed anyways regardless of the "right way."

But I'm definitely on the "Learn With" side of things.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Is there a fine line between learning with your Magnum Opus versus building stand alone works to learn before your Magnum Opus? And which is more viable for you personally?

I mean...it's not a fine line, those are two completely different things. ^^;

Personally, I prefer the former, although I agree that you should practice with shorter projects before starting a big one.
FINISHING is a really big deal when it comes to storytelling in any form; most amateurs are only used to starting and propagating. Setting an end goal that's actually in sight and actively working toward it is a different ballgame, and it forces you to take your work seriously in a way that you often don't learn to do otherwise.

Here's the thing, though: you're gonna learn while you work on your Magnum Opus. It's inevitable (I've only been working on mine for 8 months, and I've already learned a lot). Whether you get better with art fundamentally or you just learn how to do what you do faster and easier, you're not gonna be the same artist at the end that you were at the start.

That's why you shouldn't get hung up on waiting until you're 'good enough' to start a big project. You've finished a comic before? You got your art style about where you want it? You're ready to start. It's gonna be a long journey; don't forget to have fun~

[DualDragons]

I'm out of likes so I'll just share my agreement this way hehe (Tapas take notes if you say the likes is for the purpose of agreeing yet you limit the like amount)

So yes, I agree. As someone who writes a magnum opus (sort of) at the moment, I can see that I have improved and that my early pages are not as good as my current ones. I don't care though.

As a comic maker (or writer for that matter), you have to start somewhere and small stories won't completely help you with the writing department regarding longer plots. You've got to suck it up and just do it! That's my mindset regarding this.

Even if the writing (and art) isn't consistent or the best of the best, it will still feel like a accomplishment once you have finished it. You can reflect back on that journey and see how much you have grown. You have told a story you wanted to tell and that in it's own regard deserves respect.

(Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk)

[BlunderingAlbatross]

I think if a person goes in with the idea they're going to create their magnum opus then they're probably not going to achieve it, if only because they're putting that much pressure on themselves to achieve.

People should go for big ideas yes, do something ambitious yes, but only because it's a story they're itching to tell and they want to further their craft and hone their skills Only afterwards, looking back, will they be able to tell what was their most important work.

[Azifri]

I don't have something I would consider a magnum opus, but I do have several long stories that I've written, many of them I would like to draw as a comic.

I think if you have a story that motivates you enough to spend the time and effort to draw a comic, just go for it. Just be realistic that if you're using this as a learning experience, your comic is not going to look that great and it will change over time as you learn (hopefully). As @sushy00 said, life is short and you will probably never have the perfect combination of time and skills to properly focus on your comic (the situation will likely get worse the older you get). Better to tell a story than not telling it at all.

[Iris-Grimoire]

I think there's no problem in starting with a magnum opus as long as you gave comics attempts before - it's not dead if you can't finish it today, there'll be other chances. It's ideal to try short stories, small attempts, even memes, so you get in without the biggest fun-ending mistakes, but if you've done a handful of stuff and want to try out a story, it's fine too.

And as said before, it might not even be the magnum opus and just really big - Splitting Image is a HUGE endeavor, but my actual story that I've been crafting since a starry-eyed teen is still a novel. I just... Like long fantasy stories too much And maybe, you think it's the biggest you'll ever get now, but while making this comic, you think of stuff you REALLY want to see in a work, and end up doing it yourself with maturity and experienced gained in your previous great project. Now you have two!

[Bokyongyo]

Define attempts though?

Some define it as comics made with notebook paper stored in a binder.

Others define it as posting on a web comic medium (ex. WEBTOON, Tapas, Tumblr)

[DiegoPalacios]

Is there a fine line between learning with your Magnum Opus versus building stand alone works to learn before your Magnum Opus? And which is more viable for you personally?

My advice is to always go with making a story you love. There is no point in holding back your Magnum Opus if you are gonna spend time doing a story you hate. That been said, if you have shorter stories that motivate you, start with them.

Personally, while i made lots of comics as a kid and as a teen, i only started posting online when i considered i had some content worth sharing with the world.

[Iris-Grimoire]

I'd say as long as it's a bunch of comics you did with your main set of art skills, and you reached your goal. For example, I did comics for a contest that I didn't get in waaay back, did many attempts at Pokémon nuzlocke fancomics that got nowhere, but the thing that really made me think "I'm ready for bigger" is a comics course where I did some fun traditional OC interactions, and a short story contribution to a zine - digital, three pages and a cover that had to be extremely compact, and really put me to work.

I don't recommend starting that story you like 100% green, not because you might not be able to do it right later (you always can), it's just the sheer stress of not knowing how to organize layers and backing up everything, or how to properly store and prepare a traditional page. Gotta do it when you're having fun, and that doesn't have to be after a whole career of short stories - just after you got your feet wet a couple times.

[Jenny-Toons]

My thing is...why get hung up on one story to be your Magnum Opus?

I say that limits you.

Why be well known for one piece...when you can be well known for several?

I feel like getting hung up on one story traps you, and people will only expect that one good piece from ya or you end up thinking that's the best you'll ever do.

From where I stand, wanting a Magnum Opus feels like I'd never do anothrr good story -- be it a story I really wanna tell or a story that was well received.

So I kinda dip my toes into different genres, different types of stories, so I feel like I can give more and do more well beyond after finishing that "grand piece".

Because after that piece, then what? I retire? I stop making stories? Doesn't sound too appealing.

That's just me, tho.

[DiegoPalacios]

I feel like getting hung up on one story traps you, and people will only expect that one good piece from ya or you end up thinking that's the best you'll ever do.

True, what may be your Magnum Opus today may just be just one of your older works tomorrow. Is important to understand that our potential hasnt neccesarily been fully achieved yet and maybe the day of tomorrow we will be able to do things we never thought would be possible before.