Use buffer pages more often to move the story along or not?

marygold 2016-08-05 03:53:03 UTC #1

So I've been feeling like my story has been moving slowly, and I'm so close to the climax but looking at my planning, getting even to that part may take another month or two which I really don't want to go through. I'm also thinking my readers are probably getting bored. I've already cut so many parts of my script out to be more concise and at this point I don't think I can cut any more without sounding rushed.

I currently don't have many buffer pages right but I've been working at a steady pace. It's pretty easy for me to get one or two pages ahead now. I'm wondering if I should speed up my regular schedule but risk maybe running into deadline stress problems or continue my current one update a week and save up on buffers but have to stretch out my chapter.

Seriously though, I'm only on my pilot chapter and it's been more than a year. And I'm approaching 80 pages. I think I have serious pacing problems.

EDIT: sorry I didn't mean cash in everything at once. I meant speed up my schedule to cash in more often (but not at once)

J.Z.Castillo 2016-08-05 03:59:13 UTC #2

omg don't do it!!! I feel the same way! I am queued all the way to November 22nd! But I need that buffer! Those buffers could be a blessing for your stress levels and what if you have an emergency or something? Just leave them there.

If you post all the pages now, you will feel pressured to put MORE out and you'll work yourself silly. Just let them be.

Puppisama 2016-08-05 04:35:11 UTC #3

Buffers, sorry, but what's that? '-' Kinda lost. Keep your one update a week pace, if you feel like adding more updates a week will make you feel pressured then don't do it.

marygold 2016-08-05 04:42:16 UTC #4

@Puppisama buffer pages are basically when you get ahead of your next update. Like if your next update was to draw page 2 but you ended up drawing all the way up to page 5, page 3, 4, and 5 would be your buffers. You save those pages so that you don't have to worry about not meeting updates.

Shanny8 2016-08-05 04:44:45 UTC #5

I'm not ever uploading all my buffer at once. In fact, I'm trying to get further ahead, so that way I can rest & catch my breath while my buffer is done.

mariusthered 2016-08-05 05:34:30 UTC #6

every now and again my subs get a second page but that's about as much as I abuse my buffer. in time it wont matter because your pages will be posted and people can go back and read in bulk if they wish.

niinasalmelin 2016-08-05 06:54:05 UTC #7

When I managed to build enough buffer, that I'm still half a year ahead if I speed up the update schedule, I did it (fist it was one page per week, now it's that and one page every other monday, so it went from 4 to 8 pages per month). If you think you can manage the time shortening that comes with more updates eating away your buffer, then do it, but if you have any doubts, don't.

UzukiCheverie 2016-08-05 07:10:35 UTC #8

Seconding people's points about not rushing your buffer. You never know what kind of emergency you could run into, whether it's sudden artist block or having to take a week off due to sickness, whatever. I feel it's better to wait for your buffer to post on its own prepared schedule than post it all at once and run into unexpected delays later (though it can be super tough to be patient for so long from a creator's side . o .)

If you do increase your update schedule, I'd say only add one more update in each week. So if you do one update a week, maybe make it two. But don't suddenly switch to 3-4 updates a week if you don't have the buffer to support you that long until you're able to get more content ready.

That being said...

Look into this. If it's been more than a year and you're 80 pages in but still on the pilot/prologue, then you're probably going to lose more readers who don't want to wait that long for any sort of payoff than readers who don't want to wait for updates. If you haven't introduced any sort of hook yet or gotten the plot moving at this point in time, then you should take a look at how you do your pacing and decide how much is too much. I know it can be counter-productive to rush it, but if it's taking you that long to get to any sort of climax that early in the story when you need to hook your readers from the get-go for any sort of dedicated readership, and if you're genuinely concerned over it, then it's worth sitting down and mulling over for a bit. Really think and decide on what's necessary and don't create more pacing than is necessary - establishing shots, emotional reactions are all fine, but if you do them too much they can be just as detrimental as rushing your story (it just gets tiring).

EDIT: I just checked out your comic and saw that you mainly update by 1-2 page batches. This can definitely make it feel like your story is progressing a lot slower than it should be (I used to do 1 page updates back when I was in school and it was all I could do at the time). That being said, if you still feel like you're having pacing issues, maybe sit down and triple check what is and isn't necessary for your pilot.