What would you have done different?

[Callirai]

Hello! I am an artist/writer. I am currently working on writing out one of my stories to be a novel which I am hoping to start posting in the next few weeks. I was curious though, is there anything anyone would do different? Or is there any advice for someone writing and posting their first story.

This can be anything from mental health advice to advice for plotting out the story or the way you posted it. I would like to know anything. And comic writers could help too! I am writing a fantasy genre book based in a separate world. If you have any advice on writing a story like that, or plotting it out, that would help too!

Thanks for anyone who replies!

[Lazu]

I kind of regret not plotting out my story better, but even if I did my characters would just be like "Screw you" and do their own thing anyway... xD

I also got really hooked on just writing everything at once, but this really took a toll on me, and afterwards I have been better at just writing a few chapters a day, with some break days between. -But this is just what works for me.

I think the most important thing is to find out what works for you, and try out some different things.

Also, with regards to posting. Don't expect your novel gets found and everyone reads it within a day. I know this goes without saying for the most part, but I think I still really hoped people would just find and love my story as much as I loved it within hours. which is not happening. So well... Just remember to love your own story, and keep doing it for yourself for the most part, since others will have to come along for the ride with time.^^ (At least that's what I have to keep telling myself when I look at my sad stats)

And good luck on posting!!

Here is mine btw

I'm the Prince's beard | Tapas

[pilot-obvious]

I regret not creating a backlog of work. For awhile, I was scrambling to get parts done in time, which would mean I would sometimes work 8+ hours per day on them, on top of my job. It was super unhealthy and put a lot of strain on me.

I still don't have a backlog now, but I also don't strain myself to finish. I think once I finish the first part of my series, I'm going to create some type of backlog to take some pressure off of me!

[azzy-m]

Planning out my whole story before drawing it. And not sticking with the very first draft I make.

You absolute clown, past azzy-m. You absolute clown.

[Cavechan]

-Working on two comics at once. Since I had just switched to digital, I wasn't used to it, so I wish I had worked on one comic first, finished or mostly finished it, and then went on to my second comic.

-Not making the beginning engaging enough. I feel like it takes too long for the reader to get invested in the story.

-My main comic was also the first time I have drawn space ships. I wish I had reworked them more and done some things differently about the designs. I feel some parts of the design are too simplistic.

Both of my stories were completely planned out or mostly planned out and just needed some reworking before I started so at least I didn't have that problem.

[Callirai]

Yea, I have been trying to plot it out better. I do know some of the large parts happening in the story are and I know somewhat of how I want it to end. I am having a little trouble figuring out all the little details that will go between the big plot points. But I am getting there. I definitely think that is something important and I am wanting to plot out more before writing too much.

I am also still working on the scenery and figuring out what my world looks like. I am also working on actually mapping out the area and the actual map for the world.

[Callirai]

Oh yea! I am definitely making a backlog/buffer for it. I want to have at least a 4-6 chapter buffer. I want to post a larger chapter each week. I want the buffer just in case something comes up and I can't write or maybe I get writer's block for a week, I won't have to worry because I will still have something to post!

azzy-m I do worry a bit that I will end up hating the first chapters after I get further in the story. Or wishing I could rework it. That is why I really want to try sticking to my plot points that I have laid out in the beginning. That way I don't accidentally go off on a tangent in the story and completely change how it was meant to go from the beginning. I do want to have as much of it planned out and written before I start posting!

Cavechan I do have a couple other ideas that I also want to work on. But I want to wait for this one to be done with. I am a bit worried also that I might confuse myself by trying to make two separate stories at once. I want to focus on the lore of just one and not worry about mixing then up! Lol. Thanks for the advice on that!

[puddle]

another vote for "plotting my story better" - I loved the freedom of writing forward/on the spot, page by page, but it's not at all practical if you have a specific set of story points you wanna eventually reach. planning ahead and outlining will always save you a headache in the future. I had no plans for my comic street magic when I drew the first chapter. now I have an outline for a 10 chapter story. it took a lot of work to get it to that point, and it would have been less work if I started plotting before I started drawing.

of course it's different for everyone, but this was a major hurdle for me- if I didn't know where the story was going with certainty, I felt dread as I worked forward. "how am I gonna explain this? how am I gonna fix that hole?" - and that slowed down my work.. and usually when you feel dread for a part of a project, your workflow will suffer.

[Callirai]

Yea. I will definitely be careful when plotting my story and make sure to stuck to the plot points. Thanks for the advice!

[emrowene]

I have a bit of a different experience from others because I actually originally drafted my novel for traditional publication. I had all of book 1 written and spent a lot of time editing it before I eventually made the decision to post it as a webnovel.

I made that decision for one major reason: in preparing the novel for traditional publication, I got a little obsessive over my editing. I got so obsessive, writing and rewriting things constantly to make it "better," that I ended up sucking all the fun out of the story. So I decided to forget traditional publishing and post the story for free online instead - it started as a project that was supposed to bring me joy, and somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that.

That's the one thing I'd do differently - from the start, I'd try to remember why I was writing. I'd try not to get so lost in what I thought "made a good book" that I ended up turning my project into one that was just miserable for me. Especially with fantasy, it's easy to get caught up in consistency, worldbuilding, tying plot threads together, etc. I fell into that trap, so it's one I'd warn you away from!

Now, I've fixed the story to bring back that original spark. It doesn't have a huge following yet, but at least I'm having fun with it again! (Here's the link, if anyone's curious: https://tapas.io/series/Fractured-Magic/info)

[Croik]

That's the one thing I'd do differently - from the start, I'd try to remember why I was writing.

For a new writer I think this is the most important part!

The best thing a new creator can do for themselves is decide straight out what they're trying to accomplish. Are you writing a story you love because it's bursting to get out? Is your first novel an experiment, or practice just to get some words out? Are you trying to launch a career? Your first novel posted cold to Tapas isn't likely to gain a lot of recognition right away even if it's very good, so it's important to be honest with yourself up front about what you expect to gain.

Everyone is on their own path for their own reasons, and that's what makes creative works great!

[NickRowler]

My biggest regret is if you have an outline that has been sitting on a shelf for years, if you finally decide to use it, take time to re-edit it.

I have a series where I don’t like the first chapter due to it being written by teenage me which prefer non sequitur humor. I feel like it’s a poor intro to the series. And I know that the random ninjas is probably my most liked page but I don’t like that they exist in this stories universe. I should have just rewrote the whole thing while keeping major plot points, which is what I did to later chapters.

[Drewbie]

Not sure how long you plan to have it be but I regret not keeping detailed character sheets organized. I had them when I started the story and am now working to update them. Tiny details can make or break a story and I wish I had focused more on that. but yeah. Keep up to date character sheets even of characters you arent sure will reappear

[Callirai]

That is really good advice! Thanks for that! I have a few character sheets built up for the few main characters that I have. I need to take the time to really think about and outline other characters that I know will be in the book. I will definitely keep in mind that the character sheets need to be kept up to date during the course of the novel. It would be smart to have it all in one place for each of them.

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

I started posting my story on the go, with an upload shedule of two chapters a week. My biggest advice: work ahead, make sure you have some chapters as a buffer. So you can keep your schedule and take a break if nescesarry

[DasIstWunderblyat]

• Just because you can draw doesn't meant you must make a comic.
  Explanation: There are much more things needed than a drawing skill to make a comic. Perseverance, grit, consistency, layout skill, typography, writing skill, and time are few to name. Just because you can make average to decent illustration doesn't always mean you are set into a good comic maker, just because your art friends are making comics doesn't meant you must make one.

• Buffer
  Berserk fans are willing to wait centuries for the next chapter, but who are you? Most likely your readers will forget about you. Plus it will put a great strain on your behalf trying to meet the deadline when you can't, always put a safety net.

• Attitude
  Yes, I agree with my whole heart my writing sucks; but there are so many popular and well-liked things that suck too and there is no problem with it? I wish I could be more shameless and care less.

• Organise your versions
  Edits and revison can happen, sometimes it's a big one. You don't want to be confused and accidentally deleted the new one. Better one: don't delete the old one, probably there is some hidden gems or forgotten aspects you want to revisit. Comparing yourself to the older you also can be motivating.

[Ardelvion]

1.) Don't delete your buffer until you already published it online.
I had a buffer that was set to be published for next week, but I accidentally deleted it from both of my PC and my USB because I though it was already published. Plus I was in a hurry, so that's another thing.

2.) Venture to other art programs.
For my webcomic strips 1 to 4, I only used Corel Painter Essentials 6 for art. I love its paint brushes, but I felt it was limiting my line art. It's also the reason why I had to add a lot of texture to my characters.

I experimented with MediBang Paint Pro and eventually fell in love with its brushes for line art. It's my first time using it though, but I'll learn as I move along.

3.) Use outlines instead of shapes for making sketches of your characters.
I tried using shapes to create them, but I can't visualize what they should look like in different positions and poses. I think my brain hates too much guidelines in my sketches.

[Callirai]

This is really great advice! I don't plan on making it into a webcomic just yet it any time soon. But I do want to do art for my characters and maybe include sketches or drawings of characters at the beginning/end of each chapter. I haven't every drawn my characters out before tho, so it is going to take me some time to really nail down their designs. I have a good idea of what I want them to look like, but I gotta actually figure out how to draw it. Thanks for your reply!

[Callirai]

Thanks for this! Yes, I can draw. But I do not want it to be a comic. I think the story works better as a novel. Plus, I prefer writing novels to scripts. I plan to make art for it tho. Just not for a comic. I do want to design and draw the characters myself.

[DogshitJay]

I think I would have figured out my genre niche better in advance. I didn't really understand genre well when I started, and I originally had this very dirty but funny opening line. I think it set people up to think it was erotica, when really it's just adult romance. I ended up changing it later to be more in line with my story.

I have no problem with erotica as a genre, but I think it confused my readers that either expected a lot of sex that wasn't there, or put ppl off that didn't want to read smut.

I also got some weird hate about it in some writer spaces.

Basically what I'm saying is: know what you're offering, and set up expectations for it by your branding, description, and first chapter so that people don't get confused.

In the end I feel much more confident with my less shocking opening line, since it represents the rest of the story better.