Three Essentials on making a webcomic/novel/story/creative project
a conglomeration of ideas that I’ve assembled in the past few months, written for my own reference and because I needed to kill some time
Making a webcomic, novel, or really any form of story, whether it be short or long, is hard stuff. Here are three simple habits that I’ve been upholding lately to stay focused, confident, and enthusiastic in my recent projects.
Write down everything
No matter how dumb or ridiculous it may sound, always write down any new ideas you may have for your characters, plot, setting, or anything regarding your story. It’s a great way of organizing your thoughts, instead of keeping them in a jumbled mess in your head, or in case you forget something important. It REALLY helps to keep a huge notebook (or even better, sketchbook) dedicated solely for your project and then fill it up with notes, character ref sheets, random sketches, setting notes and scenery doodles—sort of turning it into a little codex for your story universe. And not only will this look really boss when you fill it all up, keep your ideas organized, and have your information stored all in one convenient place, it’s a good record for memories to see your story progress and evolve as you refine it more and add on to it.
Work on it every day
This is probably the most helpful habit for my creative projects. By working on it every day, you ensure that you are consistently making progress and also staying enthusiastic about it. Whether you write out 5000 words for a novel, sketch out a page for a comic, or simply think up the name of a city briefly mentioned once throughout the plot, progress is progress and it helps keep the stone rolling until the final completion of your project. It doesn’t matter how much you work on it, as long as you make the effort to get something completed on a daily basis until it becomes a (good) habit.
Do not give a fuck about others
Excluding the crude language, this is the best advice I can give to anyone about anything. If you’re going to create a story or webcomic for the sole purpose of making it conform to mundane norms, then you are in for a boring time. Disregard society and create what you want. Do not care about failure or triumph—the real failure in a project is when you do not try. Even if you end up never finishing, simply starting a project will be a learning experience for you. I think the main problem with a lot of people is their fear of failure in a project, which I face too, but really there is nothing to fear except for yourself—really what I’ve come to realize is that no matter what you make, there are always people who will like it, and there will always be an audience for your work. There is no real purpose in comparing your project or art or writing with others, either, as it is your own, with nothing else like it on the internet.
Hopefully this horrifically underwritten guide helped a bit—so what are you waiting for? Go make your story! Carpie diem. Insert more inspirational text here.
I wrote this guide a little while ago but I guess I’ll post it on my own sketchblog before I lose the post again. Also I’m encom for a few weeks.
(Source: what-what-in-the-butt-butt)
17 Dec 2011 @ 09:16PM / 
