Friday, 11 July 2008 10:13 pm
(no subject)
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deckardcanineFor those who have unhappily noticed the slowing of my Downscale updates, I blame an unreliable home Internet connection. Turns out it's not just a weak signal location: My landlady's equipment simply shuts off sometimes. Part of me is glad to know that she's not shutting it off before bed as a matter of routine, and she has agreed to show me what to do if it happens when she's away. Still, to have this keep happening unpredictably as long as I live here will be quite a nuisance.
I'm afraid the connection is one of several things slowing me down. Another is a decision to keep having the comic update only on Tuesdays and Fridays, so it's never just a one-day delay, because I don't want readers who check only twice a week to get left behind. Then there's the increased difficulty in writing the comic, having nearly painted myself into a corner with the determination to have both a continuing story and a punchline every time. Also, several times lately, the story has had me draw certain things for the first time, which takes both time and a Net connection for good references.
The fact that I have let these extra factors slow the updates points to two big other problem: laziness and disinterest. I'm not sure which bred the other here, but they certainly go hand in hand. Worst of all, they don't apply just to the comic. I may have entered my most blase period since my conversion.
Maybe all I need is a shift of gears. Maybe once Aspen and Kody return to the La Rocque, I'll reduce the saga pathos and make way for shorter story arcs or even one-day gags. I don't know if readers would like it better that way, but I probably would. It wouldn't be different enough for a shark jump, just enough to make it easy for me to see the comic continuing for another year or so.
I'm afraid the connection is one of several things slowing me down. Another is a decision to keep having the comic update only on Tuesdays and Fridays, so it's never just a one-day delay, because I don't want readers who check only twice a week to get left behind. Then there's the increased difficulty in writing the comic, having nearly painted myself into a corner with the determination to have both a continuing story and a punchline every time. Also, several times lately, the story has had me draw certain things for the first time, which takes both time and a Net connection for good references.
The fact that I have let these extra factors slow the updates points to two big other problem: laziness and disinterest. I'm not sure which bred the other here, but they certainly go hand in hand. Worst of all, they don't apply just to the comic. I may have entered my most blase period since my conversion.
Maybe all I need is a shift of gears. Maybe once Aspen and Kody return to the La Rocque, I'll reduce the saga pathos and make way for shorter story arcs or even one-day gags. I don't know if readers would like it better that way, but I probably would. It wouldn't be different enough for a shark jump, just enough to make it easy for me to see the comic continuing for another year or so.
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Tips
But I also cut corners whenever I need to get a comic out by my deadline. Since I have low readership, no one's going to care if I slap the same image on the same background a few comics in a row, or if I just post some filler artwork to substitute for content.
The key is brainstorming on how to get the job done faster and more effectively and working less hard. I still struggle with it because I tend to get carried away at times, but hopefully this will save time and get more material out there.
Also, my comic tends to be more like Vaudeville, the Muppets, or Hee Haw or something, where one minute you have something with a plot, the next minute you have filler comedy bits to stretch the time out. If I knew an effective way to illustrate musical guests performing songs a la Saturday Night Live, I'd do that, too, but comics are silent, so it wouldn't work. There isn't quite enough room for the lyrics or the sheet music.
Just a few pointers.