Here's what you can get done when you allow yourself to focus on ~one~ thing.
Added 2018-11-06 01:40:23 +0000 UTCAfter deciding to step away from the drafting table last week, I was able to actually take care of the things that were causing me the most stress... and surprisingly, that revealed itself to be Kickstarter Page Prep.
Filler will go up on the site this week - I'm sorry only the one page was up for the duration of last week; I was way more tired and burnt out than I originally thought.
But, well, here's what a week of not spreading yourself thin or stressing yourself out looks like: 2.5 ENTIRE CHAPTERS, the majority of the bulk and heft of Book 1, are formatted and ready for corrections and bleed work.
This has been equal parts encouraging and frustrating - knowing that I could have made this much progress this entire time if I just had the self discipline to limit myself to one task at a time, instead of trying to do three at once for fear of people being impatient and wanting new updates.
With this in mind, it's EXTREMELY tempting to just put all updates on a pause for a hot minute while I get this knocked out once and for all, thereby meeting my personal goal of having all the pages ready to go for print before the New Year.
Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have already seen this thought process, and my attempts to gage what the response to a move like that would be.
Overall, the response seems to be "I would rather have new pages, but I am firmly behind whatever decision you make because I am a kindhearted and exemplary human being that reads this comic."
Regardless, I am nothing if not thorough (and constantly looking for outside approval), but here it is, my inevitable question to you:
What are your thoughts on me taking an extended break from Book 2 updates to just focus on Print Prep?
- The obvious drawbacks to this would be that I would have to go radio silent here for a little while. Formatting is going quickly now, but bleeds are time consuming, and those come before the corrections that have been in the works since the beginning of this process.
- The benefits, though, would mean that I'm not spreading myself so thin, my mental health would definitely be better, the Book would be on its way to print, and I'll be able to focus on new pages without this distracting me.
Depending on your feedback, I'll have to figure out what to do about filler in the meantime - all of my creative juices are being used up by just my day-job, so this brainless repetition has been wonderful.
But what do you think? Would you be satisfied with Page Prep updates for awhile (which would eventually include Cover Designs, and more fun stuff like that?), or would you prefer updates on the site as a better return of your investment?
Comments
You are my hero! I am -so- scattered about my lil project I am working on that I keep going back and forth from this to that... and I really just need to make one master list and focus on -that- to get it all done! Gads my life would be so much easier if I did things like this! As for updates, -clearly- I'm good with seeing page prep updates for a while because it's helping me disentangle my own workflow. :D Anything you want to post is good with me, though, I'm all for retaining sanity and mental health!!!!
Mary Williams
2018-11-08 18:56:51 +0000 UTCHonestly I'd much prefer that you prioritize whatever is best for your mental health. If that means no updates for a couple weeks/months, that's fine. If it means dropping to once a week updates for an unknown time period, go for it. Obviously I look forward to new updates, but I'm also looking forward to buying the first book and care about you finding a sustainable balance. Your health comes first.
2018-11-08 06:39:32 +0000 UTCI’m a patron because I believe in your talent and skill as storyteller and artist. I’ve seen your progress from webcomics drawn while in high school to the DotL webcomic. The entire time, I’ve enjoyed the worlds you create and the characters in them. So take the time, update when you can. I like the once a week for book 2, and the rest of the time prepping book 1, (and your day job, of course), but I support your decision to take the time you need. I’d rather have spaced out updates than have you burn out from stress. Ultimately, I think the lack of stress will allow you to be more creative and more satisfied with your own work. So there’s my opinion on the matter. 😁
JeanetteB
2018-11-08 03:53:18 +0000 UTCThis... this is actually a pretty genius idea. I'd still have to take next week up to get caught back up on page production, but... yeah, this would be a perfect compromise, honestly. Let me think about it.
Meg Syv
2018-11-07 22:27:43 +0000 UTCI'm having trouble articulating to myself how I want to say this, so I apologize it if comes across weird. I know you said you have a reasonable buffer- would it be strange to scale down to one page a week while still posting a small number of updates on the page prep? maybe even just side by sides of "lookit how different it is now!" or even just panels you like. or panels you like more now with the redesign (idk if that's an accurate word for it). I understand if that wouldn't work though, since that's a little bit of both and probably a lot of energy either way. *wild shrugging*
2018-11-07 22:07:03 +0000 UTCGiven all the Patreon screw ups, please do whatever is the least stressful for you!!!!!
GracieV
2018-11-07 19:50:02 +0000 UTCFrom where I'm sitting, working in a more focused manner to get one thing finished and off your plate sounds like a great course of action! So my vote's for book prep break ^w^
2018-11-07 19:07:13 +0000 UTCAs much as I love new pages and extras (especially after finally getting a job that can support my patreon habbit and pledging again), I think you and the comic would be better off if you took a break to do Print Prep. Part of keeping long running projects going is pacing yourself so you don't get too burnt out. So please pace yourself and make choices that are good for your mental health! It will keep both you and the comic healthy in the long run.
K8
2018-11-07 04:04:24 +0000 UTC
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