Basically this is a thread to blow off steam about the moments in life that goes between you and updating your comic.

basically, what is the most annoying way that interferates with you when you really, really WANT to update?

For me, it's family, espeically my mother…
It seems that whenever I manage to find myself with a nice break from college work, they suddenly sense it and come running into my apartment for whatever ansisine reasons, and insist that I come and do whatever with them.
like recently.. I just came back from a 8-day vacition that I was basically forced to go on with them. they basically managed to make me agree on coming along by coaxing me using the so-called fact that they were gonna go to the mall of america.
you know, the biggest mall in the world, with an indoor theme park, etc.. over 250 stores.. and happens to be in the next state just right next door.
and in the end, we didn't even go there. it was 8 fun-filled days of family arguing over where they should go, who should do what, etc. plus the sister-in-law getting the directions all wrong and getting us lost on the road several times, adding on the hours of driving….

and the whole time, I couldn't help think: and this was the whole time I could had time to seriously work on my comics!! *eye twitch*

Whew.

anybody else have simlar experinces?

Comcast.

Seriously, the onyl thing that kills me getting work done is a lack of internet. And with comcast, that's not as uncommon as I'd like the think.

A.D.D.

When I'm trying to do a comic, so many things catch my attention slowing me down. One day it was so bad, I started a strip in the morning and didn't finish until10 minutes before the site updated.

Sometimes, however, it's because I decided against a particular joke for that day and end up having to spend the rest of the day having to develop a new one.

This summer, it's been my friends, and lack of sleep. I don't mind the friends part too much, though, because 1) Yay! Friends! and 2) Since my comic is based on my life, yay! More material! But then I don't get enough sleep, and end up being a zombie all day, and don't do anything even though I have lots of time.

And I'm guessing once school starts up again I'm going to have trouble…Damn me and my daily updating thing.

I would say friends.

Like I sit down and I am ready to draw and then I get a call and they are like…..HEY LETS HANG OUT….

yeh

Swimming.

We have a new coach this year and she's really tough. My arms hurt so much I can barely lift them to draw anymore. Besides, we practice twice a day and once school starts I won't be getting home until about 7 every night. I miss my free time for drawing.

I've been trying to get my 100th page out for a while now. So I come back from vacation to find that my landlord has DESTROYED the house. In a panic to fill up vacancies he decided that the walls needed to be painted and he boxed up and moved everybody's stuff. I could not find my food, clothes, personal items, or bed…. any of these would have been welcomed after my six-hour drive.

I'm still finding my things and reassembling my bed, which it turns out was disassembled and moved outside somewhere. I am not a very happy tenant and my 100th page of Culture Shock did not go up on time. I'll have to finish it over the weekend.

Family's a biggie.

My grandparents never budge. We always have to visit them. They haven't been to our place in about seven years. This year, when it was Soul and mine's birthday, we had to go see them, when they are perfectly able to drive all around Australia every year. My mother offered a compromise by going to a restaurant halfway. Nope. Spewed some crap how we hate them and shit. They piss me off, but I still love my grandparents

Also, my parents see this as time waster. They insist I get a more constructive hobby. I showed them Snakes on a Plane (The comic) and said ‘That got turned into a movie. Imagine what I could do’. But no, they keep telling me to do other stuff that they know I can't do
Skateboarding - Bad knee
Weightlifting - Botched cancer operation
Get my liscence - RTA won't let me because I'm blind
School work - It's already done at school
Surfing - Can't go into sun because of meds
It pisses me off because they know all these things and they know I can't do anything else besides comics, reading, vid games and stuff like that. They tear me away from the computer almost the second I log on. I'm just glad Eternity's parents got her and me a house (Don't know why they put my name on the deed, but I couldn't really care less. Means I can get out of there)

Then there are my cousins. My aunt and uncle suck at being parents. They can provide them with anything except attention, advice and that sort of thing, so I have to. I've given them the ‘facts of life’ talk, taught them how to ride a bike and helped the brother understand why he gets those strange urges. And I know I could just walk away and they wouldn't care, but I can't because my concience won't let me

Last but not least: School. We have these three hour long study periods two or three times a week, so I bring my sketch book and draw whatever. Last week, my teacher chucked it in the bin, saying she was sick and tired of watching me waste my time, even though I had nothing else to do. Hell, she tried to pull off my sunglasses, saying that was why my writing was so messy (Which is true)

So basically, the adults in my family suck, my teachers suck and I'm glad I'll be leaving next year

Until next time
The Aussie Kid

Hawk
I've been trying to get my 100th page out for a while now. So I come back from vacation to find that my landlord has DESTROYED the house. In a panic to fill up vacancies he decided that the walls needed to be painted and he boxed up and moved everybody's stuff. I could not find my food, clothes, personal items, or bed…. any of these would have been welcomed after my six-hour drive.

I'm still finding my things and reassembling my bed, which it turns out was disassembled and moved outside somewhere. I am not a very happy tenant and my 100th page of Culture Shock did not go up on time. I'll have to finish it over the weekend.

Aren't there laws against handling a tennant's possessions without their permission?

that is the most interesting ‘omg i haven’t updated and this is why…' I've heard in a while.

My Jobs

Having to go to my job so I can pay my bills when I would much rather be a useless college bum and not do anything but doodle, play on the internet, and sew. Stupid needing money crap.

Aussie_kid
Aren't there laws against handling a tennant's possessions without their permission?

Well, he had one of my roommates do all the boxing and moving. Not a clever roommate, either. It had to be the strange, screw-loose one. This guy also decided to wash my bedding (all together), turning my sheets pink and ruining the bedspread which required a gentle wash.

Hawk

Aussie_kid
Aren't there laws against handling a tennant's possessions without their permission?

Well, he had one of my roommates do all the boxing and moving. Not a clever roommate, either. It had to be the strange, screw-loose one. This guy also decided to wash my bedding (all together), turning my sheets pink and ruining the bedspread which required a gentle wash.

Still, I'm sure that counts to some degree

Right now its a couple of things.

First off is my job.
Now my job is actually not a problem per se.. In fact, I get MORE time to draw at work than any other time because I work in a airport operations monitoring ops/tenant activity. If nothing is going on then I get loads of dead time to draw. Even with all the new security regulations.
But Im doing massive overtime.. Like 20+ hours a week overtime. This overtime isnt in my normal office either. Its operations security patrols so I have to move around the airport a lot and dont get time to draw or rather time to be at home coloring what I drew.

Secondly is my laptop.
I dont have a pc anymore. I have a laptop thats pushing 7 years old. It has very limited memory and even less disc space. Processesing simple tasks like an image crop can take 5+ minutes. Its a real pain, but my goal with my overtime is to get a new PC

Thirdly is myself.
Ive hit a bit of a slump with on of my comics. It seems like whatever I draw looks like crap to me, and I end up doodling something from my other more popular story.



moo….

school…. bah too much school work and exams keep me distracted same goes with friends who want to always hang out and go to parties..

On weekends i stay at my parents house, thats where i get time to draw, and when im all set she comes into my room with some list of things to be done or something, before you know it, weekend is over, rats.

My life doesn't really get in the way of me making comics. Except for my boyfriend bugging me to get off the computer and out of the house. (I color things on the computer and that takes a while)

For Caggage, I could no longer find inspiration. There was a serious lack of funny in my life.
And Clear required a ton of time and commitment to continue regularly. I'd definately like to start both up whenever I get out of my funk.

School. I think that's a top one right now, up there with jobs. I'm trying to go back to school and work on getting a degree, so I can, yanno, get a really DECENT job once I graduate…but in the meantime, it eats up time, and whatever time isn't actively spent in class is spent recuperating from hiking across the huuuuge campus.*sigh*

Other than that, inability to focus, either due to stress, writer's/artist's block, or lack of sleep.

sleep

Headaches….and I have them often too, which sucks. :x

college. Exams are so hard i need to forget about the rest of the world and only study in my room.

Writers/Artists Block.

Arghalgkdah!

Bad art.

Chores. As soon as I sit down ready to start working, one of my parents will give me a chore. After I do it and I sit down, ready to start working again, they'll give me another one. Sometimes, I just throw up my arms and go “Screw it! I'll make it later!”

lordpepito
college. Exams are so hard i need to forget about the rest of the world and only study in my room.

I'm the same way with that. :(

the flu…getting sick :( icky icky

I just noticed…ever since I started my comic three months ago, I haven't gotten any sort of sickenss. Maybe like an occasional cold, but nothing like the flu or strep throat (sp?)…weird…

Well, now my computer's crashed, and I've had to wipe the hard drive. It still might not be repaired though, and I think I've lost the installation CD that came with my scanner. Bummer.

Mazoo
Well, now my computer's crashed, and I've had to wipe the hard drive. It still might not be repaired though, and I think I've lost the installation CD that came with my scanner. Bummer.

Hopefully at the very worst you can just go to the manufacturer's website and download the drivers you need for your scanner.

Surprise family trips are a big killer. And by surprise I mean surprise. As in two days before you're leaving they pop their head (parents I mean) around the door and are like: “Hey May, we're going to Grandma's on Wednesday for a few days. Get off of the computer and pack in advance.”

That and lack of paper. Has that ever happened to any of you? Where you suddenly have ideas and you badly want to sketch out the next chapter of your story and then you discover that your younger sibling has converted all said paper into paper airplanes to throw at passerby on the street?

Yeah. Been there.