So for the last few posts I’ve been meaning to go back and finish off an idea that I had begun to explain, albeit poorly, but, as you can see, I have not. I know that there is more I could do with it; more I could delve into and explain, yet I find it hard to begin to gather my thoughts and worst of it, it is mainly due to me plain just losing interest.
This got me thinking about other projects that I had walked away from, or plain just lost interest, and the reasons surrounding that. Given that I am also on the cusp of so many new projects, I find myself reflecting on the old ones and whether or not I would go back.
Webcomics, as per their platforms, inevitably become more or less for the audience rather than the writer. Yes it starts with the creator/s, but once it is released into the wilderness that is the internet, it is no longer truly yours. You are, whether you like it or not, now, in part, beholden to your fans, even if it is just one or two.
So when one walks away from a project, you are not just walking away from a potential idea you put time and energy into, you are also walking away from those who support you. At times, the desire to avoid disappointing them is enough to inspire you to churn something out. You feel like the neglectful parent going out for a pack of cigarettes and never coming home.
But sometimes, as creators, we just plain outgrow our projects and ideas. As we expose ourselves not just to our interests, hobbies, education and work (otherwise known as “life”), ideas that seemed solid when you first began them soon become hard to follow through. Maybe the desire is there but you know longer know where to go. Or it could be you have written so much of it you are now bored because there is no longer any fun theorising, rather, all you are left with is the work. And soon you find yourself slipping away. One week turns into a month, then half a year then a decade. As a webcomic creator, you are often unpaid, overlooked and lonely, so, your motivation to create begins to slowly erode.
The reasons from walking away from a work you were once passionate about are many and highly personal. What have been some of the reasons you left a project? Do you think that could ever happen to you? Let us know in the comment section below!
These Boots Were Made For Walking
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, April 13, 2018
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PaulEberhardt at 10:06AM, April 18, 2018
I started a graphic novel way back, even had the whole story written out as a 200-page novel - yes, sometimes even I can complete things! Alas, it was much more fun to write it than for anyone else to read it. I still think it has some potential, but the comic pages I produced back then were crud. As simple as that. It's not easy to come to terms with such a realisation, but if you want your stuff to be any good, you've got to be ruthlessly honest to yourself. In those cases I don't regret having walked away. It helped me focus on projects like the one with the tiger where I could put my creative energies to much better use.
fallopiancrusader at 7:32PM, April 14, 2018
I started to do a third chapter of Girlsquad X, which would have been a printed book, but my heart wasn't into it. The whole GSX comic series literally started out as a series of joke fashion drawings that I was exchanging with my friends back in the early 90s. But the whole idea was kind of a one-gag comedy routine, and the gag eventually ran out of steam. Luckily, the pre-order numbers for the third book were so dismal that my publisher killed the project before I had sunken a lot of time into it.
bravo1102 at 3:51PM, April 14, 2018
Funny that the image shows two ladies in cowboy boots and I just designed a female character who wears-- cowboy boots.
AmeliaP at 1:02PM, April 14, 2018
My previous project, I put it on hiatus until I have a decent level on storytelling and art. It was a sci-fi story, too much complex to my current level. So I stepped back and picked something easier and fun to do, a project that could push me forward and help to improve my storytelling and art. I've been learning TONS of everything since then (game designing helped me too... in many levels). Don't want to give up a project? And I have a tip: SCOPE! :) You know that your wonderful and huge idea, an epic 500 pages and all the stuff? Pick a small part of it and put as much love as you can. Polish this little piece and publish (online, printed, any media). Fail fast! :) Don't wait, and release another self-contained piece of your great and beautiful project. Fail fast again! Hear the audience feedback, consult your mentor (or writer consultant/guru) and go back to the production. Do another small but self-contained gem. Repeat. The only regret I have is me having a 250 first GN...
KimLuster at 8:10AM, April 13, 2018
I just walked away from an illustrated novel, and it still hurts!! Esp. reading the responses from some of the readers who'd really gotten invested in it! I'll try much harder to make sure a project is gonna have long legs before delving into it... But... I do have much sympathy for other writers when they abandon stuff. Most of us have busy lives, and we do this in our free time (or let it intrude into on non-free time too much...), so if it does get old, boring, or just overwhelming, and we're already pushing ourselves... Yeah, I'm sympathetic! And also very supportive of those who push on!!
Banes at 8:08AM, April 13, 2018
I've lost my mojo on Typical Strange; I don't think it's a loss of interest. Things in life just got too hairy and bit by bit, momentum just fell away. And now it's a little tough to get the rustiness out and get back on it!
Ironscarf at 6:20AM, April 13, 2018
My previous comic was abandoned after nine pages and continues to haunt me. I'd just made the switch to digital art and made many errors and poor choices as a result, losing two almost completed pages. I took on too much too soon. I didn't have time to grow tired of the work, only frustrated by my own inexperience and limitations.
Tantz_Aerine at 3:53AM, April 13, 2018
I do have germs of ideas even as started-and-never-updated-again comics here on DD. I absolutely hear you.
bravo1102 at 3:50AM, April 13, 2018
The story of "Sword of Kings " explained so well. I have made the offer. If someone wants it to continue, I am willing to share the outlines and scripts.
Ozoneocean at 2:11AM, April 13, 2018
So true! I totally agree with this from a reader's perspective! There are so may comics that we as readers feel are real to us and mean more to us than the creator... I almost wish a creator would go: it's yours now. Who wants to take over?