How do you stay motivated?
Drogo Nazhur
Posts: 1,268
I author and illustrate (with DAZ) digital comics. I do it as a hobby for the fun of it and I distribute my tales free of charge to my slightly over one thousand followers.
Here's the thing ...when I have a new story, I'm very enthusiastic about it releasing two or three pages a day. Then when I get to the middle of the story, I seem to lose interest in completing the story and sometimes I'll go weeks and even months before releasing another page.
This happens regularily. I'll start a new story and I'm all full of energy and then when I get to the middle of the story, I seem to run out of energy and it feels like a chore to do it.
Then when I start a new story, I'm all full of energy again and then the pattern repeats
Any suggestions on how to stay motivated?
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Comments
I don't write linearly. This keeps me from getting stuck on something where I just don't want to do it that day, or I'm not sure what to do with it next. The answer always comes later, usually triggered by something else down the line. Also, I don't get frustrated because I have this great idea for something that happens further in, but I feel like I can't create that bit until I get through everything else first.
I figure any progress is good progress, and the fastest way to kill creative energy is to set rules around how it 'should' or 'must' happen.
As a writer, I will occasionally get a drive to write, and when I do, I produce absurd amounts of material. And then it's over. I have no idea how long it will be until it happens again. I actually started with Daz in an attempt to recreate the fire that inspired me most recently - a moment that is drifting ever further into the past.
That's probably not encouraging, but just to share, that's the version of the on/off - high/low creativity cycle that affects me.
I stay motivated by being true to my artistic vision. I have a similar experience as you described when I don't. I maintain my integrity artistically and its like I am riding an endless wave of creativity.
It does seem like something is interfering with your creative flow.
Is it an attention span issue? Consider making your stories shorter, finish the story before your enthusiasm falters.
Are you burning yourself out? Try pacing yourself, only do a page a day, see if you can maintain your energy.
Are you more motivated to do the writing or the imagery? You might try working on which ever you are less motivated to do first (work), then reward yourself by doing the other (fun).
+1
Some good advice I got many years ago: "If it isn't fun, stop doing it". For then, either it's not what you really want to do in general (find another job). Or you need to take a break from it.
If you don't like to do something, the quality of your work will also be poor, which is another good reason not to do it.
Remember your first love. If you fall back in love, then you will find a fire that needs no fanning. Love is the motivation, or the result is worthless.
...still trying to jumpstart my "muse"
Some years ago an HDD crash took all of my work with it putting me back to square one and starting from scratch all again. Years of scenes and character development were lost. For while I just puttered around but never seemed to get the level of energy and excitement I used to have. Oh there were creative spurts now and them. i even dove into the RRRR random challenges as a means to get back into the swing. but certain RL matters (not able to discuss here) began to vie for my time and energy as they had a serious impact on life in general. I so looked forward to retirement, to really getting into my illustration work and writing full time, However I with this new "occupation" I find myself working harder and longer hours than I did when I was being paid for my time.
Finances are also a stumbling block as I seriously need to upgrade my 13 going on 14 year old system (X58 DDR 2 PCIe 2.0 generation hardware running Win 7) but the cost is beyond my pension income that barely makes it through the month so I keep plugging away with what I have.
There are times I think about getting up and walking away from that other "occupation" or at least try to find a better balance between it and my more creative pursuits as I still feel the work I do in that other capacity is important not just to myself but many others.
Afaik this is a rather normal thing form any artists and writers especially, myself included. You have different possibilities of dealing with it, depending on what you really want to achieve with your stories.
Do you mainly enjoy the first rush of creating, and when it ebbs, would rather start on something new, and no regrets looking back? Then you could either basically roll with it, and to hell with completionism. Or you could try the 'Simenon technique'. He wrote a whole load of those famous Maigret mystery novels, and each one basically in a few days, two weeks max - because to him, the same thing always happened as to you, if he wasn't quick enough, he lost interest. If there's a chance for you, on vacation maybe, to set aside some time exclusively for the current story, then this might work for you. It's rather hard though on the body, so be prepared for some joint creaking etc.
Second way, you can try a rotational system and return to unfinished stories either in set intervalls or if you start getting interested in them again. I always feel that a story that wants to get out there will get out, so it will keep coming back to nag you. Will work best if the vibe you're writing in is not too different in each story.
Third way, and unfortunately the one that you will most likely have to resort to at least at some point to really get stuff finished: Make yourself finish it. Yes, there's some amount of force involved here. But the trick is to find out why exactly you get bored at a certain point in your story. Maybe the next scene is just not as fun in your mind as you would want it to be? Then try and make it fun, and then push through, and see how you feel on the other side.
You can do a mix of all of them, or use different techniques on different stories. Just always keep in mind that you are doing this for yourself, not for anyone else. What you personally feel best with in your writing, that should be your guidance.
Best of luck!
Would it be worth retrenching the stories a little? Make them shorter & pithier, so there's less drudge work? If you halve the length, there will be the same story and same level of excitement, much less spread out, so more excitement & interest per page? Would that keep your interest? Maybe intersperse with a one pager challenge story.
I could be talking complete tosh, never having done an illustrated story like that myself, but maybe not..
Regards
Richard
I can only speak as a writer of novels and not comics, but I do get into those phases too. I start every book with a rough outline of where I want it to go, so I know which scenes (more or less) go where. Sometimes, as others have suggested, if I get bogged down in where I currently am in the story and I know there's a scene I really want to write, I go ahead and write it. Sometimes, that scene is so insistent in my head that I have to write it out of order just so my brain can move onto the things I need to write. And sometimes all of it just feels like a slog. There's nothing to really combat that except to either power through it or set it aside temporarily. I suppose I'm fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) that I'm always thinking about my writing. No matter what else I'm doing, there's dialogue or ideas for an upcoming scene playing out in my head. When I get the time to write, those things are ready to be written.
The creative process is different for everyone. There are times when I just can't get my mind to want to put words on the screen. That's when I fire up Daz and work on some artwork instead. I create my own characters and render out scenes from my books, and that usually helps me stay motivated to keep going. My books are my characters' stories, after all, and I feel like I'm letting them down if I don't get those stories out into the world. Plus, when I work on a book cover or a piece which will accompany the story, it tends to make me excited all over again.
I'll echo others' advice also with my own concurrence to not force it. You cant make yourself be creative. It has to happen naturally, or you won't be happy with the output. I have a very bad habit ot setting arbitrary deadlines for myself. My husband is always asking me when I'm planning to release something and I always have an approximate date for him. But that's because I know myself and how I work. The deadlines may be arbitrary and entirely of my own choosing, but I work best with a date to work toward. What's difficult for me is when I need to push that date out. I always feel like I'm doing something wrong. But I'm not. And neither are you.
We do these things because we love them and because we have ideas we want to share with the world. There's no wrong way to do it. But yes, you need to do it because you love it and not because you feel some kind of obligation to yourself or anyone else. Give yourself the grace to work through the blockages however you need to do it. And when you do finish a project, you can look at it with a sense of accomplishment and pride. People follow you because they like your work. They'll still be around, even if you need to take a little more time for an update.
You got this!
3D creation is a very laborious task. Whether it is creating a scene or rendering, everything is so slow and torturous. I suggest reducing the content and focusing only on the parts you like.
Besides that, you need the encouragement of fans. Even if there is only one fan, it will make you feel that your creation is valuable.
That's the story of my life. I consider myself (by nature or spirit?!) as a writer and an artist. I consider that a double curse and blessing.
I'm a better writer than an artist. I discovered Poser back with version one. (In 1996 or 1997?!). That helped me exercise the artistic aspect. Then DAZ Studio came along and made things easier or perhaps more fun.
I created a cast of characters to tell a story. The cast has multiplied or evolved over the past 25 years. I get inspired to do something and feel that surge of creative energy. Then maybe I burn out. Or I just can't handle and involved story line. Then I just walk away for months or years.
Recently I became overwhelmed by our current "Political Situation." I remembered the Presidential collection offered at the DAZ Store. I joined the Premier membership and spent a lot of money.
I wanted to create a bunch of satire cartoons concerning our president. I knew I can't share them here. But I could release some steam.
Then I got overwhelmed by it all. I got so confused by all the DAZ sales (the different requirements, etc.) And I realized it was time to catch up on some bills. I could be in danger of losing my apartment, etc. if I don't get serious.
So here I am again.
Thank you everyone for your probing questions. It really got me thinking and has brought me some insight. I've come to realize that what is taking the wind out of my sails is posing the characters and setting up the scenes. My comics are more talk than action. Which means that I will do several panels where the characters are not really doing anything but just sitting there or standing there talking. I change a few panels by changing the angle that I render from but then I have to change the positions of the characters so it doesn't look like I am re-using an earlier submission.
That's what I don't feel like doing!
Thank you one and all for your insight.
+1
I'm very type-A. When I first started writing, my first book took about a year for the first draft, plus a year of edits and revisions and suchlike. Based on that, I decided each book in the series would take two years, and planned out all sorts of "how it would be."
...and then life happened.
It took me a long time to make peace with the fact that I hadn't failed just because I hadn't been able to meet some self-imposed deadline in spite of everything else that had gone on to put a wrench in the works. The world is full of "oh but s/he did this masterpiece on the back of envelopes in between forty other things!" stories that imply that it means everyone else has no "excuses." But not everyone can work like that, and often the factors behind why we don't create are not excuses... they're reasons.
The world has enough things it does to pound us down. Never ever add creating art to that list.
Okay, a couple questions...
1. Can you automate any part of that?
2. If your goal is to tell the story, and it's not on a commission where you're getting paid and someone might feel cheated... how much does it matter if it looks like you re-used something? If that's the part you hate doing, and it's keeping you from progressing and killing your love for it... isn't a re-used panel better than none at all?
I think that maybe my problem is that I have too much conversation happening. I have 24 pages of conversation going on in one scene. Maybe the comic book format is not the correct style for me to be using.Maybe one picture per scene instead of sligtly altering 24 different pictures. Feel free to check it out to see what I mean ==> https://www.deviantart.com/dim35/art/Drake-s-Dojo-18-1132521547 ... and provide me with suggestions. Be warned, there is adult language. Use the forward and backward buttons to navigate.
I took a look at the page, and I think you have way too much going on there. It's not neccesary to explain everything, only the details that are needed for the story to progress.
Thank you for the suggestion. I do need to explain that the character Vladimir doesn't have a good understanding of the English language and it's a running joke that things have to be explained to him multiple times in order for him to understand. Check out the conversation here ==> https://www.deviantart.com/dim35/art/Drake-s-Dojo-20-1134048951 ... and here ==> https://www.deviantart.com/dim35/art/Drake-s-Dojo-21-1134880229 ... but I will look into being less wordy like you recommended. Thank you again.
I have the entire story scripted out from beginning to end but once I get about half way into the story, I seem to lose interest.
+
. W-w-w-w-w-w-w-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y t-o-o m-u-c-h g-o-i-n-g o-oi-o-o-o-o-o-n-n-n-n-n. Time too kill Kill some dialect
Illustrators tell stories with pictures. Writers tell them with words. I am an author and an artist. Workwise I was a grahic artist long before I ever wrote a book. These two hats belong to two different midsets. If I had to chose one I would chose to write. The challenge is to leave gaps in the script and fill those gaps with images. If you took away your images would the story still make sense? If the answer is yes your graphic novel is a failure. I am always motivated to finish. I never write without knowing the ending. I also never write without knowing the first turning point. Twists keep things exciting. Cookie cutter characters are not exciting. Characters you can smell feel and breath make things and often the best ones take over your plans and cause a rewrite of what you draft. When you end up rewriting what you planned it's a sign of a good book/comic/story. Predictable characters are boring to read and boring to write. If the writers loses interest so will the reader. Let the images do half of the talking. Make your images fill in the gaps. Compelling picture books and comics never repeat story they show what words cannot. If you offered me your home made soup and I said no thanks I lost my appetite, it would be better to show you offering me soup and me looking sick as a pig . . . no words needed. People are smart. They do not need all the answers. The challenge is to keep them guessing . . .eager for the page turns. This is whjat makes storytelling a challenge and keeps you on your toes. I once rewrote an entire fiction novel because my character went out of character.
It's not just wordiness, though; how much of that information is necessary? If the reader already knows the story about his car and his karate lessons, then is there any need for you to show him explaining it in such detail to another character?
...I have always been better at telling stories through images than words. The graphic novel medium is indeed a good way to combine both words an images. however it doesn't lend itself well to very complex storylines with extensive backgrounds
I'm afraid I'm no good for advice in the graphic novel medium itself. I'm a novelist who's finally had the resources to get into making art, and I want to combine the two, but I'm still figuring out how I want to do it.
Personally I find word bubbles visually distracting. I've read some graphic novels and enjoyed them, but it definitely takes a lot more focus for me to read one than it does to just read a book. Which has me pondering if there's a way to do it more simply for my own stuff.
And does every shot need a person in it? A lot of what I've read/enjoyed will have panels that focus on smaller things. A coffee cup, two hands clasped, a marshmallow going up in flames.
There's a thread around here for one-pagers, and that seems like a good way to get toes wet and experiment without committing... but I haven't landed on a good idea for one yet.
In the meantime, I'm experimenting with how much story I can tell without words. A picture's supposed to be worth a thousand of them, right?
(Sorry for the slightly rambling and scattered post; I think another coffee might be in order.)
To expand on my previous post, let's look at that first panel again:
Let's say that all of this is new information to the reader, so we do need to depict it. The characters are basically A-posing with fairly blank expressions, and they don't even appear to be looking at each other, so what information are we supposed to take away from this panel? How do either of them feel? Do either of them react to anything the other said? If this conversation needs to happen, it doesn't need to be all at once. You could break it up into shot-reverse shot, where we see one person deliver their lines, then see how the other person reacts to it as they're delivering their lines, and so on. That way you're conveying story with the art, rather than simply depicting what the room and characters look like.
I have got to say here that I'm a reader of the 'Beano' (you may have heard of 'Dennis the Menace' as TV cartoon series, that came from the Beano) . Well, the Beano is my comic of choice with a target readership age of 8-10 ish, so my not be a good person to listen to.
Anyway, my comments are that
1) the images are very static.
2) there is an intimidating amount of speech bubble linkage, never used to more than one link in a panel - the image above has 8.
Sorta feel that one image could be broken down into 4 panels or probably more, concentrating on faces and feelings, dynamic camera angles, maybe flashback images with the spoken words giving a backstory to the flashback (particularly applicable to the balloon 'This guy...in the bet' illustrated with what they bet about, the cheating and a waving image of the cheater driving off in the car could conclude it, could expand into 3 images) . Then an image of a dojo and Matthew getting humiliated with a face plant for the background image for the last balloon with the text as a form of narrator commentary which would go top left of the image frame.
So, to summarise , do less story in an image or cut out stuff, and make it exciting - buy a few children's comics to study for story telling technique. Study the stories to see how much story there is (not much usually) and how the text & graphics mesh to each tell a part of the story. The graphics is never normally a billboard to plaster speech bubbles all over.
Children's comics are very good at holding the attention of short attention span readers.
Just a thought, and as I say, I'm only commenting as a reader of children's comics because I still enjoy a bit of fun, but it doesn't mean my comments should be considered definitive, or the only way to think of things. And like all advice, you're free to ignore any or all of it.
Regards,
Richard.
Thank you everyone for your insightful comments and recommendations. I can see how this will improve the quality of my submissions and I definitely will be incorporating these techniques moving forward.
I never had any formal training in neither writing or art so I greatly appreciate these tips. I'm a private investigator by profession and it isn't anything like what you see in films or on television. I don't go chasing criminals. I am hired to gather evidence mostly on insurance fraud -- people who claim to be seriously injuried hoping to collect a big settlement when in reality there is nothing wrong with them. I spend the long drives and isolating nature of my job living in my head with many of the characters and plots that I create.
Thank you again to everyone. It is much appreciated.
..Spawn was a comic book that at times got bogged down as there were often large amounts of dialogue and introspection even in a single panel which took away form the visual flow, Great story but sometimes a real slog to get through and may have done better as a standard novel with illustrations.
I took a comic art class as well as have Stan Lees' book on drawing comics and the whole idea is of the layout is to lead the reader's eyes from panel to panel and page to page as the story unfolds This was something Spawn and a few other comics I've read seemed to fail at on occasion.
"Splash pages" (full page panel) work for to establish the story or episode at the beginning and in longer works (like graphic novels) serve as chapter breaks.
One comic from decades ago, Marvel Preview Presents, featured longer "one shot" stories and was presented in magazine size format. The interior art was all black & white at first and was a showcase for their top artists and writers The particular issue which caught my eye was #11 which focused on a character named Star Lord (who recently appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy film series) that used breathtaking (and well drawn) two page spreads as the "chapter". breaks (done by John Byrne who was best known for his work on the Uncanny X-Men series). In a sense it was sort of a "proto" graphic novel in that it had more pages and no adverts peppered throughout like most comic books do.
Apologies for the quality on the second image of if the opening 3 page "splash "illustration as it was small so I had to enlarge it a bit
Oh I like that splash page! Might pick up Stan Lee's book, too. Thanks for bringing that up!
...the Stan Lee book is excellent not just for just drawing but posing page layout and flow. While it is geared more towards the super hero genre it still has very valuable information. that can be applied to 3D art.
Another book titled Dynamic Amatomy by Byrne Hogarth is a staple for comic artists. Granted it is geared towards artists who work in with drawing media but also approaches the subject from a perspective of figure dynamics and movement. I have this book as well and still find it helpful. particularly when adjusting poses.so they don't look static.
And thank you again for another to check out!