Creating comics, so simple… right?

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.” – Rita Mae brown

Creating comics, such a simple thing. An idea is translated into a medium of sequential art incorporating pictures and words. A script is written, the pages are drawn, along comes the inker, she hands it over to be colored, the letterer throws some words into balloons, you wrap a cover around it, slap a staple in the middle, and voila, you have yourself a comic. See what I mean? Simple. Or is it? After all, if it were so simple, why on earth do so many that are not merely content with just reading comics but want to actively pursue injecting their creativity into the world of comicdom struggle day in and day out to bring their ideas to the printed page. It seems as if the process to create such a simple, innocuous thing is almost a war of attrition for those striving to do so.

It’s true that just about anyone can create a comic book. And yet so many creators are out there wanting to bring their ideas to life only to run into obstacles that prevent them from doing so; be it time to work on their creation, finding a reliable group to work with, or the necessary funds to make it a reality – the latter quite often being the biggest hindrance. Although it is the same for just about any artistic medium, comics present their own unique challenges.

Lets take a look at a few of those challenges that I mentioned above:

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Creating Comic Success: Time Management | Having a Plan

“It’s all… part of the plan.” – Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Happy New Year to you and welcome to the first post of the New Year. Now that 2009 has arrived, and bringing an end to procrastination and better prioritization skills are at the top of your resolution list, it’s time that we dive right in and talk about your plans. Experts will tell you that the most important component of managing your time is the planning stage. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Quite often when I meet people at conventions that tell me they want to create, or are creating, a comic book, I will ask them what their plans are? More often than not I will either get a “deer in the headlights” look or a confused remark like, “Um, my plan is to create a comic.” No, no, no, I mean what are you planning on doing after you create it? How will the book be printed – Offset Press or Print on Demand (POD)? Will it be printed? Will it be digital? How are you planning to market? Who are you planning on marketing to? What are your plans for distribution? Will you be exhibiting at conventions? Which ones? You see, by answering these questions – i.e. making a plan – you will be ahead of 90% of everyone else attempting to enter into the comic industry – including a lot of those already here. It is staggering to see how many people in the world of comics walk blithely around with no game plan whatsoever. The last thing you want to be is one of them. So how do you prevent that?..

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Creating Comic Success: Time Management | Prioritization

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

When it comes to creating comic books personal time management skills are essential and the very catalyst for success. Individuals from all walks of life who practice these techniques routinely are the highest achievers within their respective fields: from business to public service, sports figures to musicians, animators and comic creators. Learning to develop and apply these skills will improve not only productivity but functionality as well. The more you organize, the easier it will be to accomplish your goals.  We begin organizing by prioritizing.

Last post we talked about Procrastination and how it is the Scourge of Success.  Prioritization is the Nemesis of Procrastination.  As the saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  So let’s get better acquainted with prioritization…

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Creating Comic Success: Time Management | Beating Procrastination

Being successful does not mange your time well.  Managing your time well is what makes you successful. – Randy Pausch

Time: It is our most precious commodity. It is the only thing that we absolutely, positively cannot get back.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Procrastination:  It is the thief of time.  And yet, so many of us are guilty of sitting idly by as the scourge of our dreams walks blithely into the room and makes off with such a valuable commodity.

As creators, most all of us are practitioners of procrastination, whether we want to admit it or not. When it comes to achieving comic success, we tend to take a long time getting there – or sadly, not at all– due to our tendencies to give into this productivity pirate.  Putting off important tasks like drawing a new page, or writing a page of story, sending out a press release, or updating the website in lieu of something more pleasurable or convenient seems to be the order of the day.  Is this you?  If so, don’t worry you’re not alone…

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Where to begin??? Part Two…

Now that you have a better understanding of your motives behind your desire for creating comics, let’s talk a little bit about the creative process – assuming that is that you answered the questions in the previous post.

No matter what your skill set is, it is imperative that you acquire a new one – the skill of acquiring skills…

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