Chapter 9 - Hello and Goodbye & Thursday Update.
Posted on 2010-01-18 00:00:00
New Chapter!

I can has webcomic creation tips nows?
I found this was one of the first and most important things about making a webcomic, a plan!

Have a plan.
Even if you don't plan on making your webcomic into a business, it's always good to have a plan, and a set of goals for yourself and the comic. Always write things down, even if you think you know everything like the back of your hand, having things in writing can keep all the fine details that you might miss- or help conjure up new ideas that you haven't thought of. This is basically like a mini business plan.

Control Your Outside Involvement
Who will be involved in your webcomic? How many? Are you going to do this all by yourself? Or will there be inkers, colorists, or someone to do the web-work? Having a team is a fantastic idea and very efficient BUT It's always a good idea to control your outside involvement at a VERY early stage, before you even start making the comic to impede any unnecessary drama.

If there are multiple people involved it's a good idea to create a written plan of what everyone's jobs are, the distribution of royalties (if money is involved), and have an exit strategy if something doesn't work out. Because lets face it, drama is never far from webcomics, people disagree, friendships wane and break off, people move, don't have the time anymore, or even just loose interest and outgrow the comic all together. It may sound fatalistic, but having a plan and an exit strategy for people may just reduce the stress that can be associated with a webcomic, especially if you are working with multiple people. Make a written plan, and have your crew read and sign it.

Suggestion: Get a binder or notebook for your webcomic, or some portable means of keeping yourself organized strictly for business type things, ideas, strategy's, what everyone's jobs are if you are working with other people etc. Then get yourself a notebook strictly for the webcomic, story and plot, characters, thumbnails etc. This will help you stay organized! I have 2 notebooks one for the business side and one for the comic story-wise.

Tune in next update for more tips that may help ya ;)

ALSO: I was regrettably unable to participate, but I wanted to give a shout out to the Comic Creator's Alliance:

"We're a group of Web Comic Creators, who have come together, volunteering our artistic talents to raise money for the purpose of ending human trafficking in the world today.
There are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.
Web Comic Creators from all over the world are working together on a single drawing which will be available as a downloadable wallpaper for readers who donate to our fund raising drive!"

Please donate to their charity! It's for an amazing cause, the artwork features characters from many of your favourite webcomics.
Hopefully I will be able to participate next time! :)

Oh and there will be a Thursday update! Yaaay.