SigmaGalTG
patreon
PRE-MAY PATREON UPDATE
🕑 Added 2023-04-30 15:29:03 +0000 UTCI polled the beta patrons recently on which areas they would like me to prioritize improvement. They could vote for any or all of the following.
1) Timely Regular Releases
2) Professional Comic Formatting
3) Models/Visuals
4) Writing/Story
While they could choose multiple options, and some did, every goddamn one of them at least voted for "Timely Regular Releases". After careful analysis of the data, I went to work immediately on Comic Formatting! ...Just to get it out of my system. It'll be how I do all my comics from now on and I would like not to think about it again for at least a year.
Anyways, message gratefully received. I will be unambiguously focusing on strategies for making the most of my time to achieve a faster output and a reliable release schedule. ...But you know what they say:
"You gotta spend time to make time."
- Yoda
The monkey paw's finger has curled. There's gonna be some delay(s) before immediate content releases while I devote my work hours to playing with new ways of development with the goal of gaining efficiency. Surely some will not work, but I'm in it for the long haul and my intentions on this have only solidified over time, so this kind of investment is overdue.
Here are my current guiding thoughts:
1) It may be better to do tasks in bulk. Scripting, renders, character design, going between series. Switching gears takes time so maybe I should try to do it as little as possible. Try to reach a flow state and then ride it. ...Though I wonder if this would make me more or less prone to burnout since it removes variety in the short term.
2) The pendulum between motivation vs. discipline values has swung too far and motivation is now the under-appreciated one. Neglecting it in favour of pure discipline a bad idea that ignores how you can deliberately and consciously foster motivation to gain energy through emotional intelligence.
3) A clear semi-episodic story formula could do a lot of the writing work for me. Lay out the explicit emotional beats in sequence, try to hit them, then make slight revisions to the formula in-between releases until it becomes something special. In fact, the formula could be extended to encompass the entire development process, so I don't have to constantly re-figure out what to do and when.
I'll be hanging out quietly in the discord whenever I'm working on this stuff, at least if I'm in a place that has wi-fi. Streams will be less frequent for the time being, but I'll make sure to shout out when I'm starting one in the stream-chat.
Thanks for your support everyone! I'd thank you for your patience too, but everyone voted for "faster dammit!" so that's not the point in this case. Zoom!
(I still expect there to be 3 releases this month: Paramour, RSED, and Side Story. They might just be partial completions though.)
Comments
SigmaGal
It's my bad for not communicating where people expect. The discord's cool tho
MonsSlots
Ok then Ill look into your Discord Channel to follow your updates
SigmaGal
Yeah, there's been a recent slump. Especially if one's just following news through the Patreon, that's all they're seeing, even if I've been visibly working through the discord. What's going on? Well, I've mostly been working on things which will make working on things easier in the future, though as I've noticed it's been awhile, I've shifted to developing quickly deliverable consumable content. I don't like messaging "stuff's coming," and then nothing comes out that weekend. I thought I'd better shut up until something gets released. That's why I'm avoiding saying "ooh, wait and see" right now. I'm working, stuff will eventually be posted that shows I wasn't just spinning my wheels, but I've shot myself in the foot everytime I posted an immediate timeline. Anyone who's curious can pop in to watch me work during the discord streams.
MonsSlots
But until now, we had 0 releases in may. So not even 1 of the expected 3 and may is nearly over.
SigmaGal
Most-def
S7unn1ng
Well giving alt ideas that are outside box to help give possible solution
SigmaGal
I actually have considered doing something like that. Buuut if I'm honest it'd probably be best for branding to do weekly or bi-weekly.
S7unn1ng
Instead doing weekly, maybe go for like 7s of a month (7,17,27) gives minimum of 8 days then between each post, bit more than 7 days (lol) As people ask is consistency, not dash all out, you can make the dates, heck maybe twice month still good, nearly 2 weeks too for idea of separation. But obviously it your call
SigmaGal
That's true, I'll keep that in mind.
icarue
Note, we didn't vote for "faster" we (I) vote for consistency. I much rather have 1-2 comics a month, than 3 every 3 months. So if you have to be slower to be more consistent, then be so. I don;t have a problem with it. Also, doing thins in bulk can work, if that bulk is consistent. As you said, switching gears is hard. But if you start with one story and want to write for another, you are also switching tracks. Granted, you don't have to open n+1 programs, but you still have to re-think the characters and their relations, etc
