Getting the Urge

[Noise Monkey]

Ok, as all (2...counting myself) of you know, I'm the writer/artist of one comic (Vapor Lock) and the artist on another (Troubled Times), both of which are featured on Dim Bulb Comics, along with the works of ye olde Chaos Cricket (Crooked Halo). Which is to say...I've pretty much got my plate full.

I mean, since I'm not nearly as fast as McDuffies (that man has ungodly speed), and I'm not as dedicated, I suppose, as Phalanx (how does she find the time?!?!?!), I fill most of the time I have available for comics with comics and I don't have much left to give.

But I have an idea.

Well, it's the beginning of an idea, and its awakened the urge to do another comic. I could ignore it, like I have in the past, but I feel...restrained by what I'm doing now. I'm committed to doing Vapor Lock and Troubled Times, but I want to do something different, too.

So, I'm wondering, do you ever get this feeling? (perhaps Miss Phalanx or Mr. McDuffies could explain their own experience in this, as well?)

[VileTerror]

I get that urge every few seconds.
It may not be the best way to deal with it, but a healthy dose of lethargy goes a long way to keeping me from starting more work than I could possibly complete.




. . . or maybe it's the lethargy that's keeping me from actually finishing anything . . . hmm . . .

[-Fanny pack]

Phalanx is a girl?

On a side note, no, I don't get said feeling/urge/monkey.

[Joel Fagin]

Ah, well, I write as well. If I get such an urge, I just turn it into a short story or a novel or something.

But, yes, I get them.

- Joel Fagin

[The Neko]

I've heard that salt peter works well on that urge.

[Meep the Greek]

I get that alla damn time, but that's mostly because I have the attention span of a gnat and the discipline of a toddler. I come up with idea after idea (which is great), but they don't mean crap if I never end up doing anything with them 'cuz I've been distracted by the next shiny thing to come along. That's the biggest problem I've faced (and am still dealing with) with my comic - having the patience to stick with what I've got now. I have to remind myself multiple times a day that the new idea isn't going to run away, and I can always do it later. If I stick with my current idea and see it through to the end, than I'll have that much more skill and experience when it comes time for the new and better idea.

Try to determine whether you really, really want to tell this story, or if you're just getting the webcomic artist's equivalent of the Seven Year Itch. If you really want to do this story more than the other two, than you can bring VL to a conclusion, change the storyline to reflect your new idea (if possible), or talk to your partner(s) in TT and see if you can get a replacement artist.

Either way, make sure you write down your new idea and maybe even make some sketches if you find a scrap of free time.

[Axonite]

So, I'm wondering, do you ever get this feeling?

Yep. That's how I wound up doing a MWF spinoff of my daily comic.

[Ruxen]

Yes I've gotten the feeling, usually I let it stew around in my brain for a while and after a long time it doesn't look appealing anymore so that's my problem solved.

[Dr Legostar]

In addition to my comic, I write. I'm writing what I hope one day will join the ranks of the almost endless supply of chliched fantasy novels, it's a project i've been working on for something like 12 years now and i keep rewriting and rewriting and rewriting so don't expect to see it any time soon. but in any case I constantly have the urge to write some new story, or worse i have about 101 ideas for webcomics, both serious and funny and my cursed hands are somehow unable to draw things the way I want to, hence the legos. What's worse is that none of these ideas fit well into any other medium than comics. So yes, I have the urge, all the time, and not only am i lacking time to persue it, but the ability to do anything about it at all, except of course whine.

[Noise Monkey]

For me, the problem has been that lately, I've been feeling...trapped doing what I'm doing in the other two. This is not to say that I don't enjoy them, Troubled Times is starting to actually be fulfilling because I've worked out my rhythm so I can actually spend enough time on a page (usually) to satisfy my taste (not enough to please me, but I refuse to be a slave to my comics...more than I am already). Vapor Lock has also been a lot of fun for me and I have plenty of ideas for it. But stylistically, I can't do much seriousness with it. Honestly, the storyline I'm doing now has probably pushed the border of what I should allow in VL a little too far. I'm afraid if I don't find an outlet for that darker side of my creativity (which is the greater part of it) it's going to ruin VL, and I like my little world too much to let that happen.

Edit: and Legostar, I know EXACTLY what you mean. There are just some things that HAVE to be comics.

[Stinkywigfiddle]

So, I'm wondering, do you ever get this feeling? (perhaps Miss Phalanx or Mr. McDuffies could explain their own experience in this, as well?)

Yes. That's probably why I mostly do short story comics. I have a bunch of comics I want to do eventually.

[Leko]

Occasionally... but then I remember that I don't much care how serious Thespiphobia stays, so I just toss all my wacky ideas into that. That's where Seth came from. Writing novels helps too. I've got this really great idea for a novel about Lucifer that I've gotta put down sometime...

[Noise Monkey]

When your comic is primarily serious, you can throw in funny bits a lot more easily than throwing in seriousness in a strip that is primarily funny.

Now, since my jokes are usually not that funny, I'm somewhere in between, but the principle stands...

[Dr Legostar]

When your comic is primarily serious, you can throw in funny bits a lot more easily than throwing in seriousness in a strip that is primarily funny.

Now, since my jokes are usually not that funny, I'm somewhere in between, but the principle stands...

try doing serious in a funny comic that has a medium that doesn't even lend itself to seriousness... though i imagine sprite comics probably have the same problem i do.

[Leko]

When your comic is primarily serious, you can throw in funny bits a lot more easily than throwing in seriousness in a strip that is primarily funny.

Now, since my jokes are usually not that funny, I'm somewhere in between, but the principle stands...

try doing serious in a funny comic that has a medium that doesn't even lend itself to seriousness... though i imagine sprite comics probably have the same problem i do.

I think the biggest problem sprite comics have is existing.

[Alaina]

Yes, I felt The Urge when I was in the middle of writing out the plot for my first comic. So I said "Screw it," and combined the two ideas. Granted, this happened before the comic saw the light of day, so perhaps it's not possible for you when you've already physically started one.

[Nyke]

*calls Toxic*

*waits for him to pick up*

"Hello."
SURGE!!

[Col]

I've got two floating around in my head right now.

[Phalanx]

Phalanx is a girl?

...


Why does everyone keep saying that?

So, I'm wondering, do you ever get this feeling? (perhaps Miss Phalanx or Mr. McDuffies could explain their own experience in this, as well?)

All the time. As of this writing, I'm technically doing 2 and a 1/3 comics, 3 and 1/3 if you count 'The Essence of...".

And I have ideas for 3 more that I think would be awesome but I haven't got time to do. I've settled to writing them down and even doing prelimenary sketchs and storing them in an 'ideas' book, but realistically, I can tell you with great confidence doing too many projects at once is a bad idea. Some of them are bound to get neglected, like poor HNTRAC is by me right now.

[Telecoda]

At present I had a very disorganised approach to drawing. Single panel gags one minute, greeting cards next, nothing for ages.

Since xmas I'm back in the drawing vibe again and found this place with some like minded folks.

I seem to have lots of different ideas and nowhere to channel them.

Or I get bored...