I am recently considering doing that. I enjoy doing my comic but recently I have been considering why I do it. I'm not posting this to get more readers or comments but as to discuss with other artists their thoughts on quitting their comics. I feel with my comic people like the art and all but I can't tell if people are enjoying the story. Part of me thinks many comment and read my comic because I read theirs. You can never know for sure but recently I have been doubting what I am doing if its worth it. I would love to do comics full time but I wonder if I am just a hack and maybe I'm wasting my time. Sorry if this seems too emo or dramatic but I wanted to discuss this further to see where others are coming from when it comes to doing their comics and their future and if they ever considered quitting.

It isn't a question of "worth it" for me. I like storytelling. I write stories for my own sake and no one else. This is the longest I have stuck with a story, and the more I create, the more momentum my stories take on. (Plus, I am enjoying the "art" aspect. I've always liked to draw, but I wasn't any good at it.) In all honesty, it's the one activity I find really enjoyable. So much so that I look forward to any time I can actually do it. Although the feedback is really cool, my hobby has nothing to do with readers. (In fact, this is the first project I've actually shared with anyone.) Everything else in my life at the moment is a chore.

I guess if I stopped, I would just pick up one of the novels I've been writing and keep going on it. For some reason, none of those ever keep my attention and interest as long, though. -- I don't see a future in any kind of writing, btw. It's just weird for me to think of it like that.

Anyway, at the moment, no. "Quitting" would be just dropping the thing that makes me happiest right now. (It'd be like quitting video games or something.) In the distant future, I suppose I could write a dramatic conclusion and put an end to this project. My future stories might take other forms (this being my one and only venture into "comic" storytelling), but there will always be stories, because it's part of who I am.

Yeah, Im up and down like a bloody yo yo, If no one's viewing the comic i'll stop submitting, But since some people are reading it im happy. If its worth my time and that people are reading it i wont quit any time soon.

I tried to quit, to focus on my writing. I couldn't do it :cry: I used to not be able to go more than ten or fifteen pages on a comic and now I can't get enough of drawing.

Midge; promote your comic. If you hit rock bottom you shouldn't let feelings of unworthiness and doubt stop you from taking those convenient stairs to the top-yes they're rough and steep, but they still take you too the top.
Worst case you'll just land back where you started. ;)




Me:
I'd like to finish it, so many yuri comics start up and die after 16 pages it would be nice to be one of the top few that actually finished.

Plus my art and the resources i use to make it keeps evolving- it's never a dull process. (though my story could use some serious help)

So no i don't want to quit. If i did it'll be circumstances outside my control.

Skullbie
Midge; promote your comic. If you hit rock bottom you shouldn't let feelings of unworthiness and doubt stop you from taking those convenient stairs to the top-yes they're rough and steep, but they still take you too the top.
Worst case you'll just land back where you started. ;)

Not sure what you mean. Its not a question of page views and popularity with me. Its more of a question of content and quality that makes me consider quitting. I wonder if the work I am producing is something people enjoy for content, not just art, and even with art I wonder if its even quality. As per promotion, is the comic worth promoting? I know I enjoy it and I think the story is cool, but I also think my baby girl Gwen is hilarious and beautiful, but to others she may be viewed annoying and mediocre. For me its hard getting outside of myself and see it as others see it. Does this make sense?

Part of what motivates me in Due East is that we have a very specific story we're telling, and in a mysterious, unfolding manner. Sometimes it seems like it's taking a while, and sometimes it doesn't. I've been in a bit of an artistic block of late (except for the fillers) but I think it really helps to believe in what you're doing. My wife and I constantly seek to improve what we're doing in Due East but we never consider quitting it. We feel strongly that the story is worth telling, even if it takes a little while to tell it. B)

Midge, I think I understand what you're saying. But I would encourage you to look beyond that. It's great when people comment and it can be very fulfilling and offer excellent feedback. But even if it doesn't, I don't think that determines whether you are putting out a quality comic or not. Only you can really determine that.

TheMidge28
Its not a question of page views and popularity with me. Its more of a question of content and quality that makes me consider quitting. I wonder if the work I am producing is something people enjoy for content, not just art, and even with art I wonder if its even quality.

It might not seem like it to you, but the pageviews/comments/favorites do indicate whether people are enjoying it. If you are doing it for your audience, and all those little counters and things indicate that you are "popular," then they are enjoying it. (Especially returning viewers/readers.) No one has chained them to a chair and taped their eyes open.

(If you want to figure out how many people are returning vs. new or other things, add one of those page stats things to your site.)

TheMidge28
I have been doubting what I am doing if its worth it.

What exactly did you want from this to begin with? If it feels like a chore and you aren't getting out of it what you want, then stop. People make comics for different reasons, so only you can decide if you're getting out of it what you want. (Whether it is recognition, audience response, personal satisfaction, or whatever.)

TheMidge28
I am recently considering doing that. I enjoy doing my comic but recently I have been considering why I do it.

You have to love what you do, and do what you love...

I'm a high school teacher. Still, I didn't go to college to teach - I went to be an engineer and I was doing just that for about a year until I took a trip to Africa for a three-year missionary assignment.

I taught kids how to build shelter in impoversished areas, even the math that goes along with it. In turn, I learned how to raise...goats.

Anyway, when I came back to the states, I deicided that I wanted to enter the teaching profession because of the impact those kids made on me and how grateful they were for the lessons. Of course, being that this is America, our kids aren't as grateful as the Kenyans and Rwandan youth. Some days, I start to ask the same questions. Especially after I think about what I could be making in relation to our economy - And then, one kid...one kid at the end of a long day says:

"Thank you for helping me with that - I'm glad you're my teacher".

Hard to believe but all it takes is making the difference in ONE person. Its that little reminder of why you do what you do. Every high school graduation, I get teary-eyed at every speech a student makes. It's so worth it, man.

So Midge, if your art or storytelling inspires at least one person like the thousands of other comic, manga and animators out there have...then I say, bloodhound and all of your other projects are indeed worth it every stroke of a pen, rendering and late posting.

I'll keep a good thought for you in whatever you decide, though. You seem passionate about this and that in itself so much about you as a person and artist.

:)

I've considered quitting the drawing part and just writing the story, but I haven't considered quitting entirely. I feel like I've made a commitment to the *characters* to write their stories. Even if no one in the world wanted to read my story but me, I'd still write it. I love that other people enjoy it, and that's a HUGE ego boost, but that's not why I keep it up.
But yeah - UsedBooks asked a great question - what did you hope to get out of it? From what you said up top, this isn't about a tiny piece of internet fame, so awesome! But if you wanted to tell a compelling story, then you're doing a great job!
Bottom line is, you're working on b/h for *fun* right? So when it ceases to be fun or rewarding, then don't force yourself to spend your time doing something that makes you unhappy. Life's too short for that.

Have I considered quitting? Yep, couple of times even. It was ranging from the "omg I suck at drawing" to "I should be working on one of my proper ideas, not this quickly thrown together thing".

But at some point it hit me, that I have reasons to continue. 1) I want to reach the ending of the story, 2) I tied it to one of my unfinished scripts, which makes this sort of a lose prequel, 3) quitting now would be giving up, 4) the more I learn drawing this story, the better my second story will be, and 5) I know there's a small group of people who endjoy reading it... and from the constant, almost never changing average views number (and the fact that I get 3 times as much pageviews on a day with a new page than on other days) I'm pretty sure there's a regular group of readers. Wouldn't want to disappoint them from dumping it in the middle :)
also, there's 6), that is, the longer I work on it the more I enjoy doing it and I can't wait reaching the conclusion myself :)

So, unless for some reason I can't work on it anymore, I am not going to stop working on it (although I will have a longer break after second chapter concludes, so I can rebuild my page buffer and perhaps rethink certain elements).

I consider quiting constantly. It would sure free up a lot of time. But then again, what would I do with that time?

I figure I would do something I enjoy... wait, I enjoy making my comic (for the most part), I really really enjoy advancing the story, and simply love the feedback.

I just like it. I never won any award here, never got featured and sure never got mentioned at that "what's cool" site or whatever. I honestly don't know what else you could want to prove that others really dig your art.

Not only DD but a totally different site reviewed you. Hah, part of me now feels bitter just because you could have the audacity to think maybe you ain't up to par. Now I want to quit my comic! ;)

Really though, if you are simply wishing to pursue something else I say go for it. If making webcomics make you happy for whatever reason, then don't undermine the thing you like to do.

Yeah, we could all be doing better stuff with our time. I should be jogging, helping hungry children, and whatever. Or y'know, I could sit here and live in my own little world of contentment. I consider quiting a lot! I consider rear ending slow people on the highway. Heck, I considered not posting here. That would have probably really been the best thing for me to do =P

In closing, I like your comic. Keep making it for me! Whether you like it or not!!!11 :P

I'm another one that toys with the idea. Sometimes I get extremely close to just quitting for good... Other times I couldn't be further away from there.

I like to stick with things though, solidly. Even if I don't post my comic again for 2 years, I'll still be continuing with it eventually. Life gets in the why of my stuff quite a lot, even though I try to structure things so I have time for it, it isn't always possible... Anyway, it's better that you deal with those other aspects of life rather than letting the comic take precedence, MUCH better.

My story is important to me. If I ever have to stop drawing it, the rest will be written.

I've only just started in a way, but Midge, I read your comic because I enjoy the art and the story. It's an interesting tale you've spun there and it would be a shame to see it come to an end.

It is really up to you, but hopefully you can see that it's worth it.

TheMidge28
I enjoy doing my comic but recently I have been considering why I do it.

Nothing wrong with that, Midge. I'd say you should question it. It's healthy. If the answer you come up with is, you're only doing it in the hope of becoming an employee of DC or Marvel, you probably should quit. It may happen but there are certainly no guarantees. If the answer you come up with is, you're doing it because you enjoy telling the story and you're getting fun from the drawing, then don't quit ... the offer to turn professional may just be around the corner!

TheMidge28
I feel with my comic people like the art and all but I can't tell if people are enjoying the story.

I can only speak for myself, obviously, but I am enjoying the story. In your case, I suspect people comment more on the artwork because it is sooo distinctive (and cool!) If you were asked to comment on Sin City (the movie) what's the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, I'm sure it would be the fantastic visual style. It doesn't mean they didn't enjoy the other aspects of it, but that's very much its defining feature.

TheMidge28
Part of me thinks many comment and read my comic because I read theirs.

I think that's at least partly true of most people here, but it doeesn't mean they're not enjoying it, too. If they weren't enjoying it, they'd stop reading it all together. As the list of comics I follow has become longer and longer, it's become increasingly hard to comment on every update of every comic. On days when I'm pressed for time, the ones I will still make an extra effort to comment on, are those by people who regularly comment on mine. Think of it as having lots of friends but only buying a drink for the ones who regularly buy you one!

I wanted to discuss this further to see where others are coming from when it comes to doing their comics and their future and if they ever considered quitting.

Hey, - we're all human!

I would like to note that, on the story, it seems I enjoy what you have given us. I didn't read the comic till after you finished the 1st story, and that story was really really good.

The main thing I can see that could be hurting your story feedback from readers is that it takes a really long time to tell the story when you only update once a week.

So far you have 1 completed small story and your newest story is finally getting somewhere. I am very interested to see where this newest story leads... though more interested to see what the green "brother" from the end of chapter 1 is all about.

I'm sure this flashback you are currently working on will help explain some of that. And I understand time constraints, quality control, etc. You want ample time to produce each page to be visually awesome. Your priority is the art so most readers will see that and comment on that.

Anyway, that's just something I have noticed that plagues any story comic. If updating 1 a week then in 1 year you end up with 52 pages. And in a comic that does not give you very much room to squeeze lots of story.

EDIT: And you can't say I only read because you comment on my comic. You never have you meanie =P Hey that's no big deal, different people have different tastes. I may like your comic but that doesn't mean your mentality would enjoy mine =)

Hmmm I contemplate a lot on this as well.

Passion would drive me to commit to this full time, but the reasons that compel me otherwise is the practical side to this - bills to pay and lotsa mouths to feed. And my regular job is taking way way too much of my time and energy for me to focus on my comic. And don't think for a moment I don't doubt if I'm a hack who settles and compromises when it comes to the crunch.

I question on longevity as well, while there may be initial momentum, how long can we hold on to the regular readers? It's a fickle world after all with way too many distractions...

Okay I'm going off tangent, ranting from a cup-half-empty person is bad, don't listen to me... other than, keep on keeping on. I am!

Much love to everyone who has responded in this thread. I appreciate every one's POV. I started doing the comic originally because I love the story and I think its cool one to tell. And to me seems different then what others have done before even if my style is constantly compared to Miller's.

I am going to finish the current chapter and maybe at that time consider where I go from there, because I know there is more than this chapter currently... much more.

As others have mention the main rub right now is life. Family and work are and will always take precedent. I always struggle with the balance. and as I said before I doubt my abilities as a storyteller and artist. I think mainly because what I am producing is as JNP stated once a week at best updates and most readers enjoy the art but may not remember the previous update or storyline. I hate that I can only post once a week and produce one page a week. I wish I could create a pocket of unlimited time to produce 2-3 pages a week but continue to do all the others that I need to do and love to do.

As to getting a job with the big guys, I know that's very unlikely. But I can't say that dream ain't there in the little recesses of my mind. If I had the money I would so self-publish the comic, but Gwen has to eat and go to college.

Anybody ever read or seen the movie based on the book Great Expectations? I sometimes wish I was Finnegan Bell and had Lustig come along as a secret benefactor and paid for all my artistic endeavours. Stories really touch a art of us where we dream and hope. Don't know if my story has that impact, but I can hope.

I kind've made a pact to myself when I returned to DD after being absent from my first webcomic many years ago. I swore that I would stay here long enough to finish an entire webcomic :3. Ofcourse, at that time, I knew in the back of my mind that I was probably gonna quit before the month was out xD. And as I know, i've been working on my webcomic for like 2 years now xD. I had no idea I would be writing a 500+ paged webcomic xD. Well, all I have to say is, i'm here to stay! :3 You'd have to hold me at gunpoint to get me to leave now :p.

To answer the subject line of this thread, yes, I have. In fact, I consider it a lot. I ask myself all the time why I'm doing it. I have no dream of making a career out of it, my art is nowhere near that level and my writing is amateurish at best (I really sell the book well don't I? :) ). I have a couple readers who comment and I'm hoping a couple more who don't and I've been doing Divine Leap for several years now.

I think what keeps me going is just the desire to finish (as the plan has always been to do 3 chapters). I have a story that I like and want to tell, and I do enjoy drawing (though life doesn't always give me the time to put the effort into it that I'd like). Periodically I'll probably need to take a break, sometimes to recharge the batteries or for other reasons (ie. after Chapter 2 I need to spend time planning out chapter 3 as well as designing new characters and a new world), but I do still want to finish.

On a positive note, in forcing myself to get this far I find I've learned so much about making a comic, from the art to the writing. I have an even greater appreciation for those who do it for a living.

Oh yes. A little while ago I considered scrapping Golden Gamers for something else. Ironically, this seemed to increase my readership, so instead I tried to reinvent the comic. I think the main problem was I always detested the recurring jokes and some of the predictability. Now, all seems well.

Have I ever quit? Yes. Enter the Duck 3 was only half completed when I decided to finish it, so I wrapped it up in a few pages. I don't like it, but the comic had just lost its charm. I spent too much time getting into the story that it became boring and worthless. Two and a half years of planning a spectacular finish and instead I summed it all up in two pages. But I'm glad I did because I was merely forcing myself to get those pages done and Rokas and I were moving onto bigger things. It was fun while it lasted, but it was time to move on.

But, in any case, you should end a comic when you want. If it's boring and starts to become a chore, then it won't be worth it. You could do what the Mac Hall boys did and start something else, or maybe just take a break for a little while until something starts to tell you to come back to it.

I've considered quitting many times - the comic consumes quite a lot of my time, and sometimes I am heartily sick of it - but then I sit down to draw or write or brainstorm and discover why I like it. Sometimes it's the characters, sometimes it's the plot, sometimes it's something I can't quite put words to, but it brings me back.

I've always come back, because I dislike leaving things unfinished. I love the story, and leaving it unfinished would be to declare failure, and I have always disliked failure.

Never considered quitting.

To me this is a hobby. Just like how you see sports or playing video games. From the years I've been doing online comics, I've noticed that this can be an extension of a social life. With people commenting on my stuff and all.

But I do have days when I'm just not in the mood of doing comics.

Midge I've considered quiting a particular comic but I've never considered quiting comics all together. I enjoy it far to much.

Might I suggest though starting a collaboration. Most web comics are totally one man projects but realistically it would make more sense for more of us to start collaborating, sharing the work load and pooling our tallents so we can make a higher quality comic but less individual effort.

That might satisfy your desire to create while also taking the edge off things.

Of course that is only if you can find some people to get along with enough to work together with. It isn't always easy to work together since everyone is creative, has their own idea & egos to defend those ideas.

Seriously though I wouldn't quit. You get better by doing, we all do. I've seen so many people go from total crap to powerful quality by just doing two years of comic. It is amazing how many people have gone from total amature to semi-pro here on DD by just being to stubborn to stop.

You know Midge you might be totally write and your stuff is not up to par or whatever, but neither were most of the comics on DD when they started. If you quit because your "not good enough" then you'll never end up getting to the point where you ARE good enough. And I assure you that you certainly have to have more readers then I did for my first comic "Chibi World".

When I was working on my other comic, there were certainly a lot of times I had considered quitting before I actually did. I knew exactly where I wanted to take the story, so it had nothing to do with the comic itself. Ultimately, I found that I just...lost the inspiration to do it. I know that webcomics aren't supposed to drawn purely for the sake of popularity, comments and the like, but I found that feedback helps a lot when it comes to feeding one's desire to continue a story.

Now, if I DID quit making webcomics altogether, it would certainly free up a lot of my time, but I'm not sure what I would do with myself if I really were to stop.

I've thought this about nearly every comic I've ever done, I've even considered quitting comics all together at a few points. It's difficult to say why that is but I get burnt out on projects and I have a lot of mixed feeling about my comics in general. I think in my case I've wanted to not be a hacky writer/artist impressed by their own genius enough that I've ended up as the opposite extreme: Somebody who's always second guessing his creative decisions, which can be exhausting at times. One thing I have to say to you directly, Midge-- you're about the last person I'd expect to start a thread with this title. Seriously?
By the way, I've not read Great Expectations but I'm about 1/4 of the way through it.

You:
I would read your comic Midge even if you didn't read mine.
The thing about your comic though is that you tell your story slowly in the sense that not much is revealed each page, therefore, it is hard to comment on in the box. I think the plot is very interesting, But so far this chapter I really only know how b/d was born.

Me:
I wouldn't quit, I enjoy it!
Although, I have made my comic making more casual. In LOLZ I made my comics ultra casually, in GIADC, I REALLY WORKED on the art, to some success. I ended that comic though, and decided with Pancakes that again the art will be strictly to enhance the humor. Although, I am planning some more developed story/plot/development/writing/stuff.

NEVER...

Comicing, writing stories, and such are my passion and I love it. My readership had decreased but there's always someone gonna turn out reading your comic.

It's a difficult task and it could be depressing, at some point. Ask yourself this, if you quit, what are you gonna do next? sometimes, you'd start drawing and thinking of a story by reflex. I mean, we, as comicers, story-writers, always having new ideas and want to show the public.

However, if you quit a part like the drawing and concentrate on writing and depend the drawing on someone else, it's kinda difficult because you start needing someone to replicate your style and understand what YOU want. Telling the story your own way is better unless, you started with someone who could understand what you're looking for or start a new project with someone.

Midge, you have something going and it feels good. B/H is a good read but some people might enjoy your comic without commenting on a word. It depends on the people. I may not be the best guy about advices or anything.

In the end, it's your desicion whether to quit your current comic and start a new one, quit on a role, and never quit at all. To me, I will never quit because something gotta give in the end.

simonitro
B/H is a good read but some people might enjoy your comic without commenting on a word. It depends on the people.

This happens to me a lot. Some days the PW stats register 30 different people coming to read my comic and I don't get a single comment on that day. And there are lots of comics I read that I barely ever comment on (I try to, but sometimes I just forget).

Most likely,you have more fans than you realise Midge.

With a full time job at the shop welding and maintaining heavy equipment, a part time business doing graphic design, raising an infant in place of his father, being a full time student and running a comic that uses up at least 3 or 4 hours a day minimum, I can honestly say I've had a few thoughts about going on a hiatus, but not necessarily quitting altogether. The thing is, it's occurred to me that if I were to take that break, I'd likely not come back to it. On top of that, I've had several people who aren't even supposed to be fans of humor strips yell at me to keep going.

When it comes to talking about art being up to par, I don't think you need to worry. You've got good work. Not to say there isn't room for improvement since we're all in need of a little practice. For all intensive purposes, this is as much a learning experience as it is a career. That's the beauty of a webcomic. It doesn't have to be as consistent as a print book. Go look at Sam and Fuzzy or Questionable Content, two of the biggest comics on the web and see what they started as. They never went back and redid their archives. For that matter, I don't know if you ever looked at my humble beginnings, but I started with a regular old ball mouse and Adobe Photoshop 4.0.

I've driven myself into the ground and about ruined my own health at this point to keep it all up and I'm barely beginning to recover from the point of collapse I was at just a couple days ago. And I honestly don't know why I'm willing to put myself through such abuse. Maybe it's because I'm stupid, maybe because I've got way too much ambition for my own good, or maybe because at the end of the day, no matter how tired I am, how burned out and how much I feel like crap, it makes me feel a heck of a lot better when I upload that page, crash into bed and wake up the next morning to see that it made someone else's miserable day dealing with whatever problems they have ten times better. If I ever need to remember why it's worth it, I just have to think about the hundred ( That's a pretty rosy estimate too. ) people who enjoyed what I put up.