Restarting from scratch..good idea?

Fleakitten · Post by **Fleakitten** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:39 pm

Has anyone ever just gotten so dissappointed with their web comic and thought of starting over?

Cope · Post by **Cope** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:43 pm

I've been plenty disappointed, but I've never entertained the thought of starting over for even a second. I wanna finish this thing and move on.

Sketchywallflowr · Post by **Sketchywallflowr** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:52 pm

Indeed. It's nice to go back and see how/if you've improved from where you started.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:01 pm

The problem with restarting is that, once you do it once, you feel free to do it again later. So you end up doing the first couple chapters over and over again and never get anywhere. This is particularly bad if you're just restarting because your art's improved.

Now, if it's the writing you want to redo... that's a bit different. I've restarted a couple of my pet projects multiple times because I didn't like the chain of events. It gets frustrating to look back and realize that THIS version of the story isn't perfect either... but then again what is?

I think I'm rambling... Bah. In the end, it depends on the story and the situation. You're the writer after all; you should do what you want.

Jim North · Post by **Jim North** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:04 pm

Keep going and practicing until you're absolutely perfect.

Then restart.

CaptainClaude · Post by **CaptainClaude** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:06 pm

no I have not. I have not wanted to go back and restart because I am awesome.

K-Dawg · Post by **K-Dawg** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:07 pm

ryclaude wrote:no I have not. I have not wanted to go back and restart because I am awesome.

Claude is perfection itself.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:08 pm

K-Dawg wrote:
ryclaude wrote:no I have not. I have not wanted to go back and restart because I am awesome.
Claude is perfection itself.

He is beyond perfection. In fact, perfection is Claude itself.

K-Dawg · Post by **K-Dawg** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:13 pm

Black Sparrow wrote:
K-Dawg wrote:
ryclaude wrote:no I have not. I have not wanted to go back and restart because I am awesome.
Claude is perfection itself.
He is beyond perfection. In fact, perfection is Claude itself.

You dare challenge my word? Oh if you were in chat, I'd show you what!

Montyandwoolley · Post by **Montyandwoolley** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:21 pm

Black Sparrow wrote:
K-Dawg wrote:
ryclaude wrote:no I have not. I have not wanted to go back and restart because I am awesome.
Claude is perfection itself.
He is beyond perfection. In fact, perfection is Claude itself.

He has created an entire new definition of perfection, one thats so impossible to comprehend - anyone who tries turns to jelly.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:48 pm

K-Dawg wrote:
Black Sparrow wrote:
K-Dawg wrote: Claude is perfection itself.
He is beyond perfection. In fact, perfection is Claude itself.
You dare challenge my word? Oh if you were in chat, I'd show you what!

Bwahahaha! Your monkey magic is no good here!

*shakes her booty in Dawg's direction*

Ataraxia · Post by **Ataraxia** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:34 pm

We all agree that Claude is perfect*, so now back to the subject at hand. I don't think you need to restart your comic- just change direction, slap a "the next generation" on the end of your title, and remember that retcons are your friend.

*Actually, I thought that "Disorganized Religion" was a weak story arc but it's the exceptions that prove the rule.

NakedElf · Post by **NakedElf** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:42 pm

If it sucks now, I have to question why starting from scratch would suddenly make it better. If your best today isn't good enough, why would your best tomorrow be any better?

That said, sometimes you *do* realize that what you've been doing is just completely wrong, and that you need to start over. That has happened to me, but when it does, I tend to sit back and give it a *long* think before I jump back into things. My second comic was a disaster, and is currently on 'hiatus' until I have enough time to devote to doing it right. When I restart it, I will *completely* restart it--the entire story will be different, basically.

Warofwinds · Post by **Warofwinds** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:56 pm

Considered it....then un-considered it. Instead, I redid the narrative and fixed up old pages. It wasn't worth the time and energy, not when it was the FUTURE part of the story that interested me so, not the past.

Bustertheclown · Post by **Bustertheclown** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:15 pm

I prefer to abandon projects outright.

Soap Committee · Post by **Soap Committee** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:36 pm

Black Sparrow brings up the best point, that once you do it, you'll keep doing it. 4 years ago, I started a comic but kept adding pages in the archives to improve the flow. More add-ins were done than real pages

Don't fall into the trap

BrownEyedCat · Post by **BrownEyedCat** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:39 pm

montyandwoolley wrote:
Black Sparrow wrote:
K-Dawg wrote: Claude is perfection itself.
He is beyond perfection. In fact, perfection is Claude itself.

He has created an entire new definition of perfection, one thats so impossible to comprehend - anyone who tries turns to jelly.

Somebody try it, I need something to put on my toast!

Garneta · Post by **Garneta** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:43 pm

I'd like to redo mine...I feel that I could at this point do the original pages better, writing-wise and art-wise, and not drag out the scripts so much either...but seriously, what's the point? As it goes now, it's pretty clear how much I've improved, and I kinda like seeing that. Besides, I have another comic in mind that I'm already itching to get started on, and don't want to spend any more time than I have to on this one.

Soap Committee · Post by **Soap Committee** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:16 pm

Kat North wrote:I'd like to redo mine...I feel that I could at this point do the original pages better, writing-wise and art-wise, and not drag out the scripts so much either...but seriously, what's the point? As it goes now, it's pretty clear how much I've improved, and I kinda like seeing that. Besides, I have another comic in mind that I'm already itching to get started on, and don't want to spend any more time than I have to on this one.

^^^
This! An awesome thing about webcomics is seeing the artist improve.

Mon Ami · Post by **Mon Ami** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:18 pm

If you absolutely hate it, then yeah may as well not stick with it because you can fall into the trap of just continuing to redo it over and over. In fact I got caught in that particular trap myself.

Or what you could do, is treat it like an ongoing experiment. Get messy, try new things, do not worry about updates so much as try to expand your views and angles in the shots that you take. Muse with different ideas for the plot, I mean you may as well, the only way you learn is through mistakes. I've learned a lot through my own comic, it is the reason I'm treating it as an experiment and trying to not hold it too preciously to my heart.

If things do not work out, then try something out with a plot line. It truly is yours to control. Even if people say it sucks (which I've gotten numerous times, trust me), you still learn from it. More so if you fail then succeed with whatever you do with your project.

In other words, if you are kinda just iffy on it, then cut loose and experiment. You're doing it for free anyway, may as well do it for your own benefit!

Comic Genesis Forums

Restarting from scratch..good idea?

Restarting from scratch..good idea?

GAH HOW DO PPL MAKE GOOD COMIC