August 3rd, 2018
Okay gang! Sorry for the lateness on this one but now I have AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
After this update, the update schedule for Runewriters is changing in a kind of big way -- I'm gonna try moving to "scene" updates! This means that instead of getting out one page a week, I wait until I've finished 4-5 pages and post them all at once as one "scene."
The main reason for this is that, to be honest, I can't quiiiiiite manage weekly updates right now. I thought over it a lot, and I think constant short hiatuses or skipping updates every couple of weeks aren't great solutions for you guys or for my mental health; I think updating in scenes is gonna be the best way to make sure you guys are still getting satisfying updates!!
If you like this plan, then thank my dear friend and constant encouragement Steph!! She's the one who suggested it!!
BUT if you kinda prefer seeing the pages as they're finished and don't want to wait, I've got an option for ya -- I'm gonna try posting pages early, as I finish each one, on patreon for $1 backers!!
This is super new to me so we'll see how it goes!! I'm excited to try and I hope this will be a good solution for everyone! :D
NOW MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS: when you get an update of four pages at once, would you rather see them posted as individual pages that you click through, like normal? Or would you rather have them all as one long post, like this two page update? I've been giving it some thought but I'm interested to hear you guys' preferences!
OKAY I THINK THAT'S EVERYTHING!! Feel free to ask if you have any questions! If you want to be alerted to the next update, you can see a link to the Runewriters Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, and ComicRocket right above this post -- updates will be posted in all of those places!! thanks as always for the patience and support you've all shown so far while I work this out!! I really truly could not ask for better folks reading this comic, and I'm extremely grateful for you all! ;u;
If you look at the menu on top, all the way to the right, Runewriters does have an RSS feed already! :D So if you want to be notified that way, it's an option! You can also follow the RW twitter, tumblr, deviantart, or join the discord if you prefer social media for that sort of thing!
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The thing with the idea of taking a break is that the break would be a temporary fix that would need to be enacted over and over and over, because the issue isn't being behind, it's that I cannot make pages quickly enough. We've actually tried this a few times, and it has always ended with me getting less done than I needed to and once again struggling to keep up! It isn't sustainable.
Like, for sake of a hypothetical, let's say it takes me 2 weeks to finish one page. Then I could take four weeks off, finish 2 pages, finish a single page in the time it takes to run through that buffer, and then need to take a 1 month break again. I know you guys have always been very cool and understanding of these kinds of breaks, but it's really frustrating to work this way.
It is an option I considered! "Updates Tuesday but not every Tuesday" is also an option I considered! But I think what will be best for the comic is not having single pages eeked out between such long stretches, somewhat out of my control. Working week to week is fun if I'm on pace, but when I'm not, and am forced to skip weeks in random spots throughout the story, that sucks! I think if the breaks are gonna be there either way, I like the idea of choosing where the best place for a break is gonna be.
And ultimately, if we try this out and it turns out to be very bad, we'll try something else! But I do want to give this a try first! ;u;
posted at 3:51am on August 10th, 2018
Hi, and thanks for the reply!
Just want to respond to the point about making a temporary fix that doesn't work for you in the long run. I'm not sure I properly communicated what I was trying to say, there!
Obviously if trying to set up a buffer doesn't work, then hey - that's not what works for you. But I wasn't suggesting that you use it like a temporary fix in the manner of a band-aid. Rather, you've said that your workflow doesn't really match with the weekly format and trying to get a page posted every Tuesday isn't helping you focus either. So obviously you don't want to set up a solution that still has you working at the same rate and pattern but just looks a bit different from the outside!
It just seemed to me that what you suggested doing already is effectively the same as adding pages to a buffer -- you're completing a scene, and then uploading it when done, and then completing another one. So I was thinking maybe it'd make just as much sense to upload said pages into an automated system (which would also potentially be easier for you in terms of having to explain, update, and handle timing) that released them at a rate which does match what turns out to be the rate you comfortably work at (say once a fortnight or twice a month). Or even better, just stick to the "updates happen on Tuesdays when they happen" model *and* pre-upload scenes when they are ready? That way you could upload when each "scene" was completed with a message saying "here's the next scene!" but the pages could still post at a drip of one-per-week or one-per-fortnight so the readers had more updates overall and a more sequential experience. There would still be some potential downtime between scenes that way but it would be much shorter as each upload you did make would provide several weeks' new content.
It is entirely up to you of course and from your response this doesn't address your desire to have full control over on which weeks the breaks happen - although you'd still be able to ensure they came up between scenes, at least, and not at random points! But I wanted to provide an alternative idea if it helps everyone (INCLUDING you). If it doesn't then that's fair enough :)
posted at 9:28am on August 11th, 2018
My system is automated, actually! Half of chapter 4 was set up this way, to release a page a week even though most of it had been completed ahead of time during the long hiatus
My main concern in terms of switching to a "Tuesdays when its ready" or "update at the rate you produce" model is how the story will read if it's posted that way. Webcomics are a weird medium where the pacing of the story is affected by the rate of posting -- a story that updates one page a week reads differently from a story that updates one page every other week. The longer the wait, the more satisfying the update needs to be -- pages can have less content in them when the wait between updates is shorter.
Some creators choose to focus on how the story will read in book form and prioritise the "binge readers," knowing that there's nothing you can do about the fact that sometimes updates will make things slow; some creators prioritise the "update readers" and try to make the pacing work when read as a serial. I'm tend towards the latter, so this is all stuff I put a lot of thought into!
Someone a little earlier in the comments suggested the idea of posting scenes, but like, one page a day or something, instead of in big chunks and that's definitely an option I'm considering as well! Ultimately I want to find the thing that not only works the best for all of us, but the thing that works the best for the story as well. ;u;
And thank you very much for your thoughts, and for your understanding!!! I'm so grateful for all of you being so cool about this! ;u;
posted at 5:01pm on August 12th, 2018
Comment by Debbie
I agree with many others, one web page per comic page would be best. This would provide less of a jarring sudden change for readers in the future. You can let readers know how many pages were in each update and maybe sort out some kind of RSS notification so people know when a page has posted?
I also wonder if, rather than updating by 'scene', you shouldn't just take a break now and make something of a buffer? Then set the finished pages to update once a week, or fortnight if need be, while there are still pages yet unposted. That way you can work at your own pace to add to the buffer and only have to worry if it runs out.
Also I would be surprised if people don't understand the necessity for a non-guaranteed update schedule. "Updates Tuesdays - but not every Tuesday" isn't all that rare!
posted at 5:56pm on August 8th, 2018