I just finished reading heart in a box, and oh my goodness your artwork in that was AMAZING! I'm gonna grab Hinges when I have a few more funds as well, and I was wondering if you might have any advice or tricks for getting the comic flow that you've lear

Hello!

And thank you!

I have a couple of pieces of advice that I think are applicable to getting started in comics.

1.  Set up manageable goals.  Give yourself a quota to meet each day/week/month (whichever is best for you) and work to meet them.  Maybe it’s a page a week or a mini a month.  It’s not something you have to do forever, but it will establish a fairly reliable work ethic.

However, do not go overboard with it.  When I say ‘manageable,’ I mean, that you can meet your goals while still getting a reasonable amount of sleep, down time, meals, and socializing.  A lot of people make the mistake of sacrificing these necessary comforts and it’s not good for you physically or mentally in the long run.

2. Start simple.  This is a pretty common piece of advice from comics folks.  Don’t go doing an epic if a mini will do.  Brevity is the soul of wit and all that. 

See what’s the shortest story you can do.  Is a panel?  A page?  Five pages?  What’s the least amount of dialogue you can get away with?  Can you tell the story silently? 

The shorter the better.  Extreme editing often yields better storytellers and more easily accessible work for a wider audience.

3.  Experiment with a variety of formats and mediums.  Especially if you’re working with webcomics.  There’s a lot of techniques to be found in traditional comics, but I feel like we’ve still got a lot to discover about how webcomics can be presented and read.

It’s okay to try something different with each project.  I recommend it.

4.  Have other interests.  Take in a variety of stimulus.  It’s okay not to be thinking about comics all the time.  In fact, indulging in your other hobbies will make your comics better.

5.  Do not get caught up in ‘your style.’  ‘Your style’ is a myth.  Sometimes it is even a crutch.  Nobody really ‘develops’ a style.  It’s just what happens when you do your work over and over and over again.

6.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.  Do not wait for someone to give you permission to do your thing.  Just do it.  Whatever it is.  Do it.  There is a way.  Find that way.  Get it out there.  Your people will come.

(This advice works pretty well for life in general really.  Provided that ‘your thing’ doesn’t break laws or infringe on someone else’s comfort.  You’d be surprised how restrictive we make our own lives for no reason.)

…

I hope this helps.

I know that such advice is often offered in vague terms.  But if nothing else, I hope that some of these will at least confirm for you that you can pursue comics the way you want to.

And many thanks again!