Have Some Fun

You should not be forcing yourself to go to the keyboard every day and type out a few pages or even a few hundred words. That way is just not going to work; you need to figure out some way to have a little bit of fun, something will keep you coming back to the keyboard. There are three basic approaches. 

The first is that something will change, such as the character, the setup, or even the genre. It is interesting to change things up just to see what will happen. In table-top gaming I usually play a young geek, but  every so often I'll play an older brick just to have a little bit of fun. When you're writing, you can change a story from horror to romance and sci fi just to see what happens.

Sure, it's the same basic story, but by changing the associated tropes while carrying elements of the former genre it's interesting to see what actually happens with them. By changing these little details we make things more fun; by pushing ourselves we alleviate the boredom of doing the same thing over and over.

Another thing we'll do is unravel the plot a bit. For a convoluted plot this is great as it allows us to focus on particular threads. Conversely, for a simpler plot it allows us to see where we can make it a little more complicated. But the bottom line is all we're actually writing, we're having a lot of fun, not only trying to set this thing up and set it in motion, but to try to figure out how to deal with it and how to actually make it all makes sense then. 

And then of course, there are goal setters, those people who set a different number of words or how many pages they're going to type. Sometimes it'll be more, sometimes they'll throw themselves into a marathon session, but they'll try to set some sort goal and it won't always be the same one. By changing up the goals you can keep things fresh, especially if you have good reasons for changing the goals.

Between messing around with the way you write, messing around with what you're writing, or just simply setting some sort of weird goal, you're able to have a little bit of fun with what you're doing, and by having fun, you're able to keep yourself motivated, which is something you need, definitely work on.

So have some fun and see what you can do. Writing shouldn't be just a job, but an adventure.

Find A Rival

As manga readers and anime watchers are aware, there's a thing called the rival. You have two characters who have the same basic skills, experience, and training. And they want to kick the ever living heck out of each other. 

This is sort of cool because these two characters have this intense rivalry going and they've got motivation to do the best they possibly can. They are constantly challenging themselves, and are constantly figuring out new ways to apply their talents. All of this in order to give them one up on their rival. This is sort of cool because it gives the viewer a chance to watch these guys actually get more skilled, more powerful. On top of that, you've got people taking bets and it provides a nice little competition for those watching because you never really sure who's gonna come out on top. 

In real life, you need to establish this rivalry. This gives you somebody who you can face off against. You're going to find out that by having arrival, you're going to be doing a lot of stuff you didn't think was absolutely possible thanks to that competition. You're going to be try to do whatever you possibly can to be better than that other person. 

The only word of warning here is that you don't want to get to the point where the rival is an enemy. That gets into some really nasty territory and provides some really nasty side effects like PR issues and even the possibility of some actual injury. A friendly rivalry is better than having actual enemies. 

By establishing the rivalry by having somebody who is as skilled enough to challenge you, the two of you are going to find you're going to be a lot better writers in the long run. So if you can find somebody and just have some fun with it just to see what the two of you can do to outdo each other. See what happens. 

You're going to find that rivals can keep you honest while keeping you challenged, and that's a great thing.

Exposition Dumps Can Work

One of the secrets keep in mind is that as a writer for a visual medium there's a lot of rules that don't apply to you that would definitely apply to a text writer. One of these is the dreaded exposition dump, where a character goes on and on and keeps talking about everything's going on. Or when the author decides to just say, "Hey, here's what's going on." 

However, as a visual author you have major advantage: Whereas a purely text writer is limited to simply telling, you can show it and you've got multiple ways of doing this. You can obviously use a flashback; the art flows into a sepia tone and you simply show everything that you're trying to tell. The flashback also allows you some commentary on the particular situation that you happen to be showing. That is, you're not limited to a simple third person showing and are forced into some sort of omniscient narrator; you can actually have a little bit of fun. The character can make a point that is from their perspective. 

You can also use framing tools. If you have a conversation going on, in the background you can show the events unfolding. You actually show the two characters reacting, be showing some emotion, throwing a bit of commentary into the flashback. 

You need to realize that a lot of the rules that apply to a text writer don't apply to you as a visual writer. You have some fun ways to make execution dumps work that they don't have access to, so take advantage of that. You can show when they have to tell, and that's part of what makes a comic book writer so much fun. Keep that in mind when you're stuck and things will go a lot easier.

Don't Write Hungry

Hunger can definitely be one of the more annoying distraction that writers have to face. Luckily, there is one way to deal with it. First: Keep hydrated. You always want to have a glass of whatever your beverage of choice is within reach and outside the spill zone of your computer. You should always have something wet within reach. Now, let's talk snacks.

To use a plate or not to use a plate is a legitimate question. If you use a plate it means another trip to the kitchen, and that means possibly grabbing more food. Using a paper towel instead eliminates that extra trip and that temptation.

Weird Diet Tip: Fewer trips to the kitchen means less temptation to grab more snacks.

Also, make sure that you only grab prepared snacks. You want to spend as much time as possible writing, and preparing food, even nuking it, is time you spend away from the keyboard. Besides chips, the obvious suggestions are going to need your nuts, your meat, your cheeses, even your good old fashioned vegetables. The key here is you're looking for something that has a little bit of a crunch to it, but that crunch is part of what you're craving: You want something for your mouth to do and so nothing else will satisfy you as much. It's also going to stave off hunger better. 

This is why you spend a little extra time during meal prep to prepare some snacks, even if it's just cutting up meats and cheeses for cracker sandwiches, making vegetables bite sized to grab whenever you want, or even prepping some salsa or other dip. While you're waiting for something to boil, chop something up for tomorrow's snacks. 

Obviously, no one is preventing you from baking. You just want to avoid baked goods because they are the highest in calories. While that makes them satisfying, it also makes them the worst for your diet. 

Weird Snack Tip: Do not grab snacks that require utensils. You'll end up having to balance time between eating and writing, and that can suck. You want something you can just pop in your mouth with little thought.

If it happens to have little bit of salt or sweetness so much the better; those flavors help make for a satisfying snack. That's why you want your your meat (usually salty), your cheeses (a little of both), crackers (crunchy and salty), your good old fashioned vegetables (combined with a dressing for dipping, you get the crunch and salt you're looking for). Just grab a handful of something, put it on a paper towel, and get right back to work. 

By using your power snacks, you're going to find you will be a lot more productive and you're going to have a lot more fun writing.Better yet, by keeping snacking down to a minimum you may actually lose a little bit of weight.

Work Together to Cross Promote

The concept of cross-promotion is pretty simple: You give somebody a link and they post it on their site. They then give you their link and you post it on your site. Really simple and it gives you a lot more fresh views and a lot more sales, at least in theory. As such, it is definitely worth engaging in. 

However, you might want to keep in mind that there are three basic rules. First, quid pro quo: Both of you have to do it. A lot of times you have a situation where you're just not going to want to do it, you're going to lie and say you'll do it. But the other person posting didn't. Yeah, that's what we call not good juju. You're going to lose a lot of respect and people are not going to want to do business with you; if you can't come through on something simple what happens when it gets more complex? So any time you enter into an agreement, you need to value that agreement as well as you possibly can. Otherwise, well, bad reputation bad sales. 

Two, make sure the sites are compatible. For the cross-promotion to be effective the sites need to have something in common; their mature project on your all ages comic just isn't going to work. In fact, just having a mature book on your site may stop sales. The two projects must be complementary or there's no real  cross-promotion potential between the two. So, try to make sure that there's something there before you start getting into the cross promotion.

Three, don't sweat the numbers. Almost invariably, one of the two is doing a lot more business than the other and therefore it's going to contribute to the other person's success a lot more. That's fine. The little person is going to be thankful to the other person and the big person gets credit for building the other up. You know, Yes, just straight up. This is one time you do not want to sweat the numbers. 

When it comes down to it, working together to cross-promote your projects is definitely going to help both of you in the end. So find a partner and go for it!

Find Your Own Path

Some people found a great path to success and they assume that path works for everyone. That path may be fine for them, but it may not work for you. Other people have made a lot of mistakes by following others; they're drowning and you need to let them drown. You don't need to be part of that same pool. 

You need to realize you have your own destiny You have what makes you special, and it's not going to be the same thing that makes somebody else special. You need to figure out what works for you. You need to find a path that works for you even if it may not work for other people. You have your own desires; you want to follow your own dreams. However, you need to realize that your dreams are not the same as others, and that difference means that you walk a path different than others.

You need to realize that what makes you special is what puts you on your own path and you may not be able to use somebody else's path. That's fine. Their path is not necessarily for you. People will find success for themselves; but what works for them may not work for you. Find your own path and feel comfortable with that.

However, be especially beware of those that want to drag other people down with them. Some people feel that if they are drowning, then others should be drowning with them. While you may feel it necessary to try and save them, be aware that following them may cause you to be drowned as well; try and save them if you have to, but try to get off that path as quickly as possible. 

When it comes down to it, figure out what makes you special and how to use that to find your own success. Your path may be different than others, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Don't Worry About Being Perfect

Diamonds aren't perfect. Sure, they're incredibly beautiful pieces of work and sure, they're able to cut through pretty much everything. However, people like diamonds because they have that really cool flame to them. 

That flame is caused not by the crystal structure of the diamond, but by a flaw in that structure.  

If it weren't for that flaw in every diamond, they wouldn't be worth noticing. They would just be basically really sharp glass. They wouldn't shine with an inner fire. However, because every diamond has that one little characteristic bubble, some sort of crack, or a little bit extra something in there that catches the light and causes it to refract that light all over the place. 

Because of that flaw you've got a really gorgeous gemstone.

You need to realize that you are like that diamond. Like that diamond, you would not shine without your flaws, without your imperfections. This isn't to say that you shouldn't be working on those flaws, but for all intents and purposes, those flaws make you are who you are. But you are more thanjust your flaws; just like the diamond, the flaws may make you shine but you are far more than your flaws.

Sure, you're going to have a lot of people who are going to tell you that you're an idiot, that you don't matter, and that you can be easily replaced. Ignore them. You are who you need to be and you get to define who you are. You need to beat your own drum, define your own rhythm. If there's a path take the one that's best for you. You need to find your own path, not the path that's best for someone else. 

Don't let the naysayers get you down. If somebody starts pointing out your flaws without looking at your strengths, you have every right to tell them to bugger off. You're not perfect but there's nothing wrong with that.Sure, you need to work on flaws and you should always be striving for improvement, but you shouldn't let your imperfections slow you down. Charge ahead and be the best you that you can be. 

Be remember that you have a flaw surrounded by a lot of strength, just like that diamond.