Topic: Need some more advice. This time on something significantly less serious.

[Claimh Solais]

Like the title says, though it's not even close to as personal, but it's something important to me that I enjoy doing.

Basically, if you've seen my signature and know me on my social media accounts, you'll know that for about nine months now I've been making a web-comic. It started out goofy and more comedy-centered, but has since become more serious, action-oriented, and drama-centered. In fact, the 44th chapter just released about an hour ago on Facebook (still working on releasing a .pdf download and finding another place to host it).

Anyway, now that I have much more time on my hands lately, I've wanted to expand the series into something more, through the use of spin-off comics. I know it's an ambitious tackle but I planned it out before doing it, and I've come up with a way for them to be totally doable and still have their weekly release. These spin-offs include both a short prequel mini-series and another mini-series taking place in a time gap between chapters 30 and 31.

The interquel mini-series between #30 and #31 is like the main series in that it's an action/drama combination, and stars two completely brand new characters. While the prequel is more like the original comics in that it's more focused on character relationships and comedy, though drama is still a big part (but action is planned to be almost non-existent in it). And I didn't want these to feel exactly like the main series, so I looked to getting some people I know to help me.

For the interquel, I talked with my brothers, who are both also aspiring writers like me, and they both hopped on board. I got them to be the writers for it, and I would handle the art. Aside from a few conditions, I would give them complete creative freedom on it. For them to really make it properly, however, they need to read the first 30 chapters of the comic so they know what's happened up to that point. It's been almost two months now, and they still haven't even gotten past the 15th chapter. I know this sounds kinda fickle of me, but the entirety of the first 30 chapters can be read in less than an hour. Chapters 1-30 are all really short, with a total of 5 pages each (aside from 15 and 30, which are 20 and 26 pages each). It definitely doesn't take more than two months to read.

And for the prequel, I asked one of my friends to help me write it, since she is better at working with drama/comedy stories than I am. And she jumped on board and was really excited for it. However, based on her attitude around it, she just doesn't seem to really think of it as all that important.

The way I handle my main series is that it is in "seasons", kinda like a TV series. Every 30 chapters makes a season for me. So basically what my issue is, is this: I want these comics to at least START before the end of Season 2, which is the one I'm currently on. I just released Chapter 44, and I do weekly chapters, so there's a grand total of 16 weeks to get at least ONE chapter out for both of these.

My reason for wanting that is that their story elements in these spin-offs become more and more irrelevant with each passing chapter. The interquel was brought up in Season 2's first chapter (Chapter #31), and that was way back when in October. Even though I have an extremely small fanbase, I'm still sure that even THEY have forgotten the mentions of it by this point. And it will be COMPLETELY irrelevant once I start Season 3 later this year. The prequel is in the same boat, in that by the time Season 3 starts, I don't think anyone's really going to care about the main cast's pasts by that point.

So here's what I'm asking: Should I keep pushing the people I'm working with and hope that I can produce these stories? Should I find someone else? Or should I just say "screw it" and develop these spin-offs on my own?

-If I do keep pushing, I could eventually get what I originally hoped for in that the spin-offs have a largely different feel from the main series. But this could also result in me not getting them out in the time I want them out.
-If I find someone else, there's a chance I could get what I hope for, but there's also the opposite. I don't know too many people that would be willing to work on this with me, and finding someone I don't know might spell disaster for the concepts.
-If I develop them on my own, they will more than likely just feel like the main series, which is something I want to avoid if I can.

So yeah. Thoughts? If more info is needed, I'd be happy to provide.

(PS: I know this post seems like a jumbled mess but I really have no clue how to make it more concise.)

[Shiroi Koumori]

In my opinion, screw the spin offs as of this point. There's always a chance in the future to include spin offs anytime. Focus on the main series. Besides spin offs do not need to be character backstories. Those things can just be any random topic.

[zangetsu468]

Whatever you do, if expectations are involved you can not rely on anybody but yourself.

[X]

I agree with holding off on the spinoffs. Get your main story and all that done before you pick up another project. If you have ideas for a spinoff story then simply write it down in point form so as not to forget it later on. It's best not to do too many things at once or you'll end up faltering.

[Claimh Solais]

Well, the whole idea of having the spinoffs in the first place is just so that I have more content out. As for the main series, I complete chapters in advance of their release date, so I'm about five weeks ahead of schedule on the main storyline. I have plenty of time to add a mini-series here and there to further flesh out the world in my comic.

As for simply waiting to finish the main story before doing the spin-off stories, I simply can't do that for a number of reasons, particularly for the interquel (the prequel one can be done at any point, just preferably sooner rather than later). 1) Because the story concept for said spin-off will be completely irrelevant by the end of my main comic. 2) The story for the interquel has already been brought up multiple times within the last twenty or so chapters. And 3) I already have a planned ending for my main series, as well as a plan on how to reach it. Suffice to say, it's going to be a long while before I ever get to that point.

I don't want to simply mesh these stories into the main story because it will break whatever pacing the main series already has. The prequel spin-off is for those readers that preferred the more light-hearted comedy-centered beginning of the comic, and while I could simply put flashbacks into the main series, I do have a limited page count to work with that could affect the main storyline negatively.

Basically, I could understand someone saying I should just forget the spin-offs if it were due to the fact that the people I picked to work with aren't exactly reliable. But if it's people thinking that work on a spin-off would detract from the main comic (as X has put it, and I -think- Shiroi did? I might have misinterpreted), then I simply disagree due to the fact that I have plenty of extra time where I'm simply not doing anything at all.

Besides spin offs do not need to be character backstories. Those things can just be any random topic.

I know they don't need to. I just decided that the backstory could be a fun spin-off as far as the prequel one. The interquel spin-off isn't backstory at all.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Plenty of extra time can allow you to bump up the release dates of your main comic.

[Claimh Solais]

Well, the advice I'm looking for is what I should do in moving forward with these spin-offs. They're something I want to do and I'm not looking to cancel my plans for them.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

In my opinion, screw the spin offs as of this point. There's always a chance in the future to include spin offs anytime. Focus on the main series. Besides spin offs do not need to be character backstories. Those things can just be any random topic.

I'm gonna echo this sentiment. It sounds like you're doing something that is sorely tempting but can only be a hindrance: overplanning.

This is a natural urge to us creators -- we have such a complete understanding and omnipotent view of events in our works that we want to tell it all right away, and so we plan sequels, side stories, and origin tales before we've even finished the first major tale in the saga. But we mustn't even plan these things. Why? The more we plan, the more bulk we ask our minds to carry, and that added bulk can derail our trains of thought with ease.

Scaling back and pacing yourself is like quitting smoking: it'll save your life, but it's one of the hardest things you'll ever do.

[Claimh Solais]

I think a whole bit of miscommunication is happening here. The idea of the spin-offs is that they're simply short stories, and I only have two in mind that I want to do.

My main comic is split up into "seasons", in a slightly similar idea to a TV series. I plan, write, and create a story within 30 chapters. And between the seasons are breaks from releases both to recuperate (to avoid fatigue of working on the same story) and to begin planning and writing the next season, or 30 chapters.

So basically, the idea here is this: I'm currently in the second season, with Chapter 44 having just released on April 4, and Chapter 45 releasing tomorrow on April 11. The rest of the season (as in up to Chapter 60) is already planned and written, and everything up to Chapter 50 is already illustrated. The illustration process isn't difficult at all, due to the fact that I'm using Manga Maker, and it's just simply moving around simple character models made in the program. Illustrating a chapter takes me only about a couple hours.

I don't release more than a chapter a week due to the fact that my web-comic does 10-page chapters, compared to other web-comics that are simply a single page. The reasoning behind this is that I don't want to overwhelm a reader in the event that they missed a release or two.

Originally, just a few months ago, I never even dreamed of doing side stories, due to the fact that I worked from 9 in the morning until 8 at night, so I had barely enough time to do my main series, especially since I bumped it up from 5 pages to 10 pages beginning with Chapter 31. However, my hours have been cut down substantially, so now I work from 9 in the morning until, at the very latest, 2:30 in the afternoon. This gives me a significant increase in the amount of time I have.

On top of this, the side-stories I have planned are not meant to be long-running stories at all, being at the longest a few chapters. As well, as I stated in my first post, I'm not even doing all the work on them. I brought my brothers on to plan and write the interquel, and a friend of mine is co-authoring the prequel with me. I even have a friend who wants to do the art for one of them for me, which significantly cuts down on the amount of work I have to do for it.

I do have a plan to make these work, assuming the people I'm working with focus on it. With the amount I already have done on the main series, the release of these side-stories will not impact the main series at all. Believe me, I've attempted to tackle more than I can chew with something before, and failed miserably. I put together a plan to do this before-hand, so I know I'm not biting off more than I can chew here.

tl;dr:
-Creating a chapter for my main series takes, at most, about three and a half hours to do.
-I only release one chapter a week.
-I have a LOT of extra time due to my hours being cut back.
-I have other people to write and help me write the spin-offs.
-I have an artist to do art for one of them.
-The main series' current season is already fully planned and written
-I'm 5 chapters ahead in illustration, soon to be 6 since I'm already almost done with the next chapter

Thus, that's why I'm asking for the advice I am in the first post. About whether I should continue with the people I have with their seeming lack of focus, or if I should just proceed on my own without the ones who seem to lack focus; rather than if I should or should not do the spin-offs at all.

EDIT: Also, I don't want to seem like I'm completely disregarded the advice you all are giving me here. I really do appreciate it, and I know you all just don't want me to set myself up for failure and ultimately find myself drowning in my overplanning. I'm just trying to assure you: What I have planned IS possible for me to do, and I've already figured out a way to make it work.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I got what you were saying the first time, and my side stories were intended to be short little tales as well.
They ended up sinking the entire novel project.

I've just recently reopened that project (with heavy rewrites of existing material), and this time I know more of what I'm doing and can give more tales what I owed them to begin with by working them into the main story (albeit in a more abridged capacity).

I'm saying you should probably be ready to accept that you're walking into the same potential trap that I did.