What Are You Doing Here? Part 2

Catherine Continues Her Descent...

It has been a pretty challenging day for Catherine, and as she goes down those steps by the torii gate it's only getting weirder...

In Japan, you wouldn't exactly find a skeleton at the end of a torii gate, but a torii gate is a doorway to the spirit realm. Most torii lead up to shrines -- literally with steps going up the side of a mountain. But, Catherine's been descending down steps. Where might this one go?

To Buffer or not To Buffer?

When I finished last week's comic I had done two pages and I thought, "Mmmm... that means I could post the next page, next week." I'd have a mini-buffer and then it would buy me time to draw the page after that.

But, no.

I decided on the spot I would publish both pages, so when I started this week, I started from zero, from scratch.

This comic also represents two pages, and I thought once again, I might do a mini-buffer and have something for next week, but no.

I decided against that as well.

In the world of webcomics, folks talk about having a buffer. A bunch of comics built up so they can publish them week after week. It makes sense. It's prudent. What if you don't have time for a webcomic one week? You have a buffer to pull from. There's a backup plan.

But with Magical Girl Kamiko I threw out all my backup plans.

I don't have an ending for this story.

I didn't even know what this chapter was until I started writing it out... and I never finished writing out the entire chapter. I just wrote enough to get me to the next bit, and inbetween they're all comedy bits as good or lame as they are.

So if I don't have a backup plan, I shouldn't have a buffer. We're flying by the seat of our pants.

I think that's in a real sense what something improvisational is. For me, this means that at the start of each week, I make up. Make up the words, the storyboard, the pencils, and get it to final and publish it.

Let's just say, it'll be challenging.

I suppose in one regard this isn't 100% true. I do have a buffer, but not of the continuation of this comic. If I need something in a pinch, I can publish some artwork that I've done and haven't shared for you guys here. That's a type of buffer. But not the comic buffer, not the main one, not the one that moves this story forward.

My intention is to keep moving forward with this story.

I think a buffer lets me be lazy. "I've got something for next Saturday." That means I don't have to work on the comic this week if I don't want too. Or I can keep trying to outpace the buffer. That means when I get close to the end of the buffer I feel bad because I failed to keep up. I lost the race against time and I get to flog myself for not being disciplined enough. But if I didn't have a buffer, I wouldn't have to do that either. I could be free to come up with and improvise what I want and make it. Is it one page, two pages, a panel? What do I have time for? How willing am I to keep the comic as apart of my present mindshare?

There's only one way to find out if this approach works. Go buffer-less and make art. Improvise.

I hope you're having a great weekend and if you're in the U.S. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.