My goal with that last panel is to get someone on social media to scream at me.
Okay, now that the Livestream Guests arc is ACTUALLY over, a peek behind the curtain! I usually spend a lot of time planning out which CosPain strips go up when. Probably too much time. It's one reason I don't do many long-form stories, because it takes a WHILE to figure out how and when to integrate them. It's also a big part of why MP and Gary have had a kind of a will-they-won't-they dynamic for an upsettingly long time. That, and the fact that writing any kind of romance arc is reeeeeeeeeeally far outside of my comfort zone.
The Livestream Guests arc was done in part so I could get a backlog of strips quickly to allow me to work on another project. Once it wrapped, however, I had no backlog and had to figure out what the next strip would be. I knew I wanted something quick, since life had gotten busy and I only had two days at that point to complete and post the strip. And that's when something weird happened: I had a rare moment of spontaneity.
The MP/Gary thing had been happening slowly, but clues had been dropping for a while. I was bummed that the last few strips didn't allow enough panel room for the chat to be visible, but I knew "ParaGary" was watching. I also felt like the Livestream Guests series had kind of petered out on a weird note. All of these factors made me realize that it was the perfect opportunity to kick some stuff into high gear, but only if I was willing to take a BIG risk.
So, instead of using my carefully planned-out and ready-to-draw strips, I wrote a brand-new script for full-sized comic pages, thumbnailed them, and drew the first page from start to finish in a single evening. It was spontaneous, impulsive, and I was throwing care into the wind while scared out of my mind. Which is apparently a good headspace for writing romance.
Regular strips start next week (for real this time). But don't be surprised if things pick up a bit. It's time I got some stuff done.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
Okay, now that the Livestream Guests arc is ACTUALLY over, a peek behind the curtain! I usually spend a lot of time planning out which CosPain strips go up when. Probably too much time. It's one reason I don't do many long-form stories, because it takes a WHILE to figure out how and when to integrate them. It's also a big part of why MP and Gary have had a kind of a will-they-won't-they dynamic for an upsettingly long time. That, and the fact that writing any kind of romance arc is reeeeeeeeeeally far outside of my comfort zone.
The Livestream Guests arc was done in part so I could get a backlog of strips quickly to allow me to work on another project. Once it wrapped, however, I had no backlog and had to figure out what the next strip would be. I knew I wanted something quick, since life had gotten busy and I only had two days at that point to complete and post the strip. And that's when something weird happened: I had a rare moment of spontaneity.
The MP/Gary thing had been happening slowly, but clues had been dropping for a while. I was bummed that the last few strips didn't allow enough panel room for the chat to be visible, but I knew "ParaGary" was watching. I also felt like the Livestream Guests series had kind of petered out on a weird note. All of these factors made me realize that it was the perfect opportunity to kick some stuff into high gear, but only if I was willing to take a BIG risk.
So, instead of using my carefully planned-out and ready-to-draw strips, I wrote a brand-new script for full-sized comic pages, thumbnailed them, and drew the first page from start to finish in a single evening. It was spontaneous, impulsive, and I was throwing care into the wind while scared out of my mind. Which is apparently a good headspace for writing romance.
Regular strips start next week (for real this time). But don't be surprised if things pick up a bit. It's time I got some stuff done.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
