On the subject of scriptwriting.

As revealed in yesterday’s update, if you pledge $10/MONTH to our Patreon campaign you’ll get access to the scripts for complete Issues before they’re even put to pencils.  It’s the most behind-the-scenes access you’ll get for supporting us, and it’s a glimpse into how I communicate my ideas to Garth.  Well, it’s not a glimpse because you get to look at the scripts for as long as you like, but it’s better than saying “you get to stare at our scripts for $10/month.”

Letting folks look at our scripts reminds me how differently I have to work on STAR POWER than I did on my previous webcomic, Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire.

Previously, I was a solo creator, so I never needed to have anything set in stone for anyone but me.  I could change aspects of a storyline on-the-fly, whether it was because I didn’t think it was working as well as I’d imagined or I got a better idea mid-story.  I produced pages the day before they were scheduled to post.  I was the only one responsible for updates for eleven years, and that was both liberating and exhausting.

For STAR POWER, Garth wants to know how an entire Issue/Chapter is going to play out before he commits to drawing anything.  He has to get all the spoilers.  I have to pitch all my cliffhangers and revelations to him months in advance.  He has to approve of an Issue’s arc before he spends the considerable time needed to turn them into pages.  I don’t have the liberty or the luxury to change ideas mid-story or submit pages the day before they’re scheduled to post.  I have to set things in stone this time around, and this drastic change in how I approach writing has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Change can be good for your creative process.  Getting out of your comfort zone and trying different things can make your brain work in ways you never expected, and you can find yourself excelling in ways you never dreamed.  You may find different approaches don’t work or don’t appeal to you, but the important thing is trying.  New experiences, good or bad, translate to creative material you can use later.  The same old ingredients in the same old recipe will make the same old food, over and over.  Try adding some spices.  Good or bad, it will be different and you will be more experienced for trying.