Outgrowing your story

The idea that you might have outgrown your own work can be scary thought to consider, especially if you have quite a bit of time and energy putting it together. Maybe it is in the art style or that the ideas you wanted to explore no longer interest you. So where do you go from there? Here are some steps you can take to figure out if you have outgrown your story.

Take a break and come back to the story with fresh eyes
The best thing you can do right now is take a step back from it. When we become emotionally invested in a story it can be hard to see where it might be dragging and thus tiring you out. By taking a step back you can get a fresh perspective and ideas and the way forward will be that much clearer.

Talk to someone you trust about your story
Creating a story can be lonely at times, so what you might be experiencing is a lack of external input. Find a trusted friend, or even a supportive forum, to ask for advice. Be prepared to hear some critiques you might not be ready for. Take the time to really think through the advice and apply it where you think it would help your story.

Go back to the drawing board
If you come back to the story with some fresh ideas but are not sure how to work that into what you currently have it may be time to scrap it all and go back to the drawing board. Remember, you have more experience now and can try another approach to your work. There are plenty of articles and resources out there about putting together a comic in a way that’s achievable (including here on the Duck!) so maybe it is just a case of resetting and trying again with a new approach.

Part ways
After taking a break and coming back to your story it might be a simple of case, ‘It’s not you, it’s me,”. Truly outgrowing your story does not make it or you a failure. Everything is a learning experience and your next story will be better for the lessons and practice you’ve had learned and gained.

Have you ever outgrown a story? What did you end up doing? Let us know in the comments below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST) where we’ll be talking about this topic!