dSreDUX
patreon
What is the next step?
🕑 Added 2023-08-08 17:06:27 +0000 UTCHey all. So, every year or so I take a look at what I'm doing and ask myself;
- am I on track for what I wanted to do?
- is there something different I should be doing?
And, thanks to all of you, I 100% believe I am on track. I want to be creating the comics that I (and hopefully you) love. We've managed to bring three very long ones to completion (Before And Again finally links to Time and Again this month!) and I just cannot believe that. Thank you so, so much for letting me create this much material for you. It is a true blessing I never take for granted.
Now...is there something different I should be doing? That's a loaded question - of course there is! Lots of stuff, from getting better at self-promoting (many thanks to OldNorthridge for letting me into Bluesky!) to not starting too many stories (I really am focusing on wrapping up the ones I've started) to working back in more under-represented transformations, there are a lot of small things to consider. But there's one idea that stuck to my brain that I think is a new goal, especially with how the landscape of online comics has evolved.
Now, with the wrapping up of some stories, lately I've been working on putting together more collected PDFs (always a big request). I've run into roadblocks in some places and opened up options in others, but they are coming. And I'll have copies for sale at sexyfantasycomics.com to continue to bolster my artists' incomes, and I can't wait to have printed hard copies available to order and hold (I'm old school, nothing makes me prouder than holding a printed book of my work). And while we all want those collected editions, I think far too often many creators look at that as the Ultimate Goal. Finish a story, publish it, sell it. It drives the whole process, from script, to art commissioning, to even word count and story structure. And that's fine. It's an established process.
But, I think you know, I don't really try to adhere to that stuff. These are transformation comics and stories. We want to understand the pre-transformation life and what brings about the Cause. We want to linger and savor the Process when it comes. And we want to know the Impact's scope. Yeah, there should be story, there should be a driving factor, but instead of gimmicks and McGuffins to push most things forward that are often crammed into comics designed to be WHAM-BAM-OUT THE DOOR! I think ya'll know I like to find the path that lets the characters drive things. To steep in the expectation and experience of what happens if you grow four breasts...or turn to stone...or your hair turns into grapevines.
Complaining that these aspects push against what a "story should be" is like, to me, as if someone was reading a murder mystery and complained that the sudden death of a character screwed up where the plot was headed.
And if I sit here and say, my goal is just to work towards cranking out completed comics for sale, then I'm going to focus my creativity to that end. Instead, what I offer, is this goal;
Let's get to a point where I can commission enough comics pages so we can spend time with these characters, experiencing their journeys and circumstances not just once or twice a week - but every day. One comic page published per day.
So, what does that mean? Well, it'll mean we need more Patrons. If the average comic page costs $100 (it doesn't, it's more, but for the sake of easy math it is), we'd need 600 $5 Patrons. We've already got over 100, and I know of plenty of Patreons with more than 600. But let's make that the goal for now - can we all help out bringing the Patreon up to 600 $5-minimum patrons? And I give you cart-blanche to share any of my work you want anywhere you want so long as it has the Patreon URL on it (most comic pages do).
If this happens what would it look like for you? Well, I'd post a comic page a day. We'd have a mix of comics that have multiple days per month (artists like Ale+Team and Captain Shima have offered the ability to do more than I currently can afford), and some would remain monthly (I know Wondollar has said one page of MYTH TRIAL is all he can do a month). I have no shortage of scripts and plots and plans - most of the comics underway right now have years-worth of pages scripted at once-a-month production. Bringing to you the fun, transformation, sexy-mood stories and characters we enjoy spending time with is not a problem from the writing side.
Plus, this one Patreon would be supporting more than half-a-dozen independent artists even if I didn't add more.
So, yeah, that's my new big goal. Can we make this a place where every day you'll have a new interaction with a sexy fantasy comic? To steep in the erotic expectations and mood of transformation? Maybe. Maybe not.
But I'm sure as hell gonna keep trying.
Please let me know your thoughts.
As always, thanks for reading,
~dS
P.S. Here are some of the comics waiting in the wings;
- a Gods of Miami comic exploring the themes set up in the two short stories
- a classic medieval-fantasy-set story where an apprentice turns a broom into her lover...and the broom has ideas about her future
- a cozy 'cottage core' comic about a doll-sized woman, a bimbo, and a giantess throuple
- Held Within 2
