Let's say you started a webcomic. Perhaps you left big ambitions at the front door, or perhaps you didn't. Perhaps you plugged on every possible webcomic forum and signed up to every known promotion tool. Perhaps you came to Keenspot forums and asked what it takes to be accepted to Keenspot. Perhaps you asked questions that are already written in numerous FAQ-s. Perhaps you checked out Comixpedia or Webcomic Choice awards and wondered why they don't notice you. Perhaps you bugged all your friends to vote for you on webcomic lists. Or perhaps you have mad advertising skills and you managed to be fairly popular in first few months of your comic's life, which caused your ego to burst into a flamewar menace.

Now, let's say you had all those childhood diseases of webcomics. It's no shame. Everyone had them, this way or the other. But now your comic is several months old, you already have something of a concept, characters, setting to work with. You have a little drama and storyline started. But you just don't feel like doing it.

You got bored with your webcomic. You're not satisfied. There are so many things you wish you did different. A viewpoint of a reader (which is what you were when you started) is different from viewpoint of creator (which is what you are now). In different light, you see things different and you're not very happy with what you see. You hate your own characters, you want to do something in totally different setting, or you feel a bit bored of webcomics in whole? On the other hand, you don't wanna abandon your child. Even if it was first.

First thing you have to do is not to do anything. Wait a few weeks before you make any decision. Before you abandon the comic, be sure you want to abandon it.

Now, what if you really want to abandon it?

The problem is, you probably started a storyline, probably even something very ambitious. Of course, nobody will hurt you if you cut your comic in the middle of storyline, but readers won't appreciate it; there are already so many unfinished webcomics, and there isn't any guarantee that your favorite comic will finish with a proper ending instead of, well, being killed in the middle of its life. On the other hand, once you stop enjoying making your comic, it will loose a lot of its energy, honesty and inspiration. It will get worse. Sometimes killing a comic is better than letting it die slowly and painfully. Third option is to quickly wrap up what you got started and claim it a regular end. It really depends on you which end you will choose, but at the end it depends on reader whether he's gonna like what you did. Some people will like any ending instead of no ending at all; some will prefer unfinished story to a clumsily wrapped up end.

But beware: is the problem really the comic, or is it just your attention span? Once you abandon the comic, it will be easier to abandon the second one; I suggest that you finish your first comic no matter what, because it has importance in how much energy you'll have for finishing other projects that you start.

Even better advice: don't make your first project very ambitious; That way you'll end it easier and abandon a lot of these problems. But I'm a bit too late for giving that advice, am I?

Now this is what interests us the most: what if you decide not to abandon it? Or, if you can't decide? The name of this text is how to stay, not how to quit.

I guess you'll have to gather lost pieces of your inspiration somehow.

First idea is going to hiatus - one, two, three months (some people make it a year, even) of break will help some people. To some, it will be even harder to start again. Be sure to announce hiatus on your site before you do it ;-)

Second idea is changing the direction where your comic is headed. Turning a lighthearted comedy into a sad drama, or throwing your slice-of-life characters into space and making it SF. That's a good idea, but if you don't do it gradually, then you basically just ended one comic and started another one with same characters.

Third idea: force yourself until you feel the inspiration coming again; Well, it works for me. When I feel like quitting it, I just throw in a several storylines of light joke comics that keep me going; Nothing too needy. Then, inspiration eventually comes.

Fourth: re-read good things people said about your comic, in mail, on forums, elsewhere. You'll realize what it is that you do best with your comic, and you'll feel like doing it some more.

Get your notebook in which you write down ideas (you do that, of course). Remember things that you planned to do. Old flames might start burning again, and you'll realize that it's a good time to do things that you actually started your webcomic for.

Keep learning. As long as you're advancing your art and writing skills, you're not wasting your time. Check your first comic. Notice how your art got better and your ideas clearer. Then think about what it will look like in time, and it might give you motivation to continue.

Another good idea is to draw something else for a while. You can temporary stop your comic and start some small project that you'll do for some time, until you feel like returning to your old project. Or you can join one of comic jams and collaborations that you can find around. Make fanart and guest strips for your favorite comic. Make fanart and guest strips for some less favorite, for practice.

Read your favorite comics. Remember why you started. Read bad comics. Realize that you can do better than them. You can even come up with an idea or two while reading.

Visit forums. Talk with people who do the same stuff, have same interests. Brainstorm with them.

Take a long walk and use it for thinking about your comic.

Or, you know, find whatever works for you.

Now, what if you simply don't feel like making webcomics anymore? If you want to get out of all this?

Well, do so. But remember - webcomics are like old neighborhood: sooner or later you'll return; Some force will drag you back. And you'll probably realize that the break helped you do this webcomicking thing much better.

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