How I did it: I'm STILL doing it, actually ^.^  After developing characters and writing out the first several chapters,  I found a hosting service (I started at DrunkDuck, where I still am, but I also have my own URL now.) and started drawing!  I've been updating faithfully since October of 2007 and have no plans to stop any time soon.  I still have so much story to tell!

Lessons & tips:

• Set a reasonable update schedule!  This is very important.  A lot of people will get overly ambitious right out of the gate and then find they can't keep up... then quit.  =[  I only update twice a week.
  
• Accept constructive criticism with grace!  I have never taken art lessons, and I KNOW I'm not particularly good.  So when someone offers advice or criticism, I thank them and see if I can apply any suggestions to my work.  In a lot of cases, I've improved just by listening to people who care enough to give feedback.
  
• For long-form comickers: I found it beneficial to write a brief summary of each event I wanted to cover - then put those events in a timeline - then create a skeleton outline of the story.  I write out the script one chapter at a time.  Having a reference and a solid story rather than making up a story as you go is definitely helpful.

Resources: The good people at DrunkDuck are wonderful.  It's a very supportive, active community that will be happy to take you under the wing.

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Dec 08, 2008, 12:39PM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer