2019-08-16 3:33:14 ¶ ●

## I really love Act 8, and I'm excited to see it back! And I have a question unrelated to the comic itself, but more about the process of making a fancomic. What are some good things to know before trying to embark on a fanventure solo? Especially one involving canon HS characters.

Hey, thanks! And that’s a good question.

My generic advice for solo “fanventures” is to be an aggressive, persistent, and stubborn learner– pick up art, web, music and animation skills wherever the project needs it. If you can’t force things to work the way you wanted, then be creative with an alternative solution. The other side of learning a lot of new things rapidly means being amateur at all of them. I love this format, but it’s a huge undertaking– spreading yourself across a variety of tasks means your weaknesses will show, and it’s good to accept that early.

Like, for example, I am a shit copy editor. I just am. My eyes are sieves for the finer specifications of language. So I have to keep re-reading over days and catch things one at a time. If you can get any help, try to assign it to the areas that are easiest to complete, that you are simultaneously the worst at; you’ll benefit most there, and the job’s inherit simplicity will make it more likely that someone can do it for you without there being any complications. But also be willing to make something that will show its rough edges and seams; love it through that, and other people are sure to as well.

Specifically for writing with canon characters, I think you still need to rely on all the trusims about writing any character; their motivations need to feel authentic, their inner worlds should be believable and interesting, their presence in the story should be used to its greatest possible effect. The question is always “is this in character” but I think it’s also important to ask how you’re selling the audience on THIS version of the character, being the person they need to be in the story you’re telling.