Go Soft

Table of Contents

• Welcome Back (00:00)

• Main Story

  • Writing (02:50)

  • Production (09:11)

  • Marketing (13:30)

  • Fulfillment (16:37)

• A Bad Workman Blames His Tools (18:59)

Welcome Back

I often dream of sitting on a dock off the back porch of my fantasy cottage on a shimmering lake in Muskoka, with a typewriter in front of me as I pound away at the keys, letting my latest masterpiece flow out of me.

Even now, as I procrastinated to write this post, I found myself looking up cottages that are way out of my price range on the water of Lake Scugog in the Kawarthas. The truth is I'm sitting on my recliner in my crowded basement with boxes of comics ready to be shipped out to backers.

It could be worse, but I’m also looking for any reason not to write. I know it's what I promised to do. I promised to have biweekly newsletters out on time and not to phone it in. It's what I have to do. Not just for you, but for myself.

Even the most disciplined writers face this battle. Some are more disciplined than others, able to sit down, stare at the blank page and get something out. For the rest of us, there are a number of tools that can make things just a little easier so that you're not completely stifled by that blank page.

In no way do these tools do hard work for you. (Unless you’re one of those AI tech bros that wants a tool like that. And if that’s the case: why are you doing any of this anyway?) I consider these more helpers. Guardrails to help me get my thoughts out onto the page in an organized fashion.

I'm a plotter. I need to know what I'm writing when it comes time to get the pages down. This is why I’m always hinting at new projects without giving much detail. They’re usually still in some early form of an outline that’s still very mailable. This is where all the hard work is done for me.

But that's just the beginning of a journey, especially when we're talking about a comic book. I've also taken on lettering duties on almost all of my projects. There are plenty of resources out there to learn, but only so many tools that can help you do it well. It took some trial and error on my part, but I think I found the right mix.

This is when we're talking about comics. I also have podcasts both for this and for the Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast that I have tools to get those edited and ready for you to enjoy.

Though I don't have a garage full of Drills and hammers. I have a hard drive full of software that allows me to ply my trade. Today, beyond the paywall, I'll share all the tools I use, how much they cost me, and just how critical I believe they are to my process. I'll break these down into four categories: Writing, Production, Marketing, and Fulfillment.

If this sounds interesting to you, join us beyond the paywall. For the last time, I'll offer that 60 day free trial window. If you subscribe today, be sure to click this link and not the one provided by Substack.

If you choose not to join us beyond the paywall, I'll be back Wednesday with a con journal reviewing my time at the Toronto Indie Authors Conference. I'll see you then.

And for my beloved paid subscribers, Let's get into it...