I’m just saying…

Hey, folks. I’m going to do something special and reply to some fan mail, right here on the site.

William G writes…

“Hey Phil.

How fond are you of “I’m Just Saying…”? I’ve noted that your output has dropped considerably since the summer.

-Bill”

That’s a good question, Mr. G. Something I’ve been wanting to address for a while out in the open, but never found a good enough reason to just out and do it. Since I’ve been asked directly, I think it’s time I say. Publicly, just in case anyone else was wondering the same thing.

Well, I’ll tell ya Will: I’m extremely fond of this here website.

The criticism game is a tough one. In that it relies heavily on speaking about other people’s work. Not only such, but speaking with proper relevance. The most common act of this sort is colloquially known as a “Snark,” named of course after Websnark (There’s a link for you, bud… When you see that traffic spike, you can thank me later).

While I jest about it, traffic is an interesting thing. I will freely admit that the numbers excite me from time to time, but it is in no way what I do this for. I’m delighted to know that there are more than a handful of people who read me with regularity. Many of which are creators whose work I respect and adore. Others are also fellow critics. It’s the dialogue. I like reading and responding to the other critics’ criticisms, chiming in with anything from a simple “I agree. Well said.” to an “Actually, I think it’s…” I like having discussions with other people who make webcomics or otherwise appreciate them. There aren’t that damned many of us involved in this scene, in the scheme of things, much less the real enthusiasts. The ones who, like me, garner a great amount of joy from splitting comics genres into things as minute as “Journal Comic,” “Quasi-Journal Comic,” and “Memoir Comic.” That kind of stuff rocks me to my core, as geeky or pretentious as it may be. I’m utterly ecstatic when I’ve been referenced.

It’s true; the frequency of my updating this here site has definitely dwindled. This in no way reflects my affections and appreciations of this establishment. But, there are several factors involved in this dwindling:

1) Snarks - These are fun things to do, particularly because of their spontaneity. What will motivate me to do one of these is when I’m reading my comics and one of the comics will have a snarkworthy installment for the day. I’ll look and go, “Oh man. I need to write about that right now.” And then I do, and then hooray.

The problem with that, lately, is that the stuff I’ve been reading hasn’t been quite as exciting as it usually is. It’s very difficult for me to put my finger on it, but a lot of the strips I’m into have been lacking in their punch. Although I’m positive that’s more on my end of things. Faith, the creators have been doing their thing just as they always have. I’m sure the decline is due to whatever reason I’m not garnering as much excitement from my strips and not some internet-wide conspiracy where everyone underperforms. So, don’t know what that’s all about. I’m definitely going to try a little harder, though.

2) Other work - I do other things. These other things will demand my attention (of which there is a deficit). I try not to spread myself out too thin. But there are other things that occupy my time, most of which involve writing, and I aim to save my writing mana for whatever scores higher on the priority list. Typically, this is schoolwork. I’m in college, I’m sure you know what it’s like.

As far as non-college activities, there are a few. I’m supposed to be finishing up my comic at some point. I oversee the operations of a budding collective. I write for Comixpedia on occasion.

I avoid talking about upcoming projects, because I am firmly convinced that if I get too excited over something, I jinx it. So, I will be vague. And I will say that I am writing/editing a book. I’m also involved in a big, ongoing discussion of sorts. Any more details on those will come when they are concrete.

I’m not complaining about my workload, I’m all the more happy with it. I am, however, complaining about the lack of energy I have to accomplish these things. I need to get some Red Bull or something.

3) Satisfaction - There’s a tangible amount of satisfaction I feel after posting something. Based on the topical relevance of the piece, the overall gravity of the piece, or the length of the piece. Usually, after I post something lengthy and heavy like the recent NaDruWriNi or the SCIII Pure Play Experience stuff, I feel satisfied. And by satisfied, I mean that my need to post, to write, my hunger to do such things are satiated for longer.

I make many analogies relating webcomics to food. Food is something I definitely know about. You could tell that much just by looking at me. But the food analogy runs deeper. Because after I’ve consumed my daily webcomics and/or written my piece, I feel satisfied. Like after a meal. It’s like, “Ok. I’ve eaten, and it was splendid. I’m not going to have to eat for a while.” And I don’t. Because I’m not hungry.

And I find myself enjoying writing fewer, longer posts over more frequent, shorter posts. The quality vs. quantity bag. This leads to…

4) Quality - I’m not going to do any sort of post unless I think it’s important or worth writing. I’m not. I don’t think I need to tell you “I’ve got nothing.” You can see that if I haven’t updated or if I haven’t popped up in your RSS feed. I’m rarely, if ever, going to take a day’s post and make it about stuff that isn’t webcomics (or a game). Because that defies this site’s purpose: writing about webcomics, games, and other related things and events. Writing about myself takes a big ol’ backseat. Because hey: That’s what a LiveJournal is for.

And before some sort of internet drama stirs up, let me explain something: The regulations I set for myself is not the conduct that I believe all others should follow. I say this because of the recent goings-on at Websnark, regarding what people thought he should be writing about. To which I would respond, “Whatever he damn well feels like.” And that’s important, because each of us writers have a totally different approach to things, as well as a totally different kind of content.

Eric and Weds cover the spectrum, they’ll write about anything and everything. Andrew reads entire webcomic archives, and then reviews them, which is awesome because that’s a heavy investment of time. Gilead gets straight to the point with writing about two things: The comics he’s currently reading (meta), and what’s going on in the comics he’s reading (snarks). Robert is a heavy hitter on the frequency of quality posts, in addition to his fan fiction. Zampzon and Daku do a podcast. Ping dedicates her time to digging up relative unknown webcomic gems. The Webcomics Examiner dissects webcomic art down to the atom. And Will is the resident loveable curmudgeon.

Me, I’m satisfied maintaining the stream-of-consciousness stuff.

So the fact is that there are plenty of us doing the criticism thing. If you don’t like the way one of us does it, one of the others is bound to suit you. And I’ll be satisfied knowing you read criticism at all, even if it’s not me.

It’s about the dialogue.

And that was a hell of a tangent, speaking of stream-of-consciousness. But I hope I’ve sufficiently explained my station. The infrequency is in no way reflective of my feelings toward the site, but a culmination of all the above things. I’ll still be here, and when I’ve got something to say, I’ll damn well say it.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for coming back.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 14th, 2005 at 3:44 am and is filed under My Life, Site Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.