Why Am I Like This? 😬 The Art of Losing an Audience on Webtoons

🚨AWESOME WEBCOMIC CHANNELS🚨 (with less fluctuation 😂)
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‪@HugeFrigginGuy‬ / @hugefrigginguy
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#tea #webtoonscontest #legendscontest #genre #category #webtoonartist

[@nachiii7]

Thank you for this video. I really admire that although you talk about you not being successful and basically your dream not coming true, you can do it in such a lighthearted way and laugh about yourself. I think it is important to be able to do that. I suppose many, many of us are not successful with their comics and they either stop to care, but most likely eventually give up. Everyone could learn from you! I hope your hard work and passion pays off one day, so I wish you the best of luck in the contest :) Awesome that you found your genre!

[@lamMeTV]

Cant be inconsistent if you cant start :smart:

[@ndbern42]

lol!!! you had my brain go..............OH! 😂

[@eL.N.M.]

This is so relatable :( I always yapped a lot that I'm going to do this and that, but then suddenly a lot of thing happened outside of my control. Like suddenly I had to be a caregiver and it took most of my time and energy which made me put off my webtoon for a while. I've already made a promise and they must be very disappointed in me :(

[@trini9887]

I was in the exact same position :( I started losing subscribers and I just know the readers are fed up with the slow updates,,,,

[@ndbern42]

Oh no, some things are so completely out of our powers! I'm sorry this happened to you, that sucks. I can only recommend to read the comments in this comment section, they apply to you too, and they are so soothing!

[@talt_lo]

the honesty in this video 😭 i've experienced the fluctuation many many times. but truth is, there is no way of knowing until you've tried it. i spent 4-5 weeks writing 3 series for the contest (a drama, action, and horror) but i scrapped them all. now i'm doing a comedy and it's going really great lol. also, I'm excited to hear you are entering in the "most gripping" category! that is genius

[@ndbern42]

WOW, that's what I call commitment!! I'm sure scrapping all these stories somehow got your creative fluids going? lol, it would be a perfect circle if now your comedy was about someone writing a drama, action and then horror and then ending up scrapping it! Anyway, thank you so much for sharing, I'm so glad other people do similar things at their writing/ drawing desks as me XD

[@talt_lo]

@ndbern42 you're right. In hindsight, it did help get the juices flowing! and hopefully I can revisit my scrapped series someday, without the restraint of the contest

[@ndbern42]

oh definitely don't throw them away :) finding old stuff like that on a hard drive can be very wholesome!

[@AwesomeGuy0212]

I am like this too 😅 I just started my KZbin channel tho so I haven't broken my audience's trust yet. Thanks for the pointers 😁

[@millymiho2608]

Yes yes I am that very person who is terrible at being inconsistent. I appreciate you greatly for making this video and opening up to us about being inconsistent, and not being active on socials, thats me all day! Your the best bern thank you thank you! I have adhd, and I've only recently found it about it..well its going on 3 years now since. But still to this day I am all over the place, jumping from project to project and never finishing anything important or I just stop entirely because... I dunno just because *sad face*. But I am getting a just a bit better now that i'm taking meds to help me focus more. But I still have my moments. You mentioned you've gotten involved with other creator that critics your webcomic. May I ask how do you go joining? I'd very veeeery much like to become apart of that circle and have someone to read and share their thoughts on my current webcomic. Its for the contest! And I currently don't have anyone to share with 😢. Please and as always, great video!

[@daniellaemeline]

Don't pressure yourself too much. At the end of the day, we are writing for ourselves. It's OK to write anything we love, there will always be an audience for a darker-themed story. And let's ignore the audience loss and schedule. We draw because we want to share our story. Making webtoons is not our main job, we're here to have fun. 😆

[@ndbern42]

That is 100% true! I think as long as I have the capacity, I will also be trying to improve things. but should I have less energy for that one day, I'll resort to just draw the thing and dont care 😄

[@bleachedout805]

You are one of the smart ones.

[@OatmealandPeaches]

I know the feeling. I usually start on like 4 projects at the same time and all if hardly one gets a chapter. I’ve since combined and simplified my story and had to kill my darlings and it hurts but there a feeling of relief when I ether trim down the lore or even forget entirely dose my story need like 7gods and 50 demigods heck no. I very much need to improve but it’s awesome to see people see people take a chance to cut or change some things , it definitely makes the creative process super fun and gets my brain reflecting on my own story.

[@ndbern42]

haha, but the demi-gods are the most fun!! jk, totally get your story trimming massacre is on the one hand very brutal for you and at the same time a big relief! I'm doing the exact same thing, I'm merging characters I never thought I could merge XD Agreed, I looove to edit my story! but the thought of my waiting readers (bc surely they have nothing better to do) is killing me

[@RosesnWater]

I did a bunch of flashbacks that people were NOT happy about ^^' it might be that they just have to read it all at once, or possibly (tho I'm terrified of this result) the flashbacks have turned people off. it's important to set the emotional stakes for the story but maybe I flipped too much between the past and present?? either way I"m going to have to keep trying and then maybe go back and edit ^^' I love your videos, you accent is excellent and super calming. I also appreciate how you go so in depth into the psychology of webcomic making. You and Apollo have that in common ^^

[@ndbern42]

What why don't they like flashback scenes? I love them, haha! oh no, I'm sorry you made that experience too, I think the forgetfulness of readers really does contribute to not staying around for the rest of the story... Thank you so much for the nice compliments, I'm blushing because I think my accent is a bit cringy, so reading this that calms my mind! Ah that's great, Apollo and I get along really well, we have some different approaches but also lots of similarities :)

[@fattackycats]

Guuuuurl I am fantastic at fluctuating too 😂 I began my canvas series back in 2019 and it has been rebooted twice with several hiatuses. I went on a break last year in March and I still have not returned to it. Now I’m also working on a brand new comic for the contest lol. It happens to most of us artists. I think the mistake I made, and a lot of us, is starting with too big of a story when we aren’t ready. I also work a full-time office job that drains my time and energy. I balance a lot of crap in my life, and I have days where I feel like a failure because I haven’t made a living off of art yet and I’m slaving away at the drawing tablet making a free comic and it’s gotten me no where. But those feelings are quickly brushed aside if I remind myself that at the end of the day, I make art because I love the process of it, and I won’t ever stop. I’m also very guilty of saying I’m gonna do something and then not doing it, like eating better or cleaning the house or working on such-and-such project etc. so, I’ve learned to just shut my dang mouth and not tell anyone anything if I haven’t either A.) completed the task yet, or B.) gotten well into it first before blabbing about it. It’s hard to not want to share our ambitions as creative people because we love praise and sharing our ideas with the world. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of talking and not doing. And growing an audience seems impossible if we don’t blab about ourselves and our projects online! I’m really looking forward to this contest for several reasons. I think it’s going to be a wonderful opportunity to meet other artists and connect with people. ☺️✨I’ve been tuning into Apollo’s livestreams as much as I can so I will be sharing my contest entry with that group once the time comes. It makes me feel good that there are others talking about it and just generally being enthusiastic about comics and webtoon. Can’t wait to read your entry, Bern! The thriller genre will probably be less competitive than romance and action, so you have an even better shot >;3

[@ndbern42]

Ah this is gold, thank you so so much for sharing! This really comforts me, your life sounds similar to mine XD And you're 100% right, the most important thing is to make art for our own pleasure!! Yeah, that's great, you have a reading group too?! Again thank you, that was very wholesome to read!

[@Te3time]

I'm curious if you've ever watched that video of the guy who spent 15(?) years writing one comic? In that video he said something like if he kept that same pace with every comic he'd only be able to tell like 2-3 more stories in his life and that really stuck with me. Anyway I think this is really common in every creative field I definitely know it happens all the time in gamedev circles too haha. And it's true telling people about big plans will make you feel like you've already accomplished them. Probably even more so online where people will hype you up easily.

[@ndbern42]

lol, I have watched it! That man is a genius. His story is more worth than his comic at this point. Love what he created and I don't care how long it took! You're right, it is an online effect, for sure haha. Maybe I'm enjoying this way too much 🙄

[@delfi__arts]

I understand where you're coming from because I feel the same way, but it's very unfair to demand so much from yourself considering this isn't your job (yet). When you have people paying to read your comics or a contract with a company like webtoons you have to deliver on your promises, but where you are right now, a creator on canvas, you have struggles such as making time on your personal life to work on your comic, and you're in no way losing the trust of your audience (at least not from the ones who actually care about you and your stories) thank you for opening up tho! It's a great video, and I truly love Izza's story, I'll wait for as long as it takes to read all the versions you throw at us!

[@ndbern42]

Oh man, it's really eye opening to read this, thank you so much for being very clear on that. I think I'm trying hard to people pleas over on webtoons. You are absolutely right and it's so motivating to know that someone like (who makes comics like you do) you will be around to read the story so 100% appreciated!!

[@HugaMoga]

i've been working on the same story idea for years. the furthest i've gotten with it is chapter 1. 🥴 i keep tweaking the idea, the characters, the world, the story and i still haven't settled on exact genre. i was starting to get discouraged because i haven't been progressing but it's nice to know i'm not the only one struggling with this. 😅

[@ndbern42]

You are definitely not the only one, look at this comment section! Ah I get your struggles so much and for me the genre thing helped.. maybe that or something else might help you too, or just go rogue and do whatever makes your comic heart sing :)

[@pantheontalks]

Thanks for the shoutout! 😊 honestly imo I’ve been the most productive when I’ve been in writing or art groups. Plus you can learn so much from others experiences and skills. Also this is your journey and you’re doing amazing… tbh creating and sharing your creation is 99% of the battle.

[@ndbern42]

Thank you Apollo! For me it's just utterly fascinating how people who give advice on one thing on the internet can get so lost in their own project :D It always takes some outside perspective if you're in the middle of it, it seems.

[@JulieSteam]

Honestly I watch you because you're so relatable. I rewrote my story and redrew the first chapter 3 different times all the while changing my artstyle and figuring out the themes I wanted to explore. I spend around five years working on this comic only to really love it right now. (Coincidently, right when this contest drops). And fortunately I already had two big chapters done so I'm in the process of editing them and finishing the third one. And I make youtube videos about it because I'm too embarrassed to talk about it to my friends ahah

[@ndbern42]

@julieSteam first: I had NO IDEA you have a channel!!! Like whaaat?! youtube algorithm, shame on you! Or did I know and forgot about it again??? I always loove your takes in my comment section so I'm heading right over there!🏃🏻‍♀️💨 Your relationship with your current comic sounds like a very healthy love relationship to me: you have to work on it and be patient sometimes, to make it work out! and now you get to release it for the contest? that's awesome! best of luck for your precious "baby" as I like to call mine sometimes XD

[@JulieSteam]

@@ndbern42 Oh thanks that's so nice of you !😲 And yes my comic brings me lot of joy, but also I don't have any external pressure since it's not posted anywhere yet. And totally, this comic is my baby XD I'm pretty impatient to show it to the world, even if it's ten people

[@Kalmiiaaa]

Omg, what! I’ve watched your videos for a while now, thanks for linking my video in your description! 💖🙌 I also TOTALLY relate with the inconsistency 😭 I basically said “screw an upload schedule” with my past comic and posted whenever I could, which usually meant anywhere from 2-5 weeks between updates lol. It definitely takes a lot of discipline to upload regularly or even have any sort of consistency within comics, that’s for sure!!

[@ndbern42]

Hi oh man, I apologize for the blunt mention in the description! you're very welcome! I watched your video while I was uploading mine, so I decided /at least/ I can mention it in my description. Looking really forward to more, you're a natural! 😍 super exited to see new youtuber webtoonartists pop up every now and then!

[@Kalmiiaaa]

@ Oh, you’re totally fine! I appreciate it! I love knowing that some people enjoyed the video! I also love finding new webtoon/artist tubers! I feel like there’s a big niche there that can definitely be filled haha, I crave that type of content allll the time.

[@Boniae]

I totally understand the frustration. It's hard to write a story in a new genre or try to experiment with your art if your audience is very much used to what you used to do. Doesn't make what you're doing "bad" in any way though, it's just that your target audience for that specific story is different. I'm also really glad to hear you've been getting your comic read/critiqued! It's really satisfying to get feedback, nerve-wracking but really satisfying haha. In terms of my own fluctuations, my comic went through many experimental phases (some pages were literal pencil sketches, some years it was in full color until I realized I couldn't do full color, then filtered color, and now it's temporarily in black and white so I can prioritize finishing it) the good news is sometimes the imperfections we obsess over aren't always our downfalls. I'm still really shocked that I have gotten a few comments that said "I love watching how your style has evolved over the years and how you've experimented" when I used to hate how inconsistent my artwork for the comic was LOL. Naturally you may lose readers over time just due to the fact webcomics are a slow process. But at the end of the day you'll find your right audience over time. Good luck on your webtoon, if you are entering something in the contest!!🎉I'm not often on webtoons, but I really love your work, and have been putting your comic on TBR list for a very long time. Hoping to read more webcomics in 2025!!

[@ndbern42]

yes, feedback is definitely very nerve wracking haha! Thank you so much for your thoughts and insight, I find it very interesting that you say you draw your comic in b&w first to finish it firs. Actually that's something that really resonates with me and motivates me to finish the line work of my season 1 before rendering anything! Aw thank you so much for considering to read my comic, that's very motivating to know. SO I will try hard to get season 1 finished this year :)) Appreciate you, I wish you the best of luck with your story, too!

[@lunarticd9539]

At least you had the courage to post, I have no back bone and end up not posting any of my artwork or stories... I made an entry for call to action and never posted it. 😅 So consider yourself half way there lol

[@ndbern42]

It can be very hard to show art to the world, so I totally understand. For me, it took becoming 28 yrs old to post anything online, before that I had various stages of showing a bit more, and more. It only came gradually. Don't pressure yourself, as long as you enjoy making art for yourself, that's already great

[@MGComics]

You art is gorgeous! And I relate so much 😂 though I think I’m the queen of hiatus. Which is terrible. But making a comic (for free and with other obligations) it’s so hard, also growing the brand with KZbin it’s also important work that takes away from it. And you do great videos so there’s that. Best wishes and thanks for sharing the journey!

[@MGComics]

I’ve been very inconsistent indeed, people were so understanding… But now I haven’t posted in 5 years. I’m so ashamed 😂 partly being sick but also dragging my feet. So you can definitely feel better with my story hahaha

[@ndbern42]

It would be so funny if we now started competing for the title of "queen of hiatus" lol! Thank you so much, I'm so glad you think my content is any good, I appreciate it a lot! So I hope that you're doing well with your creation and that you will be as kind to yourself (in terms of hiatus) as you were with me, right here 🥰

[@ndbern42]

and I'm so sorry you're sick! feel better soon and it's not your fault! The human body does whatever a human body's gonna do, it sucks but we're powerless sometimes...

[@HugeFrigginGuy]

If you haven't considered abandoning your project and walking into the sea, are you even really a creator? Jokes aside (please no one walk into the sea) the self doubt, second guessing and thoughts of leaving it all behind are certainly familiar to me, and I would wager the vast majority of people who have ever worked on a long term project. It is good to periodically stop, reevaluate and plan accordingly whenever you are working on a multi phase project, even if that evaluation yields the conclusion to abandon it. But please! Don't walk away from your project any time soon! You really have come so far, and learned so much I am absolutely looking forward to how this latest version comes together.

[@ndbern42]

I just dipped my toe, swam a few laps in the lovely sea and am now ready to get out of the water and back on track wit my story 😄 Thank you for calling me back, it definitely helps to feel a bit less silly about my countless trials to keep my feeble comic baby alive :))

[@somethingsomething7798]

I love your videos so much!! You seem like a really hard working person and you inspire me to work on my own comic

[@ndbern42]

It truly warms my heart to read it's inspiring!! thank you so much! YES, do it! even though I have no hope/expectations to win, I feel it's exciting and motivating to have that deadline and accountability I normally don't have. It's a great moment to re-think ones story (and get off track, like me XD) best of luck!

[@steveavery4517]

All love - because I honestly think it’s awesome you share your journey with all of us and you are always honest about it but 2 things constantly stand out to me when I watch your videos. 1) I don’t think Webtoon will ever really be a great place for you. Sorry, but it’s too trendy and too… fake? Mind you- you could find an audience. It’s possible. But I also feel like it’s such a waste of time for you to chase that. It sounds trite but I mean this - do what you want to do for you. The audience will come. Maybe a smaller one but they will exist. But chasing numbers and feeling like you’re always competing with all the Webtoon crowd just sounds exhausting and defeating. And I hate seeing you feel that way because fuck that, you have a unique voice and people that appreciate it will find you. 2)…. I realize your art style is a constant source of torment for yourself… so I don’t mean to cause shit for you but your style reads as “animated adventure”. Like Dreamworks stuff from back when. All good but it boxes you. A lot. Personal opinion but you have to tell soft cute stories in that style. You seem to want to write edgier stuff…. Cool… but I feel like your art needs to edge up with that. Make a mess is what I’m saying. Don’t constantly redraw the same nose to get it just so. Let it be a little ugly. If your story has some ugly then your art can too. Look at things like chainsaw man for where I’m at there. All that to say I personally love what you’re doing but as a fellow creator who has wasted so much of my life I hate watching you toil through so much. I want to watch you just launch and take all of the work you do and just do a thing. Not giving a shit what people think. Just do it for you and they will feel that. Anyway…. Too much for a silly KZbin comment but I hope you can feel me behind you pushing for you to just kick some ass because I know that you can. Period.

[@ndbern42]

Wow, thank you for your honest comment, I appreciate it! I think I had people like you in mind when making this video, since I know how it all must sound. So I honestly appreciate you rooting for me and am at the same time a bit embarrassed that my content makes you feel this way XD Gladly I'm at a point where i can confidently say I wanna make action/thriller whatever, for a more drama oriented (female?) audience. While i really like comics like chainsawman and the artstyle too, I'm more on the semi realistic course, to use realistic expressions to help the audience see what a character feels (not that this is not possible with "messier" artstyles, it's just another approach) And that can look as you describe, way too perfectionist and clean. It's very interesting to read your thoughts on it, that's for sure! Apart form that you're right, Webtoon is not the place for me. I will never turn my comic into a classic webtoon. so I'm careful to only pay attention to advice that is generally useful for crafting stories in films, series, and comics and so on. AAAAnnnd: I will move to global comics and print, once I'm done with season 1, woop Thank you for rooting for me, Steve, I appreciate it!

[@llamasmeowing2061]

The only inconsistentcy I noticed was the president’s personality, in assassins don't cry, he seemed too goofy for the role he has in Edenlands. I really like assassins don't cry, and the adopted sisterhood that's written into the plot with Avani and Bon Bon. I can see it's getting pretty close to getting back to the main story soon, so I'm excited to see the moment from Avani's perspective

[@ndbern42]

wow, a reader!! hey thank you so much for reading and for noticing how I'm trying to tie it all together, that's so awesome! Plus you're a Llama, that gives extra points! Yes we're not so far from the original story, I'm now trying to cut the plot a bit shorter, to get there sooner! very excited for that!

[@Lizozaurus]

I love the intro😭

[@ndbern42]

XD

[@lunarticd9539]

Please don't mold your story according to others opinions. Your story must be a tale you want to tell. If the dark story is what you want to tell do it. We will read it... and follow it. If someone doesn't like it it's alright, the right audience is still out here.

[@ndbern42]

You're right! I think that's already worth it's own video, I forgot to talk about how I also ignored some advice but am trying to use the good advice for the story. quite an important detail, thank oyu for pointing this out, I very much agree.

[@lunarticd9539]

@ndbern42 no problem, I'm happy I was able to help

[@sanyaa4278]

Your video resonates with me so much because i've also been struggling to put it into a genre but i think its a supernatural thriller ? Not so sure yet but ive started drawing the comic and its also my first comic so im not expecting much, i just want to gain somewhat of an audience from it 😭 but it would be super helpful if there was someone who could tell me flaws about my comic and give me constructive criticism

[@Te3time]

Where can I read it?

[@ndbern42]

Thank you for your comment, I get 100% that you need feedback! I heard on pantheon talks' streams (here on youtube) people in the chat are forming reading circles, maybe you can ask there to join?

[@sanyaa4278]

​@ndbern42 thank you for the tip ! I always end up being late to his streams but I'll try and catch the next one

[@sanyaa4278]

​@Te3time it's not out yet it's for the contest

[@HalinaL-k7q]

ich weiß nicht, ob du das schonmal genau definiert hast in nem anderen video (oder jetzt in dem video, ich bin erst bei minute 4 xD), aber was genau wäre denn „erfolg“? wenn du damit geld machen würdest bzw. genug geld zum leben? oder eine bestimmte leserzahl/ kommentarzahl?

[@ndbern42]

Was für eine gute Frage, danke dafür! um ganz ehrlich zu sein: ich hätte schon gerne mal etwas mehr subs. Ziel wäre so um die 1'000, damit wäre ich happy; müsste aber auch genügend episoden bereit haben, um das Momentum aufrecht zu halten und die Leute nicht abzuhängen. In meiner Familie und meinem Freundeskreis ist es leider tatsächlich so, dass sich erst wer für mein Hobby interessieren würde, wenn ich entweder tausende von likes/subs hätte, oder Geld dmait verdienen würde... ich glaube das stresst mich voll und fühlt sich nach einer sehr "falschen" Motivation an. Ich arbeite derzeit an meiner Einstellung diesbezüglich. Sobald sich also meine Einstellung geändert hat, wäre ich wohl auch schon mit 1 Leser zufrieden, haha :) Wie siehst du das mit Erfolg? Bzw. wann du dich erfolgreich fühlst?

[@HalinaL-k7q]

Aaah, oki, das klingt aber wirklich gut erreichbar für dich, wenn du genug Backup hast. Ich finds aber so krass, wie man heutzutage einfach als privat Comic zeichnende Person so ein Momentum an den Tag legen muss, um Beachtung zu finden. Im Gegensatz dazu zB. auf der Seite Animexx (eine Uralte Seite für Anime und Manga Fans), auf der Leute seitenweise irgendwie seit 2010 einen Doujinshi hochladen, manchmal gefühlt eine Seite im Jahr und alle sind so geduldig. Einfach eine ganz andere Welt. Und dann sind die Seiten zt. einfach hingerotzt und hingesch… haha. Und alle so: „Jeyyh, eine neue Seite seit 2013. „ Und dann kommst du mit so einem highend, fancy, shiny, full color Comic um die Ecke, Story geil, Art einfach on fleek und dann lesen das „so wenige“ (eigl. sind 350 Leute ja auch nicht wenig, aber bezogen auf das, was möglich wäre), nur weil du nicht zweimal die Woche ne Episode raus haust. Das ist echt wild. Und ich will deinen Freunden und Familie nicht zu nahe treten, aber haben die Augen im Kopf? Was du erschaffst, ist einfach für sich Interesse wert. Und hat davon mal abgesehen auch das Potential, damit bekannt zu werden und Geld zu machen. Aber ob das passiert, ist ja teilweise auch einfach Glück. Oder braucht Connections, oder weiß nicht was. Ach ka, ich hoffe auf jeden Fall, dass dich das in Zukunft nicht mehr so quält und du trotzdem ne gigantische Leserschaft bekommst xD Hmm, und wie ich Erfolg für mich sehe? Puh, also ich hab jedes Jahr ein Paar Ziele, die ich gern erreichen würde und dieses Jahr möchte ich wirklich gerne meinen eigenen Comic abschließen bzw. erstmal die drei Episoden für den Webtoon Wettbewerb. Ich habe die Story soweit fertig, und eine Episode skizziert. Das wäre für mich schon echt ein Erfolg, weil ich hab 2010 das letzte Mal nen Comic abgeschlossen und der hatte nur 25 Seiten. Also erstmal ist es bezüglich Comic nur das und danach wär es aber schoon cool, vllcht ne Runde weiter zu kommen.

[@ndbern42]

Hab grad nicht viel Zeit zum Antworten, aber kraaaasss, was du da schreibst, ist sowas von augenöffnend!! das werde ich noch einige male lesen, das hatte jetzt echt gerade einen heftigen impact auf mich, einerseits beruhigend und andererseits gibt mir das echt viel Mut, dass vielleicht doch nicht alle abgehängt werden, haha! Deine Ziele klingen sehr gesund, ich denke so sollte man es handhaben. Baby steps und ab und zu mal etwas neues ausprobieren :))

[@HalinaL-k7q]

Hehe, das freut mich :) ich glaub, auch zu dem Thema gibts tausend Meinungen und Herangehensweisen, aber ich finde, wenn auf dem Weg der Spaß und die Passion für die eigenen Charaktere und so verloren geht, ist das irgendwie blöd.