The Minimum Viable Story

What is the number one way to get better at your craft? It doesn't have anything to do with techniques, tools, or networking. It's the cycle of finishing things, getting feedback, then using that information to make your next finished project even better. In this video I talk how to remove a major roadblock keeping you from finishing your project.

Books I mention in this video (note, these are Amazon affiliate links, and I will make some money if you end up buying one):

Support my Patreon!

My art books!

Music by Epidemic Sound

[renookami]

As videogame dev' goes, we call that:
"If your presentation is 90% story and you clearly have no idea about gameplay, don't try to make a RPG. Make a visual novel"

[KeshArt]

I've watched this video twice now and gonna listen to it again while I draw today. The hiking story is so perfect. I've placed a lot of importance on product based projects for a while now but I always kept failing at completing my projects. So instead of trying the same strategy again, I started working on starting and finishing Mini projects. In fact I have a goal of completing 3-5 mini projects in the next couple of months and I've finished one(yet to be shipped) and nearing completion 2 more. And this series is really helping me understand stay on that path.

And also, Jake! So glad you back the YouTube game. 2 a month sounds perfect! And I'd be looking forward to each.

[xxDigitalKlanxx]

I seen so many videos talking about how to start but you are great thank you so much

[vernedmonds]

"I love it, I love it, I love it!" PROCESS is the key! Everyone wants the victory without having to go through the steps to gaining it. When you learn to SUFFER, when you learn to BUILD, when you learn to WIN and LOSE small battles, then the bigger battle becomes more simple. I love your analogy and story on your hiking trip with your son and the group of sons and dads. If you all never took those small excursions on the weekend, your bodies would've gave out far before the halfway mark. Now I understand and see why my middle school, high school, and college math teachers and professors say, "Show your work. The process is actually more victorious than the victory itself. Mr. Parker this message you put out actually speaks beyond what you even realize! Thank you so much for taking the time and putting this message to work! Blessings @Jake Parker

[ChaunceyBlakey]

Thank you, Jake, for helping me to dial back my scope. I believe a lot of creators like me struggle with seeing the "cathedral" & becoming lost in it.
To listen to a creator with epic accomplishments to say it's greatest to focus on developing smaller projects before the epic one... is surprisingly a simple idea that hits hard for us creators with grand visions.

Thank you!

[paulgradinaru]

Oh yeah, and for me as a procrastinator and never finishing anything, "finished not perfect" is the best mantra. Thanks!

[bonesjones]

Another great video Jake. I really appreciate the advice you've shared. "Finished, not perfect" and "You need a product, not a project" have been two of my favorites.

[SmallGuyStudio]

Great video :)
Some ideas I always tell ppl when they say they have no ideas how to start..
-Start small, 8-12 pages, esp if you are not good at telling short gag
-write about your life/surrounding, something you care instead of an epic tale
-Write things down, keep a notebook, note down everything you think of ( but of cos not get obsessed with it)
-Just draw it, start with stick figures, sketch the layout, put them away after finishing and come back after a few hours or days.

Cheers :)

[julien]

Thank you so much, I wish I could tell that to my teachers... I'm currently doing a comic book bachelor, and what frutrates me the most is that instead of working on many projects, we work on very few that we constantly show to the teachers who always tell us to tweak or change a few things to make it better. It's good because it teaches us to think about our stories and to doubt, to not always go for the first thing that comes to mind. But the huge backside to it is that in the end we spend very little time drawing the final product, and by the end of the year we'll have achieved three school projects. Which means to me that we don't get to fail enough to properly learn the art of comic book making. I remember another art youtuber saying that the difference between an amateur and a professionnal artist is the professionnal has made a several thousand more mistakes than the amateur. Anyway thank you for that video, I might show it to my teachers :)

[octaviaroodt]

I'm finishing my Master's on comics, specifically to actually finish a bloody comic! You have been CRUCIAL to my journey, Jake!!! I'm going to finish the living daylights out of the 3 stories I need. Finished not perfect. Minimum viable story. Worldbuilding only for what will actually appear in the story. Got it.

[jeffreyheyer]

Found this video very helpful. I always come up with ideas that's to grand in scale, get frustrated and overwhelmed and stop after 3 pages. Drawing isn't the issue for me it's always the writing or lack of writing. Always come up with images in my head for paneling a comic, and jump start into that and after words I'm scratching my head about dialogue or caption to help move the story along.

[TheJungaBoon]

What helps for me is blocking out an hour every day purely for working on my comic project. No matter what, I have to do that 1 hour of drawing the comic. So far, I've been able to complete 6 chapters (roughly 150 pages) in the past year with what spare timr I have. It's important to turn it into a habit.

[farmerfox]

This is very timely and on point. Thank you.

[JessieEffendi]

This is probably the advice I needed to hear. I always have these big ideas in my head and I know what all the big plot points could be. But when it comes to writing everything in between I get stuck. So maybe shorter stories to start with are more manageable. I’ve been thinking about revisiting some story ideas once I finish a small project I’m working on, so thanks for the inspiration!

[toonsketch]

I listend to you....first i made comic strips then a bit bigger comic strips, then 2 to 3 page comics, then 5 to 10 page comics, and now i'm working on my big 20 to 25 page comic

[tedbragg]

I had to go back to a flip phone to get rid of the draining distractions. My mind cleared, my heart lost all the social media cynicism— And my creativity and artistic drive returned with a roar. My first book is now half done and I’ve never been happier.

[MizantropMan]

What I realised on my journey is that the idea is more important than the skill.

When you know what you want to create, you'll find a way to draw it, even if your art isn't at the level of a pro, it's just going to take more time and effort.

Without the idea, you can doodle and, hell, if the skill is high enough, people will love even the doodles, but you are not going to get far with that.

Now then. TO THE SKETCHBOOK!

[CWARrated]

This is so helpful. My biggest take away from this talk...Finished, not perfect and Work on small projects that give you practice before the bigger project. Thanks Jake.

[joseamaral]

I'm a brasilian boy and i am a big fan of you office

[damagebrain]

You won my subscription with only these video, I needed the info