In Flux | Commentary (Patreon)

Before saying that this story arc is coming to an end I sat down and wrote out the rest of the story arc so I could give a heads up and inform you about how long it will be until the end of the arc.

That said, things still change.

May's pages haven't exactly followed what I wrote, but also haven't varied too far from it.

This kind of stuff happens all the time, but it's good for me to use it as an example now as these most recent changes in the story are still fresh in my mind.

Mostly for this batch of pages, the same stuff happens, but the way it happens differs. For example:

Stephanie was going to cook for her family

Stephanie was going to call the Language Trader before seeing her in person

There was a few panels commenting on how many selfies Lexi has sent Steph, making it harder for her to scroll back in her phone to find the "student visa" comment.

I cut a page of Steph and the Trader talking. It was just too long and didn't add anything.

I added a page at the airport. I was going to jump to Steph coming home.

Ultimately the story and the content is all the same. I just do an additional draft when I draw, and a final draft of the script when I do the letters.

As we near the end of this arc, I am spending much more time writing and rewriting each page. Every panel and every word is precious. I want to use them effectively.

There are a bunch of pages that get the one draft treatment. I've thought them through so many times in my head before sitting down that I have it all stored up there, and I can just sit down and draw.

Other pages force me to check and double check.

But I think it's important to know as a reader and those of you who create, nothing is final until it is published. Things change and can continue to change as better and/or cleaner options are discovered.

I tend to think of that as an advantage. Each time we sit down we revisit what we previously thought, we bring what is new about us and add it to the story.