life, and how it may interfere with the comic.

[RiESC]

yeah, no doubt. i may have to go buy some
relevant books with my paycheck.

oh yeah, i got a call back for an interview today.
so that's a step in the right direction. 

[Zarabadoo]

i recommend the O'reilly books. they tend to be some of the best manuals out there.

[RiESC]

Well, let's see. It's been a while, hasn't it.
i've got a new job, but i'm only working 8 hours a week.
i'm working with the Edmonton Small Press Association, doing digital archiving.
It may only be for a month, depending on the funding they can get.
And i'm now totally out of money. There are a few debts to call in, but
it's not much. i'm not entirely sure how i'm going to pay my rent next month.

i don't want to ask for donations, in part because i don't want to put any
onus of responsibilty on my friends and/or fans. That, and i'm not sure how
much help it'll be in the end. 

so yeah, i've been a little bummed lately. Moreso than usual.

[RiESC]

so i've got a new job at the moment (actually since late July). i'm working at a local comic store, mainly to upgrade and maintain their website, but also to help around the store and sit behind the register. i'm also still working at the ESPA (in theory - they don't currently have the money to retain my services, but when they do i can go back), so the money front is not too bad right now. However, i'm still only making about $600-700 a month, which sadly isn't enough to start paying down my credit card. still, things could be worse i suppose.

[Monki]

That's not too bad, then. I'm sure things will pull through for you and you'll get everything taken care of.

[RiESC]

So, some of you may have noticed that i've been having difficulty producing comics over the past couple of weeks. To be honest, i'm not really sure why. i've posted a bit about this subject in my blog, and i think what i'm going to have to do is what i did earlier this year, and move back to a once-a-week schedule. And i might have to stick with that schedule, until i get my act together and learn how to make comics efficiently again. See, right now my life is a little chaotic, with two part-time jobs (with no fixed schedule) and a bunch of volunteer activities that take up a lot of my time, and i've been unable to find the energy or joy of making comics lately. So more often than not, when i do have a spare moment, i'm not willing or interested in sitting down at the drawing table. It sucks, i know, but that's how things are for me right now.

Hopefully things can improve.
One can always hope.

[hexadecimal]

As much as i would miss getting regular updates, if you need to back off from Deathworld for a while, then do it.  Nothing is worse than forcing yourself to do something for which you don't have the passion anymore.  It's a waste of your time, and worse, you could end up betraying everything you've done by simply putting things out because they have to be out, and not because they're ready to be out.

As you said, it has been eleven years, and you've put out 779 strips.  In itself, that is a huge achievement.  You've certainly earned a break from it all.

[RiESC]

well, work has been picking up lately, and i've been moved to three regular shifts a week. Which is nice, as i can now afford to pay for more than just my rent and bills. Getting some real food will be nice for a change. However, with all the bicycling back and forth to work generally means i'm dead-tired when i get home, and don't feel like doing much of anything beyond plopping down in front of the TV or computer. i'm a little annoyed and frustrated at myself, as this has been the absolute worst year for me in terms of making comics. i keep trying to remember that there are people who genuinely enjoy the comic and that they'd be sad if it ended abruptly, but i'm not sure i can even promise a proper finale at this point. i'm going to keep trying though, so hopefully that trust in me is not in vain.

but yeah, i need to take a little break for the time being.

[Monki]

Take all the time ya need, buddy. A happy, well rested Rudi is much more important than a comic. 

[RiESC]

So, some news for me if you did know about it already -- the comic store i work at has opened a third location in town (much closer to where i live), and i've been "promoted" in a sense; i've been given full-time hours and a higher salary to go with my greater responsibility (basically, i'm an assistant manager now). Of course, that means even less time & energy to put towards the various comic projects i attempt to create. Likely that means the webcomic schedule will stay at one update per week from now on. i realize that doing this now, when i'm asking for donations, may not be the wisest move, but i don't really see any way around it. Still, it's nice to know that i won't be hurting for money nowadays, and that i'm working in a field that most people find enviable.

For the next little while, at least, i plan to do a bunch of gag comics using the fan-created characters and minor players in my little world. i do this mainly to try to re-ignite my interest in the comic -- i hope that the stress and moods i get into from writing all the drama that's been going on lately will go away if i'm having fun making the comic again. We'll see.

[Swashbunny]

I'm liking last weeks comic a lot, but then I may be a tiny bit biased
I'm guessing it's kinda nice to just play around with Deathworld a little.

Also, congratulations on the promotion! While it gives you a little less free time, it's nice to know you're a little more financially secure (especially with Christmas coming up!)