Talk < Walk

My reply lag with e-mails is getting worse and worse - this despite the fact that I've been spending more and more time trying to get caught up.

Every week I'll spend a full work day just replying to messages, sometimes two days. I did the research and found that weeks have only seven days - and after doing some calculations, realized that online upkeep is starting to take a huge bite out of our productivity. Especially after considering the weekly Prelude work, it just doesn't leave enough time to effectively focus on graphic novel production.

The difficult fact that I'm facing up to is that I need to drastically cut down on my e-mail load... Difficult, because to date I've placed a lot of value on remaining available to our readers. Personally replying to questions, feedback, and encouragement has been a gratifying experience. Additionally, I feel like I kind of owe readers an attentive response... After all, they give us and our work attention, the least I can do is reciprocate.

That's why I have such mixed feelings about beginning to reduce my level of contact. But when it finally boils down, I think our readership as a whole wants to read new Dreamkeepers comics more than anything else. Corresponding with readers has been a pleasurable facet of our endeavor - but, readers of what? I don't want to transform into an online Social Sally, basking in attention for past accomplishments while Dreamkeepers languishes in limbo. And as our fan base slowly grows, that is becoming an ever greater possibility.

At the end of the day, I have to do what it takes to keep our focus on moving the story forward.

Now, I'm not saying don't ever contact us - we love hearing from you guys! We enjoy reading your letters, your ideas, your questions, and your fabulously restorative encouragement. I just want everyone to understand what's going on when it takes me ages to reply to you. I'm not squatting in some imaginary ivory tower, feeling too superior to mingle: We just have a lotta story to tell, and it’s not drawing itself.

E-mails relating to purchases are a little different, of course - I can’t well run a business by ignoring requests and questions about transactions. But when it comes to other correspondence, it’s likely to be on the back burner for awhile.

The upside is that, for those interested in how we’re doing, I should actually have more time to keep you posted via twitter, facebook(soon) and this blog. So albeit a bit less personal, updates on Dreamkeepers and ourselves should be more frequent and easier to come by.
And the biggest upside, of course, is that we will be busy effectively creating Dreamkeepers books.

That’s what I’m here to do.