ZUDA THIRTY – THIRTY GOLDEN RULES

So that’s it then. All of Zuda reviewed. Now, will someone tell me why I thought that was going to be easy?So difficult was it that it’s thrown all my plans further back than I would’ve liked. Well, this coming October … don’t expect too much! This blog will be taking another holiday to get over the last one. I’m going to develop a couple or five other projects and I’ll be around on this blog just to let you know how they’re getting along and whenever I need a break (from that holiday). Also I’ll be thinking what the actual content for this blog might be come November. Ideas?

Anyhow, just to finish off September and the Zuda blow-out that was, I’ve distilled a few ideas into one of those handy to use lists the internet loves so much. The Thirty Golden Rules for a happy Zuda competition experience:

1. The planning: Do you have lots of friends? No? You must be a fantastic artist or a really great writer! Either way start making some now – you’ll need them later!
2. Do you have a strategy for precisely what will occupy your time during the competition – start making one. A month is a short time in Zudaland.
3. Facebook and Twitter are two obvious social networking tools, but there are many avenues to go down – start looking down them. Ask your peers on the message boards – it’s a great resource.
4. Don’t even think about spending any serious money! Even for writers there are alternatives and all of them better than spending hard-earned cash.
5. Think about the last few winners – are you willing to compete against the best of them in terms of quality or even marketing – can you drum up 600 votes?
6. The Project: Is this the story you always wanted to tell, or the story you always wanted to sell? Make it both if you can.
7. Get on with it (that’s your story not your entry). No more slow builds please! Start with an earthquake or at least something vaguely interesting!
8. Writers – read your script aloud until you don’t laugh (unless it’s supposed to be funny). Get someone to proof read it for grammar and spelling.
9. By all means show it to other people for an opinion – but not your friends. And take that opinion with a big pinch of salt.
10. Don’t rush it (that’s your entry not your story)! Don’t spoil it all with crappy lettering and bad (or even no) colours at the last minute.
11. Colour it: or more accurately consider the colour – do something appropriate, but don’t leave it unfinished.
12. Letter it properly: does it look even vaguely like any lettering you’ve ever seen in any comic book before? Is it legible?
13. If you’ve chosen to tell a familiar story you have to tell it better than anyone else has ever told it before.
14. If you’ve decided to go the original or obscure route be prepared to explain everything as if to an idiot – think of me if it helps.
15. Give as much of the story away as possible. You ain’t going to surprise anyone. We’ve seen it all before. Well, I have.
16. If you think you’re going to lose. Get back to work on that comic!!!
17. The Competing: When you get into the competition show a little respect for those above and below you. You all deserve to be in the competition.
18. Be prepared to lose. There’s only a one in ten chance of winning so come to terms with it now.
19. The difference between coming in first or coming in last might be a lot finer than you think and some real talents have come in last already.
20. Don’t give up after the first ranking, there’s still a lot to fight for and like a good runner – dip at the line!
21. Stay cool and let everyone think, win or lose, that you are a great guy or gal to work with. Who knows what offers may materialise.
22. Pimp yourself about, but do it with a sense of humour. Don’t annoy people with repeated pleas in the same place again and again and again.
23. The Aftermath: Be gracious in defeat or victory. The game is only beginning. Comics existed before and after this little battle.
24. If you won – it simply gets tougher – you have to deliver 52 more screens that get better as they go along!
25. Keep marketing that winning strip – you have to keep your game head on to grab that second season … and then the third, etc.
26. Even if you lost there’s still a good deal of pimping you can do – Zuda is not the only game in town.
27. Be nice to all the friends you made and those that helped out – you might need their help again.
28. Win or lose – keep the momentum going! Make this effort feed your next effort.
29. Remember it was a competition – in the real world of being a professional creative the battle is with yourself not other people.
30. In Conclusion: Don’t believe everything you read … especially not here. Make your own rules and you’ll never lose. Yay! I won again!

Keep these thoughts in mind, vote for my comic when it appears, and feel free to let me know anything I missed.

Now it’s time for a break … ahhh …