Reinbach is on Winter Break Next Week!

It's that time again! Once in the summer and once in the winter each year, I take a week off from the comic to recharge. Though if you've been around awhile you may notice I'm going a little earlier than my usual December timeline. The big takeaway is that I'll be off from the main comic next week, but other rewards like the TRW Strips will still be posted as usual. If you'd like details, please read on!

The truth is I ran into a bit of a snag in the script of the current scene. Soon after starting it, (as in right after introducing Isaac and Parker in the diner together) I started the next page and....promptly realized that what I had written wasn't going to work. It would take over a month to draw something I only just then found out would be boring to read and pointless for anything but setting up a later scene that didn't really need setting up. 

Longtime followers know this isn't the first time I've discovered I messed up something plot-wise once I'm down in the trenches and it's too late to start over. (When I was writing Switch this happened like once a month and it shows.) I like to think I've become a better writer since then, and am able to adapt and rework mistakes more efficiently. The problem is, that can take time. 

So here's where I'm at: That later scene I mentioned for Parker is going down right now instead. For what it's worth, I don't think it will feel rushed narratively in spite of the circumstances. The challenge is merging that future scene into the one I'd already started. Can I do it? I think I can just fine, actually. But it will involve planning out every letter of dialog in this entire scene ahead of time to make sure I don't write myself into another hole, and frankly that's more than I have time to manage in one week.  

And so I'm cashing in my winter vacation to give this scene the attention it requires. For those of you who worry about me overworking by not taking a real vacation, I assure you that giving myself room to breathe and not screw up my comic is the greatest remedy for stress and anxiety I can imagine right now. The very thought of not having to rush next week is already chilling me out. 

And that covers it! See you guys this weekend with some sketches and live streams, and I hope you like how this scene with Parker plays out!