I very much understand the urge to tell someone else how to do whatever it is they do. I even understand the joy of guessing what an author is going to do. I do these, and other annoying things, to other authors. It is hypocritical of me, but it’s something that exists in all of us. That desire to shape things in ways we like. Having said all of that I would add that if you don’t like how I write there’s not much point in sticking around. I’m not trying to create a by the numbers tale of people moving from point to point in their lives with purpose and direction. I’m writing the tale of people just getting by day by day, hampered by the reality that things don’t usually happen very much, until they happen too much all the time. The journey is the point of this whole thing. Plus, the more you try to force me to do something the more I will resist. I do what I do in my own time, in my own way, or not at all. This is the contract I present you. I try not to use my platform as a bully pulpit, shoving my beliefs down your throat, and I try not to randomly turn characters gay, or suddenly add whatever kind of person the media is currently obsessed with. If that’s what you want I can certainly point you in those directions. There’s no end of them. In fact, a lot of you cam from such a place and now never go back there. I know this because many of you tell me so all the time. “I used to love ########## ######, but now the characters are just mouthpieces” “I hated it when #### suddenly dumped ##### for no good reason.” and so on. I’m not forcing anyone to be here, and generally, people don’t act as though they are being. Yet a few come around every so often looking for something that is similar to what I’m doing but not the same, and I can’t provide that exact thing. I can only provide what I am capable and want to provide. If I was forced to tell someone else’s story their way I would simply kill myself and be done with life. I see no point in doing anything, including existing, unless I can do it more or less exactly as I please. My existence is already enough of a struggle being trapped in my own broken mind with me. I don’t want the addition of having to meet the demands of someone else any more than society forces me to. If you can accept these terms I welcome you to enjoy my work if you are capable of doing so. If not, then I hope you can find something you can enjoy, because people are constantly trying to thwart those kind of efforts recently.
I don’t feel as if I am demanded very much of from my audience. In fact, I think said audience is extremely kind to me on balance. It’s still important to state the terms of our agreement from time to time. Which is basically I make exactly the comic I want to make and you can read it at no cost, unless you decide you would like me to keep making it. It’s an old form of monetization, but sometimes I prefer the old ways.
Anyway, I don’t want to seem ungrateful, or standoffish, I’m just constantly annoyed by all the stuff that is perpetually impeding my goals. I’ve had one phlebotomy a week for two weeks and I have one more on the horizon. There’s also the looming potential of worse things to come. So I choose not to be told what to do with the undetermined amount of time I have left on Earth. I hope you can accept this quirk of my nature. If so, I hope to see you on Friday. Safe and alive, as I also hope to be. Until that outcome resolves itself, keep on truckin &, if you can, fuckin’.

Posts authored by Jackie

2688 Soft Power.