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It’s one thing to start a webcomic series - it’s a whole different thing to actually finish it. In this [Tapas Insider] we’re talking to Sera Swati, creator of the beloved series Swaha and Bone’s Tarot, about her work, her experience with Tapas, and how to become a stronger storyteller through structure, dedication, and staying healthy. Read until the very end for a special gift to artists working on commissions!

Markus Bone is tall, handsome, AND a mage US Marshal. All goes well for him until he loses his priceless weapon, a set of enchanted Tarot cards, to his arch nemesis. Now he has to enter the den of one of the most dangerous crime lords in recent history to get it back— and this time he can’t do it alone.

Bone’s Tarot is an intriguing story of love, danger, and magic, with the right amount of crime drama sprinkled in. It is also Sera Swati’s most recent work on Tapas, which was added to our Early Access program following great success on and off our platform. 

I first became aware of Sera back when she began working on Swaha, and we happened to share the same editor. While I was struggling to finish my episodes in a timely manner, Sera already had her storyline scripted and was moving along without great disruption. Being a strong artist while being an even stronger storyteller is hard, so I asked Sera to share her tricks on how to make your latest project a real success.

After completing Swaha, Sera joined the Tapas team first as art assistant before quickly stepping up to support other premium creators as an editor, product manager, and now even a production manager. That means she has even less time to work on Bone’s Tarot and other new projects, so time management is more essential than ever.

Sera says, “I have a daily planner. Every morning I write down what I'm obligated to do first, so anything that has to do with Tapas production or my contracted work has to happen first. When I want to start a new comic project I allot a small amount of time everyday to developing the concept. It's just a matter of making sure that you work on it at least a little bit every single day to keep the momentum going. I find that momentum is vital.”

“It really helps to write down super small concrete goals. When you develop a story, you know that you need to have character concepts, a story outline, the setting and so on. Write your To-Do list and work on it everyday. Of course this means that you will have to have commitment, because you can be as organized as you want - if you never actually do anything, it won’t help.”

But working hard isn’t everything. Many creators struggle with burnout or health issues caused by drawing for hours every day. As an artist herself and having worked with many creators on Tapas, Sera knows of the pitfalls they encounter when artists don’t take care of themselves.

“You need to get a nice solid 7 to 9 hours of sleep in order to have enough energy to get through a normal work day without constantly having to take breaks or being unable to focus. When I do feel that things start to wear down on me I take a look at my to-do list and move less important projects to tomorrow. It's a lot about self-awareness. Yes, you need to work hard if you haven't reached a certain level of success where you can support yourself but you also need to realize that if you're going to do this for the rest of your life you need to find a way to learn to take care of yourself.”

“Yes, it's important to learn how to draw fast and draw well but you also have to look after your hands and wrists. I take martial arts classes just so I can have the endurance and the muscles to draw 10 hours a day.”

Once you have your schedule down and are ready to start, many creators want to jump right into the middle of the project, work on the comic itself and begin publishing as soon as possible. I admit, that’s exactly what I did and boy, did I pay for it. 

“You need to know your story before you tell it,” says Sera as I take notes and swear to do better in the future.

“All the current creators that are in Studio Tapas know their story and have at least a complete outline of it before production begins. However, if you haven’t done deep background work while writing your outline to know your story very well, things can change when turning your outline to a script, which can then cause delays. Personally, I wouldn't start producing a story until I had a complete script.” 

If you’re unsure if you can do this for a long storyline, Sera recommends to start small. “I created two one-shots of around 50 pages because I needed to build the confidence that I am able to tell a story and am also able to finish it.”

Sera’s current webcomic Bone’s Tarot has great pacing, which means the story is moving along at a great speed without rushing or boring the readers. There are many books and publications that go into detail about how to write the perfect story, but webcomics have their own requirements to work well in an episodic format, while also being short enough so the creator can complete it on time.

“I believe that a good comic is a really unique medium and you should take enough time to tell the story and let it breathe. I use the “Hollywood way” of storytelling structure where a story is segmented into four acts. Each of them has its own little Climax and key Milestones. After I have written the outline, I make the treatment, so by the time I get to write the script, all the flashbacks and all of the key emotional points are plotted out in almost a prose-like description.”

“When I get to scripting I can start thinking about how much I can fit into a page and how much story needs to be in this segment so that readers can be satisfied. Using this technique, the pacing naturally develops.”

Sera also has a tip for creators who are still working on gaining the experience to improve their storytelling and sense of pacing.

“Consume content that's outside of your favorite genre. People who have written really good high fantasy stories didn't just study high fantasy -  they had a range of interests outside of that to help inform their stories. Read widely and take advantage of the range of interest that you have.”  

Readers who have followed Sera’s work, know how deeply involved she is when it comes to answering questions and having active discussions in the comments section. For many creators it is this community that makes Tapas so special and allows them to face all the difficulties that come with creating comics and novels online. To Sera, her readers hold a very special place in her heart.

“The Tapas community has been one of the warmest, wittiest, funniest, and most thoughtful group of readers that I have ever seen anywhere online. The support I see here versus other sites is quite amazing.”

“I want to let readers know that creators obsessively follow everything that you say, so every comment that you make, no matter how small you think your contribution is, allows us to continue making good stories, knowing that there is an audience who deeply appreciates them.”

Thank you for reading!

Isabell / AKA Ratique

Creator Happiness Manager

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Please read Sera Swati’s comics here!

Bone’s Tarot | Swaha

Want to read our other [Tapas Insiders]?

[Tapas Insider] Quarantine at Tapas

[Tapas Insider] Between Horror and Cute - Koolaid-Girl

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Free Pose guides for artist commissions!

Are you a creator who earns some extra money doing commissions? Sera kindly provided her library of pose guides that allow your commissioners to pick poses for their characters of choice instead of having to explain what they are looking for.

These pose guides are completely free for you to use, commercial or otherwise!
You can find hundreds of Sera’s guides here!