The PUBLIC 0

A Processing Story, Created through Reader Discourse

Jul 14, 2023

Next Friday, I’ll be trying something a little bit different.

Processing is a deeply personal book. There are perspectives, mental health issues and experiences that are biographical. The story is fairly set in stone, where audience feedback is unlikely to affect it very much. But the themes and world I’ve been working on with Processing is one that we can all relate to. The power of belief, and how our faith in ideas inform the reality we perceive.

In the spirit of engaging with readers on some of these ideas, I’ll be launching a new comic project next Friday. It is a bit of an experiment, but I’m confident that readers won’t disappoint once it's out there.

The PUBLIC

The PUBLIC is a reader-driven webcomic, updated every Friday. The PUBLIC is a Processing story, set in the same world but created through reader discourse.

Every Friday morning, a new comic strip will be uploaded to Substack, advancing the story of The PUBLIC, starting on July 21st. The final panel of the comic will include a few options for readers (collectively known as the voices) to advance the story, including a blank for creative readers that invent new ways to continue the journey.

Readers will comment their favorite path or write their own on Substack. Readers will also like their favorite comments, which will be how we tally votes for The PUBLIC. Every Monday, I will announce the Top Comment1, which will start the next edition of The PUBLIC.

Community Collaboration

The PUBLIC as a community-driven project should inspire some natural collaboration and creativity. If you are selected as the Top Commenter, you’ll be listed as a Contributor. If there is a piece of writing you’d like to shout out to the community, let me know via Chats or Notes! Additionally, I’d love to hear from you if you are also a cartoonist or artist. Having guests that expand the style of The PUBLIC occasionally will be a goal in the near term future.

INDEX

What about Processing?

Processing will continue as planned - new releases on Tuesdays as new pages are finished. One of the catalysts behind The PUBLIC is a desire to create a consistent community newsletter while giving Processing the time it needs to maintain quality. This gives me an outlet to grow the following without rigid deadlines for this passion project2. We have some side stories coming up the next couple of weeks, and then we’ll be getting into Issue #3:

So what do you think? Will you be contributing to The PUBLIC? I’d love to hear thoughts from the voices in the comments.

Have a great weekend everybody, and see you next week.

If you are a Substack writer, you’ll be listed as a Contributor!

While I continue to remind myself that the deadlines I drop are self-imposed, it does have an impact on growth and readership when I miss a post. I’ve been trying to figure out a balance between artistic expression and “marketing content” and The PUBLIC feels like a great middle ground.