Today I accomplished something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Today I submitted a family-friendly version of Malcontent — called The Malcontents — to two syndicates.
Putting together the syndicate package has been a lot of work, but I've enjoyed the process immensely and I think it's driven me to produce some of my best work yet. I've worked really hard on character development, storytelling, joke writing and, of course, my drawing. I think it's all gotten a lot better, though there's still tons of room for improvement.
Since developing The Malcontents I've started thinking more in stories, and come what may, I plan to use these stories in the future, whether that future involves syndication or not. Which is just to say that, if The Malcontents doesn't get picked up, I'll be using it in the webcomic in the future, as a part of the Malcontent universe.
In the meantime, I wait. It can be several months before you hear from a syndicate regarding your submission. Until I get a response, I don't want to reveal this work — I might need it for my big syndication deal, after all. In fact I'm sitting on a bunch of ideas, on the off chance I get a deal.
But let's be realistic. Getting syndicated is about as likely as winning the lottery (though it's a lot harder to play). I have no illusions about my chances. They are close to zero. And I'm okay with that.
In fact, I'm pretty jazzed. Because today I accomplished a major goal, one I've been working towards for months, and one I've always wanted to try. And I have some great experiences and new ideas to show for it.
Even if I don't get syndicated — and it's almost certain I won't — it's all very, very good.