These were written for Not a Cat Lady, but they apply to other creative work as well.
Disclaimer 1. This is a work of fiction. Although I have borrowed shamelessly from events in my own life, it is not an autobiographical comic. Don’t confuse the character with the author.
Disclaimer 2. This story does not try to present a typical example of any category of people. This is one life, individual and unique. The work is not a statement about all white women, all women who own cats, all people who live alone, all copyeditors, etc.
Disclaimer 3. No supporting character is based on any single individual. Steph, for instance, is a composite of three different friends I’ve had over the years, plus elements invented for the story. In other words, anyone saying, “That’s me! Is that what you think of me?!?” is way off target.
Disclaimer 4. Yes, this is the final artwork. You are perfectly entitled to dislike the sketchy style or wish that everything was in full color or believe that inking would improve it. But smooth lines, full color, and inking were never envisioned for the art, and wouldn’t be added even if I had all the time and resources to do so.
And although I see plenty of flaws and problems in the artwork, if I tried to fix everything, I would never get done. Never mind “the good,” perfection is the enemy of finishing at all.
Disclaimer 5. There are bound to be mistakes and inaccuracies: maybe the design of dryers in the laundry room isn’t technically functional, for instance, or you know that a woman riding alone on the bus would get harassed more. Sometimes those really are errors, and sometimes that’s me oversimplifying in order to keep things moving. However, with any work of fiction, it’s a good idea for a reader to consider, “What if that’s not a mistake? What would it mean if this thing that seems wrong or out of place is totally accurate?”