Announcements and Updates and Other General "Stuff" · 9:36pm Sep 11th, 2013
So, first off, this happened
So far it's been a cool experience.
But that's not what this blog is about.
I'm gonna cut straight to the chase.
... Alright, one cute gif, then we get to the matter at hand
As you may or may not know, I haven't updated anything in over two months. Now is where I would normally say, "I've been working on them," but that would be a bit of a lie. I have spent the last three months working on one chapter of one story. In that timespan I have managed to barf out 4,000 words.
All 4,000 of which are complete and utter dreck.
Anybody who has been following me for more than a few months knows that my pet fic has always been Not All Who Wander Are Lost. And why shouldn't it be? It was my first EQD feature, my first attempt at a "long" fic, and over time it slowly grew into one of my most well-regarded fics. For the longest time it's been my pride and joy, the fic I truly want to be remembered for.
However, expectations and reality seldom mesh.
Despite all those aspirations for it, NAWWAL has also been an almost-unending uphill struggle. Over the past few months, I've been chipping away at the new NAWWAL chapter. Unfortunately said chapter is a block of concrete as thick as Russia is long, and my pickaxe is a plastic spork. It hasn't gone anywhere, and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. Still, that didn't stop me from hammering away at it while brighter, fresher stories slowly festered in the background.
There comes a time when something crosses the line of "working hard" and simply becomes "forcing the story." NAWWAL is in that spot. It's been there for nearly a year, and I've been too stupid to admit it to myself.
I want to be able to look back at NAWWAL with a smile. Looking back at what I've written so far, I can only sigh and shake my head. While I do believe that there are things worth being proud of sprinkled in there, the disappointments outshine the good. In short, it's a fic that needs a major facelift.
So that's why, starting now, I'm putting Not All Who Wander Are Lost on an indefinite hiatus.
That said, I'd like to assure you that I am still going to work on it—eventually. It's far from canceled. Here's how this is all going to play out.
For the next month I'm not going to touch the fic. I'm going to focus on other projects. After that, I will come back to NAWWAL and decide what I'm going to do: full rewrite, minor rewrite, or just saying "fuck it" and keep on trucking. As appealing as the last choice may be it some, it is certainly not what I want to do. The first four chapters are utterly abysmal, as are the latest four chapters. I honestly think I need to do a serious rewrite with this one. Make it more focused, clean up my prose, clear out the countless unneeded scenes and cameos and whatnot. I was young and inexperienced when I started it it, and it shows. The last few chapters have been forced out, and it shows.
But yeah, in a way, NAWWAL really is, as someone said in some blogpost many moons ago, my "End of Ponies" in that it'll probably take me forever to finish. However, if it means that the fic turns out as good as it deserves to be, that uphill struggle is worth it in the end. Before coming to this decision, I was worried about people abandoning the fic. Then I realized something. The true fans of NAWWAL—those who I write for—will stick around, regardless of how long it takes. If I'm too slow and they give up, well that's their fault for being impatient.
So yeah, that's how it's gonna go. I'll blog when my decision is finalized and go from there.
But what about those other projects I mentioned a while back? I guess I should go into more detail there.
First and foremost Reconstruction Site is still being worked on, however it's very far behind. The last two months I've been hammering away at that dreaded nail-in-the-coffin of a NAWWAL chapter, and I actually didn't create a "chapter six" document for Reconstruction Site until two days ago. In those two days I got a whole third of the chapter done. Luckily, I'm still enjoying that fic (if that's even the right word for a fic of its sort), and the wait shouldn't be that much longer (not gonna promise it won't. You know me: deadlines and I don't mix).
Outside of that, I have a few one-shots and short stories in the works. After months of brainstorming, I've finally got the "Dark Wind" sequel in the works—though I'm hesitant to use the term "sequel"—so... well I know that Razgriz is happy to hear that.
Then there's my shipping work which, depending on who you ask, is something I either need to write more of, or stay as far away as I can from. Personally, I stick to the former. Shipping is fun as hell to write, and fanfiction is all about fun in my opinion. If writing shipping makes me a "bad" writer, then I don't wanna be "good." Between the Spice of Life challange, a couple of compilations I'm involved with, and the upcoming writing contest for the RariDash group (I'm just going to be judging that one, but it's still something productive), it's safe to say that my internal 12-year-old girl shipping side is still alive and squeeing kicking.
And finally. There's this new adventure story I'm working on that may also be a factor in this long hiatus of NAWWAL. It's a long fantasy adventure fic staring everyone's favorite diamond-flanked dresshorse. It's gonna be a bit of a doorstopper, but it's also (at least in my own opinion) one of the best ideas I've had yet.
So, yeah, that's the status of me as a writer. Not exactly the most positive news, but we gotta do what we've gotta do.
Until the next blog (which will most likely be sometime tomorrow because anniversary reasons), this is RazedRainbow signing off.
At least you're still writing.
There is that!
~Skeeter The Lurker
You will always have my support for Reconstruction Site, as Third Time's a Charm is a story that not only helped me love Rarity more as a character, but truly help get inside her head. Not to mention make what I thought was an impossible ship not only possible, but probable, if they worked on it. You just write romance so damn well, and you nail both of them in your own unique way.
Do what you love, because you're one of several authors who inspired me to write in the first place!
1343049
Wow, I'm honored. Never had someone say I inspired them to write before. Thank you.
1343055 Really? Never? I find that hard to believe.
I'd say you and Ardensfax are the two reasons I wrote my story in the first place. Despite me writing a comedy, simply seeing what you two can do, made me give writing pony fiction instead of human fiction a shot. I didn't come within a nuclear bomb of what either of you did, but I did do something.
And I'm proud to say that. Thank you, for showing me what this show has truly inspired out of people.
You mean there is something to write BESIDES shipping? BLASPHEMY!
As glad as I am that there is going to be more of Reconstruction Site (I really really love that one), it's never good news when an author is not happy with one of their stories, especially one they consider important. Hope you will find your way back into that story, and thank you for your hard work.
Woo, possible life for Reconstruction Site! From what you've posted so far, it's one of the better shipping stories on here, with excellent character development and conflict (both of which are absent in too many shipping stories). Definitely looking forward to that. And since you posted that proofreader thing:
...depending on who you ask, is something I either need to write more of, or stay as far away as I can from. Personally, I stick to the latter former.
Pretty sure that's what you meant. Unless I totally missed some sarcasm there.
Either way, I hope that's what you meant. I'm here for the shipping. 
I've never gotten around to reading Not All Who Wander are Lost (I've been meaning to, but hey, shipping), so I guess I now have an excuse to put it off for longer. No point in starting to read a story right before it's due for a rewrite. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it though, I'll probably take a look at it if you get it off the ground again.
1343167
Thanks for pointing that out.
I swear I make the worst typos.
Yay, now I might actually get to find out what happened to G3 Rainbow Dash.
grins like an idiot
dood you gotta upgrade that spork.
It's time for Diamond Spork
now I wanna write up a pony whose name is Diamond Spork...
Long fics are hard to push through. You have our support and utmost anticipation. Just keep at it in your own way.
P.S. Look at that shiny, new nameplate.
Hey forgive me for typos as im writing from my smartphone. you see i had to move out for a bit and have no computer let alone anything more than this little mobile phone internet that i have. so what did i do to fight boredom these days.. i downloaded nawwal as .html to my phone to read the last two chapters ive been postponing to read forever and it turned out that was a great idea. your fic does nor disappoint! i just wanted to let you know this and i hope you dont give up.
Well i dont think youre anywhere near giving up (but if i didnt know better i would say shortskirts stopped his End of ponies and wont come back to it ever again..)
Well i guess ill get to reading some other fics i downloaded. having no computer is torture for someone like me but at least i can write messages