Requisite New Year's Blog · 5:35am Jan 8th, 2014
This is late, but last week there was something of a glut of these posts, so hopefully by procrastinating I've caught you all when you aren't sick of New Year's posts. Also, this is my thirteen-monthaversary (which isn't actually a thing, but Quizzical was published on fimfiction 13 months ago so I'm going with it).
I do have some resolutions for the new year; with the understanding that resolutions aren't so much a code, more like guidelines really. Firstly, I want to worry about my numbers less this year. I have a love/hate affair with the data on all my stories. I'd like to embrace the love side of that, and to be more relaxed about the hate part. My views...could be higher. Quizzical has nearly 3000 views, but that's taken 13 months. Nothing else I've written has broken through a thousand. But I'm being impatient, most of my stories are still quite new. Also, I can take a big part of the blame for the attention I'm not getting. I continue to fail at applying Bad Horse's advice, and I publish without cover art (I'm not sure why, I'll waste time looking at drawing of buttes, then talk myself out of using any of it).
On the other hand, if you judge by quality instead of quantity then I win. I have the best fans on fimfiction, and I haven't done enough to show you all how much I appreciate you. But you are the best. So, I'm resolved to do my best to keep you happy with me. I'll know if I fail, my ratings will slip. Right now my ratings are sky high, so high I've become spoiled and I pout if I get one thumb down. I actually have 3 stories with no down votes (that may change by the time you read this; nothing gets you down votes faster than admitting in a public forum that you don't have many). I do love this part of my numbers.
So what do I want from new year? More. I'd like more, more of everything. A lot more. I won't set a target number, because those are silly (there's a list going around the site that says if you have 200 followers you are a "known author." This is not true). I just want more.
I also resolve to get back to chapter stories, and to stop concentrating on one shot shorts. Specifically, I'll be restarting Quizzical Greystone and the Basements of Doom soon. Promise. I have a lot of stories I want to tell, particularly about Quiz, and I need to get to work on telling them. I have to say, I really lucked out as far as new canon goes (though I do need to tread a little lightly in the Everfree Forest setting). The Twilight becoming a princess didn't shoot me in the head canon after all. I can work with this. I'm looking forward to it.
There has been a side effect to all the one shots I've done lately, and I'm resolved to deal with it. I leave everything open ended, and I continue to create new characters that you guys seem to like. I hear you want more from them. So do I. I resolve to write at least one new Eutaw County story every year, I have a few ideas to work with. I'd also like to write some Merry Fairweather stories, but I don't have any ideas right now. Other characters you can expect to see again include Indy, Sgt. Brick Wall, and Gathers Herbs. I promised you a Delight Greystone story, I hope I can keep that promise, if belatedly.
I resolve to do more with Quiz's fan group. I've already started a folder of her favorite stories; I'll be adding to that, and I'll write reviews for the stories as well.
Finally, I've gotten into roll playing here, and I plan to continue. It's an AU sci-fi setting, which is exactly the sort of thing I'd never write, but I don't care. I'm having a lot of fun The Multinational Academy of Arts and Sciences.
I can look back on 2013 and I'm pretty happy with how it went. I'm quite enthusiastic about 2014. I wish you all the best.
Salutes to Quiz.
Everypony wants more.
Good luck with completing these guide lines in a spectacular fashion.
Dat resolution.
If you only keep half of these, I will very much look forward to the new year.