On It's Cold Out and Writing Characters

It's Cold Out was as good a story as I could write when I wrote it. The idea wasn't so well thought out - maybe unworkable. But nothing is really unworkable. It was over my head though, to get it to really work. The elements had to fit in. I ignored them. The idea with the next generation was too obvious. Anyone would have thought of it. And it was supposed to be a story about characters, but that was a weak point, too. Maybe the writing was okay, but that's it. And you can make anything good writing if you edit it enough. It had good images, vivid, and I was told that, too. But the only really good component was Pinkie, because I can write her, and I did, to the best of my ability. She was true and unaltered. The rest weren't - AJ and Dashie - they were off. I was trying to write them into a situation they'll never be in, never were in, and I made the same mistake with Dashie that everyone else made. Or maybe I didn't, but I've a feeling it's taken that I did. Mistaking her tomboyishness for her personality, or mixing it up, and thinking she's better off without it. Anyway, they take away her personality in their attempt to put her in a situation her character hasn't been in. Maybe I did it. Maybe not. But even Alex was a bit guilty of it, and his was the best. Even Kkat, who maintained a host of characters in unnatural circumstances, messed it up with Celestia. She can't be blamed. 'Tia was a god. She was perfect. Kkat needed her not to be, so even the best writers suffer, because they're dealing with characters that aren't their own. But then, it's an illusion to think that you can do whatever you want with your own characters. Reader's development of expectation and affection for your characters can't be let down. Fan fiction is a good lesson for this. People are accustomed to characters being a certain way. They can change - but it has to be real. Iron and water - rust. Sugar dissolves in water. Fire is put out. Earth is moistened. Fallout: Equestria puts forth a war as water, and sees, or shows, how elements are effected. But 'Tia was gold. She just wasn't vincible. Kkat needed her to be, so she had to pretend Celestia was something she wasn't. Iron, or fire. It wasn't fair on Kkat, but she did her best. Hell, she did the best. She put the necessary effort in. She committed.

Show business is all about what works, but fortunately we still live in a world where the truth works, most of the time. Makes it easier - but it still takes time to see what to write, even if you don't have to concoct it. My next story will be better. A lot better. But I need time, and plenty of it.