"Padding" · 8:56pm Jul 27th, 2014
I'm very sorry that some of my readers are disappointed in what they refer to as "padding" that needlessly lengthens Flash Fog. However, I stand by my conviction that it is not "padding" at all. The twists and turns and such are there to make the story more interesting. If I hadn't written them, the story would be just as long, but it would also be intensely boring as I described how everything goes according to plan until I pay off the Crusaders' subplot. Plus, I guarantee that the same folks complaining now would be just as vocal in their complaints if I'd gone with my original plan to maintain narrative tension by not revealing Fluttershy's secret until the epilogue.
Really, what irks me is the fact that people are claiming it's gratuitous. If Flash Fog was a half-hour long episode of the show, it probably would be. But I set out to write a story, set over a relatively brief period of time, that goes into great detail about how dozens of characters are affected by a disaster and the effort to mitigate it, and I'm sticking to that aesthetic until the very end.
And ironically, all these complaints came in right as the subplot in question neared its end.
Unless things quite clearly go off the rails (and they haven't here), I always try to trust the author.
2320876
A good philosophy!
2320876 Agreed.
Charges of padding are particularly questionable since the story's still ongoing. Maybe once it's finished we'll look back and say "yeah, some of that stuff didn't need to be there". But first we need to see where the story goes to make that judgement
I was going to add a comment after the last chapter but it slipped my mind. I was going to say:
I love the gradual buildup of the story. I can see, with agonizing slowness, the pieces align for a disaster of hilarious proportions, but the dramatic irony of not knowing quite how the disaster will unfold is keeping me in suspense. Keep up the good work!
So from where I'm standing, the complainers couldn't be more wrong.
I forget the philosopher's name, but she wrote that desire's fulfillment is death. Frustration is what keeps a serial installment alive.
You will only get meaningful feedback from people that are able to momentarily kill the part in themselves that want the story to end.
There are plenty of reviewers with good reputations who simply can't handle long stories.
Remember, folks, life does not occur in neat 24-minute slices. To put it bluntly, shit happens.
They can shut their stupid mouths, I love every chapter you put out.
I'm surprised at the criticism of the crusaders sub-plot. I thought it was brilliant, casting a sharp contrast between the darker and more serious plot of the adults having to deal with the fog situation and the crazy hijinks of the crusaders to capture a human. I thought it was both sweet and funny.
If I could accuse anything of padding (and I wouldn't since as pointed out by others, the story is not yet over and we do not know what repercussions the different sub-plots will have), it would be the princess Luna bit. At this point I just fail to see how it adds anything significant to the story beyond giving Fluttershy's plan the royal stamp of approval. That and Hard Hitter's sub-plot which seems to have vanished in a puff of smoke, apparently without consequences. But I'm guessing that will change at some point, and Greg will find himself in a very uncomfortable position.
It would be disappointing if he didn't.
One of the unhelpful comments I got on a long-runner was that my prologue was too long. "This isn't Kingdom Hearts," he said (whatever that means).
It's a 6k word prologue on an unfinished story which is currently nearly 300,000 words long.
There seem to be two kinds of readers--those who want short fics with one plot which is handily (and quickly) resolved, and those who love long, convoluted stories. Since you can't write for both audiences, pick the one you prefer and run with your choice.
Part of you knows we are right, that's why it irked you as much as the latest twist irked the few of us that dared to voice our opinions.
Man, this story is a comedy! It's not padding if it's funny! Union negotiations with a hamster were hilarious, ergo not padding. Bon Bon and Lyra arguing over humans hilarious, again not padding. Everyone thinking everyone else is interested in Pencil Pusher I find quite funny, so once more not padding (to be fair to others, I loved this sort of thing on Frasier). I thought some of the stuff where Pencil Pusher goes to Canterlot to be a bit pointless, but we're back on track now anyway.
2321860 - So the fact that I felt the need to respond proves you're right, apparently. I suppose if I hadn't responded at all, you would have assumed that I was so confident in my decision that you must have made a mistake.
2322015 Ouch man, chill out I'm not a troll nor some self-entitled twad, just some random dude venting his frustrations with the subject at hand.
No, I agree, it certainly not padding at all, and all mostly relevant to the story at large. I certainly haven't been one of those who's complaining about "padding" (wasn't even aware people were, but then again I don't pay extreme attention to all of the comments).
It might seem like it to the untrained eye, though, because it's broken up into very small chapters and as such generates the illusion of dragging out something that's not really getting dragged out at all. It only seems like it because chapters are short and staggered in posting.
Were it a published novel or some professional level work like that, that'd be a problem, but with a fanfic, it's not worth throwing a hissy-fit over, especially when you remember the author has a life too, and small chapters are more practical to write given real-world constraints (speaking from experience here
).
My advice is those that aren't patient (which is what this is REALLY about) then just ignore them (unless they cause flaming). If they stop reading, then they probably weren't that interested in the fanfic in the first place, and probably weren't an audience you'd be interested in keeping around anyway.
Unless they are just other writers trying to provide advice and suggestions for a better work, then by all means, please do consider what they say, because it can help. But of course, YOU, the author, gets to decide what advice you follow or don't follow. So in those instances, use your best judgement.
Given how you're describing things and some of these comments, though, I suspect there's more at play than just readers trying to be helpful.
There are stories where the journey is at least as important as the destination. Flash Fog is one, and has clearly been that almost from the start.
...What parts are seen as padding?
2323065 - I believe the ire is directed at my use of the Love Dodecahedron trope on the morning of Day 3 (September 2).
2323150
Huh. That seems to me to be just part of the plot.
Bah! *Hugs Kwakerjak*
I think it's coming along nicely. You've also done a good job of replacing the tax evasion tension with romantic tension and shenanigans, I mean, I can just SEE the various clown cars about to crash into each other in a massive ball of hilarious flames. 
MWUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!
I have no idea what these wackos are yammering on about.
Story always makes me squee when I see an update.
You must be doing something right!