The support means the world to me, and thanks to your kind contributions I was able to go and visit my boy in Britain. I'll try and mock up a proper recap blog—though I am notoriously terrible at doing those, I don't think I've ever managed a proper recap blog for any of the various conventions I've gone to over the years. I guess there was
Sep
14th
2014
Favorites And Failures · 7:22pm Sep 14th, 2014
Yeah, it's going to be another one of those blogs.
Honestly, it may be tiresome that I want all this perceived ego boosts, but this is really something I want answered in order to help me know what works and what doesn't. I want to be able to use this to improve my writing, for all of you lovely people!
So now, I must ask: What story of mine is your favorite, or rather, you consider my "best", and which is your least favorite, or what you consider to be my "worst"? Again, knowing what people like lets me know what works, and what they didn't, what doesn't.
If you follow me for my blogs or something else not related to stories, just tell me something about your day or whatever.
My day was fine. Just woke up and poked though some notifications. Yours?
2454705 Woke up like 2 hours ago because Hawaii time, just been jerking around /mlp/ and playing Warcraft
I find your multiple chapter stories are your weak point, but I think the best stories you make are your introspective one-shots like The Fragile Art of Bonsai Trees or Your First Morning. Just a thought.
Sweg. I think Fragile Art was the only one of your stories I've ever read. I think it was one of my first sitereads back when everything was new and shiny.
2454714 Well, I hardly ever finish multi-chapters fics...
I still haven't read, like, 40-45 of your stories. There's too many to pick from! I'm also having a hard time deciding whether you want an answer for a story you might deem serious, or a crackfic. Both are good, but I'm not sure if you want some life-morality type answer here.
But honestly, I can't pinpoint an exact fic. Too many choices for one thing, and some I haven't read in quite a while. I think you're a fantastic writer too, which makes this bone-crushingly hard.
...Fuck it, I can't decide. So sorry. Not for a favourite anyway. And I can't decide on a weak point either. I don't tend to spot out a writer's weak spot. One of the remaining fics I haven't read yet might take the proverbial gold on worst, if you will, but I've got squat.
Though I think you do really good Dark. Considering you've written a lot around the tag, that could be considered your niche of sorts.
And to tell you something about my day? I've written some porn. Whoulda thunk it?
"Your New Twin Sized Bed" is my favorite story of the ones you have wrote. I can't think of a worst story of yours that I have read, if I must be honest.
Anyway, I'm doing well. I have a lot of schoolwork to deal with, but I'm managing. I'm also working on fics from time to time. So yes, I live a busy life. I also appreciate that you're trying to improve your writing. I'm trying to improve myself, and from your latest stories, you're further along when it comes to skill than I am. Anyway, I hope you're also doing well.
2454731 That's part of the reason I don't find them interesting. Their quality drops after the first few chapters because you lose any and all interest in them after a given time.
I don't follow you for your stories or your blog posts. What should I do?
2454781 cry
i just realised i have never read anything you wrote
2454783
If you want me to cry, you gotta punch me in the face first.
2454784 consider yourself lucky
I like "The Day"
The maud pie shits sand in the one musicians oatmeal was funny but pretty stupid. I honestly haven't read a ton of your stuff.
Not to sound cliche, but honestly, I absolutely loved He Gave Her A Rose. It was just so fuckin' good, practically a masterpiece, no matter how much you may disagree. I'd have to be a strict person to hate any fix of yours, as well, and I'm not.
Hospice.
Too bad you haven't continued it yet.
I really enjoyed Working On Leaving the Living and Your New Twin-Sized Bed... I don't really like comedies all too much right now, so I guess the answer for what my least favorite is would be kinda biased by the tag.
And my day's been meh. Had a competition and didn't do so great, which is kinda discouraging cause this is a new horse I'm riding. Dolly retired.
Not to sound like a kisser of butt, but thus far I don't think I've read anything of yours that I didn't like -- or at the very least, which I have to acknowledge as very well done even if it's not to my taste.
As SeatieBelt points out, I think you do best in short vignettes rather than extended stories; it seems to me that you excel at exploring ideas -- whether the idea is a joke, a philosophical point or an emotional note -- rather than in the construction of plot.
It could be, however, that you've just never really applied yourself fully to an extended storyline.
Best: Take It Back, Terminal Frost, Working On Leaving The Living, All Gone
I also have a massive soft spot for Yearbook January, although I don't think there is enough of it yet for me to judge it as one of your best. I certainly think it has the potential to be though.
Worst: Well, I can't say I have read all of your stories, but a good example of the kind of writing you do that I don't like would be Snowhere to Run. That's more of a personal preference though - I don't read that many troll fics.
2455057 Yearbook January is gonna start back up this January, and I'm going to be finish the series all through next year too. I want to do what I failed to do this year--I just didn't have the planning and motivation to carry out what I wanted to attempt with it this year.
Still waiting for you to continue Cold War...
But in all honesty, we're like two peas in a pod. We like to explore an idea and write about our findings in around 12,000 words or less. You told me before you struggle with a longer story, and I do as well. What may help you is to have a second pony on board to keep you track or to have someone that you'll be able to come to when you have questions or need direction.
If you wanna take the solo route, read up on those couple of sites I gave you (I'll post them here to benefit everyone) and practice on one principle with a short story. When you start to feel really comfortable with adding length to your works, then I think you'll feel that you can tackle a longer story, and we'll all be here; your ship's crew cheering you on.
List of Helpful Writing Aides
Fiction University
How to Improve Your Writing Skills
How to Create Quality Writing
A List of Character Archetypes
A Blog Someone Did About How MLP Helps You to Become a Better Storyteller
I haven't gotten to any of your new stories yet so I can't really say. From what I've read though, I like your serious works better than the comedies.
-Reader Out-
I had a pretty nice, lazy day. Went for a nice drive.
2455072
YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/gVTJs.gif
*ahem*
This pleases me.
The Fragile Art of Bonsai Trees, Your New Twin Sized Bed and He Gave Her a Rose are my favourites. I also liked Your First Morning and Cute Without The "E".
I don't think there was a story of yours I didn't like. Well, maybe Gives You Hell was a bit weird, but I liked it anyway...
meh my days good, learned how to make frozen pizza just now. Ate it, didn't taste like shit.
I have only read 8 of your stories, but I also keep a very thorough system so I can answer this question (relatively) easily!
Best: The Fragile Art of Bonsai Trees
My immediate thought upon seeing the question. While I really like His Thorn on the Rose for its frank look at hopeless romanticism, Bonsai has excellent writing, a twist that I didn't see coming yet had enough foreshadowing in hindsight that it wasn't a whiplash "what?", lots of cute Fluttershy, the setting, and most importantly, you used an "I want to be a tree" reference and refused to let it stand on its own
Worst: You Don't Remember
Actually, the only story of yours I've reviewed and given a Not Recommended rating to (so far) is Cute Without the "E", but that's based entirely on the subject matter and has nothing to do with the writing. So I picked this one because it's got the next-worst rating. I felt the narration was jarringly light-hearted given the subject matter, and that, as a stand-alone, it doesn't really give us anything to chew on, Apple Bloom's reaction at the end being well telegraphed.
Hope that helps! :B
My favorites are a tie between "Unmarked" and "The Ghost," with an honorable mention to "Your First Morning."
2455385 I don't think I've actually seen your review for you don't remember or cute without the e. I'd like links so I can read them, if you don't mind.
As for the criticisms directed towards them, I completely agree with You Don't Remember. It's a part of a web, and honestly, if you take it out and only look at that it's not going to be as beautiful as if you left it intact. I was also copying Daniel Handler's (Lemony Snicket's) writing style, so that was probably what made it seem lighthearted. I was trying to do that dancing between subtle comedy and a hopeless situation that is so often present in ASoUE, and I think I was a bit heavy with the comedy.
As for Cute Without The "E", you said it was preference based, and my only defense is: I wanted to make SFW incest work, and I wanted to give Bad Seed something she'd love for her birthday. I honestly think it's one of my better ones, but I'm heavily biased, haha.
As for The Fragile Art, I am always amused by the amount of praise it gets. I wrote it in one evening for one shotober last year, and I posted it with few expectations. I mean, I did put a lot of intention and a relative amount of work into it, but I wasn't trying exceptionally hard. I guess I just hit a perfect chord when I was writing it.
2455437
I wouldn't have read You Don't Remember, but the reading for it came up in my audiobooks list. I was surprised, after finding out it was a sequel of sorts, that it felt mostly self-contained. I wasn't lost, just confused. I've never read Lemony Snicket. And at least I understand why you wrote Cute, I just don't do that kind of thing.
And since you asked, I don't mind at all. Here's links to all the stories of yours I've reviewed! (You'll have to ctrl-f to find them.)
His Thorn on the Rose
Twilight and the Giant-Ass Peach
Reformation
Cute Without the "E"
Working on Leaving the Living
The Fragile Art of Bonsai Trees
Blank Book
You Don't Remember
I will have to get back to you for my day, as it has only just started here in Australia.
I didn't like The Ghost, but I liked Blank Book.
2455458 On the CWTE review, I notice you stated that I have better stories than it. Previously, I think you only read, like... two of my fics.
Damn, you must have disliked it something fierce.
2455546 I would hazard to say Blank Book is one of my bests (personally). It's also my favorite Present Perfect review of my stories, because it fits so well with the tone of the finale and the rest of the blog post. I dunno, it gives me happy chills when I read it.
2455492 stop being different
2455555
don't make me oppress you.
2455555 Also He gave her a rose was enjoyable
and nice quints bawd
i.imgur.com/ttOKgPB.png
I think your best was Astro Zombies, because it's a lot like you. Yeah, you can be super serious, but you also can make me laugh.
Also hell yeah space zombies are the best.
I personally like The Morning After. And my day was nice and lukewarm.
2456550 >the morning after
what
2456554 You know, it had the build up, the suspense of your old Nicholas Cage fics.
2456645 oh those things
what a meme
I like the one where Lyra fed Bon Bon a bunch of Xbox 360s. That was pretty cool.
the one where someone got crushed in a methhead's gaping ladyhole