Nothing to Talk About · 3:45pm Oct 13th, 2014
I don't always make blog posts promoting stuff, but when I do, it's usually about Nothing. We have a double dose of Nothing, today. First off, Samey90 has made a new group for Stories Where Nothing Happens. Check it out if you love Nothing.
Secondly, we have a new story about Nothing that just came out.
Twilight Sparkle rearranges her monthly schedule.
Nothing exciting happens.
I'm sorry to be a bit of a buzz kill here, but I get the feeling that this little joke and/or theme of stories is going to run stale pretty quick. I don't speak for the entire brony community, but I do speak for those who want to see a little variety in the stories that we read. Things like this can only last as quickly as the Harlem Shake and stuff like that. Not saying that you can't write what you want, I'm just suggesting you don't throw all your wood on the fire at once.
XD and so it begins.
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Wha'chu talkin' 'bout? Harlem Shake be mad fresh, yo!
I'm joking (or course). A fad that will die out quickly? It's certainly possible. I've actually only ever written two of these stories over the last ten months (out of the eighteen total during that time), and the first was originally written because someone said nobody would want to read such a story (cue them becoming the highest-rated things I've ever published). Some may view it as a joke, but for me, stories like this are an exercise in writing. It's actually kinda tough to write stories where nothing of any consequence happens that are still entertaining.
I, myself, like writing about a variety of things, and hope to write something in nearly every genre. However, I've always found the reception of Nothing Happens stories to be surprisingly positive, and continue to be tickled by the apparent legacy (however short-lived) that they would seem to be generating. Slightly odd, but hey, if I'm inspiring people to write good stories and have fun, then I'm all for it. And if it dies off and nobody remembers them, I'll just shrug and keep writing whatever I feel like. I've never been one who was concerned with popularity.
I was considering writing another Nothing Happens for a while now, but yeah, it would feel a little cheap to do it right now, as if I were just jumping on the bandwagon. Not like I can get any writing done lately anyway, though.
2531107 There's a couple reasons why the Nothing Happens are alive. The first is irony, as readers seem (myself included) seem to enjoy the blasphemous thought of having a story where absolutely nothing extraordinary happens whatsoever. The second being that the focus is all on the minor scene. The problem with my stories at least is that I tend to have excitement for writing the action sequences and/or suspenseful moments in my writing that I tend to rush through the parts where it's just simple dialogue, hence the reason I'm revising Legend of the Burning Snow. With all the rush being taken away, the "plot" is more engaging to the readers. So, yes, this is a great tactic for writing practice, but being a perfectionist I need some sort of urgency in my stories.
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You might give writing a story about nothing a try, sometime. Or, rather, a totally ordinary slice of life story (Nothing Happens is just a title, after all). If nothing else, it'll sharpen your skills for dialogue and calmer situations. Since those sorts of things often pop up even in the most intense stories, it might be useful to practice with (if you're okay with getting comments related to Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith). As others have said, it's nice to slow down once in a while, give the readers a breather so they can reset for the next action sequence. Of course, I'm not an expert; I just write stuff. Just a thought.
Action and fight scenes are rather fun, though.