A status report · 9:19pm Jul 4th, 2012
My pre-readers, Bad Horse (he's bad!) and Dagger Tongue(probity! gentleman-uh..ness!) have gotten back to me. And, long story short, some people from the Internet Writer Police are coming by later to take my keyboard away.
Okay, not that bad.
Apparently I can't plot. And I need to work on the whole 'writing' thing a bit more. Also, I seem to have an addiction to run-on sentences. A shipment of semicolons[1] and conjunctions is on the way, however.
On the plus side both pre-readers agree that I'm funny. I should probably refrain from telling them that I intended to tag the whole thing [Sad] and [Dark].[2]
The upshot to all of this is that I'll have to rewrite huge chunks of it to get rid of the pacing problems and the plot hole in the final section and the characterization issue in the middle and...yeah. It's amazing how many problems you can pack in, really, in only about nine thousand words. Maybe I should switch to MLP-themed haiku?
Three tribes united
stand, one for all -- all for one
thus, friendship prevails.
Gods above! That was terrible.[3] Never let me do that again.
Anyway, the point I am trying, laboriously, to make here is that the story, still titled Whom The Princesses Would Destroy...[4] is going to be late[5] as I frantically try to make it less horrible while also studying, working and, possibly, sleeping. Not sure about the last bit. Haven't budgeted time for it yet.
[1] I used up my supply programing. I knew I should have switched to Python!
[2] Okay, not really. Apparently I can be funny on purpose. Joy!
[3] And 5-7-5 aside, not proper haiku.
[4] ...they first make mad. Ancient saying popularly misattributed to Euripides.
[5] How late? Valve time late. Yeah. Also it will feature footnotes. Which should be obvious by now. I like footnotes. Like, a lot. A huge lot. If I was a character you'd ship me with footnotes.[6]
[6] GhostOfHeraclitus/Footnotes OTP!
"The upshot to all of this is that I'll have to rewrite huge chunks of it to get rid of the pacing problems and the plot hole in the final section and the characterization issue in the middle"
The upshot is that you want to rewrite huge chunks of it. I also said, and I quote: "The story does not need changing." [1]
[1] The story does not need changing. Maybe you'll listen if I put it in a footnote.
212411
Madness! Horror! Ponies!
You know. The usual.
Also, a deranged[1] part of my mind wants to call them hoofnotes. I just thought someone should know. And do something. Gods! Do something or I fear my next cry for help will be written in blood.
[1] Fine. A more deranged part of my mind.
212414
You did, true, but you made good points about things I could change. And I've been thinking[2] about it and I have ideas about how I can do it with relatively little pain[3]. I'm not procrastinating and fiddling with the story forever, honest.
And you saying it in a footnote has got my...interest, certainly. But now I mistrust it. I mistrust things in footnotes. House of Leaves flashbacks, you understand.
[2] It is not accidental that it rhymes with drinking. Just saying.
[3] About...4.3 on the Rugen scale, I think. Won't even get me to mostly dead.
Looking forward to it!
And once again you leave me with a retarded grin plastered on my face that I can't seem to remove.
Also, finally, another fan of House of Leaves. Mayhaps I suggest a reading of this as well?
Also, I have to agree {tentatively} with Bad Horse. The story is good as it is now. But it can be...
Dare I say it?
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw548_131218545452.png
Better than it is by a gross product of roughly 2e-1 than it is right now.
212721
Ah, well I know the grim syrups of that house. It haunts me still, and I may never be free of its shadow.
Well I better gird my loins[1] and set of in search of that elusive 20%. I may be some time.
[1] So help me, that phrase always sounded dirty to me.