Writing Reflections: Part 4 · 12:36am Jul 3rd, 2016

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the fourth Writing Reflections blog! But first, some exciting news! As I said in my last blog, I have completed my latest story, Just What I'm Fighting For. Look for it very soon!

And now, on with the reflections!

Three Simple Words
Three Simple Words was an idea that came to me spontaneously. Since Will-Owl-the-Wisp and I have become collaborators, we've shared characters and stories, and are working together to build her Shadowmancer Saga. And after the events of Wisp's story Cold, Unhappy, Far-Off Things, what would Lyric find if she were to run into her friend Cloudy Day? And what would she do when she discovered Misty Moonrise, alone, in Ponyville? And so you see the story that came out of this.

This story went through some pretty thorough revisions, since I had guessed completely wrong on some events in the Shadowmancer Saga. (Sorry, no spoilers from me!) Yet I was happy to do those revisions, and I think the story came out the better for it. Still, I do feel like some parts could have been written better, but I am happy with what I currently have. Perhaps I will make some minor revisions in the future, but we shall see.

The ending was also something I struggled with. I wanted to convey Lyric's emotions and the internal conflict she faces in a believable way, and it took a few tries to get just the right wording and to have her go through the appropriate actions. And I am quite happy with how this turned out.

The Earth Ponies' Specialty
This has become another favorite story of mine, though it is on a tier just below Guardian Halo and The Bird... or the Cage? But I also love this story for the fact that the idea was a gift from my very special somepony. He created the whole idea of the islands, the earth ponies controlling earth, the ponies bringing the islands together, and also the idea of the tribes splitting after coming together to accomplish this task. All I needed next was somepony for Lyric to tell the tale to.

At first, I entertained the thought of Lyric being in Ponyville and telling the story to the foals there. However, she's already made an appearance there twice. And to have her tell the story to the Cutie Mark Crusaders or to any other canon foals would have felt to me like I was trying to force her into a situation with canon characters. Yet I could not pinpoint a town or village that she would be in. And then, around the time that I was crafting this story in my mind, I was also creating a hometown for Lyric thanks to a question Wisp asked for my Ask Lyric blog. And then it hit me! Have Lyric be visiting her hometown when she tells the tale! Have her relay it to the foals there!

I imagine Lyric's hometown of Faroefield to consist of mainly earth ponies with some unicorns and pegasi. This is why the crowd of foals listening to Lyric's tale consists of mostly earth pony foals. I also did not have Lyric playing music this time around, as I felt that it would disrupt the flow of the tale being told. However, do not fret! Lyric shall be doing more musical and story performances in future tales. She has not lost that side of her.

One last thing to note is how pleasant it was to write this tale. As I said in an earlier blog, it came together quite easily, and it was also nice to work on a story that did not contain any sadness or drama. The last stories that I had written before this one were packed with emotion in one way or another, so it was refreshing to write a tale just for fun, and that brought Lyric back to her roots, once again.

Party of Two
This is also a story I look upon with fondness. I'd been building the idea on my head when I realized that Wisp's birthday was drawing near, and so I sat down to write this story. As I said in a previous blog, I had the whole arc, and the ending did not come out how I had originally planned. However, I had always planned for Steel Shield to give Misty a gift. I then had to figure out what it would be.

I knew that Misty had received the telescope she has as a grown mare on her birthday, but I did not think it believable that a colt would be able to afford such a thing. So, what other precious possessions does Misty own? And then I remembered that she had a painting of the Pegasus constellation (though I thought it was a poster at first), and so I decided that a painting would be much more feasible for Steel to give as a gift.

I do feel that perhaps I rushed the montage sequence in the middle, but at the same time, I needed to succinctly show Misty's day with her Mother as it is not the main focus of the story. The main focus is the birthday party, and how Misty feels about and is affected by it. I felt that it was more important to set up the conflict and to show its resolution. To expand upon the tailor, mane dresser's, and the return home too much would have distracted from the real story that needed to be told.

Once again, the wording at the end of the story took a few goes to create. Yet I am quite happy with how it came out. It's a bittersweet feeling, but it serves the story, and the characters in it, well.

Alright, everyone, that's it from me until Just What I'm Fighting For comes out! I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you enjoy my next story! Cheers!