For Better or Worse - Update and Information · 12:32am Apr 27th, 2017
Howdy! Vertorm here, with some information about my current story, For Better or Worse.
Now, I realize it's been a long time since I posted this story, so this might seem somewhat late, and it's entirely possible any readers who did enjoy the first chapter when it was posted have long since forgotten. For that, I offer my apologies. Perhaps I can get readers back, and perhaps I will find more readers as I work on the project. However, I am first and foremost writing this story for me, so I can say that writing it for readers is not my main driving force here.
For those of you who potentially already know me, you may be aware that I am notorious for starting a story/project and not getting very far before problem (A) (B) or (C) happens in my life and I stop. This ... has been a recurring problem for me in more things than just fanfiction, honestly.
I have been working hard on this project, however. I started writing this story well over a year ago, and I have actually written out over 60 pages in GDocs for it already. What is it I wrote though, if it's not the actual story? Well, It's the backstory. The ENTIRETY of the year and a month (give or take) that Sweetie Belle was missing is one hundred percent written and planned out - all events, all side characters, all plot twists, everything. It's entirely planned and written in a sixty page outline. As the actual story is continuing, I will be slowly revealing the backstory scene by scene. If you are a fan of the CW's show 'Arrow' (which I cited as an inspiration for this story in the story description itself) then you will be familiar with this style of story telling. Both the main story and the backstory will be being told simultaneously, and depending on the significance of each story at the time, a chapter may contain more scenes from the present or from the past.
Now that that's been said, I must explain why it took me so long to write this blog. There's two reasons actually, and I'll just start with the main one.
Considering how much work I have already put into this story before I ever even wrote the first chapter, I thought "Why not attempt Equestria Daily? Even if it doesn't get in, they'll have great advice." Well, that was exactly what happened. It didn't get in, but the reviewer on EqD gave me some wonderful pointers and suggestions, things that I seriously took to heart. I needed to make some big changes to the overall story though in order to apply them, including stuff in the pre-written backstory. I've been working on making said changes all month.
The biggest change that you, the readers, need to be aware of is that I have changed the amount of time that has passed since the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks in season five. Since as far as I am aware their ages are never actually said in the show, I feel like they were about twelve years old when they got their cutie marks, and I originally had the first scene of chapter one taking place four years later on their anniversary of that date, so the CMC would be sixteen. However, after some good advice from EqD, I am changing it to be eight years. The CMC are now twenty years old, which gives more time for them to have made their organization as big as it is, and also for Ponyville to have grown into as big of a city as it has, which will be explained in further detail down the road. Sorry if you're bothered by it now. This also means that Sweetie Belle was nineteen when she disappeared. I have gone through the chapter and made all the appropriate edits and it has been re-uploaded. You can check it out if you like.
Now, the second reason I mentioned earlier. My editor is very good at her job. She's been working with me on improving my writing for years now, since before I was even in the pony fandom. The fact that I can write even semi-decently is greatly attributed to her.
HOWEVER. Editing is only something she can do very occasionally and incredibly infrequently. The second chapter of my story was finished a month ago and she has yet to even start on it (THIS IS NOT A CRITICISM OF HER). She is very busy in her life and she has a lot of projects she has to work on in her downtime, and things get prioritized. This does mean though that chapters get published for your viewing pleasure incredibly slowly.
Thus I have decided to make a change! When I finish a chapter, I will be posting it for you to see, but with a little [UNEDITED] next to it in the title of the chapter signifying that my editor hasn't been able to get to it yet. As she does edit my chapters, I will then replace the unedited versions with her versions.
Now, this means my chapters may be ... kind of painful? I don't like tooting my own horn, so you won't hear me say this a lot, but I am in no means a terrible writer ... That being said, I have several issues that I am not the best at. Mainly, I tend to tell a lot in my writing, and not show. My editor is helping me to improve this and I have made significant progress from where I started a decade ago, but still. It is noticeable.
If you are the kind of person that doesn't want to deal with that, you may want to wait until chapters have the [UNEDITED] tag removed from their chapter titles to read them. But if the fear of reading chapters that are slightly less well written does not dissuade you, then you are free to charge forwards into the darkness and abyss that awaits! I will be posting the second chapter either tonight or tomorrow, depending on my schedule.
That's all on the story front. See you in two years, when I write my next blog post!
The excitement is real!
Yay, 1/2 more years left. I can't wait to see the story. And also I believe that writing in friendship school would be tough if you want to use it. If not then okay.
is 
I'll be waiting
Ooooooooh, it's the spoopy ghost of a writer long past, telling you to resurrect your story~
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One more month until post!!!
another one died away.