A Crisis Of Confidence · 2:42am Apr 21st, 2018
You may have notice a recent change in the publication status of Greater Lights: Adaptation. Your eyes do not deceive you. It has indeed been given the dreaded "On Hiatus" Kiss of Purgatory. Allow me to explain why this is the case.
I've been having something of a crisis of confidence in my abilities as a writer, which has been brewing for the last few months. There are two main contributing factors to my deteriorating state of mind.
One is the failure of The Barmare to gain any traction whatsoever. Yes, it had the lack of both cover art and canon characters working against it, but even that cannot account for the total lack of interest one way or another. Yes, it got featured, but when it got featured, it had absolutely no "heat" - the very metric the feature box algorithm is supposed to be based on - and it gained absolutely no benefit from being featured. As far as I can tell, the only reason it got featured at all is because GL:A was once featured on launch, and I'm starting to think that that was a pure fluke.
Which brings me to my second point. The latest chapters of GL:A have been utterly inexcusable in their lack of quality. You all waited patiently (for the most part) for over nine months for an update, and what did I have to show for it? The literary equivalent of Duke Nukem Forever. Seriously. Chapter Nine in particular is an absolute dumpster fire of the worst impulses of this site. The only thing it has going for it is semi-decent spelling and grammar. And as I look back over the rest of the 154K+ words comprising this fic, I'm not feeling much better about them, either.
I'm not certain the situation is going to get much better in the near future, either. And yet, I have made promises that I intend to keep. So here's what's going to happen: I'm going to devote my writing time to getting my planned Sunset Shimmer x Human clopshot finished and edited to a decent enough state that I'd feel comfortable publishing it. How well that fic does will determine whether or not I continue to produce horse words. If, by some miracle, it succeeds far beyond my (admittedly low) expectations, GL:A will continue, but I am going to nuke Chapter 9. Otherwise, my career as a fanfic writer will come to an early end.
I'm sorry that it has to be this way, but it is what it is.
This is the wrong mindset, dude.
You ARE a skilled writer.*hugs* Though, it does seem that appeal to MLP works has been ebbing in the fandom itself. Maybe that's part of the cause?
I honestly like Greater Lights. I can live with a few chapters being subpar as long as the story continues to go somewhere.
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I agree. The site definitely has less traffic these days.
I've been enjoying Greater Lights: Adaptation quite a lot. Honestly, I would much rather see you continue it than work on the clopshot you mentioned. Besides, GL:A already has a following. It doesn't make sense to base your decision on whether or not to continue it on how some new separate story does. I, for one, would be quite disappointed if you cancelled it.
I actually liked the last few chapters of GL:A
Oh joy, another one of these.
Oh well, time to smack some sense into another author.
First, your issue is really very narrow. You just took on what should have been a focus point to deal with what is normally a minor issue with overdoing foreshadowing and didn't pull it off. Just back up and write around it by skipping the dream and everything will be fine. Everyone has their weaknesses, and a big part of the point of sites like these is to help you identify them so you can improve. You're making a much bigger deal of this than it really is, so relax and get back to work on the actual story.
Second, the biggest reason the new story didn't do well is simply that the fandom is dying. The quality of the show has been going downhill since Faust got the boot during the creation of season 2, and the viewer base has been steadily declining since the end of season 4 when many people including myself gave up hoping for the quality to recover. This site has held up better than most since it runs more on the creativity of the fans and the inertia of long stories than the show directly, but I've definitely seen a decline here as well which is a direct result of the decline in the show proper. I personally don't check the feature box very often any more and almost never bother to read anything I see there, so I'm not real surprised to hear your new story didn't do as well as your expectations built years ago at the height of the fandom would suggest.
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That's especially true since they largely cater to different audiences. I for one have no interest in a standard clopfic and, while I'm not bothered by sexual content in a story like this the way some people are, I do view it more as something to get through to get back to the interesting stuff than anything else.
Unfortunate that you feel that way. Basing success on popularity is understandable... but is it really an accurate rubric to use?
This isn't a plug, but I finally got around to publishing a couple stories here myself. 68k words in the last couple months on the longer story. 32 upvotes. I'm quite happy with it. Because I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and writing what I like.
Therein lies the crux. Do you want to tell this story, and other stories, because you want to, or because you want to be heard? There is a difference. You are being heard, but it's a group around a campfire rather than an auditorium packed to the rafters. Not enough?
GLA is one of the first stories here to really pull me in. Yeah, I expressed some disappointment in the Moon Dancer chapter, because it felt like a setback for its own sake. But that's because I'm invested in the story, and want to see the characters moving forward. You think Eddings has never disappointed? Hell he mixed up his own character names at one point.
If you're looking at comments, and you are, you're seeing people discussing all this, amidst praise and encouragement. You have readers thinking, talking, and enjoying. I'm sorry if that's not enough, or if you're like Redd Foxx and don't want to perform for an audience that isnt big enough. Big enough for what, exactly?
The problem can really be solved by a different story getting popular? Because it sounds to me more like you need to talk through the issues you're having with writing. You have long term plans for the story you're telling, a story with over 700 upvotes. It wasn't at that number when I started it... just saying. Either way, those long term plans are yours. We want to see them, but if we don't, you didn't take them from us; you took them from you. Because the auditorium wasn't full enough. So you say... but I don't buy it. So talk to someone about this. I'm available, if there's no one better.
I've got to agree with what I'm seeing here Jimbo. You are a good, solid writer. Which is more than I can say for a lot of writers on this site to be honest. I understand frustration really well and I know just as well the mindset that comes with it.
Just sit down for a little while, cool off and refocus. There is no reason for you to quit even if things misfire. And I know about misfires too.
The bottom line is I totally get what you're going through right now and quitting isn't the answer. Quitting is never the answer.
Seriously Jimbo, you can do this. Just stretch your to the limit man.
Why did you start writing your story Greater Lights: Adaption in the first place? Was it because you had a story to tell? Well, tell it.
pretty pleaseYou say you are having a crisis of confidence? Snap out of it. You can do it! 
You had a big enough ego and confidence to actually start a story... (and finish others) and you've come a long way. Sure you're NOT perfect. You are a fanfic author. No one but the grammar Nazis expect you to be perfect. Everyone else is here to be entertained by the story. We don't demand perfection. We want closure and resolution. You thought the story or idea was good enough to start, then it is good enough to finish. Don't get caught up in perfection at the expense of conclusion. Right now your story has 732 likes. That's a lot of likes. That's 732 people you will let down if you don't finish the story.
Here is a webcomic by Amber Williams. She's been doing her web comic longer than I've had a computer. Her first comic is Rough. With a capital “R.” But she kept drawing. Click through the links and watch her improve. She doesn't take down her early stuff, not because she's proud of it, but so that people take heart that if they keep it up, they will get better. The same with writing. Don't worry about it. Do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask except for FINISHING THE STORY.
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_001.php
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_092.php
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_104.php
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_195.php
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1391.php
I hope you take this in the spirit it is given. Which is by someone who likes your story, wants you to succeed, and wants you to feel confidence that people like your story. And wants to know what happens enough to write to you asking you to do so.
Fron those who live on that world of yours
"Don't kill us"
I will admit to not reading it for some time, mostly because it feels like something if i start reading I'll want to read from start to finish EVERY TIME, it is very compelling, I hope you do indeed finish as am happy to see, eventually it'll either get long enough or it'll I'll get tired of waiting and read it all as is, but I would really love for you to carry on. That said if you wish to stop that is you call, all I can say is you write well, and I enjoy it greatly.
I just found you, and you're thinking about leaving!?
Seriously though dude, The Barmare was great, and GLA has a great OC for a love interest. The last chapter was odd, but nothing to shoot down. I hope you get your mojo back, I enjoy your horse words!
Oh man, but I just found your works! I powered through GL:A and I’m about to hit up The Barmare now. The last chapter was a little odd but dreams are in fact very random and strange. Setting up more plot and love interests were front and foremost in my mind during this chapter. I hope your traffic picks up, I would love to see this story continue!
Basing whether you should, or shouldn't continue, on the possible succes of a whole other story?
Sorry, but that's probably the best possible way to shoot yourself down for good.
Buttom line: Don't!
I know how it is, to wanting to do your best, every time. It sucks big time when you make something that seems sub-par to what you've done previously.
It's a major motivation killer
It can be a major motivation killer when readers critize your work too. It takes a very good filter to pick the usefull from the useless, and move on.
You only really lose when you quit though.
Buttom line: Don't!
Don't write for fame and recognition, write to tell your story, write for fun, or better yet, for both.
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Actually, if you read the blog post after this one, you'll see that I kind of changed my mind.
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Glad you decided not to jump out of the saddle.
And on the brigth side, now you have a whole blog of support and good advice to turn to if you ever need a reminder