A Letter of Thanks to My Readers of A Simpler Time · 12:36pm Oct 25th, 2011
Wow. Just, wow guys. I'm really humbled by the massive attention you've given my little one-shot story here. Thank you for all your kind words as well as the tidbits of criticism here and there. I deeply appreciate it all and I am thrilled you all have enjoyed this story as much as you have.
I did indeed submit this story to Equestria Daily, however I don't think it's going to earn a feature there. The pre-reader sentiment I got back indicated that they didn't think it added anything that the comic didn't already cover and that it was less a story and more "something that happened."
I more or less get the first point, I think. I mean, the story really just is an extension of the adorableness that the comic was all about. I never intended for it to be much more than that. The second point, however, I'm having a hard time swallowing. I tagged the story as Slice of Life because that's what it is and nothing more. So I'm really not sure what to make of this comment. Considering the overwhelming amount of dark and sad stories that are getting featured there these days, I thought having a little something more cheerful and easygoing would be welcome. Apparently that's not the case.
The pre-readers went on to say I could revise/expand it and try to submit it again. I might do that down the road a bit, but for now I have other stories I want to get to writing. Not to mention I'd need time to decide how I'd actually go about expanding on this, if in fact I actually do want to do that at all. Getting featured on Equestria Daily is nice and all, but it's not the end of the world to me if it doesn't happen.
Thank you all again for your reviews and comments, I value them all and am honored you think so highly of my writing. I do hope you find my other stories enjoyable and that my future stories will likewise entertain you as well. ^_^
Equestria Daily. I never liked the notion that you had to be on Equestria Daily in order to get noticed. I understand the idea behind having a central hub for the fandom and all...
But, the idea that you have to be on there to be important enough, it's just not an idea I like. Yeah, the idea is to make provide works of quality. But there are just as many other works of quality that aren't on Equestria Daily either. A Simpler Time, is certainly one of them.
EQD doesn't matter, there are plenty of people who enjoyed it here, so the way I look at it? Write for the people that come here.
The story has been up now for a week. It currently stands at 3k+ views, 95 ratings and an average 4.8 out of 5 stars for its rating.
Needless to say, I am now thoroughly disinclined to contemplate a revision or lengthening of the story simply for the sake of re-submitting it to a site where it would still be a crapshoot as to whether or not I'd actually earn a feature. People like the story as-is, and it would be truly pretentious of me to tell them that some other version of the story might actually be better. tl;dr - I know when to leave well enough alone. It ain't broke, so I'm not gonna try to fix it.
Will I still submit future stories to EqD? Of course I will. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. More exposure for a story is always welcome. But clearly I've made an impression on the readers who frequent this site with my works so far. If EqD decides not to feature another of my stories from here on out, it's their loss.
It still begs the question in my mind, though, how Raiders of the Cutie Mark earned a feature but A Simpler Time didn't.