Nightmare Night chapter done; what should I work on next? · 8:50pm Jul 23rd, 2019
Short answer: I'm not sure. I've released three straight Nightmare Night chapters, but I'm disappointed in the response on the latest one.
I'm not sure if, at 16k words it was just too long (should I have broken it up?), or the content wasn't enjoyed, but only three comments were received. Yeah, I know it's a familiar refrain, but the longer I work on a chapter, the more the lack of comments tends to sting. Especially when the chapter involves things I've been building to for a long time, like the Eclipse/Starlight duel and the subsequent escape of Trixie through the portal. The more time I put in on something, the more I crave feedback, and when I don't get it, the motivation to continue it goes down.
On the subject of Trixie, I've always had a soft spot for her, and I honestly liked the Turnabout Storm version of her more than the canon one that finally emerged, where they fairly ruthlessly squelched any notion that she was actually a powerful unicorn in her own right. As I'm sure folks have noticed, I've been trying to bend the Nightmare Night version of Trixie more towards the TAS version of her, where's she deceptively smart and resourceful. And yes, I even brought back the ice elemental angle because, let's face it: not only does it make her more interesting, but she wasn't getting past Annie Smith any other way.
Regardless, it might be time to shift my efforts back to Firefly, which I was planning to do anyway for its two-year anniversary on September 1st--yeah, it really has been that long--and then return to Nightmare Night towards October and Halloween.
I've also had a couple idea bunnies hopping around in my head for some time now; a couple one-shots at least loosely set in the Phoenixverse. One would tie into Firefly, involving Twilight and her friends visiting old battle sites, while the other... was inspired by the HBO series Chernobyl, which, despite getting some things wrong and taking creative license where it honestly didn't need to, I'd heartily recommend watching. It would involve a very solemn Celestia taking Twilight on a rather unpleasant field trip without telling her where they're going, explaining only that she wants to show her then-student something that showcases humanity simultaneously at its worst and best.
So which will I work on? I don't know yet, but I'm willing to entertain votes and suggestions. Feel free to sound off as to what you'd like to see next, folks.
I'll always vote for Firefly!
I think people are glazing over these days if the chapter is too long. Another potential factor is the rapid turnaround on this chapter. You basically wrote 16k words in the amount of time it took me to write 8k for Loving Submission and that was me moving at flank speed! People had only barely recovered from the amazing CMC chapter and may have felt shy to comment again.
As for me, I'm sorry I've been missing comments but all my creative energy this summer has been going into my own stories. I still need to finish reading Fallout Equestria and that's fallen by the wayside too. I'm worried there won't even be a fandom or that numbers will almost totally collapse by next year and I'm trying to make one final positive impression on what's left of it.
Then again, there will always be a market for clopfiction, even if it probably won't be story-driven.
I addressed this in my blog but people as a general rule just seem to care a lot less about what they're reading. There's not so much of an attachment it's just consume, consume, consume. You've got a good name and reputation. You've put in the time and the effort to build multiple epic stories. I think going forward you should adopt a feeder (some call it trickle-down) strategy and drive traffic into your long stories through one-shots. This was what I was going to do with Earthmother but I've already talked enough about that...
Your Chernobyl fic sounds... interesting. I don't watch HBO or TV in general but I didn't play Fallout until I read a pony fic with Fallout in it. I think this sort of story is right up your alley and you'll do it well.
I'd really like to read a story covering Edgeworth and Rarity finally getting it on, although I'm again considering how I might accomplish this task myself. I've plowed my way across lets plays of AA: Investigations and feel like I have an adequate hold on Edgeworth to write him properly.
I vote for Firefly!
Either Firefly Or Chernobyl. Nightmare night chap was good btw, been reading it on breaks during shifts.
Whatever you choose, write on