2020 Writing In Retrospective · 7:30pm Dec 14th, 2020

So some good friends Aquaman, PresentPerfect, and JakeTheArmyGuy started doing this thing, and I figured I owe to my friends and long-distance acquaintances. It's also a good idea to get a measure of oneself every now and again.

Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

I'm actually still writing, despite appearances. I'm trying to break into original fiction with two main projects, both of which started as horsefics. One is a fantasy epic staring an amnesiac teleporting pink pony, which some of you may have vague memories of. It has restarted several times in many forms, evolving all the while. Within the last year or two, I've decided it needs to be in its own thing. Its own universe, its own magic, its own histories. So this is what's been occupying most of my writing time. As I'm expecting this thing to be enormous, I've been writing a few random chapters to help me understand the characters. I've also been creating an adjacent bible, so to speak. Something to establish rules for the magic system, social castes, significant historical events, laws, etc.

Another story some of you may know about is a little thing called Arion 9, a psychological horror-thriller set on a train. That story, as it exists, is about a third of the way done in horsewords. However, I also want to convert this into an original story, which I am currently in the process of doing. I think this thing will be easier to get published than the fantasy epic, especially for a first-time author. Best to get my foot in the door, so to speak.

As for horsewords themselves, I still do have a couple ideas I come back to every once in awhile. One is a sanctioned side story to RedSquirrel456's My Little Metro, and the other is a long overdue gift for a snazzy friend. Maybe we'll see those sooner than later.

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Honestly, finishing Arion 9 and trying to enter the world of published writing. Progress with all my writing is slow, and has been slow. But I'm almost done with schooling and next year I hope to get my own place, so with those freedoms should come more time to dedicate to writing.

What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

The fun part about original works is that you can invent your excuses to get yourself arsed to write it.

Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

From Arion 9, the horsewords version:

Lucy’s enthralled smile then wavers, on the verge of crumbling as if some dreadful weight has started breathing down his neck. I can feel it too, the look in his eyes, siphoning out the air in my lungs. Time has frozen this brief moment, and it’s warning me the next will drag me someplace I can’t get out of. It’s giving me the chance to flee, and so help me do I want to take it. But I’m not in control anymore. I wasn’t in control to begin with, I realize, as Lucy straightens his posture and pulls me further into his story.

What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

This is difficult to answer. In all the characters I'm creating, I find a little bit of myself in all of them. Further, I have plans that basically entail kicking them down a flight of stairs until they're broken pieces and watching them pull themselves back onto their feet. Not entirely sure what that says about me or my ideas of character development.

What character do you have the most fun writing?

Princess Luna. I've always loved the idea of cultural naivety and my version of her is just that. That feeling of being alone and out of one's depth is so interesting to me. It naturally leads into challenges with problem solving and an exploration of culture. Of course, I'm translating my version of Princess Luna into my big original project, but she will always have a soft spot in my heart for that.

What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

Show, don't tell. I like to dive straight into the situation, whether it's in the middle of an explosion or a character's depressed thoughts. If something needs explanation, it will happen along with the appearance of the thing. Elsewise the thing will be teased, alluded to, or have individual aspects of its construction given explanation to suggest at the power of the whole. Dialogue is also very fun to write, including monologue to an extent. I've always been told that it's what I'm good at. I also like challenging the medium itself, which can be seen in some of my works like I Alone, The Only One In Color, and Sylphadine.

Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

Yes. Very much yes. I look to read the kinds of things I like to write, and I like to write the kinds of things I read.

Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

I'm a very slow burner. Long or short, I take my time with it. I don't usually outline unless it's something very long where consistency is more pertinent. But the story beats, themes, and character developments come to me quite easily. Sometimes, though, this involves trying to force a square peg into a round hole. It can be very difficult for me to change what I'm doing if it isn't working, where instead I try to force the matter or invent the circumstances for it to work.

How would you describe your writing process?

Slow.

What do you envy in other writers?

Their speed.

Do you want your writing to be famous?

Who doesn't? I will always write for myself first and foremost, and I believe that if you write what people like then they will come. It would just be nice if they coincided, and getting paid to tell stories has always been a dream of mine.

Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?

Aside from what's on Fimfiction? Very rarely, and even then only to a trusted few. Nobody has seen my original works yet, although they may know aspects of them. I've come to like waiting until something is complete before publishing it. That does however lead into not showing much for it, unfortunately.

At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

Honestly, the title is often the first thing I come up with and a story just kinda evolves from that. Such was the case with The Only One In Color. Now, though, it's less of a concern. With this original fantasy epic of mine, I still don't have a name for it. I doubt I will until I have to submit it to a publisher.

Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Summaries. I have never been good at them and they are often the last thing I create. Sometimes I try to cheat the system and use a quote from the story instead.

Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

Not particularly, I don't think, aside from what's already been discussed.

Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

I don't think of my readers. I love you guys, I really do, but I do my best to ignore them so they don't influence my decision making. That being said, I do often worry about what I'm intending coming across precisely as it's intended, even if it's intentionally open ended.

Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

[REDACTED]

Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)

I do love beating up my characters. That's how one shows affection, right?

Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

[ORIGINAL WORK DO NOT STEAL]

What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

Longform television is my dream for some of the things I'm writing. I can't write a screenplay to save my life, but in my head I see things like they're movies. It's just a matter of translating that to paper.

Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

No. After I'm done with something I kind of just forget about it. If anything, they're reminders of how far I've come, no matter how shameful I might find them now if I really gave them thought.

What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

This fantasy epic of mine. It originally started as a sanctioned side story to shortskirtsandexplosions' Background Pony, truth be told. Bless that man for indulging my silly ideas, even if they never went anywhere. They've since been restarted, rebooted, and now I'm incredibly happy with how that initial concept is developing into something original. I don't think I would be where I am right now without him, or his letting me join his editing team for a couple years.

Would you say your writing has changed over time?

Absolutely. It's objectively less shit now. I'm a firm believer in that no writing is wasted writing. Even typing this blog post only solidifies my writing style and brings me into exploring new directions. It's trite to be told to just write. It's harder than it sounds, and even now I struggle with it. But it deserves to beat into one's head that the only way they'll get better at writing is to just write, anything and everything.

What part of writing is the most fun?

The shameless self indulgences.