Shaking Off Rust · 3:59am Apr 22nd, 2022
I've been writing quite a bit the last few days. Churned out the third chapter of Carnivore, started on the fourth, and also began writing a fic inspired by Admiral Biscuit, alwaysdressesinstyle and countless others who have written about working class ponies (and other Equestrians) establishing a new existence on Earth. It's been a lot of fun, especially with Carnivore because I get to write Rainbow Dash, and I get to write her being an oblivious doof. Add in a pinch of one of my favorite off-beat ships (Maudity 
) and a foundry's worth of heavy metal, and you have a hell of a fun story.
I've noticed that I'm being a lot easier on myself in regards to my writing than I used to be. I'm critical, but not obsessive, like I used to be when I wrote Harry Potter fanfiction 20 years ago. I used to berate myself during the writing process, and for years afterwards, I could never read my own work without feeling embarrassed.
I got a lot better about it when I started writing Steven Universe fan fiction in 2018. It was enjoyable to write again, and I was able to sustain it long enough to finish the main story in a series for my OCs - Boundless Future. But then I lost interest in that fandom and came barreling back to MLP, this time with some fanfiction ideas.
Now, I'm okay with my writing. I'm shaking off rust right now, because even after seven years of sobriety, it's been sporadic, these bursts of writing energy. They bubble up for a few days or weeks, then retreat for months. But I can live with that.
At the end of the day, I'm truly writing for me, and I'm having more fun than stress doing it.
Going to continue reading Admiral Biscuit's truly epic fic Silver Glow's Journal. I still have around 600k words left. I highly recommend this as a truly well-written journal-style story that feels completely organic. The interactions and situations feel genuine. The main character is full of curiosity and wide-eyed enthusiasm for her new life, and experiences a variety of examples of culture shock, misunderstandings and (very little) outright hostility, while growing to love and appreciate the people she meets and enjoying all sorts of new experiences beyond her wildest imaginations. Admiral Biscuit is also a stickler for accuracy, so historical and geographical details are usually drawn from first hand experience, or have clearly been researched. Basically, go read it. Now.
That's it. Go read.
~Raine
