i'd prefer the long chapters. there might be a bit of a wait, but then the story doesn't start up and end again so quickly. it also makes it feel like it lasts longer. also, are you going to rewrite the beginning chapters with out clop, or are you going to leave them as is?
I've said it before, pacing really isn't one of your strong points, and if you think you can slow down and spend the time to explain and expand on things, go for longer chapters. Of course, if it's basically just a couple of your average chapters stuck together with nothing extra, stick with shorter ones.
2550767 I still don't really get what you mean by pacing problems. Is it because I don't bother showing EVERYTHING? like what Twi and Big Mac were doing before Starcast showed up in Canterlot? If I were to do that I'd be jumping around so much that the viewpoint would be less third-person omniscient and more third-person pschizophrenic.
2550788 Sorry, pacing is the wrong word. It just seems like you just zip right on through, like, these things are happening, this this and this is going on, here's a cliffhanger, on to the next chapter. The pacing isn't exactly off, everything happens in a logical sequence, it all makes sense, but seems way too close together because the chapters are all so bare-bones. So what I mean is, if you're gonna put some meat on it, give us descriptions, explain a bit more, that's fine. But the way it is, there's little to no unnecessary material. Like the throne room. You could describe the layout a bit more, is the throne room decorated in peanut butter and live salmon? what does this Sharpclaw guy look like? Not going too deep, of course, but is he bright pink and wearing a giant piece of cheese on his head? Those ponies in the crowd, where are they standing? Just milling about in the throne room, in a line off to the side, pinned to the floor by an overzealous guard on his first day? It's the little details you skimp on that make it seem way too fast, y'know?
2550861 It's a fine line between "and then John was a demon." and The Silmarillion. I'm trying to keep it readable without being a slog. I could describe all of that, but by the end of the chapter you'd have 10,000 words about whether or not Fluttershy smelled more like sawdust or patchouli.
2550880 Well that's just a bit of an exaggeration, but whatever. It's your story. All I'm saying is that you need to slow down a little. You just go from one scene to another, event event event, bam bam bam, and the chapter's over and it feels like part of it's missing. It's tasty, but you could probably do with adding a bit more spice.
I'd like longer waits but bigger updates - it's not like you've got the only story on fimfiction or that I spend all day waiting to read this, or any, particular story Take your time, make it good and long, or don't and make it good and short. If we don't like how you write, sucks for us. Nobody's forcing us to read it. Also, do indeed leave out the clop. Your earlier clop was just fine, and I certainly liked it, but if you feel you can't write it well, or that it just doesn't belong in the story, or that you plain don't want to, then it shouldn't be in the story.
2550880 10k words about... I'm not sure if that is more Silmarillion or anything by Robert Jordan...but I digress.
I squee every time I see this has updated. While large chapters are nice to bite into and enjoy, I'll cite this particular one as an example. Sure, it was short, but the impact of everything that happened in the scene during which Celestia simply reads a letter and talks to an envoy for less than minutes was fully felt without it seeming overly busy. Stories don't need to be long to be epic, or wordy to have weight. To this day "The Cough" needed just over a thousand words from start to finish to inflict so many pony-related feels on me that nearly two years after its publishing I shudder when I think back on it.
Keep doing what you feel is right, because if you've listened to your writer's instincts and impulses thus far as you've worked on Love Is Life, they have served you well indeed.
Ooh, how interesting. Silmarilion? I suppose I can see the resemblance, and that gladdens me; I very much enjoy stories that take on the form of the Silmariliion. I eagerly await the next chapter.
This honestly felt a bit too short. I can usually work with anything between 2k and 20k words, so that leaves a lot of room. Also, I like where this goes.
I prefer frequent, shorter chapters (2,000-2,500ish words preferably). More frequent chapters that are a bit longer than this would be great, if that would be alright with you.
This was a good chapter and I eagerly await the next one.
I'd prefer longer chapters, but write whatever you feel comfortable writing.
In any case, Twilight's getting her first taste of multifarious duplicity. She can't be herself during these negotiations. Of course, the question then becomes who will she be?
2550880 I dont know, Twilight seems like the kind of pony who would be distracted by such a line of inquiry so much that she might actually take up 10,000 words just thinking about it.
"There's a new changeling queen. She's sent an envoy to discuss the situation with us. Pegasus mare, blue coat, gray mane, three shooting stars for a cutie mark, named Starcast. Actually a changeling. I'm looking for her now."
Hold on, she got all that from, ‘all is well, will investigate ‘ ?
The plot thickens...
Nice Mass Effect reference.
Personally, I'd go for the longer chapters, with more time between them. But whatever you publish is fine, a flexible schedule would be fine by me.
short chapters are fine with me, don't always have time for long ones.
I have trouble with short chapters... Longer chapters please?
I'm a word whore. I would rather get my daily fix of updates instead of waiting weeks. Already have to wai for rust. :/
i'd prefer the long chapters. there might be a bit of a wait, but then the story doesn't start up and end again so quickly. it also makes it feel like it lasts longer. also, are you going to rewrite the beginning chapters with out clop, or are you going to leave them as is?
Short, Long or somewhere in between chapters don't matter to me.
I prefer short updates that come quicker to long updates that take a while to be uploaded. But any updates are better than none!
2550354
I'm leaving them as a monument to my failure.
2550443
failure? why failure? i loved them! and i'm fairly certain everyone else who liked this story did too!
They're sure gonna be in for a shock when they meet the queen.
Well done Twilight. Now that the Princesses know about the changelings, acting immediately is the best option.
As for chapter length, I'd prefer longer with a wait. But really, I'm happy with whichever is easier for you to write.
And I agree with BronyPonyMan, the clop chapters early on were fine. I enjoyed them.
I would usually be for shorter chapters but your story needs longer ones.
Now that's gonna be an interesting exchange. I can't wait to see the look on Celestia's face.
long i liked this chapter but was too short feel like you pulled the seat right as i was just about to sit down
I've said it before, pacing really isn't one of your strong points, and if you think you can slow down and spend the time to explain and expand on things, go for longer chapters. Of course, if it's basically just a couple of your average chapters stuck together with nothing extra, stick with shorter ones.
2550767
I still don't really get what you mean by pacing problems. Is it because I don't bother showing EVERYTHING? like what Twi and Big Mac were doing before Starcast showed up in Canterlot? If I were to do that I'd be jumping around so much that the viewpoint would be less third-person omniscient and more third-person pschizophrenic.
2550788 Sorry, pacing is the wrong word.
It just seems like you just zip right on through, like, these things are happening, this this and this is going on, here's a cliffhanger, on to the next chapter. The pacing isn't exactly off, everything happens in a logical sequence, it all makes sense, but seems way too close together because the chapters are all so bare-bones.
So what I mean is, if you're gonna put some meat on it, give us descriptions, explain a bit more, that's fine. But the way it is, there's little to no unnecessary material. Like the throne room. You could describe the layout a bit more, is the throne room decorated in peanut butter and live salmon? what does this Sharpclaw guy look like? Not going too deep, of course, but is he bright pink and wearing a giant piece of cheese on his head? Those ponies in the crowd, where are they standing? Just milling about in the throne room, in a line off to the side, pinned to the floor by an overzealous guard on his first day?
It's the little details you skimp on that make it seem way too fast, y'know?
I prefer longer chapters, with a few short chapters here and there when it's appropriate. Thank you for updating! Always a pleasure.
2550861
It's a fine line between "and then John was a demon." and The Silmarillion. I'm trying to keep it readable without being a slog. I could describe all of that, but by the end of the chapter you'd have 10,000 words about whether or not Fluttershy smelled more like sawdust or patchouli.
2550880 Well that's just a bit of an exaggeration, but whatever. It's your story. All I'm saying is that you need to slow down a little. You just go from one scene to another, event event event, bam bam bam, and the chapter's over and it feels like part of it's missing. It's tasty, but you could probably do with adding a bit more spice.
I'd like longer waits but bigger updates - it's not like you've got the only story on fimfiction or that I spend all day waiting to read this, or any, particular story
Take your time, make it good and long, or don't and make it good and short. If we don't like how you write, sucks for us. Nobody's forcing us to read it.
Also, do indeed leave out the clop. Your earlier clop was just fine, and I certainly liked it, but if you feel you can't write it well, or that it just doesn't belong in the story, or that you plain don't want to, then it shouldn't be in the story.
Big chapters are best chapters!
2550880 10k words about... I'm not sure if that is more Silmarillion or anything by Robert Jordan...but I digress.
I squee every time I see this has updated. While large chapters are nice to bite into and enjoy, I'll cite this particular one as an example. Sure, it was short, but the impact of everything that happened in the scene during which Celestia simply reads a letter and talks to an envoy for less than minutes was fully felt without it seeming overly busy. Stories don't need to be long to be epic, or wordy to have weight. To this day "The Cough" needed just over a thousand words from start to finish to inflict so many pony-related feels on me that nearly two years after its publishing I shudder when I think back on it.
Keep doing what you feel is right, because if you've listened to your writer's instincts and impulses thus far as you've worked on Love Is Life, they have served you well indeed.
Ooh, how interesting. Silmarilion? I suppose I can see the resemblance, and that gladdens me; I very much enjoy stories that take on the form of the Silmariliion. I eagerly await the next chapter.
When I find harbinger he is dead , oh yea nice chapter and nice mass effect 2 reference
long chapters.I can wait a week
I do find longer chapters to be nice
though i'm as patient as a starving rat, i do like me a good several K chapter. longer chapters it is.
I am looking forward for the meeting now!
*rusian acsent* long isz good. ^^
This honestly felt a bit too short. I can usually work with anything between 2k and 20k words, so that leaves a lot of room. Also, I like where this goes.
This may make the next few chapters very interesting...
So please do keep up the ogod work upon such a great tale like this one.
I prefer frequent, shorter chapters (2,000-2,500ish words preferably). More frequent chapters that are a bit longer than this would be great, if that would be alright with you.
This was a good chapter and I eagerly await the next one.
wow... that was kind of freaky...
I'd prefer longer chapters, but write whatever you feel comfortable writing.
In any case, Twilight's getting her first taste of multifarious duplicity. She can't be herself during these negotiations. Of course, the question then becomes who will she be?
2550880
I dont know, Twilight seems like the kind of pony who would be distracted by such a line of inquiry so much that she might actually take up 10,000 words just thinking about it.
Nice approach on twilight's part. Diplomatic and reasonable with out giving too much away.
Hehe, well, 4k chapters is a good goal.
Good little act with the half-truths.
Hold on, she got all that from, ‘all is well, will investigate ‘ ?