I realize I've been absent for a while. If you're curious as to why, feel free to read this. We all have our burdens to bear, this is the one I've lived with for the past decade. This is not for pity, this purely informative.

And I think I've got it under control for the first time in ten years. I can't begin to describe how liberating that feels...

First chapter for the sequel to 'What Would Daring Do?' has been released. Check it out here

The sequel for 'What Would Daring Do?' is in the works.

Expect the first chapter of 'Where Would Rainbow Dash?' to be released sometime before or during the Easter Weekend.

That is all.

*goes back to writing*

Edit: Forgot to mention, there will likely be a 'Daring Do and the Mare with No Name' sequel as well following the completion of this project.

Current project isn't going as well as expected. Well, not a huge surprise there I suppose, but it's still a bit discouraging. Something feels off since the beginning but I haven't been able to put my finger on it. I've spent a while contemplating things, trying to figure out what's wrong, and I think I've finally nailed it.

I'm not having fun.

Writing has always been fun for me, but this time around it feels like I'm dragging myself through the motions for the sake of writing. And that's no way to do a project. I'm thinking of putting 'Empty Heart, Full Heart' into cold storage and going back to the drawing board to find something that I do enjoy. Actually, first I'm going to see about giving 'What Would Daring Do' a polish before submitting it to EqD, but that shouldn't take too long.

Finishing a story has always left me with a strange feeling. It's tricky to let go of something that had been on your mind and consuming your day-to-day activities for the better part of a year. It was a project, and now it is finished. It's like saying good-bye to an old friend. Normally by the time I finish a project, I've got the next one lined up waiting in dry-dock to start work almost immediately.

No such luck this time around. At best I have the digital equivalent of cocktail napkin scribbles. Musing out loud sometimes help, so maybe a little temperature taking is in order.

Project 1 - Working Title: Trickster, Ego, Hero, Fraud

Premise: The aftermath of the magic may have humbled Trixie, but that doesn't mean she's about to stop her pursuit of fame, fortune, and power. But when well-timed lies and unforeseen circumstances land Trixie exactly that, she finds that she's in for a lot more than she bargained for.

My thoughts: I've always liked Trixie, and I'm a fan of the Harry Flashman and Ciaphas Cain novel series. Figured blending the two together would be an interesting experiment. Braeburn and the ponies from Appleloosa are also a part of the story, though Trixie is the focus. It'd be a mixture of adventure with some sprinkles of romance and comedy for flavouring. My major concerns, however, are about my uncertainties towards how much interest a story about Trixie and Braeburn would generate; and the fact that this story would be written in a style very similar to the works I've done over the past few years. I've been doing these pony-fics to expand my horizons, not regress backwards.

Project 2 - Working Title: Empty Heart, Full Heart

Premise: With the Crystal Empire secure, a sister maturing into a responsible ruler, and a kingdom at peace, Celestia is finally able to take time to pursuit a cause that she's put on hold for so long. But a thousand years is a long time to neglect romance, and Celestia decides to enlist the aid of her trusted pupil in this matter. But all the while, she is haunted by past memories of the last time she opened her heart, and how it led to the rise of a tyrannical ruler and the losses that would forever shape Equestria.

My thoughts: Celestia is another interesting character with plenty of room to explore. But I don't want to go down the Celestia-Twilight shipping lane, so I'm forced to find material elsewhere.  This would use the parallel stories trope once again, though this time in the form of flashbacks rather than an actual story. That aspect of WWDD was a hit-and-miss with readers so, again, hesitancy grips me.  And if I'm not planning to do Twilestia shipping then where do I go? Would pairing Celestia with anyone else really work? Can I do a romance story with only one participant...

As you may have guess, indecision is the key to flexibility...

Some of you may or may not have noticed that a particular user posted a recent review and made mention of some audio readings he's done for 'What Would Daring Do?' (Note to self; really re-consider a new title for the story). It definitely makes a first for me - I've never had enough interest in my work before to get somebody to do an audio reading of it. True, it's not too different from when anybody else reads it except he's doing it out loud with a microphone.

It's an odd feeling to listen to somebody else read your words. It's like watching a movie of yourself acting on stage. You know it's you; you know its your words and your actions and your feelings; and yet it feels strangely alien to you when you watch it yourself. I also liken it to watching somebody else playing Mass Effect because chances are they're using a different appearance of Commander Shepard. So again, you're seeing the same voice and words you've come to associate with the work, yet with a different and completely alien face attached to it.

Anyways, the gentleman has done four chapters thus far (which I can only imagine takes a considerable amount of time, patience, and numerous glasses of water). You can check them all out here, and in the meantime, you can probably check out the other readings he's done as well. I haven't listened to his readings of my work completely yet because, as I've stated before, it feels very strange and alien to me. Nonetheless, it's cool...and flattering. And he's a cool dude for doing them. I suppose I should thank Jackie as well since it was apparently her idea.

Makes me sad that the story is almost finished...

Edit: Okay, so apparently it was Krazy's idea. I should keep a list of people that I have to thank...

The Great and Apologetic Trixie may have managed to earn the forgiveness of her most bitter rival and freed herself from the corruption of the Alicorn Amulet, but she's still got money and reputation problems to deal with. Can Trixie find a new path, or will her boisterous ways lead her down a road to ruin once more? Join Trixie in a new action-packed adventure as she grapples with her most dangerous foe yet - a fraudulent reputation.

I still remember the most important lesson my father taught me.

"Sincerity is the most important feature of a stage magician. Once you've mastered how to fake it, there's nothing you can't make the audience believe."

All I've ever wanted was to live an easy life - fame, fortune, and the adoration of legions of ponies. You know, like a hero. Was that so much to ask? But reputations are a funny thing; they can take a life of their own and run rampant when you least expect it. I thought being looked upon as a hero would be my ticket to an easy life. I wish somepony had told me that being a hero was a lot of hard, dangerous work...

It's even harder when you're faking it.

Working through the night, I've managed to make the revisions to chapter ten to correct the mistakes I had made in tone and pacing.

Whether or not you think it's better than it's previous incarnation is debatable, but the issue was that it fits the rest of the story better. And as fun as it is to swing the emotion hammer around, I find it has a tendency to break things more than it improves.

Anyways, it's a small but significant change to the final scene. I hope you enjoy it.

Some of you are probably wondering why you have a notice of an update, yet no update to go with it.

Long story short, something felt wrong in the last scene. In the original draft work the flow seems to work well, but once I've put it to paper it felt...disjointed from how I wanted the rest of the story to flow.

As a result, I've taken the chapter down and I will be revising the end scene. Chances are it'll be quite different from the original version, but it cannot stand as is. In my haste to get this chapter finished, I've have overlooked critical details down the road. This must be corrected.

A commission I won in a contest at Reddit's MLP community. Made by the awesome Conicer. Seriously, he's fan-freaking-tastic.