So its been a year... (2024 update!) · 6:35am January 28th
Hello everyone and a heartfelt thanks to any of you who are still around to read this. It has been a full 12 months almost to the day since I last posted a chapter of my story. For that you have my apologies, but it was something that could not have been helped.
I continue on, facing my day-to-day, everyday... but life has not been kind to me. And I suppose that isn't saying much because the reason why I started this story in the first place was for catharsis for my issues. I have been very open about my medical issues which continue to get worse for me. I'm not on deaths door yet but I've reached the point of having to consider giving up working due to medical hardship, and that has been difficult for me to face. That combined with so many other issues that I won't be sharing here, have made 2023 a very difficult year for me.
But I am still around. In fact, I have still signed in to check back here for comments, messages, to reply to favorite adds, and just review over my story, almost em4-5 times a week for all these past 12 months. It's just being able to focus on my writing that's been the challenge. Chapter 129 left off in a very romantic part of the story and in my real life I haven't been feeling very romantic in my personal life for the last year.
Now some of you may be wondering about the redactions and whether or not that had anything to do with why I stopped writing. Well... it certainly didn't help. I can't blame anyone but myself for the mistake of breaking the ToS of the site. Although the fact that it was brought up by a reader, not a mod, a person who went of their way just to hurt somebody else and their art that they've dedicated several years of their life to, was definitely an emotional blow for me. But if I'm being honest, the delay in my writing came much more from problems in my personal life than anything else. I have sense backed up what I am calling the "original verson" of my story offsite, and I will be continuing here with what I am calling the "revised version" of my story which does not break the ToS of FiMfiction.
I'm sure what you're all wanting to hear is that, yes this story will continue. I have in fact already finished chapter 130 and about half of two other chapters as well. However, all of these are unedited and I am not yet ready to begin posting chapters publically yet. They will come, but for now no updates on TBA will be given. I still love this story, I want to keep writing it, and I haven't lost my determination. Whenever I'm feeling short on inspiration, I know that all I have to do is turn to my latest chapter 129 and see that there are over 700 views on it, even for a story this long that hasn't been updated in a year. I think that is amazing and it makes my heart soar whenever I think about that. I never thought my writing would reach more than a few dozen people at most. But the support I've reached from this community has truly had an affect on my life. And I thank you all so much for it.
So sincerely from the author, please be kind and patient with me. The story will finish, even if updates take time. I'm doing the best that I can, even if it's not as much as I'd want. The chapters affected by redactions will be rewritten, eventually. And whole new chapters are sure to flow in time. I am looking forward to them just as much as you are. So until then, I wish you all a better life than the one I've been forced to endure... and thank you for reading!
On the positive side, I am happy to see you are still with us and determined to work on your passion even if life is kicking you down. On a negative note sorry to hear your health declined yet again. Maybe it could be taken as empty platitudes but I hope you get better as that "yet" at the beginning is causing me rather not a small amount of trepidation.
Aaand I'm re-reading your story yet again, for the third time I might add, also I'm not sure if the way of motivational speaking is the way to go for me...
5765375
Can I just say that there's nothing that feels like a platitude about this all. Thank you! I mean that. Your words mean a lot to me and I appreciate you taking the time to write them. In truth, I try to sound strong whenever I write these updates, but my reality is often far harsher than I usually let on. I still have a lot to be grateful for, it's not all doom and gloom on my side. But I'm definitely struggling with more than I can handle.
Although I definitely love getting comments like this from my readers. The fact that you would find my story worth rereading so many times really makes my heart soar. I feel terrible about having so many chapters ruined by the redactions... but having to rewrite chapters I've already finished is SO much harder than coming up with new chapters. It's emotionally painful for me because I have to take all the beauty out of scenes that were so wonderful. Anyways, I'm ranting now so I'll stop. But again, thank you very much. Your support is not overlooked by me.
5765446
In no way I am a writer but from a small amount of experience (mainly in way of as of yet unfinished master thesis), I can only sympathize with having to redact your own story. Sometimes first drafts and ideas are, to unimaginatively call them, just The Thing. Redacting something a month or year later when the context and ideas fade away? Whoo boy. It always lacks that spark your brainchild had at the beginning.
5765449
I hear what you're saying and it's not that I can't do it... it's just painful. I'll give you two examples, and I'll be vague since I don't know how to do the spoiler tag thing.
One example is chapter 58. That's just lame, having a chapter like that with all the juicy bits taken out of it. But an even bigger issue is chapter 85. I think that might be one of my favorite chapters of the entire story so far. And having to redo that scene... it's just heartbreaking for me. it was perfect the way it was before the redactions.
But at the end of the day it really doesn't matter because there is very little I can do about it. In the words of Rarity, "If I must, I must." But I don't have to like it.