Prince of Ponyville's Ending · 6:25am Feb 14th, 2013
Four months. Four freaking months. That's how long it's been since the last chapter of Prince of Ponyville. What the hell happened?
Well, a few things. One, Real Life Stuff. It happens, it's dealt with, it's no longer a relevant excuse. Two, I shot myself in the foot by deciding that I was going to finish the whole story in one, ginormous chapter, rather than breaking it up into three or four normal-sized chapters, because I was worried that doing so would disrupt the momentum and flow. For some reason, psychologically, the sheer amount of words I put in front of myself to write freaked me out. Bad decision. Third, well, awhile back I asked if anyone had some advice about overcoming writer's block. D.G.D. Davidson shared some very insightful wisdom: writer's block doesn't really exist. If you think you're stuck, then there's something wrong with the story. Figure it out and fix it.
And, well, I haven't. I mean, the figuring out part, sure. The fixing... not so much. Instead of going back and editing my previous work like a responsible writer, I've taken shelter in games, new TV shows, hanging out with friends, and what have you. Because, I guess, I'm afraid that if I start picking at Prince's brown spots, I'm going to discover the whole thing's rotten through.
Another factor, coupled with the previous, is that I don't want to go back and change things people have already read. I guess I think it's rude. Case in point: Blueblood's Vader mask. Why did I think that was a cool idea? It completely contradicts Nightmare's orders to leave his face intact, and it's just kind of dumb and melodramatic. But I feel like now that it's there and it's been established, I can't just go back and remove it. On a second draft of the whole thing, sure, but not during the initial write-and-post phase. Bad writer! Bad.
Finally, and probably the biggest sticking point is... well... I'm just not as into the whole pony thing as I used to be. Still like the show, still think my fellow bronies are a crazily talented and creative bunch, but... I dunno. It seems like, over the course of season three, the mood of the whole community shifted a bit. More people complaining about the show. Hasbro's legal team cracking down on fan projects. (Even Fighting is Magic, now, which... man. Absolutely tragic.) Every forum or YouTube page having even the slightest mention of ponies is guaranteed to have a comments section churning with flame wars between blind haters and overdefensive, insecure bronies. All for a TV show! A good show, even a great one, with wonderful characters and writing and animation, but... somehow, it all just started to seem a bit silly.
So. Here I am, a would-be writer who's had a novel-length story a single chapter away from completion for almost four months. Some people, I know, have given up hope I'll ever finish the damn thing. Others of you are still holding strong. I don't wanna let you down. I want to finish this thing. But every day, it seems like I've got another excuse why I can't just sit down and do so.
So here's the deal: I'm giving myself two more months. On April 19th, 2013, if I haven't finished Prince, I'm posting a narrative-style version of my notes for how the story and its various subplots end. I'll also post whatever I've actually finished of the chapter itself (currently, it's about 1/4th of the way through, I believe). If I never get around to finishing the damned thing, at least those of you who care will know how it was supposed to end. If, at some point in the future, I do decide to write it up properly, I'll do so and let you all know. But either way, at least Prince will have some closure.
Right, I believe you're due for a video now.
[youtube=tB-o0Pnj1Tk]
(I'm pretty sure I already posted this, but it's awesome. Nice of Hasbro to let the Fighting is Magic team finish all the stage themes before they dropped the hammer. 
)
I have faith in you Kavonde, and our community. We're going through a storm at the moment, all fandoms do. I'm sure we'll come through the other side, and stronger for it. Also, FREAKING YOUNG JUSTICE MAN!
It's sad that it's ending, but all the episodes lately have been awesome! Keith David as Mongul!
the whole not quite into ponies thing, I totally get that man.
heck, I'm not sure I was ever really into ponies to begin with, at least, not the show itself.
I mean, hey the show is good, great even, but recently, well...
let me put it into comparative terms, I can read a good several hours worth of story in one sitting, yet it takes me forever to sit through one twenty minute episode!
Earlier, I watched a good quarter to half of a season and it felt only half as long...
I have two explanations for this: one, the series is going through what could be seen as seasonal rot;
or B, I am falling out of love, or at least Hollywood's definition of the term, with MLP.
Either way, I feel kinda sad about it.
Post some of what you have completed and approve of. Not every word, whatever feels natural when it comes to the end. Once you start the process of releasing your work and then receiving positive and negative feedback (probably mostly positive), you'll feel like an author again, so it will be easier to do what authors do. Yes, you've said you're afraid of what it will look like, but it seems most of your problems are caused by you being afraid of failure and inadequacy, even though in reality it's you being afraid of not reaching your own expectations. Pull off the band aid so you can grow as a person.
To cheer you up, have some Friendship is Witchcraft. That's right, it's back, and looking finer than ever before. Just like you.
I've seen a few authors go open surgery on their stories by making huge edits to improve it, sometimes months after they've last published a new chapter. One author actually split his story in two! And if you think that's rediculous, take a look at this one. The new chapters have thousands of views.Though I've probably only seen a few of however many authors do this, so far it's always seemed to work out. Just leave an author's note at the top when you publish a new chapter explaining that you made changes, point out any important stuff, and maybe link to a blogpost with more details and explanations and stuff. As long as you explain it, anyone who complains is just being picky, silly, or stupid. Besides, it is your story, so you should make it as good as it can be for yourself first. Make the story you want to write, and almost everyone in your audience will enjoy it more. (I say almost everyone because, statistically, get a large enough group and someone's gonna be unhappy. Because numbers) Anyways, one more thing: People are going to be reading this story long after you finish it. There's a bunch of readers who wait until a story's complete before reading it, yes, but also Fimfiction may well last for years to come, and that means that your total audience of readers may well be larger than those currently reading. So in conclusion it's totally worth making big edits if you feel it will improve your story, because reasons.
Wow, that's too bad. Don't get discouraged though. I'm no writer, (well, unless C++ counts, right?) so I can't really relate. But I just want to say that I'm thankful for what you have written. Same as you, I'm not into pony as much as I once was. I don't really enjoy watching old episodes over again. So the only pony I get are new episodes, comics posted on EQD, and fanfics. If it weren't for fanfics though, I might have left completely. So thank you for being one of the few authors I truly enjoy, keep up the good work!
Sorry to hear, hope it works out. If not, then hey, it was an awesome ride while it lasted. Damn shame about the legal action, however I heard that Lauren Faust was interested in giving the team of original content to work with.