Thoughts on "The Royal Guards"

As many of you have seen, or at least heard by now, a new group has emerged from the bowels of FimFiction. This group dubs themselves "The Royal Guards", and consists of many big-wig writers and editors from the fiction community, including Obselescence and Golden Vision. The main goal they are striving towards is promoting the highest quality stories this site has to offer.

They've received a lot of support from fellow writers, myself included. But, on the other hand, there has been a lot of negative criticism as well. I just wanted to throw out my opinion on the matter, for those who care, and highlight why I think this is a good idea.

Now, one of the main criticisms is that the "Royal Guards" is just another Equestria Daily, and is therefore unnecessary and/or unwanted. I don't necessarily think this is the case. The sheer volume of fanfiction content being streamed into EqD on a daily basis is staggering (trust me, I have an inside source). It's all they can do to wade through the ever-increasing number of stories that are submitted. But the "Royal Guards" will have a higher number of pre-readers behind it. That means quicker response times and more stories featured daily. Plus, the group is based on the FimFiction website, and will logically be quicker on the uptake.

It can be argued that this group is being rather pretentious and egotistic. After all, who are they to judge whether a story is good or not? Well... considering that it consists of some of FimFictions titans, I'd say they are in a pretty good position to. And they are adhering to a strict non-bias policy. This means that they are doing their best to promote a story based on the quality of the writing, not the content. Even if some bias remains, however, there is, as I mentioned before, a large number of people working in this group, and therefore tastes should be quite varied.

Also, considering that the group has its roots deep in the FimFiction website, they should be much more approachable and friendly than, say, an EqD pre-reader (no offense Amacita; you are awesome and I love you :3).

So basically all I've done is defend these guys. Before you label me as a fanboy, though, let me explain.

I deeply respect what they are trying to do here, of which I can say the same for Equestria Daily. Fanfiction is, by and large, the most unappreciated art form in any fandom. The best writer on this site probably couldn't hold a candle to even a mediocre Brony musician when it comes to the number of followers they have. But why is this? I'm hesitant to say that writing is harder than making music, as I've recently picked up the guitar and it is extremely difficult—I don't recommend it to anyone who values their fingers—but surely we put in a similar amount of effort.

Well, that's the problem. Some of us do, but not all.

The problem with writing is that almost everyone can do it. It's a necessary thing to survive in this world, and thus is taught to us all throughout our education. It's because of this that, despite being unappreciated, fanfiction is probably the creative outlet that most people utilize. It isn't like music or art; people think they can jump right into writing a story because they've been taught all their lives how to throw words on paper, and thus don't require any practice.

This is where they are wrong. Just like music or art, writing a story requires a lot of practice. The subtle touches and nuances of an experienced writer cannot be mimicked by a rookie unless they make a conscious effort to get better. Unfortunately, most fanfiction writers are content to churn out different iterations of the same poorly written clop story, or do a quick one-shot based on the newest episode within a day and watch the views pour in. This breeds an idea that most fanfiction is bad quality, and this is why writers go largely unappreciated.

But it's things like Equestria Daily and "The Royal Guards" that are trying to pull us out of this rut. Some may decry them for trying to force some sense of quality control, but I openly embrace it. Because they aren't just recommending a number of well-written stories for us. They are giving us something to strive towards. They aren't saying "These guys are better than you", they are saying "If you put in the effort, you can be just as good as these guys".

Am I saying that rookie writers should just quit before they drag more experienced writers down with them? No, of course not. But what I am saying is that they should give it their all. Research proper story telling and grammar. Avoid overdone tropes. Get a decent editor. And, most importantly, write for themselves. Because you'll never have enough views, or followers. It's those who write for themselves, and strive ever to be better, that get the most satisfaction.

I probably sounded like an asshat in this post, especially near the end. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if some people unfollowed me after reading that. But just know that I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. My voice is just one among many. I merely wanted to express my opinion on some things. I deeply appreciate all of you, whether you are a follower, new or old, or just a random passerby. I can only hope that you'll continue with me as I journey farther down the road of horsewords.

And so we go.

Comments

[cooopercrisp]

I think you expressed your opinion quite well.

I'm honestly indifferent to the whole thing, as I don't read very much fanfiction and I'm not going to seriously try to submit any writing. I mean, I might just for yucks, but I'm not expecting anything out of it.

In any case, based on the reasons you stated, I think RG fills a gap Fimfiction has had for a long while. Maybe it can offer EqD some fair competition, which is always a good thing.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's good to get other points of view.