Feb
24th
2014
So... adding stories to groups... · 12:46am Feb 24th, 2014
Just one question -- do I have to belong to a group to try and add my story to it? I'm asking mostly because I've been recently given a mammoth list of groups that someone thinks my story 'Wolf In Pony's Clothing' would be suited for, but I'm kind of trying to avoid ending up belonging to a hundred different groups, no matter how good they are, just to add one story of mine to their collection.
If anyone has any pointers on this I'd appreciate them, thanks.
I believe that you do -- I've never been able to add any of my stories to a group without belonging to it. I really urge and recommend that you do add your stories to as many groups as they fit -- you're a damned-good writer and two in particular of your stories, My Little Balladeer and Wolf in Pony's Clothing, are some of the best fanfic I've ever encountered in this fandom. They deserve more exposure.
1868380 Okay, thanks. I'll have to see which groups they'd do best in and try joining them, even if only to get my stories included.
To be specific, My Little Balladeer -- aside from being a crossover with classic pulp style horror-adventure -- is one of the best Human In Equestria stories I've ever read because you manage to convey why Equestria is an interesting world and why the characters therein (especially the Mane Six) are interesting and loveable without having it be a huge wish-fulfillment self-insertion tale. John encounters real problems and has real worries about the prospect of being stranded here, in part because he has a life back home to which he wishes to return. And even though he does make real friends in Equestria, this is well-handled: they like him because of how he behaves and the character he thus reveals, not simply because he's the Protagonist. I think if you compare this with most HiE stories you'll see why I have a high opinion of it.
As for Wolf in Pony's Clothing, it's very good xenofiction from the PoV of three non-human sapient races (Ponies, Changelings and Wolves) showing how they are alike and different, and how they perceive each other both individually and collectively. You manage to present a lot of characterization and exposition and do this within the basic framework of a screwball comedy. And it works. I couldn't do that -- I'm not funny enough, my sense of humor is far too dry for that.
If I were you I would submit these to all the appropriate groups. MLB fits into the Horror, Lovecraftian, Adventure and several other genres: about the only thing that it isn't is a shipfic (because John's happily married back home) and it is very much about how friendship develops (several of the shipping groups have subcategories for that). It also has a lot of focus on Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy -- really, you do character development with all the Mane Six, but I think that the groups specifically-devoted to those four characters would find you fans.
WiPC is about Changelings, Wolves, Rarity, Fluttershy and World-Building in general. It's also both Adventure and Comedy. Your other friend probably gave you a long list of where it would fit, and I think if you start with those points you'll get somewhere. You handle the Changelings far better than do most writers: you're up there with what Phoenix_Dragon's been doing in the Without a Hive series.
Oh man, Rarity's prolonged freak-out all the way from Manehattan to Canterlot is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, even while I'm feeling for the poor mare every mile of the way.