Progress · 4:09pm Jan 25th, 2015
Once more I apologise for the large delay in new chapters. I feel I owe an explaination, but in essence, I really have no excuse. No matter what I attempt, I simply hit a brick wall when trying to write. I have all these ideas, but when I start writing the next chapter in Solitary Pinion, I am redoing the same beginning sentence about one hundred, to two hundred times now. I know where I want to go, I know what I want to have happen on the way there, and I know what the resolution of the whole story is. I know if Viktoria gets back home, I know who she meets, the trials she overcomes, and where the journey leads her... But when I try to write one, simple, sentence to lead into it, I just get no-where. x.x
The same can be said for A Stranger Among the Voices... I have tried writing from the perspective of Twilight leading in from the outcome of the previous chapter, but it just falls flat. I have redone one thousand words so often that my head spins. I have almost hit the point of just starting it from Ebony's perspective and going from there. I know it will leave things unresolved, but I hope to pick them up from Luna's perspective, or Twilight's at the end.
Nightmare Night, that thing is almost defeating me... I have, however, started redoing it from scratch and I am starting to make headway with it. So that's the good news!
I also have another idea bouncing in my head, primarily exploring who the 'All-Mother' really was, where Changelings's came from, and also exploring the fate of the Flutterponies. A bit of fluff for in my head, exploring just what is going on in the background when I write about Ebony, and all the others.
So, again, I apologise. I know it's not fair to everyone patiently waiting to read more, and I really wish to share it with everyone, I do! I am flattered so many wish to learn more about what I have written. I don't know why people do, but if it makes them happy, well... so be it. ^-^;
But I can't have things go so long empty handed... So when I was unpacking after moving back into the house, I came across my old tablet. I haven't drawn in roughly two years, but for some stupid reason, I had the urge to do so. I couldn't write, so I decided to give it a go. So, ultimately, I know it's just a sketch, and a badly drawn one at that (I really suck at cleaning up stuff up, it looks worse than when I was initially sketching it x.x ) but I hope this makes up a little for the long delay.
As for updates on the stories, watch this space. I have MSPiper being wonderful enough to thoroughly prod at one of my stories to try and clean it up, but I am still working on other things, I promise!
And yes, Tala and Mayari are both adorable.
-Tystarr
Things that help me:
-Working on a short, unrelated one shot.
-Getting 12 hours of sleep and finding out I was so sleep deprived I couldn't tell I was sleep deprived.
-Talking to someone about it, an editor, a friend, a stranger you've tied down, etc.
-Not caring. Forcing yourself to not think about it will make you think about it right before you go to sleep and get an idea... Well, that's what happens to me sometimes.
Forcing yourself to write crap, showing editor said crap and saying "Okay, I need this, but not stupid. Any ideas?"
-Exercise. No big workout, just a light jog or something.
I really love these two stories and Solitary Pinion. I'm looking forward to whatever the mystery project was a long time ago, so I hope that whatever is getting you down passes.
I've said it before, and will say it again : take all the time you need writing your chapter(s). It is always such a pleasure to read something you do, I'm more than eager to wait.
Good luck for your writer's block, and until next time !
we (or most certainly I) will patiently wait for your updates.
and I'll give you some hugs of encouragement while we wait ^_^ -huggles-
I would read your stories more but there's a great deal of text each chapter that it sounds positively exhausting to read it.
You could also just skip that sentence for now and work on the rest, then come back to that problem spot.
I've been wondering what's been taking so long. Don't worry- we've all been there with Writer's Block, Artist's Block, or whatever creativity block applies to what we do. We understand- happens to everyone. Take as much time as you need.
That doesn't even halfway cover it.
img1.derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/12/30/198117__safe_animated_image+macro_reaction+image_spike+at+your+service_hnnng_spoiler-colon-s03e09_timber+wolf_king+timber+wolf.gif
You can always do what you did with an earlier blog. Just skip to a chapter that you want to write and just type that out and stick it on a blog with a spoiler warning. Later, you can come back to it, reread it, apply changes, and then integrate it into your story once it reaches that point. (I really enjoyed the conversation between Ebony and Aurora.)
I'm glad you finished the doodle. It looked great before but now that it is done, it's only losing to the art you commissioned due to lack of coloring or colouring (I'm in Canada atm) imo.
Have you ever considered brainstorming with other people to see if you can come up with new ideas. That sometimes works, Tala and Mayari, what say you?
Ooh, I like the pic! If that's what you deem a poorly-done piece, I'd love to see what you consider your best!
As for writing, I have to throw support behind the "just write something" camp. Especially if you have perfectionist tendencies, it feels wrong to just put down stuff that you know won't make it into the final draft; however, the longer you wait, the more out-of-practice you get, the harder it is to come up with the perfect idea at all, the greater the reluctance to restart.... It's a path I've been down far too often over the years, and it never ends well. Just doing something is hard at first, and at least for me it's remained somewhat challenging even after all this time, but waiting makes things much, much worse.
You don't have to go all-out, but be sure to do a bit each day: maybe a few minutes to start with, up to half an hour down the line, just something. As you work your way along, you'll have more concrete, written detail to build off of, and it'll be easier and easier to see how to reshape the material that's been giving you trouble. If you're really stumped, don't be afraid to say stuff like "[Then x happens here]" - once you've blazed the main trails around them, it's much easier to see how to cut through the remaining thickets.
And of course, if something's still causing trouble, don't be afraid to ask for help! There are a ton of people who'd gladly offer their assistance should they know you need it.
*waits patiently* It's good. I've been going through a complete creative dry-spell as well, so I know how frustrating it is. Especially when the few things that you DO come up with, end up being just terrible on second glance.
The best way to avoid something like that is to write an outline of several plot points for the chapter, then simply work on expanding and fully fleshing out any point rather than forcing yourself to start at the beginning only.
I have been involved with fanfiction for almost fifteen years, and have seen many good stories come and go, sometimes with a gap longer than what you're working with. That you are here, speaking to us, working hard on your writing, is commendable. Thank you.
Well, you draw better than I do. I can do technical drawings, and even sketch stuff that's in front of me, but if it has anatomy, I just can't do it.
As for us getting impatient, I don't think you have to worry. I'd say this image accurately portrays most of your readers.
weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/patient-bear-will-be-ready-when-you-are.jpg
If that's what you have to do, do it. Better a perspective oddity and a few gaps you can fill in later, than being mired in writer's block eternally.
As someone who has problems with getting words onto paper at times I can sympathize! Just take it one word, one sentence, and one part at a time. Sometimes looking at art, listening to music, or something else artistic can give me ideas...or I just enjoy doing it. xD
Deep breaths. Just remember you're not as slow as I am at my writing. I'm trying to beat my current average of a chapter a year...
Thank you all for your kind words and patience. ^-^
I will post a blog post shortly on an idea that may help me get some encouragement and stop second guessing myself. ^-^;