Guessing Games Q&A

Well, I said I would do this yesterday but apparently I lied.

So let's get this show on the road, shall we?

Q: How did you get the idea for Guessing Games?

A: How didn't I get the idea for Guessing Games? A lot of the inspiration for my stories comes from one story idea I had which will probably never be published called 'Time and Time Again'. The story followed Starswirl the Bearded before he acquired the title while he attempts to create the first long range teleport spell and accidentally launches himself into the future (about season 3ish). He interacts with the Mane Six and the Princesses until eventually he finds a changeling infestation inside Canterlot and has to stop them. Most of the story has been scrapped at this point but probably far too much remained; in fact, almost everything I made about Starswirl, the Princesses former relationship with him, and changelings I kept for my stories. Will we ever see Time and Time Again? Probably not, but the odds are good you'll see a lot of elements in my stories bleed into each other from this first idea.

Q: Why did you wait so long to introduce the names of the characters?

A: To be perfectly honest, I didn't mean to wait so long. When I wrote the first chapter I knew the interrogator's relationship with the changelings but I had no idea what his name or special talent was. I waited so long to introduce Edward's name to show a bit more mistrust than prisoners have in some other stories (fimfic or otherwise) and after that, it always seemed like the wrong time to introduce a name. I'm still not certain if I introduced the names at the right time or not but I did what I could.

Q: Did you just write Guessing Games to plug the sequel?

A: Actually, I only thought of an idea for a sequel while I was editing the last chapter just before I published it. When I was writing the story I had no idea.

Q: Did you have an outline of the story or a firm grasp of what was going to happen next?

A: When I wrote the first chapter, I didn't even know what was going to happen at the end of the sentence. It was only working on the chapters ahead that I actually got an idea of what was going to happen next, but even then everything was fluid and changed easily.

Q: Do I have to read the sequel/will the sequel betray the idea of the Guessing Games?

A: You are in no way obliged to read the sequel. It will focus on a different set of characters in a different circumstance (although in the same world) and you don't need to read it to more thoroughly enjoy Guessing Games or anything of the sort. As for 'will it betray the idea', maybe? From what I can tell of the comments, people took different things away from the story. The sequel will have a different focus so I have no idea how that will affect people's concepts but as I said, you don't need to read it so I'unno.

Q: Did you enjoy writing Guessing Games?

A: Yes, yes, dear Smooze yes. I absolutely loved writing Guessing Games and the comments you guys left on the story just made it all the greater. It's been a really great experience for me as a writer and I'm very thankful you came along for the ride.

So that concludes the Guessing Games Q&A!

Thank you all for reading,
~Your Erratic Overlord