Site Post » [Interview] Cold in Gardez's The Glass Blower · 1:44am Jul 11th, 2012
Originally posted to the Vault on 1/23/12.
Today's story is top-shelf stuff, a haunting tale that will stay with you for the rest of your day. It's been a while since we've had a tragic romance story, and this should certainly satiate lovers of the genre.
[Shipping][Tragedy] • 10,600 words
She is as beautiful and graceful as the moon, and just as hard to reach. He is a young artist with much to learn about the world. When he accepts her challenge to create an artistic masterpiece, will he win her heart, or learn a terrible lesson in the nature of beauty and love?
Hit the break for an interview with CiG, links to The Glass Blower on your favorite ponyfic sites, and head over to the Vault's Downloads page if you'd like a copy for your eReader or mobile device.
Where do you live?
I currently live in beautiful Ohio.
What kind of work do you do? (i.e. are you a student, do you have a career/day job, etc)
I'm a mid-grade member of the United States military.
How did you discover My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? When did you realize you were a fan of the show?
Wired Magazine did a feature back in June '11 on Bronies and the show, which prompted me to view the series premier on YouTube. Pretty quickly I was watching an episode an evening, and shortly thereafter discovered the much, much larger mass of fan-created content on websites like Equestria Daily (and, of course, the Pony Fiction Archive). More than the episodes, it was the stories created by fans, for fans that drew me into writing.
Do you have a favorite episode?
There are quite a few I like, but my favorite is the Season One finale, The Best Night Ever.
Who is your favorite character based purely on the canon of the show itself? Would your answer change if you considered the fandom in its entirety (i.e. art, fanfiction, memes, etc)?
Probably Twilight Sparkle. I realize that's a fairly vanilla answer, but she has more depth than any of the other main characters. I like the fact that the show's creators were willing to make an unabashedly intelligent and sarcastic person the star of the show.
I don't think my answer changes if you consider the fandom. Interestingly, the amount of character development and content generated by the fan community vastly outweighs the actual content of the show at this point, but the fan content hasn't greatly changed the characters in my eyes. It has only given them more depth.
How did you come up with your handle/penname?
That's a long story I'll be happy to discuss over a beer. :)
Have you written in other capacities (other fandoms, professionally, etc)? When did you first start writing?
I've written, very minimally, for a few other fandoms. Mostly fantasy RPGs (tabletop, online and MMO). I do a lot of technical writing in my professional capacity, which I think has given me a strong foundation for writing fiction.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
All sorts of things. My job demands that I stay physically fit, so I spend a lot of time running, playing sports, that sort of thing. I'm also an avid reader and occasional gamer, though I try to limit my game time as much as possible. There simply aren't enough hours in the day.
Who is your favorite author (published or fanfiction)? Do you have a favorite story or novel?
Iain M. Banks, a British sci-fi and fiction writer, is probably my current favorite author. His "Culture" series is an amazing, detailed, intelligent look at a speculative far future. Other authors I like are Neal Stephenson and Peter Hamilton, along with classical writers like John Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost.
Within the fandom, I'm a huge fan of Kkat and her Fallout: Equestria.
Stephen King believes that every author has an "ideal reader" - the one person who they write for, the one person whose reactions they care about. Do you have one, and if so, who is it?
Stephen King is a successful writer who can afford to write for just one person :) Alas, I'm not as secure as him in my writing, and I'm always on the lookout for reviews, comments and criticism letting me know I'm on a somewhat right track with my stories.
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers, or writers who are struggling with their own stories?
Practice. When I look back at the first stories I wrote in high school, I cringe. They were bad, but the experience of writing them is what helped me develop as an author, to the point that people apparently look forward to my stuff.
A second, and related, tip is to always seek feedback. If all you do is write, and show your stuff to people unable or unwilling to criticize it, you'll never grow. Show your work to people unafraid to tell you how terrible it is.
What is your typical writing process? (Do you work through multiple drafts, do you have any prereaders/editors, etc?)
Usually I write short stories with a firm idea of how I want them to begin and end, but without much detail on the middle. Sometimes this works out and I'm able to find a neat path from the front of the story to the back; other times, it leads to a mess and I have to start over.
The past few months I've had several reviewers go through my stuff before firing it off to EqD, and the difference has been amazing. They don't usually find errors -- I'm a fairly good technical writer -- but they find holes in the narrative, things that don't make sense, unclear transitions, silly phrases that sounded good in my head, etc. Reviewers help keep me grounded.
What inspired you to write The Glass Blower?
Most of my stories start with ideas that get stuck in my head. In this case, it was a pair of images: a broken, crazed man stuck on some obsessive task, unable to stop, and a beautiful, magical gift presented to a lady who subsequently destroyed it in a fit of rage.
The first image became the eponymous glass blower, an artist with an incredible gift but blinded by love. The second became Rarity destroying the glass blower's mirror.
Did you run into any tough spots or challenges when writing The Glass Blower?
Writing is easy for me. It's fixing the stuff I write and getting it ready for publication that is hard. In The Glass Blower's case, I spent almost twice as long going over the story with my reviewers as I did actually writing it. I went a bit overboard with some of my phrasing, and they had to pull me back.
When you set out to write The Glass Blower, did you have any specific messages or themes in mind?
Obsession and pride were the two big themes. Throughout the story, the glass blower is obsessed with Rarity, unable to see the plain truth that she will never love him. Rarity's sin is pride -- she strings the glass blower along because she is unwilling to admit that her challenge to him was false, that she could never love him.
A side-theme was the idea of earth pony magic. I always thought it was unfair that unicorns and pegasi got all the neat stuff in the MLP universe. The Glass Blower, with its proposal that earth ponies can do magical things, is my counter-argument.
The Glass Blower also includes quite a few rhetorical devices. The lack of a name for the main character is the most obvious, but the writing is dense with similes, metaphors, and other devices. The final paragraph makes heavy use of anaphora, with its repeated use of the phrase "He worked."
Finally, some people have noted that the story reads almost like a fairy tale. That was very much the structure I was going for, and I'm glad to see it worked out.
Where can readers drop you a line?
I can usually be reached at coldingardez@gmail.com.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Sometimes I'm asked why I write about ponies. The answer is that I don't: I write about people. The people happen to be four-legged and have pastel coats, but they are people nevertheless.
When we write about ponies, we're writing about humans. When we write about vampires or werewolves or ghosts or space aliens, we're really writing about humans. The forms we put our characters in are simply a literary short-hand, a way to give them attributes we wish we could have in life. All writing is, at its core, about humans. Ponies are simply humans with odd shapes, neat powers, and curious limitations.
The goal of the writer should be to make the reader ask a fundamental question about what it means to be human. To make them think about some essential element of ourselves. Many stories do not attempt this, but are nevertheless extremely popular (you can probably think of several examples).
The real stories, the best stories, are the ones that make the reader think, regardless of how popular they are.
You are my hero, CiG.
Twilight Sparkle is your Favorite
!
Thats pretty awesome for a vanilla answer.
225040
Back off, he's MY hero!
I really liked the answer to the last question. Well said. And for that, I may give this story a try; I'm not usually a fan of shipping.
Simply put? A superior story by man who very well may be the fandom's superior author.
225098 Not to be rude, But I think he's just like us.
It's kinda like the whole ROBcakeran thing with "The god's Spoken".
He's just a guy like us, no need to call anybody something they're not.
now about this story? Sounds alot like another story I heard of...what was it about a artist who brings a statue to life, but finds out that it wasnt meant to be, or something along the lines....
on this case, I never bothered to read this story. The one we're all here for.
This has been on my list to read for a long time, I take it I should move it up to the top?
Edit: Ah crud, I think I just spoiled the story for myself by reading the interview.
225040
225063
Am I going to have to cut you two?
225128
No, because I'll cut you first.
225128
225146
I am a pacifist and so am very much going to lose here. But I'll feel right, I assure you.
Like Milton? We're halfway to being friends already. Milton sits at the center of my literary world. :3
And that last bit is very insightful! That's the best answer I've ever seen to that question.
Yours is a Shipping story which I may actually check out. I usually avoid them (except for certain couples. lol) and I lov your answer tot the last question. What makes MLP so endearing to me is just how human these ponies are.
The Glass Blower is one of my favorite fanfics on the site, and I'm glad to see it getting some recognition! Anyone reading this: if you haven't read this story yet, drop what you're doing and read it now!
225121
There's a difference between calling someone a god and saying someone has superior writing. One is overblown fanboyism and the other is high admiration/respect. I'd like to think the latter is perfectly acceptable.
CiG, you're the reason I even read ponyfic. I'd have missed some damn good stories if it weren't for you.
Keep on keepin' on.
225040
225063
225128
Oh, my my my my. Clearly I have not been active enough for you all to still have heroes. I must not be doing my work well enough.
Well.
Oh, The Glass Blower. You return to me again, as you always do, whether it be here or there, lurking in the shadows of my mind. It seems I can't escape you, no matter how hard I try. I walk the path, but I just can't help but turn my head and look back. Because I am the glass blower, and you are the one I want to be mine.
Regardless of how much I hate/love The Glass Blower, and how I still am haunted by the vicious gremlins of the mind that make me feel that I always got shafted for my contributions after its release, Gardez simply is simply one of those writers that manages to impress me at least once every time he writes something. Just that little scene, just that surprising message, just that one little twist, that one thing that can make a scene golden and shine: he has it. Gardez is just one of those writers that is legitimately inventive with what he does and is a blast to work with, not only because he takes the slings and arrows of my abuse full-force and actually listens, but because he can take it with a smile.
I think I've given out too many compliments.
Thank you for the kind words, everyone. I still consider The Glass Blower my personal favorite in a lot of ways.
This week, incidentally, was my one-year Pony anniversary. Maiden Flight hit EqD on July 4, 2011. I look back at this year, both at home and here in Afghanistan, and I realize that this community has been very good to me.
Thank you all for reading. I hope to continue to produce stories of the quality you have come to expect.
Real respects.
This story is something altogether unique. It wasn't quite my cup of tea, but it is absolutely worth a read.
225354
Cassius is handing out compliments. The world is coming to an end.
One of the better stories in the fandom without a doubt. Keep up the incredible work, Gardez!
225229 I dunno... even that seems a little too much fanboy in there...
but whatever, not my call anyhow.
225816
>I never bothered to read this story.
Seems like you oughta read his work before you judge people for complimenting him?
225852 Look, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here but everyone (The fans of whoever's being interviewed) seem to think that the person is superior to everyone else.
I really don't have to read somebody else's work to guess how popular they are, but really? Why are they so good? Because they made a fic almost everyone enjoyed?
The way I see it, nobody's superior to anybody. It's just like the whole Robcakeran thing, where everyone was calling him "A god amongst bronies". This isn't "Da vinci's Code"'s author we're talking to, it's just another guy like you and me. Heck, I've heard people who get famous turn out they hate that kinda stuff, getting called superior and whatnot. :/
If I was ever interviewed for something I wrote, I'd probably make that very, very clear. But this isn't me. This isn't about me.
It's stupid to say that, and it brings people like me out from their corners to say "Hey, stop that".
That's all.
----------------
On another note, directed towards you, It's almost impossible to really make me like a specific story, especially one I felt like I already read. It's just like that one story...god, what was it...
The one story, a statue that an artist somehow brings alive, but then it dies? Or does it run away? I can't remember, I remember it in middle school.
It's impossible to make me really feel anything in the tragedy dept. If anyone can actually do this? Consider it the greatest achievement of your life. The only thing that moved my stone heart was the FF7's infamous "Death scene", and that was a video game.
EDIT: Just got done reading, and frankly, I'm not moved. Sorry. Looks like another day of being indifferent towards a story everyone seems to like.
To those reading, maybe you can change this? Call it a challenge if you want. It will be impossible to make me feel towards a story.
Just know this: If your precious "My Little Dashie" didn't even make me feel remotely sorry for either character, you're going to have to try VERY hard.
225853
>I really don't have to read somebody else's work to guess how popular they are...
No one here is complimenting Cold in Gardez on how popular he is. They are complimenting him on the quality of his work. As a matter of fact The Glass Blower was considered one of his least popular works at the time I selected it for the Vault (I have no idea if that's still true).
Additionally, I'll admit to not reading every single one of his stories - but every single one I've read has been excellent. He is one of a small group of authors I intend to invite back to the Vault again.
>... but really? Why are they so good?
You know you wouldn't have to ask this if you'd actually read the story?
>The way I see it, nobody's superior to anybody.
It sounds like you might be confusing people enjoying someone's writing with people believing that same someone is a better person than everyone else, which as far as I can tell isn't happening here. (I do agree with you that I think the level of fanboyism inspired by My Little Dashie, directed at its creator, is a bit odd... but that was already done to death in that interview's comments, and there's no real need to muck up this thread.)
There's nothing wrong with saying that you think someone's writing is really excellent, or even superior to most other writing you've read. Admittedly, I may be slightly biased in favor of that view, since the whole point of the Vault is to collect the stories I consider to be really excellent or even superior, but I notice you've done the same thing, in your own way. You've selected five favorites on your profile here (and you actually straight-out order anyone viewing your page to read them). I have to think that you believe those stories are really excellent or even superior, otherwise why would you have chosen them as your top favorites? Should I comment on your user page, telling you they don't deserve that praise, without reading them?
225883 Well, this whole thing was actually a reply to "The Descendant".
He said:
That's kinda why I went in this tangent. It's to say he's not superior. He's just like one of us. :/ That's it. I'm not a bad guy, Not trying to be the ruin-er of your good day, or any of that. Just telling one man "Hey, he's just like us."
Maybe it's me that took it too far, but believe me, it's not to be a dick.
--------------------------
For that "I don't know if it's still the least popular" bit, I think it's getting up there, or at least getting more recognition.
Also, that whole page is actually just a "Image". You know, playing a character? Have you ever had that? I merely put up what my character (Created specifically for a Roleplay Group I started) and just slapped it on my page. I don't know, I thought it was fun to do.
In reality, I wouldn't even have anything up there. I personally care little for what stories are good to me, because every book I fav is as good as the last.
I'm not saying "Don't have a favorite" but don't just call the author "Superior to others in the entire fandom". :/
I think you're not seeing the point. And I hope that when I typed that last sentence, I hope you understand. I'm not saying that books can't be favored or whatnot, but when you say that an author is superior to everyone else, especially in a fandom? Isn't that just a little too far?
((I know I typed the same message twice, but really it's just because some people don;t seem to see the message, if you understand, so it's like I gotta write it twice, so in case they don't see the first time, it's there again.))
---------------------
Now I shall do this: Apologize if I stepped on your toes, or anybody else's. Really, I just wanted to say my piece on that whole "This author is the superior author in the fandom" thing, being that I think it's going too far. I know it's fine to have favorites, but really, don't declare something that will never be true.
I'll calmly leave, and leave you with this: Thanks for putting up with this foolish guy, and accepting that he had a say in all of this.
225908
I guess I don't have a problem with the idea of a "superior author" - meaning someone who writes better fiction than someone else - which is entirely different from the idea of a "superior person". Cold in Gardez is just zis guy, you know? Just zis guy who writes really, really well.
I think that all authors deserve a certain base level of props, as it were. Anyone who dares to create a story and put it out there for the world to see is really putting themselves out there for the world to see - and criticize. That takes some balls, man, and for that all the thousands of authors here and on other fic sites deserve to be commended.
But there is something to be said for quality - quality of characterization, quality of story, quality of execution. If you can write a story that has all of those things in spades, you absolutely deserve a higher level of praise than an author who doesn't. And if you're one of those authors that doesn't, well, there's nothing wrong with that, when you look at the big picture. Your true gifts simply lie elsewhere, whether you've discovered them or not, and you'll excel in some other area.
(And maybe you love to write - absolutely love it, the thought of getting home and starting a new story is what gets you through the day - but your stuff constantly gets criticized, or no one likes it, and you want to wail to the heavens how it's just not fair! Well, you know, I love to sing - in the shower, in the car, doing housework - but that doesn't mean I should expect everyone to applaud my singing... certainly an unlikely prospect, as my girlfriend likes to remind me. I like to cook, but I'm never gonna get a five-star review in a foodie critic magazine. And that's okay. My true calling seems to be compiling ebooks and featuring authors that I and others think are great. I wonder what my cutie mark looks like.)
-----
Dag, yo, you keep editing on me! I'm not mad or anything. I think it's an interesting discussion - that difference between a superior author (or musician, or artist, or engineer, or physicist) and a superior person.
225943 hmmm....
you got a point. Maybe I was looking at this from a completely bad angle.
Well, I now I feel like an idiot. Even still, least I know I can write okay. Sure, I'll probably never get recognized by EQD (Probably because I'm literally too afraid on what you guys would think of my story), but I guess it's ok. As long as somebody doesn't call me superior to somebody else, I'm all good.
I just literally hate to piss somebody off. Even when I have a different opinion on a matter, I try to ease my opinion out, without getting "HOW DARE YOU HAVE AN OPINION DIFFERENT THAN I! TO THE MOOOOOOON!". XD
I gotta say, you're probably the only other guy who can have a debate over something like this, without making me feel like I came out strong. And that's why I watched you. People like you: I need more friends of. I don't get that very often. :3
225958
>I'll probably never get recognized by EQD (Probably because I'm literally too afraid on what you guys would think of my story)
For clarity's sake, I'm not associated with EqD in any way, shape or form. But judging from your story's summary... yeah, they'd probably hate it. They kinda have a thing against brony-in-Equestria fics.
>I just literally hate to piss somebody off.
I actually live in constant fear that people will think I'm an arrogant, holier-than-thou jerk for pointing out their typos or critiquing their work or not picking a given story for the Vault or... yeah.
Debates are fun!
Arguments are not. 
225982 Oh? I could'nt tell. What with you puttingup reviews from your vault. my mistake.
Frankly, I think they'd hate me as a writer. I mean, I do HiE's, and Video game crossover stories. One crossover was a Donkey Kong/Daring Do story. From what I heard, though, they despise everything I stand for. That's probably why I don't wanna try.
...screw it, I'll do it anyway. I don't see the harm. I just wish they didn't hate on stories like this, when they can easily put up with "Spiderses"...ugh...
I mean, my story isnt stereotypical. It doesnt have the brony go about, fuck the next mare he finds, and marry it. Far. from it. And no, he doesn't turn into a pony. I hate that plot. so...overused....uuugh.
Debates are fun, as long as it doesn't spiral. :3
Why don't we take this elsewhere? I'll erase my stuff here, make it so I wasn't here. :) We can easily talk through PM, or one of our profiles. Or hell, I don't mind even taking this over Skype, or Steam (If you even have either).
...What? I love Skype N Steam for talking to people here! XD
225992
EqD, FIMFic, and the Vault are all separate entities with some faint organizational ties, insofar as their topics overlap. None of the people running FIMFic work for EqD, and none of the people at EqD work for FIMFic (unless those lists are out of date ), but EqD posts stories that are hosted at FIMFic. The Vault is my own personal fever dream, run solely by me, and I don't have anything to do with either EqD or FIMFic. knighty just liked the idea of author interviews, and asked if I'd like to crosspost them here so everyone at FIMFic might see them, and I said sure.
Good luck!
I'd be happy to move to PMs, and don't really have a problem with leaving the current posts here. I don't have Steam and prefer to avoid Skype because I think it's a terrible IM client.
226019 aaaaAAAAAAAhhhhh.....THAT EXPLAINS IT.
XD
Danke, Mein freund!
ANd alrighty! It's fine. :3 I guess hit me with a Pm, and I'll get back to it!
Hey, Cold in Gardez is my hero too! Why I am always the last one to the party?
Congratulations on the occasion of your anniversary as a pony author, CiG. Your stories are never anything but the greatest of pleasures to read, and I hope many more are forthcoming. Also, since I haven't written it to you before, you have my profound thanks for your service.
226409
It's a knife party. You sure you want in on this?
226508
Eh ... nope.
226508
You go ahead and show up with a knife, Drakmire. I'll bring a pool cue.
226726
And do what? You're a pacifist.
226745
Play a riveting game of pool with you, obviously.
226750
I cannot shoot pool effectively with a knife.
Or with a pool cue.
I suck at pool.
226751
I've only played pool once, and I was drunk as shit. You'll do fine.
Looks like this author works for the Air Force, at Wright-Patterson AFB at Dayton, OH.
Am I right?
227175
Ah, close but not quite. My home of record is in Ohio. I'm actually stationed elsewhere (Afghanistan, actually, at the moment).
I thought The Glass Blower was great. What originally attracted me to Cold in Gardez's writing were the comedies. (Naked Singularity is still the funniest thing I've read on this site.) But when I read The Glass Blower, I was like, "Wow. He can write tragic fairy tales as well? And this is just as good as his comedic work? That's just not fair..."
225853 I just had to add that Final Fantasy VII's death scene was the only time a video game has made me feel that way.
(I always love to see people bring up FF VII. Nowadays people harp on it for being "overrated" but it's my favorite game!) Also, while The Glass Blower did not hit me emotionally like that scene, I didn't expect it to. I mean, fairy tales rarely make us cry, right? Their power is in their universality and how they capture the human experience, or a fantasy of it and drive home some sort of moral. I thought the anticipation of what the main character would attempt next and the sense of foreboding at the inevitable tragic conclusion were expertly crafted. Anyway...have you found any pony fan work that has gotten to you at all, even if it didn't bring you to tears? (In my case it was device heretic's Eternal...)
Anyway, I really like Cold in Gardez's writing. And something like The Glass Blower doesn't even really need to be a pony story at all when you think about it. Which makes me wonder if he oughtn't try his hand at some original fiction sometime. I'd read it!
227608 FF7 was perhaps the only true thing that moved me, and it's literally because I used her alot, and She was perhaps one of my favorite characters, for just being "Innocent". That's enough to make me tear.
Nowadays, not a single other fic, game, book, show, movie, or anything made me tear. None. Zip. Nothing. People have given me fic, after fic, after fic, after fic, to no avail. I even challenge people to try to move me. Nothing worked.
I'll have to tell Device about you. You're pretty cool. :) I talk to him via Skype every now and then.
225121 I believe that's "The Golem" you have in mind. A stone statue of a man brought to life, designed to make the life of the creator easier, but the Golem ends up becoming violent, and the creator is forced to destroy it.
228763 THATS IT. god that was killin' me.
Danke!
228790
I wouldn't have known that had I not been forced to watch a History Channel documentary on a possible zombie apocalypse. No, I'm not kidding, my friends forced me to watch it, and it had a segment on The Golem.
>Sometimes I'm asked why I write about ponies. The answer is that I don't: I write about people. The people happen to be four-legged and have pastel coats, but they are people nevertheless.
When we write about ponies, we're writing about humans.
This. Thank you.
I am long overdue in reading this, CiG.
It's a damn-near perfect fairy-tale. Sadly, that sort of thing isn't my cup of tea, but that's neither here nor there. The one thing that I just couldn't shake though, was that a generic 'prefect unicorn' would have suited the story much better. For me, using Rarity hurt the immersion badly, and felt a lot like you -- as the author -- taking a snipe at the character. That's my only criticism, and it's entirely subjective, so... go you, I suppose!
-Scott
228809 i guess im pretty lucky then, otherwise i wouldn't have found out! XD
welp, i should get my story ready to be posted. its called "king of the arcade". my fans are waitin'!
228790 Wow Geon. I know you're already the admin for the Roleplayer's Guild Group, but you should probably make a group for discussions and what not
. I'm just saying dude, you really like to discuss with people 