What does Anzel read? · 4:24pm May 26th, 2015
One of the questions I get a lot is "What do you read?" Since today isn't a "story update" day I thought I might as well put a little content out there for everyone. This seemed like a fun topic.
The question of "what I read" could be as basic as "What do you read on FIM Fiction" or as in depth as "What are your inspirations." I'll tackle a little of both.
First and foremost I wanted to start at the beginning. To be extremely blunt, I don't actually read a lot. I'm dyslexic and reading has always been a struggle for me. It takes me a while to "get into" something but, once I do, I'm committed. Starting is always the hardest part.
When I was young the first novels I ever finished were the Dragon Lance Chronicles Series by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It was a huge accomplishment and the stories contained therein made a major impression on me. They inspired me to keep trying to read and, more importantly, start doing my own world building. Even to this day those books influence my writing and if you're familiar with them you can catch subtle similarities between my version of Equestria and that setting.
In the most recent years Jim Butcher has been the next biggest influence on me when it comes to reading and writing. The Dresden Files capture my attention and feature an extremely well built world. There is absolutely zero coincidence that The Dresden Files are written in the first person and my works here are too. This may be an interesting tidbit as well: The stories on this site are the only ones from a first person perspective I've written. Everything prior to me reading The Dresden Files was third person. Jim unknowingly helped me find a new (and to be frank, better) voice.
That brings me around to this site. Again, I have to be a bit blunt and honest. I don't actually read much of anything on FIM Fiction. The first reason is the dyslexia and my general lack of reading. The second is purely practical: I write and publish between 4,000 and 6,000 words a week, every week, for months on end. That requires a lot of time and effort. I can either read or write. There simply aren't enough hours in my free time to do both and that is precisely why you don't see a lot of authors doing it.
What do I read when I actually do so? Well, first and foremost my mature filter is always on. So if the story is mature I'm not even aware it exists. I have no moral qualms against most of them, I just don't want to see or read them. The only exception to the "no mature" rule is the original Fallout Equestria. I made the effort to read it start to finish. Once I was done the filter went back on.
Additionally I'm not thrilled by the idea of dark, tragic, or sad stories. That is in no way a statement about the quality of them. There can be conflict, sadness, darkness, and tragic elements to a story but, the tone as a whole needs to be positive and everything should work out in the end (only when it comes to what I want to read, I'm not making value judgments here). When I think MLP FIM I think "generally happy." I don't really want to read stories where that illusion is shattered. That pretty much limits me to adventure, comedy, and romance which is where I usually stay.
Outside of those generic tags (and I think tags are general guidelines) I prefer stories about original characters and royal guards. Well done original characters are fascinating. They're free from the fanon and canon that people associated with even the background ponies like Lyra or Derpy. That is where I'm interested. I LOVE Little Pip. She influenced Azurite. The general belief that the term OC is a metaphor for bad is a shame because there are a lot of underrated stories out there that don't feature the mane six.
I'll list one example outside of Fallout Equestria and then call it a day. If you're unfamiliar with Wing and Trigger you're missing out on some pretty creative OCs. They appear in A State of Darkness. It is an alternate Equestria tale that straddles the line between Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes. It is one of the few things I make certain to read simply because the characterizations are great and the fight scenes are far superior to mine.
Other than that, like I said, I don't honestly read very much. You all generally like your two updates a week and I aim to please! I hope that answers several questions!
This is quite a common sentiment by authors indeed and I truly do hope that you and the others get as much enjoyment from writing as we do from reading. Otherwise I am destined to be a giant sentient leech feasting on your labors.
As a staunch Griffon supporter (
) I will attempt to derail the Royal Guard in closing by saying this.
If you do ever decide to do a bit more reading you can't go wrong with The Dresden Fillies, it is an extremely well written piece that could have happened in the Dresdenverse.
Also, if you're looking for a story with great OCs and guards try Dusk Guard: Rise by Viking ZX. It's incredible!
As always, thank you for your kind words, Anzel. :) I'm certainly glad you enjoy the characters and the fight sequences. I love writing them for sure. There is just something about putting together an excellent fight scene that makes my blood pump. Based upon that last chapter of yours though, you certainly know how to construct an exhilarating sequence yourself. :3
I very much agree about OCs. It's long been my opinion that someone who writes an OC poorly probably isn't writing the show characters any better, it's just much less likely to show since there's so much existing characterization that doesn't have to be established like it would for a brand new character. Similarly, someone who does write the show characters well would probably do proper justice to an OC.
3099969 I can't speak for others but I get immense enjoyment out of writing. Even if my story had never gotten popular I'd probably have at least finished Memoirs (although it would have ended where it did). I also really enjoy (most) reader interaction. The fact that you all take the time to read and comment is awesome. This is pretty much where I invest all of my free time and it is well worth it.
Thank you for the suggestion. I'll make a note and maybe sometime get to it!
3100002 And thank you as well for the suggestion! I'll note that one too.
3100039 No problem. I really do enjoy your story and thank you for the praise. To be honest I was stoked with the action I wrote for this particular chapter. I thought it came out great. I think the cockatrices may have distracted a lot of readers though.
3100048 You've articulated the way I feel extremely well. In some ways it is easier to write the mane six because there is a wealth of episodes to help characterize them. In others I feel it is harder because of the constraints. I imagine mane six authors get a lot of "Twilight Sparkle wouldn't act like X." I mean I certainly got a few "Princess Luna wouldn't act like this" to which I laughed and asked, "Who has any idea how she'd act? She'd been in two episodes!" Sorry, tangent there! You hit the nail perfectly on the head!
3100382 Sometimes a jaunt down action lane is more than worth a bit of detour. :P
Man, I didn't knew you have dyslexia.
And acually you're pretty brave opening for us here and now.
3100002
I was going to recommend that! XD I'll see on the comment page for the new Dusk Guard story on Friday!
I'm really impressed you write so well, Anzel, since your dyslexia makes it harder for you to read--I may not write fiction (yet?) but whenever I write anything, even for a class, I know I'm drawing on all the reading I've done. So the fact that you write so well without tons of reading background (....comparatively, anyways; I'm one of those people who can finish a novel in a day or two, usually) is super impressive to me! I hope you do have a chance to check out Dusk Guard: Rise by Viking ZX. It's a really interesting story about a new branch of the Guard being established, designed to be a small, mobile, elite fighting unit inspired by the way the Mane 6 work together and improvise in all the insane situations they end up in and how they seem to excel where standardly-trained guards struggle. The OC characters fit really well together and it's very interesting. The author of that fic also has several published books.
Another story I like, a romantic comedy with Twilight and an OC, is The Traveling Tutor and the Librarian by Georg. He's another top-notch writer and his stories mix romance, drama, poignant moments of everyday life, and laugh-out-loud-for-real comedy. I, I mean, no pressure or anything...just suggestions to check out. I'm going to have to look into the books you've mentioned. Both series sound quite interesting
3101163 Much appreciated. You should see my first drafts
It really is a process of just being slow and going over them repeatedly. Still, my sentences often end up in weird word orders. Editors are great! You sound a lot like a friend of mine. He can finish a novel in a night. For me it is typically one chapter per evening. A Dresden File novel typically takes 1-2 weeks if that puts it into perspective at all. Totally worth it but sometimes it is easier to just sit down and jam out some words. I'll keep those recommendations. I'm always looking for good stories!
3100918 I don't bring it up too often because I don't like using it as a crutch. It makes things difficult sometimes but, in general, it isn't as huge a hinderance now as it was when I was a child. I don't mind sharing a bit with my audience though ;)
3100422 Amen!
Personally, I like to mix what I write for in terms of characters. Right now, my fics are canon cast, but with a big focus on the side characters. My favorites to write for are Shining Armor and Cadance, because I get to play with some of what I think they go through in a young marriage and trying to balance their duties as rulers of the empire and, in Shining's case, captain of the guard. Another reason is that they give latitude for some OCs to be made and used as side characters--which gives some great practice in exploring and developing those characters for future stories (soon...).
I have to agree that OCs tend to get a bad rap, but there's a bit of a reason for it. Namely, the whole "self-insert, Mary Sue" thing that sweeps up a lot of young writers. Not saying it should turn someone off the entire notion, but it certainly makes readers second guess when they see that tag.
3101408 I understand that. I know some dyslectics myself.
And have a simlar situation with my asperger syndrome...
3101530 To be honest, I never understood the hate of self-insertion. I certainly get the backlash towards Mary Sue-ism, but essentially every original character comes from some part of the self. In my opinion, that's what characters are. The two OCs I utilize the most share a large swath of emotional characteristics with me. I pretty much subscribe to the motto that good writing is good writing. As long as the story being told is an enjoyable piece, then the author has done his or her job regardless of the selection of character.