Inspiration

Last week Themaskedferret sent me a message asking me (and others) to write a quick post about what inspired them to get into the fandom and start writing. I've finally had a little bit of spare time, so here goes!

I got into the fandom at the very end of season 3 - in fact, the first episode I watched was Magical Mystery Cure. I enjoyed it, and went back to watch the whole series in order, starting at the first episode. I nearly abandoned the effort on 1x03 (The Ticket Master - man, that episode is still hard for me to watch), but I kept going. After watching all three seasons I came to enjoy the characters and the world of Equestria.

The gap between seasons 3 and 4 was long and painful. That gave me a reason to look around and see what other fans of the show were doing. At the time I was the only person I knew who liked the show; none of my friends did. (I just started watching it out of curiosity, after hearing it mentioned so many times in so many places.) As time went on I was able to persuade a few people I knew to watch it as well, but they weren't connected to the community either.

When I discovered this site I was impressed at the quantity and quality of stories that were out there. I read many stories that I enjoyed immensely. A friend of mine eventually urged me to contribute something. I was reluctant, because I usually write brooding sci-fi novels, not stories about happy pastel-colored ponies. I was certain there was no way I could ever write a pony story that anyone would ever want to read. I just don't do happy stories - or fantasy novels, for that matter. I am a dark, depressed, melancholy person - and the whole reason I was drawn to Equestria in the first place was because of its brightness and joy. It was nice to have something in life that wasn't sad and depressing - MLP was a bright spot in a dark world.

But I gave it a shot, and here I am. I still don't know what I'm doing, and I'm not really connected to anyone in the community. One of the key reasons why I started writing here was to see if I could meet other fans of the show and get connected with the community. It's at least nice to be around other people who don't think I'm completely out of my mind for watching this show.

When it comes to writing - well, I've been writing for a long time (about 20 years, I guess). My inspiration comes from books I read as a child, which were published long before I was born and which probably none of you have ever heard of. There are very few people anymore who have ever picked up a Rick Brant or Ken Holt book, and that's a pity. The way the authors of those tales crafted their stories and built their characters was my inspiration for the way I write today.

I have read some great stories here, but to be honest you are all so far ahead of me that I just shake my head in wonder. The quality of the fan works I've seen (not just writing, but art and music as well) is astonishing.

So there you have it.