Random Ramblings XXXIII · 11:32pm Jan 26th, 2016
I've been familiar with this site for four years, been registered here for nearly two years, and been posting stories to it for one. During that time, I've become more aware of the rhythm and flow of things here, and how even in an era of declining readership and writers, it appears certain types of stories are far more likely to shoot up the featured list. I guess that speaks to the preferences of both the userbase and the admins. Regrettably, I don't write the types of stories users seem to most enjoy. But it's better to write what I want and make the best stories I can than to try for fake popularity or internet points and come out with work that would be even more derivative than what I already make.
THINGS YOU'LL ALMOST CERTAINLY NEVER SEE FROM ME:
• I Don't Write Clop – Mostly because I have no faith in my ability to write sex convincingly, regardless of species. That doesn't mean I completely eschew any sort of romance or sexual feelings. Highs And Lows had a little bit of Sunset×Rarity U.S.T. (and its sequel is sure to have some too), and I've outlined another Sunset story where a significant chunk of the plot turns on a character's unrequited love for Sunny. There's a difference between romance and porn; I'll gladly write the former but never the latter. Sorry.
• I Won't Write Second-Person Stories – I guess people like writing in this style because it's something uncommon; with the exception of Choose Your Own Adventure and maybe a couple other gimmicks, just about every good story you'll find for sale is either in first-person or third-person. I get that people want to try and write outside the box. The problem is that I see those types of stories crop up here all the time and I'm never tempted to see where they're going. Now, I don't intend to slam the writers of such stories too much; I'm sure the writing in them is just fine, but it's not my cup of tea.
• I Hate Anthro – Sorry. It's just not my thing. Over on Derpibooru, I filter it out because 90% of anthro art just looks ugly to me. Without the benefit of art, I see even less point for it here (except maybe to get around the humanized foalcon ban).
• I Really Hate Futa – I certainly have my fetishes. But this ain't one of them. I don't get why it's so popular. Honestly, it makes me kinda nauseous.
What does all this mean? It means the type of fic I'm least likely to enjoy is an M-rated story about an anthro futa Twilight getting it on with Rainbow Dash. Guess what was on the Featured list yesterday!
Sounds like we're both likely never to end up writing a story like that one.
I'll add that I prefer to keep things E- or T-rated both for personal reasons and because a lot of the reader-base on here seems to be teenagers. I like the idea of providing a quality alternative to T3h Pr0n for the youngsters.
3719885 - After I posted that rant, I realized I forgot one.
• I Think Human-In-Equestria Stories Are Dumb - This probably goes back to my dislike of 2nd-Person stuff. A good story must have an interesting main character. Granted, even the canon characters I write may not qualify, but at least I try to put in more effort than:
I pulled that out of my butt on the fly, but it probably accurately describes a large chunk of HiE fics. I feel all of my bullet points are overdone as hell. I don't think it's a coincidence that the stories that have stuck with the fandom through the years are ones that mostly don't follow these cliches.
Yeah, I've noticed the readerbase seems to be largely teens. No shock really, since they have quite a lot more time on their hands. Writers, however, tend to run the gamut. I'm… well let's just say I've been out of my teens for some years now. As for my own work, I don't necessarily have an intended audience or demographic in mind when I write; I write what comes to my brain and make public what feels fit to print. I've read some good M-rated stuff here, but I don't enjoy writing it myself.
PS – I just checked out your page and realized I've already faved a couple of your stories. I look forward to reading more of them.
3720332 Thanks for the watch!
HiE isn't really my thing either, though I've toyed with the idea of trying to write a Displaced/HiE with the goal of subverting the genre's conventions and terribleness...