• Member Since 28th Aug, 2011
  • offline last seen Yesterday

Cold in Gardez


Stories about ponies are stories about people.

More Blog Posts187

  • 4 weeks
    Science Fiction Contest 3!!! (May 14, 2024)

    Hey folks,

    It's contest time! Wooooo!

    Read More

    3 comments · 335 views
  • 6 weeks
    A town for the fearful dead

    What is that Gardez up to? Still toiling away at his tabletop world. Presented, for those with interest, the town of Cnoc an Fhomhair.

    Cnoc an Fhomhair (Town)

    Population: Varies – between two and five thousand.
    Industry: Trade.
    Fae Presence: None.

    Read More

    5 comments · 272 views
  • 17 weeks
    The Dragon Game

    You know the one.


    A sheaf of papers, prefaced with a short letter, all written in a sturdy, simple hand.

    Abbot Stillwater,

    Read More

    7 comments · 558 views
  • 36 weeks
    EFN Book Nook!

    Hey folks! I should've done this days ago, apparently, but the awesome Twilight's Book Nook at Everfree Northwest has copies of Completely Safe Stories!

    Read More

    9 comments · 583 views
  • 39 weeks
    A new project, and an explanation!

    Hey folks,

    Alternate title for this blog post: I'm Doing a Thing (and I'm looking for help)

    I don't think anyone is surprised that my pony writing has been on a bit of a hiatus for a while, and my presence on this site is mostly to lurk-and-read rather than finish my long-delayed stories. What you might not know, though, is what I've been doing instead of pony writing.

    Read More

    26 comments · 1,025 views
Jan
28th
2016

It's that time again! · 11:00am Jan 28th, 2016

Good news, everypony! Now that the Original Fiction Writeoff is complete, we're back to ponies! And you know what that means!


Wait, no, it's happy! Happy!

The Writeoff is a cool place where all the hip writers hang out and write stories and have panic attacks finish their stories on time without any trouble at all! They are by far the most fun part of the fandom for me, and that's not even the best part!

So, what is the best part?


Fluttershy knows what the best part is

The best part is that the Writeoff is the best way to become a better writer. Period. Nothing else even comes close. The Writeoff forces you to write out of your comfort zone, on a time crunch, and when you're done writing everyone else gets the chance to critique your stuff.

Does that sound nerve wracking? It should – criticism is hard and it can hurt, but it's also the best way to grow. If all we ever do as writers is post our stuff on FimFic and roll about in the positive comments, we won't learn about our mistakes. We won't see the problems with our writing, because people so rarely offer useful criticism in story comments. But not at The Writeoff! Some of the best authors in the fandom – GaPJaxie, horizon, bookplayer, Skywriter, Titanium Dragon and more – are taking part and they are going to review your stuff and tell you exactly how to improve.

So if you're feeling brave, or if you just want to be a better writer, head over here. The next round starts at 1 a.m. EST on the 29th and the writing period lasts for 72 hours. You'll find out the prompt in 19 hours.

Hope to see you there!

Comments ( 10 )

Indeed! The writeoff is also a lot of fun! And it encourages you to actually get stuff done via its short time limit, which eliminates the desire to procrastinate.

Some of the best authors in the fandom – GaPJaxie, horizon, bookplayer, Skywriter, Titanium Dragon and more

Oh god, I got promoted. :rainbowderp:

Thanks, though. That really means a lot, coming from you.

3717909

I linked your best story :3

I might try it this time. Maybe. I got used to the nice comfortable semi-obscurity tho

3717923 And you only linked his top story?

>Just classed that one in one of my green hidden shelves. Special class.

It's that touch of psychological. Also, nice blog post.

>Approves.
>> The adventure is in the hashtags.

Hmmmmm, hmm hmm hmm. It has been ages since I've participated, and I owe a number of my fics to it. Mayhaps.

Fiction? Surely you mean fan fiction, or non-fiction?
No, just ...fiction.
Man, this place is weird.

I keep meaning to try and enter the write-offs. Lots of good writers praise them highly. Just keep wussing out and avoiding them.

3718517

Yes, yes Pav. Come back into the fold. We've missed you.

Hi. Brand new here. So when I login to Writeoff, the "prompt" would be the first phrase in the top green box, right?

3721604

That is correct. The prompt for this round is "Look, I can explain..." It's an unusual prompt, but I think it gives authors a fair amount of freedom.

There's no hard rule on how closely your story has to match the prompt. Some people write very closely to the prompt, even titling their story with it. Other people treat it much more loosely and treat it as a metaphor or background theme. Some people barely include it at all.

It's your story!

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