Don't forget to have fun · 6:15am Oct 4th, 2016
I hate to break this to you folks, but writing isn't always going to be fun.
Sometimes, you're going to have to edit. You're going to have to get rid of characters, change endings, completely rewrite scenes, and maybe even start over from scratch. And when you think you're done, that's really the easy part that's over. In reality, you now have to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb. You have to let people read it, see what they think, rethink things yourself, get some sleep, get some distance. In other words, you have to step away from your story, then come at it from a new angle and see if it can hold up to a whole new style of attack. Once you've done this a few times, then maybe... maybe your story is done.
And sometimes that's going to feel an awful lot like work. It's going to be hard. It's going to be frustrating and you're going to hate it. But if you're devoted to a story, creating the best reader experience, and getting an idea across most effectively, it's what you have to do.
Now, with all that said, let's take a moment to realize that we're on FiMFiction here. That shouldn't change, just because it's pony fanfiction, should it?
Well, not quite.
You see, this place, this show, and this style of writing should first and foremost be about fun. Yes, really. When writing MLP stuff, you should always, ALWAYS be having a good time. If that means you miss some spelling errors here and there, so what? If that means all your audience wasn't happy with your ending, who cares?
This might sound hard to swallow, but hear me out.
Don't. Forget. To have. Fun.
The only answer you should ever have to give someone when they ask "why did you write this?" is "because I wanted to." The only person you need to satisfy with your writing is yourself. If you're doing this for money, for commission, then that's another story, you have a client to satisfy! If that's what you're doing, and you're making a pretty penny doing it, ignore ALL of this, because that's cash. But if you're doing this on your free time, then it should be for fun and for you, and you alone. And that isn't to say you shouldn't try to improve, or get good advice from people when they give it. But at the end of the day, writing you do here should be for your own personal enjoyment and enrichment. To make YOU smile. It should make YOU happy. Everything after that is secondary.
But wait, Pencil! You said writing isn't always fun! That's right, I did, and here's the point of the matter. If you find yourself on fimfiction, having things pre-read a million times, rewriting scene after scene, changing chapters, removing characters, missing sleep, hating life, hating writing, hating yourself...then you need to step back. And you need to remember where you are. And most of all you need to realize that the way you're writing, the way you're sweating over your work, is the way professionals do it. Writing on Fimfiction doesn't make you a professional, it's not your career. So if you're going to act like a professional... then go be a professional, damn it!
You've trained yourself for it! You've learned the methods! You know the pain and the upsides, so go forth and write seriously. Don't limit yourself to fanfiction, for crap's sake! Do this for fun. As long as you're having fun, it's a great thing for your life. It'll make you happy. You'll make friends. You'll feel better about your existence. But if you're going to turn it into work, into a job, that's hard and miserable at times, and is a source of stress? It's okay to quit writing about ponies. If you want to write professionally, then make writing your job.
Don't make your job pony fanfiction.
So have fun. Never forget to have fun on here. Don't take yourself or your writing too seriously and you might actually find that, in the end, you're enjoying yourself again. That's what we're all here for, right? To enjoy ourselves?
-Pencil
P.S. Sleep is for the weak, who needs it.
If your not getting paid and not having fun, why would you be here? I just can't fathom writing for no reward, not even enjoyment...
4239402
...thank you for saying in two lines what I said in far too many.
HOORAAAAAY!
But... we are the week.
4239405
Speak for yourself!
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4239410 Even Al was stronger than that guy...
4239412
But not stronger in MANLY TEARS!
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This has got to be one of -if not the- most (amazing/serious/amazingly serious) thing I have ever seen you write.
And in like twelve minutes you'll go back to writing funky weird stories, and everyone is going to love you for it.
Honestly, these kind of blogs don't happen very often, but the messages they covey are some of the most life-changing (not mine. unfortunately?) things I've ever read.
All you said is good a well, but when you have several chapters written and edited for several different fics, including new ones, and the USB you have them saved to gets corrupted, all drive to write takes a nose-dive into a wood-chipper.
Mine is starting to recover, but it still has a way to go before I get back to it.
I believe you have become overly obsessed with writing and now even when You wish to stop, you simply cannot loving and hating one thing at the same time.
Hating and obsessing something so hard that you dream those thing when you look at the Russian writings on a ketchup all you see are formulas for optimization and interference functions, or a voice suddenly speaks to you about data and mistakes people do when making an analysis.
What in the end happened to me was my body collapsed and I was sick for 2 weeks and I still dreamed math and other stuff.
So I think you will not able to stop obsessing over your writing no matter how hard you try and your ability to have "fun" is pretty much dead or dying and based upon my experience and people around me who obsessed over scientific stuff a chance of recovery for having fun or having the thrill first time you were having is very low.
But don't let that discourage you anyway you are a very strong person based on your decision of being a writer (I believe a successful ) when there are far more easier ways in life. Even you suffer ( we all suffer so is life) you are choosing your own path, even if you fail ( we will all fail in the end since we are going to die in the end) you are among the few people to dare to try. And I believe you are overcome the challenges because we as people have no other option.
I have written so long because I suffer similar problems : sleep deprevation, high degrees of obsession so much that it causes an emotional deterioration and this semester I will have a higher workload than before. I am Fucked as always and it will not get better and I learned not to hope. Everything is terrible yet there is much to be done and maybe hope for a rest when we die.( I assume )
My advice is to get to a park and get some sun, I could not do that because it was almost always raining or I was studying or sick. Eat vegetables, and fruit quit coffee and alcohol for a while, visit your family and most importantly get mad because being angry is better than being afraid. And remember whatever we do we are going to regret it in the end, such is the human nature so regret nothing. We are all Fucked no matter what and have pleasure knowing that fact
PS: sorry that I put my personal problems and my anger or if I demoralised you or my writing is a mess I slept only couple of hours
4239445 Oh for fuck's sake. Let me go through this bit by bit, for clarity:
Let's get one thing straight here. I LOVE writing. I do it every single day of my life, and even when I hate it, I also love it. Writing is my livelihood, my passion, and my one true love. I cannot imagine a time where I will not be writing to some extent, and I am thrilled to say that. And lucky!
It's definitely not doing that. I am having SO much fun with writing pony stuff. When I'm not, I don't write. I do this because it makes me happy, that hasn't stopped any.
Thank you for that, but honestly? Writing is a bitch and I love it and I'm not discouraged from it. I have enjoyed success, and hope to continue to do so.
College is rough. Really rough. But in writing it can teach you to maintain a work ethic and personal writing schedule, and that's valuable as hell. That being said, I'm not sorry my college years are behind me. Best of luck on the upcoming semester!
HAHAHAHA no.
I literally never drink coffee because it makes me ill (thanks body!) and I eat vegetables and fruit regularly. Cooking is another one of my passions. Why the sudden dietary advice?
You know, I don't know that I agree with this, but it is an interesting philosophy.
I have to wonder, is all this advice for me because I don't sleep well and because I am sick often? Well, let me set your mind at ease. My frequent sickness is not due to my diet, writing habits, or drinking. It's a pre-existing and persistent condition that I live with, and no subtle lifestyle changes are going to fix that. The lack of sleep is due to other problems completely separate from my writing or Fimfic as a whole, which I am dealing with. Try not to concern yourself with that.
In summation, I love writing. I love life. In general, I'm very happy, and my advice in this post was meant for others who take this place and pony writing a little too seriously for their own mental health. Try not to worry about me, I'm actually doing about as a well as I can be right now. And my most recent sick is on the mend.
Everything I wanted to add as I read are mentioned as I go further. Great job, Pencil.
I did all this to that Lyler chapter, however surprising that is. It's not that I'm trying to impress anyone, it's that in the earlier stages of me editing that, it can't get up to MY standards.
I wanted to write something that would make me amused and entertained while having fun writing it. I take a rest, reread, and find something wrong. "Omg, this reads boring/horrible. Let's change it/add something. Haha, there, wonderful."
That went on for three months until someone told me it's already perfect.
Of course, I didn't believe them because I'm writing it for MYSELF, and I still want to have more fun with it, but I figured someone likes it a lot so I might as well stop now and share it with others. XD
Anyway, thanks for this AP. Members of this site should definitely know about this.
4239449 I expressed my mindset because I am suffering from similiar issues, that was the reason I have written such and I really like your story the negativty in them fascinates me. I apologise if I made wrong assumptions and offended you in anyway or sound too edgy, anyway take care
4239460
I'm not offended, just don't worry about me so much! my love of writing is never going to be in question, and if I stop having fun writing pony stuff, I'll quit doing it. Not to fret. Writing enriches my daily life, it certainly doesn't harm it.
And my health is always going to be shitty. No sense stressing over that either. :)
Pencil I have a question. Are you planning to write your own novel anytime in the future?
4239439 I can't say I've lost that much data before, but I can respect that. Was writing while playing a game(would write during loading screens) and lost a good four thousand words when the page reloaded. I started saving more often after that.
4239445 fluffy, eat a snickers
4239531 I lost seven chapters for four fics, two of them new, each chapter at roughly two to three thousand words.
4239461
You go lady!
I've always enjoyed reading about whatever kooky thing you think up next and am proud to say that I have eaten lizards before so therefore I have eaten spike.
I'll, just stay in my dying hole and deal with things.
4239496
Yes. As I said, the editing is the hard part. ;)
More true words have never been spoken!
Have fun, damn it!
I have literally never spent more than two minutes reading over anything I wrote in my entire life. Half the time I post it the second it's finished.
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I'm proud of you.