It's been a while · 9:48am Jan 2nd, 2017
Hasn't it? It's been over a year since I posted a story, and longer than that since I actually watched the show. There's a few reasons for it, but I imagine the prudent question is if I'm coming back or not.
Well, the prudent answer is it's not that simple.
Among other issues, one of the major hang-ups was that it stopped being fun, at least in the big picture. I still liked writing, but it became exhausting as my stories got longer and longer, and I spend so much time polishing and editing them (which I despise doing) to make them as good as I could, that writing just became a chore. Plus, all my trusted editors (who were also friends) pretty much dropped off the face of the earth, so I lost any input I might've had, not to mention a lot of encouragement.
It's hard to come home from work and do something that feels like more work, when the only one telling you to do it is yourself.
I'm not really sure if I should continue for the sake of producing content, either. Was there anything I did that really stood out? I mean, sure, I can string sentences together and make people cum, but plenty of people here do that. Did I really contribute anything, in the end?
I haven't felt inspired, either. I haven't had many ideas, and the ones I've had I just didn't get excited about. I don't know what to write. More gay stuff? Try getting back into straight? Do more F/F? And what characters? I'm nowhere near caught up on the show, nor do I intend to do so anytime soon, so anything later than Sunburst is out.
And, in the end, I'm not sure if I want to try again. If I did, I'd need ideas. Something to inspire me and get me excited enough to try writing it. And I'd have to stop taking it so seriously. Maybe be a little more loose with the quality, as much as it pains me to say it, for the sake of not tearing my hair out trying to get something posted. Probably won't be a problem, because I'm sure I'm rusty as hell by now.
So... I suppose if I were to try and get back into things, what I'd need is encouragement that it matters at all, and ideas to put it into practice. For anyone still there, who wants to see me get back into writing, now's your chance to try and make that happen, because if I haven't made it happen on my own after a whole year, then it's not gonna be decision I'm making myself.
Well, if you want some advice, I might recommend watching specific episodes that might pique your interest (season 6 just recently came onto Netflix fully). The latest season has several good episodes that feature male characters as the main focus, so maybe a couple of those could inspire something. I'm only saying that because I convinced my boyfriend Storm Butt to watch the episode Stranger Than Fanfiction (which features Patton Oswalt as a VA), and he ended up writing this clopfic the next day.
There are other episodes which are pretty good, like Flutter Brutter, Gauntlet of Fire, The Times They Are A Changeling and Dungeons and Discords. Even if you don't end up writing anything, I would recommend watching season 6 because it really is great.
Also, if you're wanting to come up with specific story ideas, Shining and Sombra is still a fairly underused ship in my opinion~
I've got to say, I think you're my favourite clop author. Both your prose and variety beat out almost everyone else, and I like the sex-positive attitude you write with. Soapy Suds and Horny Studs was also my introduction to this website. I would have missed out on Fimfiction's many SFW wonders as well if not for your excellent erotica. I would be very sad to see you leave.
And if you're really looking for a new direction to explore, have you considered trying something with a bit more continuity? Clop with a plot? I think you'd be good at it, and I think you could focus less on making the themselves sex scenes unique and interesting and more on setting them up to be unique and diverse, since I assume that's what's frustrating you. Just a thought.
Have you ever considered clop with no plot? Just let your mind wonder and write down whatever comes to mind without questioning or reasoning. Sure it might be lazy or pointless but it's something.
Okay I laughed
Anything that isn't a main character or a meme horse is an underrated ship
Agreed.
F\F could be a fun read. Perhaps something with Daring Do, Mayor Mare, or Spitfire.
And if you do decide to delve knee deep into the thick of things, I'd gladly await your return.
I'm not really all that sure I could help with the inspirational side, given that I've never really dabbled in the clop side of things. You could always do something short with Soarin or Thunderlane eying stallions up at the bar for a potential bedmate, then play around with flirting with their chosen target. Doesn't necessarily have to go all the way through, but you might find it fun to do a little banter that way (yes, I know you've done some of it with your clop). Sorry, I've been sick for about a week, so I've been having trouble getting my thoughts down in conversation.
Good to hear from you again regardless.
Long-time fan, first-time commenter.
I second the previous suggestion that you try writing a piece without consideration for quality or editing – just type as the words come to your mind and see what madness results. Honestly, ponyfics don’t need to be edited to the standards of a lit review magazine to still be enjoyable (in every sense of the word) – as long as your spellchecker doesn’t catch anything obvious and you’re reasonably certain it doesn’t look like you wrote it stoned off your gourd, I say post it. (At any rate, you can always let readers catch any typos and report them to you; no need to do all the work yourself these days.)
Also as previously mentioned, maybe try watching just one or two choice episodes from the last season; most seem to agree (myself included) that it was one of the best that have aired. “Stranger Than Fan Fiction” was loads of fun (Patton Oswalt!), and the finale (if you don’t mind spoiling the preceding episodes) was awesomeballs.
All that aside, much as I’d miss you if you left for good, I wouldn’t want you to return only to work yourself into exhaustion producing material that doesn’t even excite you. If the thought of jumping this particular ship sounds better to you than sticking around, that might be what’s best.
Whatever you choose, I wish you happiness doing it. You’ve certainly made enough of your fans happy (at least in one way).
THERE ARE NO GOOD M/M WRITERS
PLEASE STAY 8c
I love you and your stories. I've been "enjoying" them ever since I discovered this website, and your stories are some of most high quality and thoroughly enjoyable reads out there.
Also, we are in a severe drought of M/M stories in general. If we lost you, it would make a huge dent in an already floundering genre of stories on this site. We need you to continue making those stories so we can keep this community strong and influence others to make their own. You contribute way more than you think.
If you don't know where to get ideas, I'd recommend asking readers what they want (possibly in a strawpoll) and possibly finding some new editors! There are a pretty decent amount of them out there, and I know that they would help you out at the drop of a hat. Just make another post saying that you need help, and they will come flocking to you in droves. I guarantee it.
This... is kind of difficult to type. I've been a very big fan of yours and have enjoyed most if not all the content that you've put out. You were one of my inspirations to get better at my writing. I've used everything that I learned from reading your stories and that guide you created to make everything the best that it could be within my own realm. Your input on an old fic that you edited for me has also helped very much over the course of my writing.
Granted, I haven't nearly written anything in a year just like yourself. I haven't even finished season 6 either of the show and continually put it off. You've been a great person that I've had the pleasure of speaking to and learning from. There is much that you could still do for this site, but if it honestly feels just like more work than a fun pass time, then I'm sorry it has turned out that way. It's bad enough that you've lost contact with people that would help you, so I can only offer my sympathies in that department.
In terms of inspiration, I wish I could do something about that. It's hard for me to try and inspire people, and I personally try not to look for inspiration from people. Sure, a nice comment or some encouragement is good to get from someone, but I've learned that for me, I need to be able to inspire myself. I throw out an idea and see how much I can come up with it. If I can come up with a lot, then I see how much makes it into the story. If there's hardly anything, then I just toss it to the side.
Any and all content that you write, whether it be gay, straight, or F/F, I will no doubt enjoy. In the end though, I can only leave this decision up to you. However you choose to go, I'll respect it and wish you the best. You have been a wonderful author and it has been great to know you and read your content.
I can help if you're down.
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I'd like to thank all of you for the replies. It's some of the most meaningful input I've ever had on my writing, from all of you. I don't think there's any greater flattery for a writer than to hear that their works had the message they had always wanted to convey. I'm glad that it had such an impact on all of you.
I've seen a few good suggestions here, so I'll give my thoughts on those.
I don't think I'll be watching any more episodes, at least for a while. It's just not something that interests me at this stage. My inspiration has always come from other sources anyway; the show was just the medium.
I do think I need to relax on the editing a bit. I can convey what I want, and make people finish, without having to fix every comma. It's gonna be frustrating but I think it'll be better for me in the long run, and hopefully the readers won't mind.
That said, if anyone knows, or is, a good editor willing to edit my stories (and I do mean edit, not just "reading it a day before it's published"), I'd be happy to hear about it.
I have a couple ideas for my next stories. I'm going to try writing now, and I'll see where it goes. I'll try to have my next story out in a few days.
Thank you all, it means a lot, and I hope I can use it to create more writing for you.
4366944 Sent you a PM. At any rate, I’m looking forward to seeing more from you.
BTW, apologies if I haven’t commented on your stories thus far; I tend to shy away from leaving feedback unless it’s directly asked of me. I’ve read them all, though, and … well, there’s a reason I’m following you.
I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but I'll toss my hat in here. Putting it simply, I can understand if you've lost touch with wanting to do writing, and honestly, it's better to do something you enjoy for the sake of it rather than because of the task of such. Forcing it only makes the quality of any piece of art suffer- and I know you wouldn't want that for yourself.
However, if I had to try and persuade you to stay, I can say myself that I also don't watch the show anymore, yet I still come to this site. Why? Cause I'm interested to see what kinds of writing people produce- I want to experience something new each day. Obviously I don't expect people to churn out stories that quick, but my point being, the stories I've read are really good ones- especially yours. Hell, I've actually saved your Writer's Guide to Clop on Google Docs cause it acts as a good guide, and it shows you really like what you do. And I can appreciate a person who loves what they do.
Bottom Line: I want you to pursue what honestly makes you happiest, and if you feel there's no need for you to write anymore cause it doesn't feel fulfilling anymore, then I wish you luck. And if you stick around, you can be sure I'm lurking somewhere, awaiting that next twist and turn.
On one of your prior stories, I had commented that you are the "god of M/M clopfics", and I still feel that way. There are some other great authors out there but I find myself coming back to a few of your stories over and over again because, well, they're just that good. Hell, on the Kinsey scale I'm probably 80% gay but I've, erm, "enjoyed" Down in the Dirt multiple times—and I mean all of it. I've yet to read another gay pony fic that was as well-constructed and just as generally arousing as Corporal Punishment; I've even shown it to some of my (admittedly furry) non-brony friends and they've found it highly erotic.
I definitely understand the lack of motivation and ideas though. I wish that I had the perseverance to write even half of the story ideas that popped into my head but I tend to lose interest partway through. I just wrote a (furry, not pony) erotic story for the first time in over a decade, and since then I've written 5-6 pages on two other ideas and can't seem to get them finished. I'd love to write some good gay stallion stories and have started a few of those as well, but can't really get anywhere with them.
Rambling aside, I hope that someday you again find the spark of enjoyment that you used to get from writing. I do think you're an incredibly talented clop author, but even if you were writing non-clop, non-pony works I'd be happy simply because you rediscovered that fire of creativity.
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Thanks man, I appreciate hearing that. You'll be happy to know that I'll be trying to get something out soon, and I imagine you'll like it.
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Thank you for understanding. It's nice to know that I have options I can take without disappointing people. However, I think I'm going to give this another shot before giving up completely.
Of all the writers out there, I loved reading yours because I could tell that you loved writing and bringing charecters to life. Many of your best storys, in my opinion are your shorter ones. So if you only wrote smaller ones to keep your interest in writing that would be great. I would love for you to cum back but if you are not enjoying it, that is reflected in your storys. I do hope you keep going though as you are one of best writers on this site.
I've been following you since pretty much the beginning. I know I'm super late with commenting here and all, and to be honest I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said by others, yet it felt inadequate to just close the tab and move on.
Do know that I envy the way in which you string words together.
Please don't stop writing. It sounds like you have a real talent for it.