I Can't Read · 4:46pm Mar 19th, 2017
UPDATE: I'd really like recommendations of stories to read that could improve my writing!
Last night, I dreamt I was taking a standardized test in an amphitheater with a few hundred other students. Except I teach college, and it was an eleventh-grade exam (all the other students were teens).
I wasn't quite certain why I was there, but tragically, the exam was on books. I would have passed easily, but I knew I wasn't going to destroy the exam, because I needed to provide examples of fiction in my essays—and I haven't read anything noteworthy in a very long time.
Now if only the squiggly things made sense.
This is a problem I have. It's dreadfully difficult for me to read, and this impairs my ability to become a better writer. If I don't read good fiction, I can't learn how to write good fiction. Sometimes I marvel at the weird things that get high ratings on Fimfiction, but I don't know exactly why. There are secrets accessible at my hooftips, but I can't unlock them because I am paralyzed by inertia. 
It's true that I haven't been an avid reader since I hit my late teens, but the problem today isn't that I'm not interested in reading. The problem is inertia caused by the narcotic medication I take. I'm afraid to start reading something, because I'm afraid to start doing anything. I enjoy writing so much that I'm able to overcome the inertia, but I can't even play games I download on Steam because I'm so reluctant to begin, it's almost like I'm afraid to do anything other than watch as my life passes me by and I do nothing at all. 
It's hard to explain, but it sucks. 
Not medication-related (or not much), but I know the more general feeling of Everything Lethargy and life-passing-by. Maybe not to the same degree as you, but yeah, it sucks. All the fabulous things one isn't doing! It's heartbreaking!
Empathy. 
Are you looking for fanfic recs or just stories in general?
Anything by Skywriter or Horizon, I want to say. Read their stuff! Especially Skywriter Cadance stories because BEST
4462861
Prefer poni for motivation.
I'd kind of recommend the latter half of Pony POV though you'd need to read the earlier bits for the full experience too.
That same sense of reluctance often gets to me as well. I find the video game refrence to be particularly relevant to my own life. For whole minutes, I would just sit there with my mouse hovering over the Civilization V icon before shutting my laptop and going for a walk instead. (Of course, that was last semester when I had time for such things as video games and the now-illusive "fun.")
As for the reading bit, I find audio books superior to "book" books. I never actually "read" Past Sins; I listened to a reading of it. After reading Horizon's Quiet Boy and Moon Horse in digital print, I later found a reading of it done (I believe) by Neighrator Pony. His YouTube channel seems a good enough place to start, I should think.
I got a story for you It's called The Lunar Guardsman. but fair warning, it involves a human in Equestria. Or if you don't like that one, you can check out The World Within the Web.
I've got a few shelves on my profile library that contain good stories. I tend not to save any that aren't written mostly in-character, and written well. There are exceptions, but always with a reason (usually, because it's freaking hilarious).
The Already Read- Feelsy and Already Read- Funny shelves in particular contain some good ones. And most are short, only a chapter or two.
If you're looking for something longer, well written, and somehow more fucked-up than Twilight's Secret Journal... Well, I love sharing misery: Celestia's Relaxing Vacation. It takes a bit to get into the plot (the written kind, not the other kind. That's gotten to almost immediately), but once it does, it gets really interesting.
Flash Fog. A story about my least favorite of the Mane Six, that still manages to be one of the best stories I've read on this site.
Do you want stories that you specifically can learn something from or is it enough that it was a good read?
Also, do you accept story driven clopfics or just non-clop stories?
My user page has my pony recommendations, up across the top of the page, and in Favorites.
4463386
Thanks. But: is there a difference between "I recommend you read this for enjoyment" and "I recommend you read this because you can learn to write better from it"?
The latter is my interest, but I suspect most non-M loved-stories will also contain good writing.
4463362
Primarily stories whose writing is good enough that I could learn things from. But "I like this story" might be enough reason to think the writing is good... I dunno.
4463394
I don't think so (except that I wouldn't use the word "enjoyment" in the first place). That would imply either that there were good stories that I thought you couldn't learn from, or bad stories that I thought you could learn from. People can learn a lot from a flawed story, but only if they do a careful analysis of it--I wouldn't say "go read this and learn from it" without my analysis of why it was flawed.
4463492 Ok. Now I am not a writer so I will do my best. If you just want straight up guides then Viking ZX has several guides on writing and his story The Dusk Guard: Rise is supposedly one of the beast there is. I have not read it yet because the setting does not really interest me.
Of the stories that I have read is The Best of All Possible Worlds and one that I strongly recommend. I generally do not like comedy but this story not only takes a interesting way to HiE but also has great characters, philosophy and a good adventure in it.
Now, it is long but Fallout: Equestria is perhaps one of the beast adventure stories I have read. Some say that Project Horizon is better but I have not read that one. Characters, world building, action, you name it. The only thing I do not like is that the story demands a lot of intellect from the reader in order to understand some parts and reasoning.
If you want something darker then Kaidans stories: Twilight's Dollhouse, A Puppet To Her Fame (especially that one), Shattered Prism and Dash of Humanity is a good way to go for excitement and good or sad feels.
Horse Voice is my go to for mystery, horror and thriller. The stories: The Savage Way, The Writing on the Wall, Biblical Monsters, Wild Fire, Leviathan and The Visiting Hour are especially good.
I will put this story: A Thief On the Rise here because I think it succeeds at doing something strange. It may have a slow start but it is a exiting story about subterfuge. The strange part is that our hero needs some special abilities and so the author uses video game methods to do so. How ever it is done in a way that I can accept.
The Last Human: A Tale of the Pre-Classical Era . "The last unicorn" but it is a human and it is in the mlp universe. It's good.
History Repeats and A Mighty Demon Slayer Grooms Some Ponies are two very good G1 crossovers. But the second one was halted after the author failed to find a way to the ending so if you want the ending it is here.
Across the Sea, Part I is a story I like very much. It has good use of Chekhov's gun , world building, great characters and adventure.
Crystal's Wishes for your romance and slice of life needs. It handles both tags with amazing quality.
The Lunar Guardsman . You see all those tags? It got them all in a way that makes it difficult to stop reading.
Hard Reset. Groundhog day but it is mlp. Very good.
The next one is special: The Railway Ponies: Highball. This is a example of a very niche story but a very good one. If you like steam trains you are going to love it because it as all those little things about trains without taking away the narrative. I was especially surprised that it managed to make driving a train exiting. Definitely pleasantly surprised.
A New Ending. Before reading this one it is important to read the original first. This story is a "revenge" story. I think that it is a good one that takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Now for some stories that I think are bad: The Heavenfall. To much detail. Split Second. To strong main character almost Mary Sue. A Voice Among the Strangers. To weak main character, I did not finish it because it was to boring for me to continue.
And thats the last of the non-clop ones. You never said anything about clop so I will list those ones here:
Fall of Equestria: Bruised Apples. Say what you will of "Fall of Equestria" but this story is about Big Mac and Applejack trying to survive in that world. Friendship is Mind Control. Corruption, temptation, drama and mind games. It had me at the edge of my seat at times. A Changeling Invasion. Ok fair warning: this is a heavy fetish story but it had a lot of moral discussion around it in the comments. People picked sides, discussed what was the right thing to do and how things should be and as the story continued and more information was reviled opinions changed or strengthened. A story that can do that is a good story in my opinion. Adventures of a Teenage Foalsitter. Two word: Clop comedy. The fic is absurd. It is hilariously absurd but dark and dramatic at the same time. It is a crazy read.
4464146
Thanks!
I didn't care for Bruised Apples, though I agree the writing isn't bad. At some point I should make a blog post about the issues I take with the FoE setting. The primary one is the severe lack of realism, but I also don't enjoy dark-for-dark's-sake (even though most of what I write is dark).
BTW, you can correctly spoiler links like that if you embed a color tag within the url tag (other way around won't work) and set the color to match the spoiler color. (I don't remember what the spoiler color is so I'd need to open Photoshop and check, and I can't do that at the moment because I'm on my laptop due to carpet cleaners about to arrive. Probably somewhere around #444444 or so.)
Aww, you just need a nice master/mistress to whip you into getting motivated. I suggest tying you up with toys in and a good book. You can even turn up the settings at the end of the chapter! Let me know if you need help with that ;)
Unfortunately, though, all I can recommend for reading is to *not* read my stuff. Most of the rest of the Optimalverse is good though.