Sick Musings, or "My Favorite Me" · 6:05pm Aug 19th, 2017
Looks like I caught the crud. This has been a weekend of useless sniffling, but Sweetie Belle has been so kind as to demonstrate how I typically waste such time.
Ah Star Trek. You make the pain go away. Engage!
As a lover of the writing process in general, I find that I want to try everything. Today it's drama. Tomorrow it's comedy. Next week it might be horror or sci-fi. Some nights I'm feeling like busting out something with a sensual grin to it, while other nights I want something soul-bearing and sweet. What I'm best at isn't for me to decide, but as much as I enjoy writing it all, I'm aware of the trouble such an approach can cause. Usually, an author is known for something, and that's why you read them. Forgive me for the lofty comparisons, but folks don't typically go to Stephen King for romance, nor do they go to A.K. Yearling (I simply must call her that) for abject terror. This doesn't mean they aren't capable of creating such work...it's just not what you think when those names come to mind. Like going to GameStop to buy a cell phone. They sell 'em, but that's not what you're there for.
My point is that I like to write all sorts of things, but I've noticed that folks read one or two stories, and assume that's all I do. Further, some ponies even seem to get a little confuzzled. "Hey, Wishy wrote X. I thought Wishy only wrote Y? I'm not sure how I feel about this!"
I love to explore all aspects and genre of writing and thus I don't expect my habits will cease, but I thought perhaps it might be of some value to list which among my stories spoke to me the most. The truth is that such a list is difficult for me to compose because I like all my writing. I think it's important for an author to like their own work, and I'm often left a bit confused by folks who put a lot of time into something, publish it, and then claim to dislike it. To me, I cannot fathom how an author is able to take a non-commission piece they didn't want to create to term in the first place, though I suppose one's feelings about a work can change over time. Below, please find a list of the stories to-date that I have enjoyed writing the most. This list excludes commissions (since 'doing it for the money' does tend to factor into that to varying degrees), is in no particular order, and is restricted to completed works only, so if you are at all inclined to check any of them out, you can be assured of a finished piece.
The Custodian series (I say "series", because there are plans for more) is explicit, yes, but it's meant to be soft, sensual, and safe. Fluttershy is my best pony, but that wasn't always the case. I grew to understand how much potential she has through working with her on projects like this, and that catapulted her to stardom inside my head. Here she is doing her best to help other pegasi understand more about their nature, and it's the start of her personal quest to do the same for ponies everywhere. What better way to overcome shyness then to help others through it? Anyway, I had a great time with this.
Everfreely isn't as explicit as Custodian, but I cannot say it will remain that way if there are any sequels. It features Appleshy, which is my favorite Mane Six ship, and it tells of a meeting between the last two locals in a group of friends, who seek to get in touch with the natural world they love on a warm night near the fleeting end of summer. It has reminiscing, and personal exploration in what I again think of as a safe and accepting environment. There's mutual shyness to work through, and...well maybe this isn't all that different from Custodian. I loved writing it, and if there is a part two, expect it to generate warmth in the dead of winter.
Sugarcube is not rated mature and has no explicit content, but that's far from the point. It is a tale inspired by M*A*S*H, a TV series that's been giving me the feels since the final episode aired when I was four years old (okay, I probably never heard of it when I was four, but certainly not long after). This story did so much for me that I stepped way outside my comfort zone and recorded this audio adaptation, in which I took it upon myself to speak for all the characters, both male and female. A friend told me the presentation moved her to tears (which she yelled at me for) and I can say that's one of the most flattering things anypony has ever said to me as a writerhorse. Sugarcube is a small tale, but it's one that I keep close to my heart.
Honorable mentions go to Wet Pussy and Say Goodbye to the Hollandaise: A Hearth's War(ming) Tail. The former made me feel better the last time I was sick, and there's power in that. The latter was something fun I could make my kids laugh with, and that is power in equal measure. Yes, my own humor makes me laugh. If it didn't, how could I expect it to do so for anypony else?
And well...let's not forget Plushershy. It's fetishy, but it makes me smile and it makes me rawr. Hush.
At any rate, I have adventure stories, sci-fi tales, ravishment rags, sexy romps, and gory horror. It's likely not everything will appeal to you, but...maybe something will. As always, I'm grateful for any time anypony spends on me.
I strongly support writing what makes you happy. Maybe it's worth putting some boxes on your page pointing folks to different genres you've written?
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This is a good idea! And you know we've spoken a bunch re:commissions and so on.
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Yes, and I'm still working on what I plan to do with that. I enjoy making people's ideas come to life a lot, but in the past year I have been working almost exclusively on commissions. I know I need to revisit my rates at least. I just figured that it might help if folks knew what I actually like to write the most, since you'll always do your best work if it's something you really love.
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Well, that's just it. I love writing...just about everything, at one point or another. Sometimes I just want to try my hand at something and see how it comes out - I suspect a few of my stories that don't fit the mold are a result of that. But I guess there are a few I've loved writing more than others, so perhaps I ought to make a section specifically for those. Thanks for the idea