Takka Takka Takka: August 2017 - AppleDash, SunShip & More! · 3:35am Sep 1st, 2017
Phew. What a month. I can’t believe August is already over. Totally insane, right?
Seriously. I need to find a freaking time stop spell just so I can get some stuff done. Always so much to do… and then there’s always something that pulls my attention away from what I should be doing!
Hell, even getting 4-5 hours a sleep a night ain’t enough! WTB 6 more hours in a day. PST.
So. Let’s talk words.
Word Count: 27,342
Gotta admit, this was a rough month for me. My lowest since February. There were a few things that happened. Of course, there was BronyCon, but I also had the extremely intense AppleDash story I’ll get to in a little bit, plus the work on Prerogative… and a whole crazy mess of personal stuff, but in truth? I’ve just had a hard time writing this month. I’ve let myself slip a little.
For the record, it really sucks having to actually do what I keep telling you all to do!
Now for your monthly quote! To my surprise, I don’t have any really good comedy for you. But I have something interesting, at least!
“I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t exactly make any promises. She might react even worse to me.”
“I have every confidence in your diplomatic skills, Archmage.”
“When it’s two nations, it’s diplomacy. When it’s two former friends… it’s something else entirely,” Sunset mumbled as she trotted toward the massive door that led to the lower decks of Friendship One.
Patreon Stuff!
First, obligatory Patreon reminder. Bleh. I hate doing that, but believe it or not, money’s kinda tight right now, so yeah. Just something to help me pay the bills.
Now, speaking with Albinocorn got me thinking. I know initially I said I wasn’t going to be doing this, I might actually add some benefits to Patreon. They’ll be primarily focused on fiction, though. Here are a few things I’m thinking of… (please note this is very much a work in progress)
-First Drafts of my previous stories, so you can see what the editing process is like for my team and I.
-Getting a sneak peak of chapters or upcoming stories up to a week in advance.
-Priority access for any requests for a cover designs.
-Monthly shoutouts and links to Patreon’s pages.
-Me workshopping your story ideas to help develop them.
What do you guys think? Is this something that might interest you?
Yeah, I know the irony of using this picture... but the irony's too good to resist. I'm a terrible person.
Cool Announcements, Contests and Projects!
Seattle's Angels
Nothing new on the review front for my stories. Instead, you’ll soon be seeing me doing real reviews for others! What madness is this? Well, apparently the folks at Seattle’s Angels have gotten pretty desperate, since they invited me to help out!
To be honest, I’m totally honored to join this illustrious group. It’s funny, because I don’t usually consider what I’ve done to be reviews, but follow-ups. However, as I thought about it, I realized I did actually do reviews for all of the RariTwi fics for Interwoven Colours. So… who knows? Maybe I can do this. Also, bonus? Ebon Quill, stalwart editor and generally all-around-amazing guy has also joined the team!
Either way, I’m definitely nervouscited.
My first reviews will be coming out September 7th alongside Chris!
Sunset Shipping Contest Judging
I’ll start judging the Sunset Shimmer Shipping Contest in the coming weeks. Our goal is to get them all reviews and have the winners up on Equestria Daily for Sunset Shimmer Day on September 22.
It’s going to be tough. I’m going to go out and estimate that we’ll have around 50 entries. (I’m making this guess on August 30). But that’s going to be a big day, because I’m happy to report that there will be a special new banner on Equestria Daily for Sunset Shimmer Day though a bit of networking (and a fair amount of yelling).
It’ll be sweet.
Leveling Up
I also want to give a major shoutout to my editing team: EbonQuill, Cursori, Belton and Little Tinker. For a while now, they’ve been actually shoring me up for a few writing weak points where I should have instead been learning how to fix them instead. Well, it’s high time I actually used this tremendous opportunity and got better. Also, it’ll make them work less and me work more!
I think that’s a yay.
TSSSF
I’ve also gone back to something I truly love, as a relaxing sort of thing. And that’s designing Twilight Sparkle’s Secret Shipfic Cards! For those who don’t know, TSSSF is described as such:
Twilight Sparkle’s Secret Shipfic Folder — or TSSSF — is a very silly card game about shipping ponies. Twilight Sparkle is Equestria’s most prolific (and horrific) fanfic author. She ships herself, her friends, and her family, regardless of relation, orientation, or harmonious mane-and-coat color combination!
In order to help fulfill Twilight’s dream of writing the perfect fanfics, you take turns expanding the shipping grid, joining new ponies with “ship” (short for relation”ship”) cards.
If you are the first to make one of Twilight’s narrative goals a reality, you earn points! Of course, you also earn shame for enabling Twilight’s horrible penchant for shipping her friends, but nopony’s perfect.
TSSSF is incredibly tongue-in-cheek, incredibly silly, and is fun for shippers and non-shippers alike. If you have any experience with any fandom, you’ll find something to enjoy in this game.
I’m actually designing a full expansion pack, which is a total of 54 cards. The name of the expansion is currently “Unabashed Shippers,” starring some of the best-known shippers in all of FimFiction, including Tchernobog, Little-Tweenframes (SciSetDaily), Oroboro, Timaeus, Albinocorn, Monochromatic, Rawrstein and, of course, myself. Not only that, but it includes a massive amount of Sunset cards, ships and goals, not to mention plenty of SunLight based goals and RariTwi goals. Plus, it’ll include cards inspired by stories such as Fractured SunLight, The Enchanted Library, Long Road to Friendship, And a Sky Full of Stars, The Tarnished Crown, SciSetDaily, AskNerdDash and much, much more.
Even better? They’re all going to be completely free! I’ll post them online so you can download and print them (either yourself or through PrinterStudio, which is the way I recommend).
Here are just a smattering of the cards you’ll get to enjoy!
August’s Writing Bookshelf:
BronyCon!
I’ve already yammered at you for like 6,000 words about BronyCon (You know, if I counted this blog and my BC blog, I’d be well over like 32,000 words for the month). So I’m not going to harass you all about that all over again! It was amazing! I met many people! Totally ODed on friendship.
You want to read all about that, go hit up my BronyCon After Action Report!
Yup. She looks totally evil. But it's also extremely fitting.
Assorted AppleDash Stories - On Hold
So, want to hear what took up most of the first two weeks of writing? My attempt at doing an AppleDash Fic for Tchernobog’s (and company) contest! I went through four different stories before I finally torpedoed all the ideas I had and went with what became Gray.
I had three stories I attempted to write in a known universe of mine (no, I’m not saying which one) and then another in the canon universe, but nothing really worked! It drove me mad. Finally, I broke down, shattered everything I wanted to do and let myself just discovery write a story.
What did I come up with? Well...
Spectrum of Gray - Final Editing Phase
Welcome to the story that’s dominated my mind for most of August, though I finished the first draft two weeks ago. This story is easily the most personally brutal story I’ve ever written. You guys remember The Tarnished Crown? Multiply that by fifty. Then you’ll maybe get close.
I poured a massive amount of personal experience and, well, personal pain into this story. A couple people (including myself) have questioned if this really should be a contest entry. I think it should, but I know for a fact there’s going to be a lot of folks who probably won’t get this story. It’s my most intense story to date. Not because of action, but because the sheer amount of reality lurking behind it.
I’ve probably already said too much about it. But it should be… interesting to see how this story is received.
How Not to Use Your Royal Prerogative - Polish & Publishing In Progress
Yup! The second chapter just went up a few days ago! I’m so excited! All of you are chomping at the bit, curious what’s going to happen next. Well, in the next chapter, “Introductions,” you’ll finally get a bigger picture as to what’s really going on here… and one hell of a cliffhanger.
Yes. I’m evil. I’m trying the Monochromatic technique of totally evil cliffhangers. We’ll see if it works.
I’m hoping to get these out biweekly. Maybe a bit sooner if we really kick it up a notice. But don’t worry, this is coming out! We just need to get them up to snuff. Then you guys can threaten to kill me over cliffhangers, revelations and more secrets. 
I haven’t yet settled on a release date… trying to hash that out with the editing team. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out!
Dancing Toward the Sun (Temp Title) - In Progress
This is a story I actually started in Quills & Sofa (the creator’s room) of BronyCon, but I ended up torpedoing the original version and rebooted it a couple days ago. Basically, the idea is that Moon Dancer and Sunset Shimmer (a couple years after she returns home) are sent by the Map of Harmony to the distant Western Reaches… in the middle of nowhere. No towns. No ponies. There’s nothing there.
And well, stuff happens. 
I wish I had Sunny’s confidence. Seriously.
September’s Writing Bookshelf:
Spectrum of Gray - Polish and Publish
Spectrum of Gray will be releasing at 10AM on September 11. I want to thank all the folks who came in for fresh eyes on this story. You guys were incredible. Namely, Crystal Wishes, Monochromatic, Swan Song and Oroboro. Couldn’t have done this without you.
Dancing Toward the Sun (Temp Title) - Continue
I’m a bit iffy on if I really want to do this story. Originally, it was supposed to be out for the end of the Sunset Shimmer Shipping Contest, but that just didn’t happen (in fact, I don’t think any of the judges managed to finish their “entries” into the contest). I might have a fun idea… but it also feels a little similar to what I’ve done before.
At the moment, I’m just continuing the story until I figure out what I want to do. Because I need to have something to write every day.
On the Brewing of Saddle Arabian Teas - Continue
As soon as I’m done with Dancing (or decide the fate of Dancing), I’m going back to some whacky hijinks with Twi and Sunny as they explore the crazy used bookstores of Canterlot. I’m looking forward to moving on with Wavelength, especially now that Cursori finally took the dive and read Sparks, the keystone finale for both the Origins and the Infatuations Arcs. Now that he actually understands where I’m going with all of this, I’m eager to get to Sparks and this is the first step.
The "Currently Reading" Bookshelf
Wow… I could tell you everything I’ve read this month. It’s been a lot. A whole hell of a lot.
So, I started the second book, Eljunbyro, of ThatLongSkirtsFic otherwise known as Austraeoh upon leaving for BronyCon. Well, I blasted through that and finished it before I touched back down in Orange County. Then I started Innavedr. Finished that pretty quick. In a couple days. Immediately launched into Odrsjot and tore through that in a few more days. Then, more recently, I hit Urohringr. And seriously, that was a good one (and sorely needed too. It’s currently my favorite). And just a few days ago, I threw myself into Yaerfaerda.
So, that means I read 1,332,311 words in the month of August. And yes, I intend to keep going. And please, keep any “you’re doomed” comments to yourself. Several people in Discord chats almost stopped me entirely from reading after scaring me so much. I’ve got my own guide through this story and I’m going to see it through to the end.
Is the story for everyone? Probably not. Heck, I have a friend who hates the series. But still, it’s a great story on world-building, character development and long-form episodic content. Pacing might be crazy, but there’s a ton of stuff I can glean from this story on building unique cultures and worlds. So, I’m going to keep going on this. I’m enjoying it. And it’s great for bite-sized pieces… even if I tend to stay up too late when I get close to the end of a book or the end of an arc. Heh.
Monthly Story Recommendation
Usually, my Monthly Story Recommendations have been fics that are relatively unknown. Well, today, instead of going small, I’m going old-school. A Taste of the Good Life is by the one and only Eakin (better known for Hard Reset). This guy remains one of my favorite FimFic authors of all time. He’s the first to sell me on major OC characters (and remains the only one to successfully ship an OC with a Mane 6 to the point where I loved it in Hard Reset).
This is hands-down, the best Scootaloo fic story ever. Don’t let the romance thing fool you, the romance isn’t actually with Scootaloo. Instead, we get an amazing backstory for the best CMC. Yeah, it plays up on the orphan thing, but this was back in 2013 when that wasn’t done to death and it’s done respectfully. It’s a fantastic drama, showing some really amazing character development, deep interest… and just… hell, it’s just freakin’ amazing. I never ended up doing a Follow-Up to it because I couldn’t do it justice (also, I prefer to do follow-ups these days for authors who are a little more active).
Anyway, strongly recommended, especially if you want some well-rounded storytelling that spans romance, comedy, drama, coming-of-age and a dozen other things--just like any good piece of fiction should have!
Okay, folks! I think that’s it for this month! It’s going to be a very busy September for me, with all my little plans and machinations for Sunset Shimmer Day coming on September 22. And make sure to wander by this way on September 11 for the release of Spectrum of Gray!
Until next time, have fun out there!
-Novel
Ahh, sorry to hear you've had such a (relatively) bad month for writing. If it's any solace, you still did better than me and this was easily my best month in a while. Yes, I know I shouldn't be down on myself and every word counts, but you seem to have much more on your plate than me who has no job, didn't go to any cons, and doesn't have much life away from her computer. It's hard not to feel jealous of your word counts.
Not much to say about the patreon stuff since I'm broke, can't donate, and thus don't have a say in what you do with it. But I do hope you get the money you need.
Also, jumping ahead slightly, good luck on improving your writing skills!
Congrats on joining Seattle's Angels! Same goes for Ebon. Is that what those fic reviews that show up now and then on the feed are? Neat, I'll have to pay them a little more attention then.
And
I can't wait for the judging! I wanna see how my first ever contest entry stacks up to everyone else. I doubt it's good enough to win, but as long as I can bring some smiles to the faces of you and the other judges then I'll be happy. 
Those cards. (And the game in general) Look. Amazing! Ahhh, I wish I could play it now...
Moving on to stories. It probably goes without saying, but Royal Prerogative and Brewing are easily what I'm looking forward to seeing more of the most. Though I will say that the SunMoon story has an interesting premise and I'll definitely check it out when/if it gets published, and while AppleDash isn't really my ship if it's as 'real' as you say it is then I'll read it just for the insight.
As for your recommendations...well, I've still got my own backlog to get through, so I'll have to pass for now.
That all said may September be a prosperous month of writing for us all!
Ooooh, welcome to the Jury, as they say.
Still miffed I didn't do anything for the Sunset contest. Kera is best pony. Here's to a productive September!
Wait, why am I of all people not designing TSSSF cards? This is a travesty I clearly must correct.
This may have been a low-output month for you, but if it's any help, you were at least an order of magnitude more productive than I was. Here's to September and what wonders it will bring.
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Looking forward to getting to your entry!
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Yeah, now I just need a sweet hoodie...
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Oh jeez, you're as bad as Swan.
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Everyone's toasting September. Seems strange. Oh well. And yes, if you need any help with TSSSF cards, just let me know. They're insane amounts of fun.