Not dead yet, but not writing either · 1:36am Sep 25th, 2017
So this is a blog post I should have done a while ago and I'm sorry for not saying something sooner. As it turns out, the final year of getting my doctorate is the most time-consuming thing I've ever done in my life. Between a full 40 hours a week fulfilling school requirements, having a part-time job on the side to continue living and maintaining the bare minimum of social interaction with friends and family, I have had little time to write. Y'all probably noticed that my writing has slowed over the past 3-4 years. That is not an indication of lessening interest, just of vastly reduced free time.
So what does this mean going forward?
I am putting current stories on hiatus, as I should have a few months ago. I am not abandoning them, however, until I will not have significant time to write them until I am done earning my degree. As I've said before, once I start a story I owe to you, the reader, to finish it.
It's just going to take a bit longer to finish it than y'all would probably like. U^_^
Feel free to ask questions about this or other matters in the comments below, and I want to thank everyone who has ever supported me in this wonderfully strange part of my life. Your enjoyment of what I make means the world to me, and I want to to right by you.
Just be sure to log on the site every once in a while. It helps keep comments speculating on your demise to a minimum. And best of luck on your studies.
I love your stories man. But your real life comes first. So take your time and when or if you have time again to write it won't be a burden.
As the reason I joined this site, I wish you the best down the homestretch of your degree. When that notification lights up my book shelf some day in the future, I'll be there.
Real life happens. I wouldn't sweat it. Especially getting a doctorate. Hot damn. I'm a repeat high school/college drop out, so you're extra impressive in my book.
Hey, we'll be here when you need us. Ponies make a good pressure relief valve to help deal with the terrors of that awful Real World.
Docter degree first. Ponies later.
Your life and education come first, no questions there. It is nice to get to get word on the current status of things, can't rightly ask for more.
Best wishes on the doctorate. That's a challenge and a commitment and no mistake. I low-key dread the day I'll have to start putting in the sweat for mine...
if I may ask. what's the doctorate in?
I had wondered where you'd gone. But yeah, doctorates are hard work. Or so I'm told, that's way more academic effort than I'd ever be able to put in.
Best of luck to you!
Don't lie to us. You actually are just buckling down to finish Peace Talks, aren't you.
Real life has to come first. Good luck with that doctorate!
A doctorate!? That's amazing!
Good luck, and thanks for the update!
I had just about given up on most of my favorite stories on this site ever since Loyal2Luna's "update", so this is some amazing news.
See you on the other side!
A doctorate is a pretty big deal. Hope it goes well. We'll look forward to your return.
Your excellent stories are what got me into this incredible fandom in the first place. Thank you.
How far along are you with obtaining your doctorate and how much time do you forsee you have left before obtain the doctorate?
Either way, it is completely understandable that you finish and focus on your education first. Best of luck with the rest of your studies!
Good decision! I will miss The Dresden Fillies, but your life comes first. When will your degree be finished?
Take care of yourself man! Real life will and should always come first so kick ass in college and get your deserved Masters! When all is settled and you get your muse back, I know at least I will be there to enjoy this strange and wonderful inter-planar trip that is the Dresden Fillies, as well as Firefly once I finish the actual show.
I'm a patient guy. Focus on real life for now, and knock that doctorate out of the park. When things settle down and you're ready to do some more writing, we'll still be here. The Dresden Fillies is totally worth the wait, just like the actual Dresden Files.
And thanks so, so much for making this blog post. When it comes to long stretches of time like this, touching base with the readers is the nicest and most considerate thing an author can do. Thank you. ^_^
Thank you everyone for your support.
4677859 4677918 Ah, no worries there. I'll still sneak on to read a chapter or two from stories I follow during lunch or before bed.
4677921 Pharmacy. The term for it is a PharmD but practically nobody outside of the pharmacy community has heard the term. Yep, colts and fillies, your old uncle Psychic is gonna be a drug dealer.
4677945 Damn, you figured it out already!
4677988 4678025 If everything goes to plan I will get my degree this coming May. Then I have to passed the exams for my license and land a job. My prospects for the latter look good, but I will be spending a lot of study time on the former. So I'll hit a normal-ish schedule about June or so? I'd like to think I'll have some time over the holidays between now and then, but that no guarantee.
All the more reason to be patient for you to return only when you are ready. Anyone going as far as a doctorate in their education demands immediate respect; getting my masters was hard enough so I can only imagine the experience. Finish that degree, come back basking in the achievement and a mind full of fresh ideas; we're all happy to wait.
Hey, man, I have NO excuse so I ain't gonna blame you for actually having an excuse. You do what you gotta do. :)
A doctorate in a hard science, huh? Yeah, I'm not surprised you haven't made any progress then. There's a reason Student Union presidents are almost always never students doing the sciences. No free time. Sciences are hard, and they have a large time commitment to them.
Good luck with the doctorate. It's a tough slog, but it'll all be worth it. Just rember this one tip, I have. Only the people with useless doctorates ever refer to themselves as Doctor ____; it's a sign of their insecurity. That's not going to stop other people from calling you Doctor psychicscubadiver, but you know you've made it when you never have to call yourself that, but other people will.
4677945
Beat me to it, I was going to make this exact joke.
Sorry for the late reply, but glad to hear you're still alive and good luck!
Well, this seems to debunk the theory that you’re actually Jim Butcher.
.
..
...
Or DOES IT?!
Congrats on your Doctorate.
Don't feel bad, your hiatus isn't as long as the current Dresden Files one. :(
Godspeed on the doctorate.
(Lord knows I don't have nearly as good an excuse as you for not working on my stories.)
In any case, I look forward to reading more of your excellent writing later.
Cool, you're getting a doctorate! Good luck, we all have faith in you!
I nearly had a heart attack when I read that title. After losing Loyal2Luna and Fugger, I'm not sure I could handle you leaving FIMfiction as well.
Don't worry, I can wait it out for a while longer. So long as Dresden Fillies and A Whole New Verse arn't cancelled, I have the patients to see it through.
We all believe in you! Just come back to us when things settle down.
I like this. I just found these stories, and was wondering why the hiatus. It seems that when something happens in real life that makes an author on this to take a break we only hear about it when they come back. That might just be me, but I'm still glad to see this kind of respect and consideration for the readers. And, all of that isn't even taking the quality of the writing into account, which I would say is quite good.
Best of luck with your doctorate.
On the road to Victory Town, eh? Go for it like a dog at a dropped slice of pizza. We're rooting for you, m8!
Old-ish Post, but don't care. I feel ya man, at least to some degree.
This semester that I'm finishing up, just to get my Associate's, basically took up the same amount of time as a full-time student. I'm not claiming that our situations are exact, but I can definitely relate to not being able to "properly" pursue one's hobbies, due to time constraints and priorities.
And hey, you already earned my respect just by coming out and saying, "Hey guys, my projects aren't forgotten, but priorities are keeping me busy."
Can't tell you how many content creators of authors just drop off the face of the Earth, without so much as a note. The way I see it, if you have supporters/followers of your work, but you need to walk away for a bit, the least a creator/author can do if give a heads-up.
Go earn that Doctorate, Scuba. When it comes to quality, we can wait.
Hope you're doing well, dude!
Just stumbled across this page again from the related story bar. How goes things?
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Pretty well. I was actually finishing up the first draft of the new chapter when you left this comment, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise.