4th FiMFiction Anniversary! · 11:08pm Jan 2nd, 2018
Apparently, somehow I managed to write 385,611 words in that time, too.
Somehow, it seems like I was just logging into FiMFiction for the first time just yesterday, but I've actually been through many changes on this site. (Personally, I miss the little banner that let you switch between fanart; I always liked to use the one with Luna and cherry blossoms.) In honor of this anniversary, I'd like to let you in on a few secrets of my writing throughout the years.
THE BEGINNING
Once upon a time, I wrote fanfiction for a different fandom, a different website, and under a different name. I was kittenkutie936 of the Neopian Times, probably the most cutthroat fanfic site I've ever seen. To give you an idea, the fic submission process alone took 2-3 weeks, and acceptance was far from guaranteed. It essentially worked like a weekly newspaper, and since it only had one editor/moderator, submissions were regularly scrapped just because she couldn't get to them all. In total, only seven of my submissions had been accepted, and all of them were oneshots. Only the best of the best made the series cut, and in the end, I never really knew if I didn't get there because I wasn't on that level yet or because I insisted on shipping my OC with Layton Vickles, sports MVP extraordinaire. (It could really be either, since the NT had very strict requirements on shipping. But that's beyond the point.)
Anyway, it was a system that put me through the wringer like nobody's business. I was a high school kid with no idea how to accept rejection, and it felt like every three weeks, I was crying and eating ice cream, Rarity-style. It might not seem like a big deal, and even now, I see it as something that strengthened me and prepared me for pro publishing. But at the time, it was the worst possible thing. And in college, I finally came to a mutual decision.
I was retiring from fanfiction.
Yeah, that lasted a few months. The minute I found out that MLP had its own fanfic site, and one with lax acceptance policies on top of that, I was definitely there. As I've mentioned before, I needed a place to write my heart out then without worrying about whether my work was "classic" or "literary." Even then, I thought it would only be a time-killing website, and I would barely contribute. I certainly wouldn't have seven stories, and for the love of Celestia, I would never write a damn oneshot again.
Yeah, both of those things definitely happened. And here I am four years later with almost 400k words. Back when I started writing, I wasn't even sure if I could finish a novel, and breaking down the numbers, that's practically a novel a year. Published author numbers, guys.
Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about that. So sue me.
THE USERNAME
A lot of people have asked me this question over the years, and over that time, I've come up with a prepared response. But long story short, I didn't always intend to be a Coco writer. (Coco's first episode actually premiered a few weeks after I joined FiMFiction, fun fact.) Cadance was actually my original main.
Anyway, I knew I wanted Quill in the username somewhere, and I was about to call myself "Quill Blossom" when the system told me the username was already taken. I came up with Quillamore on a whim, since my first-ever story gave Cadance a sister named Amore and since it's also part of her royal name. Plus, I thought something like "love of the quill" sounded poetic.
One thing that surprises me about it, though: I thought for sure people would tell me it looked like "Paramore"--like the band--and hence pronounce the last four letters as "more." I really don't mind how people pronounce it, but so far, no one's asked me if I got the username from Paramore. (For anyone wondering, though, I've only listened to a few songs, liked them, but barely enough to form an opinion on their entire discography.)
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So with those fun account facts out of the way, I'd like to thank all of you for making this experience as special as possible. Special thanks goes out to FamousLastWords, The Albinocorn, Autum Breeze, JMP, Manaphy,TwilightMoon, Smashology, and my faithful editor pokefreak13! Everyone who's followed me, whether from the start or just today, has helped me make a step on my journey, and I hope to stay on FiMFiction for many more to come!
I'm very happy that you found a place to write and feel accepted and appreciated. It truly shows as your writing has a very good style and you seem confident and motivated by the feedback you receive. Sometimes, it's just finding the right place and the right people to build you up.
Looking forward to more great writing!
Oh, and happy anniversary!
Wow four years! Congratz on such a lovely milestone, I'm happy to hear you found happiness in writing. Do what you love and the joy will follow.