Show's Over Folks, Go On Home (Truthseeker Wrap-up) · 12:49am Mar 5th, 2018
A red stallion with an awful mane-cut is sitting behind a mahogany desk. He's smiling pleasantly. He's also wearing a shirt that looks as though it only recognizes the word 'iron' as the metal.
He begins to speak:
"Well, here we are, folks. after almost a year and three-quarters since first posting, Truthseeker is over and done with.
"I'm going to use this blog to talk a little bit about writing it, and also to talk about what the future has in store. If that's not your thing, then I understand. Thank you so, so much for reading, and for accompanying me (and Lyra) on this journey.
"Gosh, that sounded corny, didn't it. Ah well. More below the break."
The pony continues to smile pleasantly for a few more seconds before glancing to his right.
"Is everybody gone?" he says, out of the corner of his mouth. Whoever he's talking to must have given him an affirmative, because he suddenly relaxes, letting out a long breath and collapsing down into his chair.
He raises his hooves into the air and leans back. "IT'S DOOOOOOOOOOOONE!" he screams, as his chair tips backwards. He cheers one last time as the chair crashes to the floor with enough force to finally end this idiotic framing device.
Alright, let's get this party started.
Musings
Hoo boy, did I have no idea what I was doing when I started this.
I didn't have any real plans when I began writing this story, just a collection of loose plots and a whole lot of loose ideas. Truthseeker didn't start to take on a concrete plot until a good two months or so after I started it, and even then I didn't have any idea how I was going to end it. Among the many things working on this has taught me is the importance of having even the slightest of plans. There's a reason that my nickname for this story became 'Trainwreck' halfway through.
Much of it was written on the fly. Hollyleaf? Came up with her while plotting Her Mother's Daughter. Bon Bon becoming an Owl? Decided literally in the chapter where it happened (and wow, does it show). Etc. Etc.
There are certainly a lot of things I wished I'd done differently. Mainly, Bonnie. While I'm glad I included her, and I think the story is better for that inclusion, I had no idea what to do with her character. And so I... never really did anything with her character. What's more, a lot of what I did do with her was have her fail. Repeatedly. I feel guilty about that.
I wish I'd made Winter Bell more of a character. I wish I'd found more ways to include Pinkie in the narrative, and Ditzy, too. I wish I'd cemented Hollyleaf's personality and motivations more exactly from the beginning, and I wish she and Lyra could have had more meaningful interactions over the course of the story. I wish I'd set the ending up better. I wish I'd done a lot of the things in various chapters differently.
There were definitely times while working on this that I hated it...
...but I think that's true of most long-term projects. And, hey it wasn't all bad!
Do I regret starting this story? Hell no! Finishing Truthseeker (technically my first novel, hopefully the first of many) is one of my proudest accomplishments at the moment, sad as that may be, and it taught me a ton about writing. And there's a lot in there that I'm proud of, too! I really like how Thrilling Days of Yesteryear turned out, the early scenes in Truth and Justice I look back on fondly, and the mystery I put together in Larceny, while flawed in a number of aspects, laid the groundwork for much better things. I like a lot of the concepts I came up with, too, and hope to reuse and expand upon some of them in the future.
And, of course, Clover. You have no idea how much giggling was had over that. "What's a botany," indeed.
All in all, Truthseeker was a learning experience, and while I see a lot of the flaws in it, the fact that I can see those flaws now is, I think, evidence of my growth as a writer. And that makes me feel all fuzzy inside.
And clearly you all enjoyed it, and that makes me feel all the more fuzzier.
Anyway, enough pontificating; nobody wants to read that. Here's what you're really here for!
Future Plans
So, I've already gotten a fair few questions as to whether there will be a sequel. Honestly, the idea that anyone would want one is baffling to me in the most wonderful way possible.
Unfortunately... I don't have any plans for a direct sequel. Not that I'd be adverse to doing one, far from it! It's just that I need a solid idea to put at its core, and everything I've come up with so far has been... distressingly mundane. And to follow up a story that was basically about merging as many wild ideas as I could come up with with something unoriginal would be a travesty. And beyond that, there are just a lot of other things I want to write right now.
However!
While I don't have any ideas for a direct sequel, I do have some ideas for a continuation. I've been thinking about doing an anthology type story, working title 'Tales from the Cosmos Eccentric'. It would likely be similar in format to Truthseeker, and set in the same world, but without as much of an overarching storyline and not tethered to just Lyra. Certainly, there were enough ideas left on the cutting room floor from Truthseeker to get it started.
Now, as for when this would be happening... I can't say. As I mentioned earlier, I have other projects I'd like to work on. But hey, even while I was working on this story I managed to put out nine other shorter fics, so who knows? Either way, this is something I'd like to do, because I feel there are still stories I want to tell with Lyra and co.. And if I ever do come up with a good idea for a Truthseeker 2... well, we'll see what happens.
And of course I also have to write an origins chapter for Pinkie. Dangit, I'd hoped no one would notice that. It's hard to get Pinkie and Lyra together given their circumstances.
I'd also like to hear what you guys think of this. Good idea? Worst idea? Save it for a sequel? If you feel so inclined, drop a comment below.
As for what these other projects of mine are, well, I'm keeping that close to my chest for now. Unlike Truthseeker, I plan on writing out most if not all of them ahead of time so I can give them the polish they need. Because of this, it may be a while before I publish anything of length. I'll still try and get short fics out every so often to account for this (and because taking breaks from a longform can be nice after a while). I'd also like to get out at least one sequel to Who-dunce-it? in the near future, because I think I could write Detective Rarity stories forever.
And for those of you who want more of Truthseeker now, well, you know what they say: If you want something done right...
Thanks and Closing
Well, that's a wrap!
Thank you to everyone who read, and a double thank you to everyone who commented. It meant a lot to me, and I hope to see you around in the future.
Seriously, you guys are the best. Thank you for making this such an enjoyable experience, all of you.
For those of you who have never visited my userpage (which should be all of you, c'mon, you have better things to do), I've traditionally split my time on this website into ages, because I like to revel in my own pretentiousness. This last age, the Cursed Age, was meant to span as long as Truthseeker did.
Well, with Truthseeker done and a hiatus from content imminent, the Cursed Age is now over.
Welcome to the Age of Rain and Thunder, everybody. May you be successful in all your endeavors, big and small, and may you remain, ever-vigilant.
Now go read something better than this.
-RB, Truth's Chronicler
I might not have if you hadn't made that "whatever Pinkie is" joke in the penultimate chapter.
In any case, I do hope you make an anthology for the Cosmos Eccentric (love the name, by the way.) This is an incredibly fun worldline and I'll be happy to see more of it.
Is that permission?
4810330
Sure sounds a bit like it to me.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mirror in Princess Twilight's castle:
“The glade is dark and full of shade.”
“The owl stands, ever vigilant. Sunset Shimmer, Phoenix.”
“Wallflower Blush, Chameleon.”