Act II - Updated Deadlines plus other things · 5:02pm Apr 20th, 2018
Hi everyone!
Got a lot of ground to cover today, most prominently an updated deadline schedule as well as the change a few of you noticed which is that we have suddenly started up Act II contrary to what I've been saying for the past months.
Things have changed, hopefully for the better.
First thing's first: the deadlines.
I have several events coming up in the next few months which I did not account for. Or I did, but I changed this week's deadline, and that ended up moving everything and also we have guests over this week SO IT'S A LOT. I also changed the act structure entirely (more on that later) soo...
Chapter 8 - May 5th
Chapter 9 - May 23rd
Chapter 10 - June 6th
Chapter 11 - June 23rd
I am also aiming to try and launch the EL Visual Novel on June 23rd, which is why I'm extending deadlines at the like. As always, these are subject to change depending on how real life goes, but as always, I'm doing my best to get out contest as best and fast as I can.
Now, regarding the Act change.
For a long time, I was insistent in that TEK would follow EL's structure - 3 acts of twelve main chapters each.
There are a plethora of reasons why I wanted this. For starters, I was trying to emulate TEL's success pattern? I guess? And I've been so caught up with the EL book printing and the discussions surrounding dividing it into three books, that I was convinced that it needed to be the same so as not to inconvenience people??? if I ever did a book printing of TEK?
Which leads me to what was really going on, which was that the pressure on TEK to be good was killing me because I was determined for it to be TEL V.2. rather than its own thing.
I'm not unhappy with what there is of TEK so far, not at all, but working on it was difficult. It's part of the reason why I took my screenwriting classes, because I wanted to completely distance myself from it and really understand what the problem was, which turned out to be the constant ongoing struggle of writing what I like VS writing what I think people want.
Ultimately, and as I see it, what made Enchanted Library what it is is the fact that it was shamelessly self-indulgent. I was doing what I wanted with as much quality as I could manage. For TEK, I was doing what I wanted but with constant shadow of self-imposed expectations breathing down my neck.
So, in an effort to somehow stop this toxic mentality, I decided to literally end it by literally cutting the original Act 1 into two acts. A fresh start, so to speak, now that I've finished wandering around trying to finally hammer down what TEK is: a shamelessly self-indulgent raritwi fanfic.
I don't know if it was noticeable even in the writing during the latest chapter, but I enjoyed that. I literally did what I did for EL, which was mix romance with adventure and have self-indulgent scenes like the train station one simply because I could. One of the reasons I wrote the first book as I did was because I lived for writing in little moments and scenes. Because, yes, 1k of Twilight gawking at a train station doesn't 'advance the plot hurr durr' but I still wanted it in there because I love those things. I wrote EL to break norms and rules and be different simply because I could. I was not doing the same for TEK, but now I am. Granted, there will probably be relapses, and I'll probably still worry, but slowly and surely I'm getting to a better position.
I am really excited for the next act. This is something I have been building up since chapter 1 of Enchanted Library, since the first moment we meet Pinkie and she's wearing a Luna inspired necklace. If I really put in the work and pull this off, it's going to be a very rewarding moment for me as the writer of these series, and hopefully for you who have seen these characters grow.
I'M HYPE
Anyway, as always, thanks for hanging out with me during this wild ride,
- Mono
P.S. also as a reminder for those going, I'm going to be a community guest at EFNW! So if you're there and you are bored, you can see me try and gush about Rarity and also be a panelist at a few panels including the shipping panel, characterization panel and THE FEELS TRAIN PANEL, WHERE I WILL REVEL IN THE PAIN I BRING UPON WITH MY BARRAGE OF PAINFUL DRAMA.
So yeah! Good times next month.
Your blog posts are always an inspiring breath of fresh air.
Thank you.
Enjoy writing about ur horse.
Hee hee, ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN!!!!!
(Sorry, I'm just feeling kinda giddy right now. Don't judge me.)
I'm glad you're excited and hyped to continue your story. I look forward to seeing what you plan to make it into and what story you've dreamt up for us :>
Screw other people. Write what you want to write.
This is fan fiction, with a heavy emphasis on the fan part. The only reason we should be writing anything here is for our own gratification. Regardless if that's for attention, self improvement, or shameless self indulgence we are here because we want to be. So if other people decide that they don't want to read about your time displaced princess gushing over things, then that's their loss on missing out on a lovely story.
Just write whatever makes you happy, because you've already proven that it also makes us happy.
YOU TOO?! BECAUSE I'M HOPPING ON MY SEAT WITH EXCITEMENT!
Even these blog posts make my day ultimately better, and my day has been pretty damn good already.
I thought that the latest chapter was a delight through-and-through, so I have no complaints if that’s to be the way of things.
I love those scenes of not-plot-advancement. Can't have too many squee moments.
Personally speaking, I rather enjoy the "non-plot" points such as the train station. It does show Twilight's eccentricity at learning new things, and honestly makes them feel more like real people, than characters. Small moments like this are why I enjoy reading a lot of MLP fictions (yours included, of course). These moments make the characters feel a bit more real, rather than just words on a screen, and that makes the romance so much better.
Lots of HYPE for where TEK is going! I'll be here for the long haul!
Mono, I've loved your work (as I've said many times) for being exactly what it has been; a wonderfully slow burn Rarilight story. But the whole slow burn worked because we grew to understand the characters in such detail.
Fill your story with 1k of twilight and a train station. Let us see her constantly dissembling the modem world and it's amenities. And let us see the adventure through the story of these two warring their wants and their self imposed duty. Or however you take it in the future. We loved TEL for their stories, not the enforced structure.
I've trusted and loved your work this far. I trust you to make something wonderful for yourself that is also wonderful for us. I believe you will still do that if you write how best works for you.
Your devoted fan,