An Addendum to the Whole Getting Over Myself Thing · 11:14pm May 25th, 2018
so you see
If you don't read other peoples' stories (for whatever reason you think up, valid or otherwise)
It's very easy to stay in the delusion that you're the "best" writer by default
And that the more "popular" ones got there because of "subject matter" or "posting style" or "playing to the masses"
conveeeeeeeeeeeeenient 
meanwhile i've been missing out on some good, GOOD stuff for YEARS that could both entertain me AND inform my own writing.
...yeah, I bought and rooted a tablet, I LOVE how fimfic epubs read on it
so i'm gonna go ahead and fix the above right about now
Just.... uh, give me a minute to get up the nerve to break this emotional/ego glass, here 
next few blogs will likely talk about my direction for upcoming stories. please be excite.
~B
I am now curious as to what words will be drawing your attention o3o
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Ideally happy sappy stuff where girls are nice to each other a bunch?
But not just that.
I actually need to go hunting, tbh. Where this originally started was that the deluge of bad post-Rainbow Rocks Sirens fics burned me out on fic reading hard, but now I'm eager to get back into the game.
Speaking as an insatiable devourer of words, you're in for at least several hundred treats, give or take a few. I hope I can provide a few of them.
4869523 I remember talking to you about that a couple years back. Man time flies.
Also, check discord, I linked a pic you might like.
I'm certain you'll be getting drowned in suggestions posthaste, but I'm just saying, I've got a list.*
And from that list, for now I'm only going to reiterate that The Silver Standard is absolutely fantastic.
*Or just go read anything Titanium Dragon recommends in his reviews, dude's got taste
4869537
I'll be adding that and other fics that I have on my years-running queue to that list this weekend.
I am excite!
I am excite!
4869537
I second this nomination and was only really reading the comments to make sure no one else had beaten me to suggest it.
Yeah! Quit writing about more popular stuff than me while sucking up the masses with lots of blog posts!
I think the opposite can be as easy to do, that you bash yourself more than you should, because you know you don't really compare well to others, that you'll never match the top pony authors. There are others that write more horse words, that write the horse words faster, that write 'em better, and so on. Heck, the "playing to the masses" does apply. Certain things are just more popular.
But that doesn't mean that what you write has no value. Just because something is more niche, doesn't mean there aren't people that are looking for that. And just because others write better, doesn't mean you don't write well enough to entertain people. And pretty much no matter where you are, there is someone who is looking to get as far as you've gotten, who look at what we have accomplished, and are wanting that. For the guy behind you, to hit 1k followers. For the guy behind him, to make it to the top of the feature box. And behind that guy is another one who just wants to make it into the feature box at all, while another author is just hoping one of his stories can draw over a hundred views. And behind him is a guy who just wants to write a single story he considers with clicking publish on.
I guess... just don't worry about being popular. Write what you feel you need to write as best you can, and be thankful that hundreds of people, if not thousands, are willing to give your stuff a go at all. I mean, just imagine how hard that would have been to accomplish before the age of the internet.
And you can toss in some mentions of stories you've read that have stood out in some way ;)
I’m just gonna light some candles and fantasize about Bookish reading and liking my story now. Sadly though, there is your above-mentioned super-expansive ‘to read’ list ahead of it, and apparently a crap-ton of Beanis fics to get through as well.
Note: I did not capitalize the word Beanis. MY PHONE DID THAT BY ITSELF.
4869581
I avoid Beanis fics on principle.
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This is all true. I just meant that it looks like I missed out on a lot of good material while fumbling around with my ego.
I am excite for new words
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I don't blame you for avoiding beanis fics
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Good call. I haven’t read too many myself lately. The whole thing kinda got stale for me.
But hey, if those guys are having fun with it, I say let ‘em crack on.
Not sure what your preferred reading material is, but if you enjoy fics with slow burn romance and good world building, I'd suggest giving The Enchanted Library a try.
Monochromatic has a bunch of good fics, though if Rarilight isn't your thing as far as romance goes, it might be another story.
You should read Austraeoh!
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For non-RariTwi, I highly recommend
- Equestria Girls
Every Friday, from five in the afternoon to eleven at night, Pinkie Pie does volunteer work. She doesn't have to do it, but she chooses to do it anyway. It is a matter of life and death, after all. Literally.Any stand-outs in particular you'd recommend? My own Not You reading has been a bit disappointing lately, though I HAVE managed to unearth some real diamonds (though not a lot of especially cheerful ones, admittedly XD). I'd be curious to know what stories have gotten you so reinvigorated again.
My own personal favorites I've discovered recently:
"Some Other Time" by Holy is the rare AJ Angst story that isn't ultimately about the death of her parents, and is informed by meaningful personal experience on the author's side that lets its emotions hit pretty keenly.
"Walk For Me" by mlpsc26 I feel like I discovered this one through you, so apologies if it's redundant, but it's a really intriguing exploration of the Rarity/Fluttershy dynamic that I really enjoyed.
"Don't Want Perfection" by Shortmane is a Rarijack story, so I don't necessarily expect you to be as into it as I was, but again, the author puts a very personal emotional spin on the story, and the result is a story that really resonated for me.
4869523
Sucker for a cute face Is a real good Adagio/Fluttershy romance. I'm secretly super critical (just a bit-) on character interaction to a degree, and the chemistry of these two is absolutely charming.
Ooh, have fun!
There's a lot of good stuff if you're willing to take a few chances.
Off the top of my head, I'd recommend "Marionettes" by Godzillawolf for a cool mystery/action thriller. An excellent read. Also very spoiler-heavy, so avoid looking up comments and stuff about it. Best to go in blind.
Or if you don't mind crazy crossovers, there's tatsurou's "Adopted Displaced" series. Too extensive to recount all, but the formula is basically "[pony] gets raised by [cast of videogame/movie/series]. Badass adorable shenanigans ensue." Who doesn't want to read about Pinkie Pie following in the footsteps of Kratos, the God of War? Or Rarity taking up the cowl as the protector of Gotham? Or Sunset Shimmer get taken in by the crew of the Star Fox?