Some bad news...

With apologies, there will be no new story chapters from me for a while, either on Firefly or Nightmare Night. Why? Several reasons. First, my motivation level for new writing hit zero this week. This is due to a combination of factors, not the least of which is a heavy workload in the form of a must-finish software development project and a nixed vacation because of it. I was supposed to be off to Las Vegas next week to play some poker, but that's now delayed by at least two weeks and likely more.

Second, as some of you know, I have an adult anthro romance novel I self-published several years ago out on Amazon. I started writing a sequel for it until I discovered ponies and it's languished since. I have promised for a couple years to return to it, and it is high time I do so. To that end, I will be concentrating on it exclusively for the next three months. Those of you who like my writing and are into anthro and original verses might want to check it out. It's available in deadtree and Kindle formats:

Those of you who read Rise of Firefly may be interested to know that the character of Legate Kamilya Ampok was directly borrowed from my novel, where the protagonist was an anthro lioness named Kamilya Kampo. Legate Ampok was basically a gryphon version of her. I might need some prereaders for this and someone to do a fresh editing pass on the original, so if you've read the original and want to help, let me know.

Third, there are some things bothering me personally right now, and one of them, unfortunately, is I'm seeing less and less payback on this site. Comment counts for new chapter releases are waning, and there's been zero activity on my Patreon account despite repeated requests. Folks, I've given this site nearly a million and a half free words and edited many other stories without any request for compensation. I don't ask for much, just an attaboy and maybe a buck or two from those who've enjoyed my efforts and would like to see more. Your indulgence would be appreciated.

https://www.patreon.com/firesight

I'm not leaving the site, so don't worry about that. I will continue to release TLaTU-T chapters since they're easy enough to convert from the parent M-rated story at this point, and continue to update Turnabout Storm chapters. I will likewise be available for editing projects on other stories, but I'd like to limit my time there since I find that they tend to drain my creative energy. Basically, I find I can edit or write on a given day but I can't do both.

I will return to Flight of Firefly and Unleash the Magic - Nightmare Night in the fall, hopefully with a completed novel launch to announce as well. I am of course fickle (or at least my muses are!), so plans may change, but the one thing I can promise is that I will not leave a story unfinished. In the meantime, I invite you all to check out the stories of my pre-reading team. I've worked with them for years and they've helped make my works better, both by editing and direct contribution. We borrow heaviliy from each other's works, and play in the same sandboxes, editing each other's stories regularly:

1. Leo Archon - Writes well thought out E- and T-rated Crossover fiction and one-shots, including some works that hit the top of the featured board. He heavily contributed to Turnabout Storm and TLaTU in places. His OC is Delta Requiem, who has appeared in several of my stories as a thank-you. Also has a fanfiction.net page.
2. AJ_Aficionado - Writes Gentlemanverse-based adult stories and some one-shots centered around the Flower Ponies. You will never see Daisy, Roseluck and Lily Valley the same way again!
3. Denim_Blue - Specializes in M-rated romantic comedies, including Gentlemanverse-based adult stories and very interesting verses of his own make. Writes richly detailed works and very interesting characters.
4. TheGoldCrow - The Voice of Phoenix Wright himself, TheGoldCrow has a youtube channel where he has several VA projects ongoing and enjoys recording playthroughs of various games. He preread on TAS chapters (of course) and the Firefly stories. He's a good guy and very friendly.

I should also acknowledge James Cyberlink, who came up with a lot of the music I use in my stories, and Silentwoodfire, who is a regular prereader as well. Your efforts are appreciated, guys!

Comments

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

Ah that sucks...sorry to hear that man. Good luck on your story on Amazon, and see you next fall for the Flight of Firefly!

[Posted]

I wish you good musing on your paying book! I'm hoping it works out as a double win, monies in your pocket and a change of pace to recharge the ol battery.

[Firesight]

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Appreciated, thanks!

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Individual views matter more IMO. Frankly, despite me not commenting much, I've been reading each chapter of Firefly as soon as possible once it's up (a policy for all the stories I follow here on FiMFiction, I read them first, then my ones on FF.Net if any, then any in my Read Later list) and my interest in this universe that you've created around your adaptation of Turnabout Storm is why I'm even Following you in the first place.

And I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart, believe me. It gratifies me greatly to know that the worlds I’ve weaved have gained a following and inspire others.

Hate to rant here, but it's kind of annoying that people judge audience interest on the comments they get. What if, and try to keep up on this one, what if the lack of comments isn't because they're not reading, but there's just simply nothing to say? It's not that they hated it, it's not that they aren't interested, they DID read it, but that's it. They read it, didn't have anything to say, so when they were finished, they went back wherever to wait for the next one.

I get what you’re saying. But here’s the thing: feedback is one of the main currencies an author or artist is paid in. We live for it, and we crave it. Page views are nice but they don’t tell me or anyone else what readers think or how a chapter was received. Did they like it? Did they not? What were their favorite parts? What did they not like? Lacking it, I have no idea how my work goes over, what to do more of or what to improve. Likes and watches are nice, certainly, but let’s face it, that’s not the same as being told directly that someone enjoyed my works (or not). When you put in weeks’ worth of work on a new chapter and get only a few (or no) comments back, it’s a bit disheartening.

I realize I’m probably coming across as slightly whiny right now, and I apologize for that. I don’t like it when others do it; I doubly hate it when I might be. I guess after five years writing on fimfiction, I’m looking for rewards a bit more tangible now. Hopefully I can be forgiven for that. Needless to say, I do appreciate your following me and my stories, as well as your willingness to respond to my posts with well-thought replies.

[RoboRed]

Sorry to hear about that man, I know that feel. I'm currently stuck in development hell on a software project that was just sprung on myself and my team with a "pretty-unlikely-that-we're-going-to-meet-this" deadline. Hope things get better.

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

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No problem!

[AJ Aficionado]

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Interaction with other users is the entire point of wanting to write in the first place unless you're the 0.000001% making actual bank off your work. There is no set value for likes, favorites, or story tracks, but when you get that comment that tells you how much they appreciated what you did out of your own limited time living on this planet, it means something. As someone who mostly consumes the free media offered to you, it's understandable you feel that way but when you've invested hundreds of hours into writing and people are like "...".

I'm probably wasting my time trying to explain it. I guess you just have to be in someone's shoes first.