Past, Present, Future, or, My First Blog and Why

Hey. This is my first ever blog post for this site. I never really thought I'd start one, the reason for that being one thing: readers. I don't exactly have a dedicated following, nor am I a dedicated writer (more on that later). No eyes means no write. Or so I thought anyway. I realized recently, or re-realized, why and how I write my stuff, after entering one of my stories to Oroboro's Sunset Shipping Contest: Journeys. Read my entry or don't, but if you like Sunset Shimmer, that collection, both from this contest and the previous one, is a friggin' treasure trove, both in terms of stories and the authors behind them. So you know, check them out.

But why is all that relevant? Well, I am not a punctual writer, and I am not a confident writer. And yet, I wrote a story in a short time frame, and I released it into a space where I knew at the very least five highly talented people would be critiquing. No big deal. But, despite my anxiety, and my understanding that I released a barely legible fluff-piece into the wilds of an actual contest, it felt pretty damn good. To think up a story, write it down, complete it, and meet the deadline (barely). That felt good. And it made me think back to why I'm writing, and why specifically I'm writing here. My personal history, both as a writer and as a member of the MLP fandom is long and boring, and I'll maybe write it down someday. Suffice it to say, I've been at this a long time, and yet I have one barely started long-form piece, and a hastily written short story (that I am still proud of but OH GOD FUTURE REVISIONS). And that feels wrong to me, considering how much I read here, how much I grew up here, and everything I want. So, this competition switched a... switch. And now I'm more determined than ever to get sh*t done. And I'm remembering that I don't write to be recognized, or famous, or win contests. If I did, I wouldn't write anymore. I write because there are things I want to say, and places I want to create. So I'm gonna write.

So what does that mean? It means blog posts, probably once a week though I don't know for sure. It means finishing "Number Eleven," it means sequels, it means future projects, and it means no more hiding in the dark. So, to the two or three of you who will ever read this, welcome. Stay a while.

Again, I've never written any blogs or anything like that, but this is about how I imagine its going to work. I'll have my randomly selected intro (as above) then it'll split into the three main parts: 1) writing related news or complaints or joys or whatever; 2) Personal stuff as I believe is relevant to my work or I just feel like sharing, 3) whatever thing I feel like writing about that particular day. It will probably grow and evolve as I get a handle on what I am doing but, that's how I'm gonna start out. Starting, uh, now.

So writing. The biggest thing I have going on is "Number Eleven." And believe me when I say that it is still going on. No abandonments have occurred, just delays and nervousness. I can say that Chapter 4 is done, I just need to revise and post. Expect that within the week. I can also say that Chapter 5 has officially reached rough rough draft status. But more importantly, I can say that I'm dedicated to this freaking thing. I love Sunset Shimmer, and I've always wanted to write a detective story. I'm finishing this if it kills me. I already have the entire thing written out in my head, which means absolutely nothing until its actually out but, I'm not just feeling around in the dark. A lot of planning has gone into this thing, I just need to kick myself into gear, and write it. That means no more year-long delays, but I really can't see myself morphing into a weekly poster, especially considering how stupidly I'm going about writing this. So, hopefully once a month, at least. But, hey, that's what this blog is for. To fill the void between chapters. Or something. In conclusion, it's coming. Just, more slowly than I would like. Oh, and expect a couple of ret-cons for the previous chapters. Trying to maintain perfect continuity has been tough so, a few very minor revisions are in order, and will be noted as they occur.

"Sincerity," the story I wrote for the contest, is another thing I'm going to be working on. Revisions are in order, and eventually a fresh new version will be added, all punched-up and pretty. The original goal was a short-story anthology series, loosely tied to the "Number Eleven" universe (very loosely) that delved more into the relationship between Sunset and Rarity. It's my romance heavy answer to the more action heavy long piece. Right now I'm planning a how they got together story, a story somewhere in the middle (Sincerity), and a why they broke up story. I'll likely add more as time and ideas add up. Nothing I write there will be strictly canon to the "Number Eleven" story, and will stand on their own. However, they are all somewhat based how I imagine the unspoken past between the "Number Eleven" Sunset, Rarity, and others would have played out. I will be playing around with themes, different characters, different perspectives, etc. It won't just be "Sincerity" repeats. So, look forward to that.

Beyond that, it's all future and nebulous stuff. I have a sequel in my mind's eye already (which is pretty much the definition of hubris considering how I haven't even finished the original). I have the unwritten anthology works ahead of me, and at least one epic four-legged project I've been holding on to for several years now. But more on that when, and if, it becomes relevant.

I'll keep the personal notes brief, for now. I'm currently quitting my job, which I really dislike, and am in the process of moving to a new job, which will hopefully be better. Everything in my life right now is kind of pushing for a change, from my work to my writing to my mental health, and so I'd like to swing the momentum towards the positive while I have the chance. That's all I'll say for now, plenty of time in the future for that boring stuff.

So that's it I guess. This ended up spiraling out of control a bit, so if you are still reading, thanks. I plan on adding entries to this as time goes on, providing story and personal updates, as well as waxing poetic about the writing process, video-games, books I'm reading, etc, etc. This is a new start for me, and a new start for this account. So as I take my first steps, I just wanna say thanks. Thanks for reading the crap I write, thanks to this site for existing at all, thanks to the fandom as a whole for taking part in forming who I am, thanks to MLP for being better than it needed to be. Just, thanks. See you next time.

Comments

[Darkstarling]

I'll definitely liked your story, I look forward to seeing more. I also just started writing, and I only did it once I realized my stories wouldn't be popular and that was okay.

I definitely liked your entry to the contest. Good luck!