Apr
13th
2019
Necromany for Foals 2 was a mistake · 6:13pm Apr 13th, 2019
I don't have any passion for the novel whatsoever and I began writing it more from public demand than anything else.
I know that people like it, but I'm also left wondering if starting it was a good idea to begin with. There are a lot of valid criticisms about me rushing the story ahead, about things being too violent or brutal or sudden, about me making the characters unlikable.
What should I do? Keep trudging on to deliver a novel that I don't have much attachment to?
Let me know what you all think. I just don't want to end up hating this site and everything to do with horses.
- Sanny
Please don't cancel it... A lot of us actually love your stories!
Well. it's hard to say, I enjoy it but I understand if you don't want to continue. Let your heart decide.
Give the story a rest first. You may be suffering some burn out
If you have no passion there is no point in continuing. I'll respect your decision either way.
5043875
Indeed.
I love N4F, but if you don't have any passion for it, it's probably doing more harm then good for you. It's okay to stop doing things that hurt you, do as you will, plenty of us will be fine with any direction you chose.
Keep going, a lot of what you see is just how everyone reacts/ thinks when things they don't like happen in a game or show they do like. It's not a mistake and if you need proof look at it's like/ dislike ratio. You asked if you should stop after a little over 10 dislikes compared to it's 1,200+ likes at the time, it's hardly changed at all and personally I would keep reading even if I didn't like where it was going.
If it means that much to you then there is 1 thing you can do that would make everyone happy including you. Continue this version of the story later, but find a good spot in the original and do an alternate story from that point, a good place to choose would be in the latest chapter and just change how Bone dies. Go that route and you'll probably make everyone happy and you'll feel up to writing again.
Yeah just take a break we can wait
dont cancel but take a brake maby and thank about what to do? / you do you
You could ask a friend of mine as well since he was in a similar position because of a comment I made, ask Lux Tenebris how I helped him decide how to continue his story Chronicles of Nathaniel.
Personally i would love to see it complete, but is up to you, is certain that there was some valid criticism but also a lot of toxic bullshit, no wonder you got burned out. Do what ypu think best, but my opinion? Its your history, to be told YOUR WAY. Its good to listen to criticism but also is a good thing to take it with a grain of salt and tune off when its an obvious trolling.
Besides, being a sequel of a quite bloody story really surprises me some reactions of some readers
First off I will say I really enjoy the story and love reading it second is to me the setting in the first was perfect
That being said some people don’t seam to understand what being moved 1000 years backward or forward through time would be like for example even with thousands of hours of reasurch into say what was happening at 1000 ad you would likely be dead within a week and the same is true if you brought someone from that time to now and that’s mainly just from diseases let alone the different laws (seriously there wore laws regarding the size and type of shoe you could wear and could be sent to a dungeon for years for violating it)
Now for what I would recommend (and this is just my opinion/what I would do) put the story on hiatus for a bit and then if/when you come back make it clear about the differences between when bone marrow was born and raised and how twilight and the others live you even have perfect examples in your previous story such as the bandits and the forces that followed nightmare moon (can’t remember there name of the top of my head sorry) other then that just wright what you enjoy and if you don’t want to continue it I can use someone on Patreon that I sub to to take over if you like letting you have fun with whatever you like with writing and have people still enjoy the story with it continuing
5043887
Also sorry bout the long comment
Your an individual. So it's your choice to either stop what people love or continue writing something that you don't hold any passion towards
If you legitimately have no more passion for the story, then don't even hesitate; drop it. However, if there's any passion or love left for it, consider the following.
People love this story. It regularly made the featured section for a reason. If you don't see it, it's only because we humans have an annoying and unfortunate tendency to only speak up if we think something is wrong. For every comment your story receives, there are a hundred more unwritten from people who liked it.
As for criticisms, let me handle those one at a time. "rushing the story ahead" This was a fairly fast-paced story from the beginning. That's one of the things many of us like about it. Some people prefer slower builds, and those people can look elsewhere for a story that suits their tastes.
"things being too violent or brutal or sudden" The story's title is "Necromancy For Foals." If they didn't get that it would be bloody from the title, then they should have taken hints from the "gore," "violence," and "death" tags. And as for "sudden," that goes back to the "fast-paced" bit above.
"about me making the characters unlikable" Which characters? The Main 6 are pretty in character from what I've seen, Celestia's actions all those years ago are sympathetic, and Bone is understandably paranoid. Who exactly are you making unlikable?
Again, if you truly don't like this story and don't want to write it anymore, then don't. Forcing yourself to do so won't please anyone, least of all yourself. But if you do still love this story and this is born more from discouragement, then take heart; there are many, many people who love it too and like what you've been doing with it.
There will always be people who refuse to be pleased and refuse to back off. Always those who bite into an orange and then complain that it doesn't taste like a tangerine. Ignore them, and focus on the constructive feedback, the feedback from those who want your story to succeed.
I know you started this for a reason, and can say from experience that seeing something through to the end can be hard. Take your time, every writer has to remind themselves why they're writing. Your biggest motivation in the beginning of this story, what was it? Put it off for a bit if you must and write something else. Come back when you remember why YOU where writing this, not who you where writing for. As for some characters being off, so
what. No one will ever please the world and should never strive to. Don't let it get to you.
5043880
Really? Did you really just suggest that there a way to make everyone happy? Not just with this story, but with anything? Because if you believe that, then you're delusional. The absolute best stories on this site don't have a 100% like rating. "If you try to please everyone, you'll only end up pleasing no-one."
Do what you think is best. For those of us who are true fans of your work, we'll support your decision regardless of what it is.
Even if you completely redo the story.
We would wait patiently.
Just write what makes you happy
It'd probably be good to sit on it and maybe just think on it maybe see if you do have a motivation for it then decide whether to drop it so you don't drop it suddenly then regret it because you later found motivation to write that story.
There is nothing wrong with it whatsoever as far as I see it. Though if you think the story is going into a direction you have not intetented from the start then maybe consider to rewrite the whole story from the start we can wait.
If the passion and heart are gone I'd say give it up I love the tale of bone marrow and I'd love to see its conclusion but if it's not the story you want to tell anymore that will just make the story grow worse over time
Take a step back rethink things if you still want to tell his story take a bit and decide how let your heart guide your pen
And if others don't like what you write
Fuck em your not writing for them you should be writing for you
I like it, but I'd say that whether you like it is much more important.
I didn't find many complaints to be legitimate, you've done well. That said if you feel something missing then take time to yourself and come back. and go through it again.
I honestly love it but perhaps you need to find your muse again.
I see no problem with tthe way you currently write or what you are currently doing with the story, i feel those complaints simply come from the fact that your original story was set in a different era, and people are too used with ¨happy pink friendship ponies¨ to accept the transition to the show era. those who claim it to be ¨to violent¨ don't stand on much ground from my perspective. It did happen very quick, but in a believable way, simply put, it makes sense.
If anything, it proves that ponies from this era may have gotten too soft, living next to the Everfree, they should have plans and preparations to deal with such an attack. The story goes beyond ¨everything is about friendship!¨ and show the flaws of the current careless ways of living in Equestria, this is what i personally like about the story.
If you feel no passion to write, then put it on haitus and stop writing, come back to it once you've cleared your mind, in a year if necessary, and make your decision then. If after a year or two you still have no passion, don't waste time of your life writing something you dont want to, it won't kill us.
Fully understandable to not have a passion towards a story anymore, even if it is popular. If you're burning out on it, then don't force it and end up hating it. Although, maybe as a kind of happy medium, you could do a final chapter/blog post that just briefly summarizes what all of the next big events and ending could have been, similar to what Nonagon did with Death Note: Equestria.
Ultimately, these horse-words are written for the enjoyment of the author as much as for the enjoyment of his or her audience. If the endeavour becomes more of a chore than a joy, then what's the point?
Would any of your readers -- and I mean the people possessed with a sense of empathy here, not the mindless horde -- really be happy reading something if they knew that writing it was making you miserable?
If you don't want to do it, don't do it. If it's making you unhappy, don't do it. It's just not worth that kind of misery.
On this site, we authors create fanfiction about talking technicolor marshmallow miniature horses. There is absolutely no reason in taking this so seriously as to agonize over creating said fanfiction.
Now, on the flip side, for those who only read and do not create, there is no reason in taking the horse-words that you receive for free so seriously as to insist that the author prioritize his or her own happiness and potentially even mental health below your enjoyment of the fic.
None of us here own the IP, so if you really like the story, you're 100% free to make a fic of a fic.
In summary though, Sanny, just do what you think would make you a happier person on the whole. Your friends will support you no matter what because we love you.
Now I'm going to come over to your room and give you a hug.
I positively enjoy your stories. It's one of the things that I really look forward to. Your detail and world building that is achieved is amazing. I was thrown off by the sudden turn to death that happened last chapter, but I had so much to look forward to in the story: meeting Celestia again and with Scenics revival seemingly around the corner I still waited eagerly for the next chapter.
If you feel like you rushed the story or took it somewhere you didn't like I recommend rewriting those segments that bother you. If you just don't want to write it anymore... I don't like the idea but I get it. And that's not for me to decide anyway. You had alot of criticism since the first chapter and most of it was rude and unnecessary. I don't want to see you drop from this site for that.
I say put it on hiatus until further notice. I got the impression that you intended to make a sequel of it from the way you wrote the first one, so maybe you'll get that passion back at some point. Either way i'd hate to see you end up regretting all you did here, so please, just do thing at your own pace. Maybe write something new? I don't know if that'd help or not but I heard other authors got better by writing a different story so it might.
Do what you think is right, personally I love Bone and his characters is really fun to read but if you cannot find the inspiration to make him come to life then that's not worth potentially ruining him. Necromancy for Foals 1 was a great fic and I'm gonna assume that it flowed very well for you. If you're trying to force Necromancy for Foals 2 then just stop right there. Really only you can make a decision like that, Bone will be missed but I'd rather remember him as he was than have him die a sick death to the hands of writers block.
If you think it's possible you could go back and rework the fic to maybe make it work better for you. Personally I'd love to see this fic succeed but really, don't push yourself, try another story for a while maybe?
Do what you need to do, a writer with no passion just doesn't really work in the long run.
While I will admit I would be a bit sad to see it end you have to do what you think is best. If you have no passion for it and try to force yourself to continue when you don't want to then you may end up with something you either dont like or regret. So do what you personally think is for the best no matter what others may say.
well, this is quite the predicament you find your self in.
On one hand, you should follow what you love and if you feel passionate about something else you should write that otherwise, this goes from a hobby to a bad job. But on the other hand, you obviously feel like if you stop writing his story you're readers will be disappointed and possibly look down on you as someone who doesn't finish things. I mean you already have nine canceled stories so it wouldn't be that far off but still. My advice is to take a break and write down a few one-shots you might like to do, get your creative juices flowing so that you feel better about writing overall.
Though I also feel like I should mention something that could have ended the story quickly. Celestia could have just not gotten the visions from the tree and everything would have been better, Bone could have proven he is willing to be on her side by protecting her in the invasion and he would live with his little girlfriend somewhere off in the country. Perfect ending, he would still have caused all of those things in the future and his story is mostly over unless you wanted to do a few one-shots with him traveling around for fun.
Just pull a "syke you thought" ending and have Celestia show up with Discord and have Discord stone him again, but like permanently this time.
Take a break, and maybe a rewrite. But even if you never come back to the story that's perfectly fine. This is fan fiction. You are supposed to enjoy writing your work as much as we enjoy reading.
honestly if you got no passion for it you should stop, perhaps make a summary of what would have happened so we can have closure for the story, and leave it on hiatus so that if in the future you regain your interest you can continue at your own pace
It'd be dishonest of me to say that I wouldn't be disappointed if you decided that you wouldn't be writing the story anymore. I like the characters, I like the premise. But it'd be hypocritical of me if I didn't say it was perfectly alright to drop it. I'd much rather have you play around with an idea that you want to see finished than one that seems to drag you down.
That said, I gotta say that it kinda-sorta seems like you may just be bit uncertain about your direction. Or just don't take criticism from randos on the internet well. Both of those things are perfectly fine: doubt can be the key ingredient that makes us all think about what we're doing long enough to make some adjustments, and criticism from anonymous people on the internet is about as useful as a swiss-cheese rowboat.
If it's the criticism that's causing you doubt yourself, then I'd suggest just not listening to the suggestions at large. Opinions are like assholes: everyone has one, and we're all inordinately pleased by giving voice to them. Find one belonging to someone whose input you trust, and listen to that. Editors do more than just proofread, after all.
That said, if you DO decide that you don't want to continue, I'd suggest maybe, y'know, rushing to the ending of the NoF2. You've already telegraphed the end of an arc what with Bone stating his explicit goals, you could just have him accomplish it and end the story with him riding into the sunset.
(Heck, maybe you could just make things super weird, like maybe the reason Bone came back different and weak was because he didn't really resurrect, but it was Luna trying to help come back through his dreams and failing at it but then Bone uses his magic to create a new dream realm of the dead, and because he's a super-powerful necromancer the spirits of the deceased naturally gravitate towards him and his new realm. And that's how afterlife-Equestria was made.
Y'know. Stupid-weird and cracky. Everyone likes a small amount of crack.)
I would like to see the story continue. At your own phase of course. I'm pretty used to waiting new chapters on good stories, even if it takes several month's or more, and I'm sure plenty of other fans are too.
Whatever you decide at the end, we respect.
I don't think making the characters unlikable is a problem,I don't like Bone Marrow anymore, but that doesn't change how good the story is. There was something... real about Necromancy for Foals that I really liked. It was the realistic way every other character acted that made your story good. (It was also what drove the storyline) There was another series that had the characters of the show written in a very realistic way that people complained about. I still consider those stories to be close to the best I have read. So far it has been good, but you took noticeably less care in writing it.
The pacing was consistent, so no problem there.
I think you should eventually complete it, but if you feel like writing something else, you should not force it. Continue when you feel like it.
I’m not a fan of cancelled stories, but I also understand not wanting to continue a story. I’d just give it a mediocre ending. A bad ending is better than no ending.
From my experience, albeit as a musician not a writer, forcing creativity never leads to a result you're happy with. It doesn't matter if the story is forever unfinished or after 3 months away from it you suddenly get reinvested. The first and last person you should ever be aiming to please with creative work is yourself, anyone else is a bonus and while it feels good, any success gained while being someone you're not is just borrowed.
Not to say I won't miss this fic if it needs to go, but I'm just text on a screen at this point, so think about where your interests lie right now.
Continuing a story you don't like, no matter how much your readers want it is a bad thing, you write what you enjoy, what you have passion for and nothing else
What are your larger goals here? If you want to actually develop as an artist, you have to learn to finish a damn story and this damn story is the the one you should. You've built a large dedicated audience here and that might not happen next time; push through the pain. If your just in it for the lulz (nothing wrong with that), then just follow your muse!
If it's the latter, I for one would appreciate an autopsy chapter where you spoiler all the vague plans you might have and where it all went wrong. Part of the fun in reading this is following your own journey in writing it.
I only read the first one (working my way through the list to get towards the second) but as much as I enjoyed it, I totally get it if you're not into the sequel as much. My suggestion? Don't rule it out entirely just yet. Give yourself a week or two without thinking about it, then go back and look at everything you've posted. If it seems better and you want to work with it, great! Otherwise, feel free to work on something else, or even tear it all down and start the fic over. You've probably learned how to make it much better.
To be fair, the latest chapter did seem unenthusiastic and that ruined it for me. If you don't like what you're writing, don't keep writing it. I'd rather read a story written passionately, than one that was written with apathy. But ultimately it's up for you to decide.
If you don’t have the muse to write the story, then don’t. Step back, work on other projects. If the muse comes, it comes, and if it doesn’t... then so be it.
...
People want more. But you don't want to make more.
You could pass it on to someone who has a Spark, and wants there to be more.
Or you could just slap a big fat CANCELED onto the story.
I have two opinions about this.
On one hand if you aren't enjoying writing this anymore then stop.
But on the other hand it is a really good book that I really want to see get finished.
I know this isn't much help but I can't offer much more than that response.
This will probably sound weird but instead of a second story write a few epilogue chapters for the first story to give it a ending ending ....where he saves his friend after waking then kills the dirtbag dragon then live in ponyvile happily ever after. You can even use everything upto just before his hydra mistake instead of the bird having him kill himself the bird can set his course to kill the dragon who has what he needs to res his friend ... because spirits can gain info from other spirits or zecora can dues ex machina the info from her shaman heritage....then lives in ponyvile with twi and her friends.
5043895
I was going to write something here but this reply above is exactly what I was going to say, but better.
Writing a story you like is the best way to go.👍