Thor's Mom Was Right · 6:00pm May 6th, 2019
Fear not, the title's all I'll say about Endgame. It makes sense if you've seen it, and it's just a title otherwise. But the point is that I'm past due putting some fears aside and writing some stories I'd regret not writing:
Sequels.
Seems legit
I've come to realize that I possess a sometimes-unhealthy desire for control. To some extent, who doesn't want to feel in control of their life? Being "out of control" can be perilous. But there's a balance beteen good control and bad control. Imagine the fear of being unable to control the outcome of something you care about, and choosing not to do it as a proxy for controlling said outcome--because then you did control the outcome, didn't you? You just controlled it in the direction of not happening at all.
It's messed-up, but it's where my head's been with some stories that I think deserve to see daylight.
The one at the top of my mind is the original sequel concept that drove both A Dinky Little Problem and Results May Vary as prequels for it. That's not the only sequel in the hopper, though it's the one where my fear began. Pure and simple, after I wrote RMV I noticed that it drew fewer eyeballs than ADLP, and I started worrying that I should turn my focus toward first-run stories, rather than sequels. I followed that up with a little (unscientific) research and observed that FimFic sequels tend to draw fewer viewers in a lot of cases. I came to be afraid of writing story #3, and settled for putting shades of its concept in Looking For Trouble.
But I was at a very different place personally four years ago when I was in the midst of ADLP/RMV. At the time, the experience of releasing stories, having them read, getting feedback etc., was still very new--but very enjoyable. It was a bright spot for me at a moment when I needed one, and I feared doing something that would mess it up or throw it off-track.
I don't get half the references in this image but it made me laugh
Now, though, it's different. The concept of "messing it up" doesn't seem applicable anymore. I think I'm honestly at the point where I'd rather write the things I want, bring my A-game to them, and not worry overmuch about whether they get The Mad Views. Because if Endgame got me thinking about anything, it's that sequels can be every bit as meritorious as their precursors when they don't just try to be their precursors. Bringing something new to the table, and not just trying to one-up the original for the sake of one-upsmanship, can open up new possibilities that wouldn't be available without a precursor.
I'm always open to thoughts, feedback, etc., about stories that either do or don't deserve continuation, though I've already got a few that I'm definitely (probably) going to do. (You'd best believe To Serve In Hell is on that list, True Believers.) And I'm not putting a stop to new material either; if anything, I think this'll help clear the recent block I've had around writing new stuff--because my brain keeps pulling back toward the older stuff where I feel there's still unfinished business.
And so with that, it's time for me to write hard... With A Vengeance. 
Well yeah, after I went and accidentally slapped your muse, I would think that story's in the works.
In any case, fantastic sentiment all around. Looking forward to everything you have planned.
By amazing coincidence, this blog was published just when I was getting ready to read Results May Vary. I'm going to assume you're psychic.
You're absolutely right about sequels catching fewer views. After so many No Heroes stories having been written, at this point nobody seems to care much whether I write another one... which means that any NH story I write today is almost purely for my own entertainment. I made my peace with this concept a long time ago. There came a point when I realized that the only person I'm really writing for is me, and while I'm thrilled to get feedback from the audience it's not as important as my own satisfaction in a tale told.
Good luck!
This SummerFallWinterSometime in the future: To Serve in Hell 2: A Dish Best Served Cold, like cake left out in the rain. I was gonna eat that cake. But now it’s all wet, and I don’t want any!5054402
I believe I told Coffee “do what FOME told you to do, for they are wise.” I may not have said every single exact syllable, but basically that’s what I said.
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He is psychic. He reads my stories and tells me exactly what’s wrong with them. Almost like he knows exactly what I’m getting wrong! It’s amazing!
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It was a heck of a slap. I’m actively trying to nail down the details, but it’s not even a question of “if” at this point. To be honest it’s more a question of whether I’ve got the guts to go through with ending it at the place where I know it ends, because unlike To Serve In Hell, the concept I’ve got for #2 doesn’t have as clean of a standalone ending—it does end, but it’d be awful to leave it there without a third story.
At risk of playing myself up too much: it’s like at the end of Empire Strikes Back, where you know they have to go get Han back and resolve things with Vader, versus how they could’ve ended Star Wars at the end of A New Hope and the audience would figure the good guys truly (basically) won. Except in my case there’s no toy sales to help float the production costs.
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I love it when I get a natural 20 on my psionics rolls.
In truth, it was your review of ADLP that got me looking back at my original plans and feeling some fresh pangs of regret about not following through on them. I started rethinking why I never did that, and eventually realized I would always regret not doing it, even if other factors suggest it’s not going to make the biggest splash ever.
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Stop giving away the plot details, geez!
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In that case, I am glad my reviews achieved something. I'll be looking forward to the results!
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/217/445/scootaloo_cosplaying_by_axlewolf-d46xxr8.png?1323964339
Ha! References.
What and the heck is Endgame? More importantly ... who stole my knee brace? Even more importantly though of course you should write the stories you want to write. If I worried about views so much I wouldn't write stories about trees and rocks going on vacation, cannibals, weirdos, or the next thing I'm working on which ... has elements of at least two of those . If the kids get onboard super. If not, whatever. As long as you enjoy it forget the rest!
Rock on and keep it most excellent!