Where on Equestria does the time go?!The June Update (2019) · 4:25pm Jun 10th, 2019
Footage of nyxOs after publishing chapter 6, part II (2019, colorized)
Yeah, this chapter really kicked my ass.
Way back in March of 2018 I explained the idea of splitting chapter 6 into two parts in order to manage it better. I couldn't have imagined back then the size of the sheer size of the gap that would occur between both halves. As I noted in the past, I had a severe case of writer's block set in that summer, along with a slew of IRL changes that occurred, not the least of which moving to a new dwelling. Thanks to the help of several friends, however, the chapter got back on track in January.
Furthermore, since 2019 started I have had some of the best ideas for OSha since I first began writing, thanks much in part to Chayn and many more friends I've made in a FoE writer Discord group I've been with since publishing back in 2016. The future of OSha is shaping up much more smoothly than ever and chapter 6 was a valuable learning experience. Daily writing and weekly word quotas have proven helpful for getting me going, so I'll be utilizing them more frequently moving forward. With any luck, 7 will not take a year to complete, or even half of one. It's a real game-changer, and going to be so much fun! 
It felt appropriate to start this again:
CHAPTER 7 PROGRESS:
Stage: First draft
Word Count: 4,983
March-June Changelog:
General changes:
-Improvements to spelling and grammar throughout.
Chapter 5:
-A holdover from a scrapped idea has been replaced. The suspicious unicorn statue in front of the St Mare's school is no longer a statue, but instead an effigy.
I've also been playing around with an idea for a short story spin-off:
The story is set in Mulisiana a decade or so before Quillwright arrives at Stable 56. In particular, this story primarily takes place in a small, isolated fishing village on the southeast shore of the region called Rustbucket.
The settlement contains fewer than fifty inhabitants, mostly farmers and fisherponies. The only significant threat any of them have ever known is the weather, as tropical radstorms are a constant danger to those who live close to the sea. Their relatively idyllic existence is shattered when a series of brutal, sacrificial murders occur, a mere week before a massive hurricane is due to make landfall nearby.
There is only one adequate storm shelter close enough to reach, in the nearby ruins of Tacksonville. Unwilling to shut themselves in with a killer, Rustbucket enlists a Talon mercenary to hunt down the murderer before the hurricane arrives.
The title is Fallout: Equestria - Category Five. I'd love it to have a Shadow Over Innsmouth vibe, and it could give a look into an area of the region that Quill likely won't have a chance to visit. I hope this sounds interesting, because I'd love to try writing it eventually. Only trouble is that I have no experience writing mysteries, so it would be an experiment for me. I also plan for it to be first-person present-tense and published all at once, totaling around 30k words when complete. What do you think?
Speaking of other stories...
Friend and awesome pre-reader/editor for Of Shadows, Typoglyphic, recently put out a collection of short stories set in Fallout: Equestria's universe, called Periphery! It centers around those who would be deemed "minor" characters in the original story, offering up a wide range of styles and moods with each entry. This is Typo's first FoE story, and it's a hell of a debut. The stories are very well-written and the perfect length to knock out in your spare time. I highly recommend giving it a read, it deserves more eyes!
I've also been reading Fallout: Equestria - The Chrysalis by Phoenix_Dragon recently, and I've quite enjoyed it. The story is told from the POV of a changeling, which is a fun concept that never seems to be explored often. The quality of the writing is excellent and I've really grown fond of the protagonist.
Lastly, I don't believe I've posted about this yet, but I've gotten two physical copies of FoE novels, Duck and Cover and Murky Number 7! The books are gorgeously printed and bound, and simply holding them feels awesome. On top of that, they're both worth reading as well if you somehow haven't heard about them yet!
In conclusion...
Once again, thanks for holding out for 6-2. Quill's adventure is about to take quite the turn...
Huzzah for a new chapter!
On the topic of side stories, I've started one myself. I'm 40k words into an as-yet unpublished novel and slowed down on the writing to expand some plotting and characterization, get feedback, learn how fimfiction publishing works, etc. The side story is helping me with all of that. I'm excited for the story idea you've chosen. As far as present tense goes, I've been reading one and it's been painful. That could just be the particular prose, but I'm going to assume it's hard to do well. Be careful with it and make sure you get plenty of early feedback before you get too far into writing present tense.
I will second the recommendation of The Chrysalis. I finished it recently and found it to be excellent, although I still favor MN7 and PH. Duck and Cover is still making it's way through my queue.
Which discord are you in and can you get me an invite? I've encountered resistance to FO:E stories in other servers so having a group that won't outright reject a story due to the setting would be pleasant.
I'm adding Periphery to my queue based on your recommendation. I'll try to bump it up, as good FO:E often doesn't get enough love.
5072414
Oh, it's great to hear that's you're writing! I'll send you an invite to the server via PM. It's a pretty chill place and I owe so much of my story to feedback I've gotten there over the years. It's not so big as to be crowded, either, which I like, though users come and go.
In regards to my short story plans, yeah, I'm still not 100% set on present-tense. I do think it would be a nice challenge for me, though, and could potentially suit a thriller better than other tenses. We'll see, I suppose!
Write on my friend! Best of luck with future stories and chapters. And the other stories you mentioned sounded quite interesting
5074355
Thank you! And I'm glad they do c:
5074592
You're welcome. ^_^