What I've learned · 8:40am Apr 24th, 2021
Buckle up, dear readers who care. I think this blog might be a doozy. I'm starting this one on 12:14 AM, 2/24/2021. I'll announce this again at the end to show how long it took to pour my thoughts into this admittingly tragic but enlightening post.
The fact of the matter is my newest story so far, "One Thousand Years Ago", seems to have suffered a major misstep right at the start. I've seen these kinds of numbers before like on this chart >here<. It's a very, very bad sign for so many to sharply drop off right after chapter one. I strongly suspected, right then, that this story isn't going to make it nearly to the level of success as my previous two stories. No matter how good it gets later, it does not matter much if chapter one serves as that severe of a barrier.
Worse, I strongly suspected that these reading numbers would only decrease over time. From chapter 2 onward, the number of people reading this story was fairly consistent with the number on the story "tracking" which is, as of this date, around 34. Time and time again, that looked about right as the story continued. Just the same group of people over and over again who miraculously made it past the first disastrous chapter and discovered it honestly picks up after that, especially after chapter 4 went he story returned to the pony world.
I know. Big shocker, right?
I've thought about it for months why the first chapter would fail so bad. A few ideas occurred to me even before I posted it. A theory like it might be too confusing, especially with pony Cozy inheriting some of the memories from her human counterpart. It might have made separating the characters difficult, especially for those who had not read "The Shadow Queen".
Another reason I can think of for the failure of chapter 1 is, despite my claims in the story long description, this story might have felt too much like a sequel after all, and for those who hadn't read my previous stories felt betrayed by my earlier claim. For me, it is a new character with a new goal, so I thought that is enough to constitute a new story even if it has strong ties to some of my previous ones. But, honestly, I was also afraid to label it a sequel to any of my stories because I've learned from the tragic failure of "My Little Detour". I think the major reason it failed is because it was labeled as a sequel to "Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn", and that is a long fic. That, in turn, made jumping into "My Little Detour" too much of a project for most casual readers. The fact that 90% dropped out after chapter one of that story indicates something inherently wrong with that as well. I have my theories as to why, but in that case, I am even less certain why it failed so bad for those who actually did give it a brief chance.
Still another reason I think chapter one of "1k years ago" threw readers off is the fact it immediately opened in the human world with no warning. Among the few comments I ever got in the story actually questioned why I wouldn't put "Equestria Girls" genre tag on this story. The honest answer I gave was, "Because that plotline almost entirely drops permanently after chapter 3." The response I got was, "Ah! Gotcha."
But, despite that valid argument, that decision on my part may have ruined it for many readers for the story right at the start. I guess they were thinking, "I was promised ponies, darn it!" and again felt betrayed. As a matter of fact, I think absolutely all of the dislikes for the story is because of chapter one specifically. That's exactly when most of them came and I was especially alarmed when, for a brief moment, the dislikes actually exceeded the likes. Yet another really strong red flag.
What follows that knowledge is the realization that reader count should continue to drop further and further after chapter one. Only around 32 made it past the start line. I figured it can only go downhill from there for a variety of reasons. If any of those readers encounter a character or a situation they don't like, they might rage-quit right there and not give the rest of the chapters a chance. Aside from that, real-life issues can get in the way as well. The story can be totally innocent of the drop in view count. One way or another, it was illogical to expect view count to increase if most can't make it past the first chapter. In fact, I make a prediction that as soon as my loyal readers are done, viewer count will sharply drop for this story because hardly anyone will replace them. I could be wrong. Maybe I will be surprised, but past trends indicate that it is very unlikely.
So, as a result of all of this, I lost heart in this story. I'm sad to, but there seems so little point in continuing that which hardly anyone is reading. Of those who are reading it, I can't be certain how much they are enjoying it other than the fact that readership continues. The reason I say this is hardly anyone dropped a comment on this story. In this case I really could have used the encouragement because I was struggling with the next book so much. I can't act fully surprised, though, because I honestly do the same thing most of the time myself. Whether it is youtube videos or reading other fanfics on this site, I rarely comment myself. If I'm that shy, I can expect a similar reaction from most of my views too. The like to dislike ratio and the continued read count was my only indication that anyone was enjoying this story. That, and the fact that the read count picks up to close to tracking maximum within 2 days. Sometimes views pick up within mere minutes after post. Announcing the date of my post is a likely explanation for that, at least in part.
As much as it pains me, I think I'll have to discontinue the next book of this story because the trend should hold. Sequels do really bad in my experience. "My Little Detour" taught me that very harsh lesson. There isn't much incentive to continue if hardly anyone is reading them. Of those who are reading them and enjoying it, you are the reason that this decision is especially painful because I am really loathe to disappoint you, yet I can't help but wonder if my next project, if any, could be so much better for even them if I simply refocus my energy. I can make something people really love instead of "Eh, okay, I guess." I've done it before. I can do it again. The magic is within me.
It is quite possible I am severely misjudging my audience's reaction. Maybe they do love it far more than I give them credit for, but I've written stories before where one admitted that that person normally wouldn't comment at all, but this story is too good to stay silent. I was deeply moved by that comment, but that didn't happen this time. It's as if the effort wasn't worth it, as if to say, "It's good, but not comment good." But I don't know. Very hard to gather feedback from a silent crowd. My hurt feelings might be imagining monsters that just isn't there, but that's what happens with someone with as rich of an imagination as me.
All of that said, those who did stick with the story were surprisingly loyal. I figured, long ago, that the vast majority, if not all of them, are fans of my previous work who just couldn't wait to see what I wrote next. Even if some of the new content wasn't up to snuff, they kept on at it as if expecting it might pick up to the quality level of my previous story later.
I have to say, though, that even in this case, I expected the ending reading numbers to be way less than they turned out. However, in truth, about two-thirds of the initial crowd enthusiastically made it to the end. I am just so touched by that. It cheered me up some to see that this story didn't end up as severe of a disaster as I thought it would.
Nevertheless, I have to wonder if they, too, might enjoy something else I could write more. I hate to leave it on a cliffhanger like this. Honestly, the real plot was about to begin, but I found I struggled with it not just because of the disappointment of the reception to this story but also because of the sheer complexity of the next one. The main characters took off on an airship into uncharted territory. Right off the bat you know that demands the "adventure" tag and it also means severe world-building but on two levels. One in the present and one in the ancient past. That's the entire point of the title of this story. It is meant to serve as a reminder that something about the ancient past remains important to this day. Had that not been the case, I would have kept the focus on the ancient past alone. This is also why I knew I needed Sunset Shimmer. Her magical ability would serve as the bridge between the present and the past as soon as they find the right artifacts connected to Sombra's history. As for Cozy, it seems like she's just the host who is along for the ride, but I had planned for her to make critical story decisions later after her confidence built up from an initially very low point. That's her character arc. The one who receives lots of support and mentors which helps her to be much stronger later.
After I finish with this blog I will indeed finally add the "EqG" genre tag to the story to eliminate at least one of the multiple barriers for people but I strongly suspect it's too little, too late. However, I'm also going to add a disclaimer in the author's note of chapter three that the EqG plotline will entirely drop after this point except for a few flashbacks and Sunset's continued involvement, albeit in pony form.
When I started this book, I thought to myself that I wouldn't post a single chapter until the entire story is done to protect myself from being discouraged, but after I realized how long it got and the fact I already past a soft stopping point, I grew curious to see how readers would respond. In hindsight, I severely regret that decision. I should have stuck to my guns and finished the whole thing before risking discouragement from the community. Next time, if there is a next time, I will do exactly that. It's among the harsh lessons I've learned from this story, hence the title of this blog.
As for the remaining chapters of the second book, I debated for a long time what to do with them and I even considered asking for suggestions on that point until I recently gained an epiphany about a week ago. To that end, I have a bittersweet surprise to all of you, my loyal fans. I figured I'd reward those few brave and loyal souls who stuck out with me and offer all of the remaining chapters >here< in this gdoc. Be warned that, as of this date, these chapters really are first draft. The quality is as low as my writing can possibly get these days which is honestly and quite understandingly still better compared to my own first draft writing from decades ago.
Anyway, with that story above, you can at least see where I was planning on going with the characters. I want to prove to you that I did, indeed, have a plan, at least up to a certain point. I also have another gdoc document that has the notes for this story and that document alone has 14,378 words on it along with a bunch of hyperlinks to help me quickly navigate across it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that story too. Maybe within the gdoc itself (have to highlight something and post a comment off to the side) or come back and post your thoughts here on this account.
As a final note, is is rare for me to pick up a story again after I lost heart in it, but I have never lost my heart in it for this reason before. Most of my stories are unpublished in any form so it typically fails for others reasons like a lack of inspiration or too complex of a plot and even I can't figure out what happens next. It happens, probably to all of us. On the off chance that I actually do get a lot of encouragement for this story maybe I can be convinced to pick it up again but it's got to be a lot because the prospect of what I'm faced with is daunting. World-building on the scale I'm talking about is a monumental task. My initial plan was to tackle it one step at a time until I lost my confidence. After that I just couldn't focus on this story anymore even though part of me wanted to so at least I can see the ending as well. I've done that before. Picked up and resumed stories simply because I was curious too even after years of neglect. Maybe you can even help me brainstorm new ideas and get more involved if you read where I was going with the second book so far. Unlikely, but possible, and the offer is extended.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this blog as well. I don't expect anyone but my followers to bother with this, but for those that do will discover a surprising gem hidden within it today. I've done that easter egg as a reward for those who are my true fans, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
so this blog took me up to 1:38 AM to finish. That's actually quite a bit quicker than I expected. The speech I had for this blog has been mulling over for months now but especially strong these past few weeks. I knew I just needed to get this off my chest.
I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t actually read One Thousand Years Ago, not out of hate, though. I like you, Scroll, and and I absolutely loved Here I AM, but the story hasn’t really interested me that well. My sincerest apologies.
The problem isn’t necessarily you. Readers are just like that. Views tend to drop after a chapter or two. It happens; you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry I can’t be more encouraging.
But it’s okay if you don’t want to continue with your pursuit. I’ve also written stories, didn’t get the views and exposure I expected and deleted the story. Twice. There’s no shame in stopping.
So, um, here’s a happy Twilight.
I too shall admit I have not read most of your work, only Here I Am, so you don't have to listen to what I say.
But I still felt like I should tell you something, as one writer to another. I dare say that those who read and follow my stories know me for between one to three stories. But I know me for the 20 I have written. Before I wrote Castling Cozy Glow a few years ago, I had fifteen stories written, and I think one of them had more than 10 likes.
What I want to say is that it's easy to compare yourself to what we see on this site. Our fandom is a spoiled one, for the amount of high quality stories we can expect when browsing is immensely high for fanfiction. I think we sometimes forget that. I think especially long stories (like yours) suffer. In a way, just klickning on a story makes for a commitment. And committing to something so long as +100 000 words is difficult. And, of course, the first chapter, the short description and the cover image are crucial, more so than they should be. But I too look at them all before I decide to commit to reading something... you know what they say about judging a book by its cover? Well, we all do just that.
And tbh I don't think your idea of writing that a certain plotline drops of by some point is the way to go. It feels like you are apologizing, and if I as a reader don't feel like you as a writer entirely believe in your story... well, then why should I? I'm not trying to critizise you- you write what you please. But I figured you should know what I feel about it.
You should know that I still think, with every story I publish, that it will be a massive success. It almost never is. But once, it was for me. And all those others stories which I once believed would be my greatest triumphs but still only ended up with five likes, suddenly felt worth it.
Ultimately, I want to say I understand where your frustration is coming from. I have been there, plenty of times. When you have an amazing story and you countless hours of work into it... only for so few to read it. I know how it feels.
I can't tell you to write. But I hope that you continue to do it, in this continuity, or in another one. Everytime we read and write, we keep the ponies who have touched all of our lives alive.
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Thank you both for sharing your thoughts with me. I expected fellow writers to understand my plight, but of those, only a few actually read my blog and cared enough to reply. You are those few, so thank you.
I have a few more thoughts to add but I think I'll share those in a new blog about what happened to me over this past week. For the moment I'm reviewing a few comments I received during my week of absence so I'll do that and cover a new blog a short while later.
About what you said, Silvermrr, I don't think I can scrounge up motivation to finish or post a story unless I can at least imagine that it might be a success. You said you felt the same way and I can easily sympathize with that. In fact, I do think that mindset is nearly universal to most writers. Very few post any kind of story or film while hoping it will be ignored or disliked.
We live in our own imaginations. I always exist in that world. My stories that I post here are a way to share a glimmer of that aspect. How it is received varies widely.
I know this is an old blog post, but I'd like to offer my two cents for whatever they're worth.
From reading several of your blogs, I can't help but get the impression that you care too much about views. And I feel like fanfiction is the wrong venue for caring about this, especially in a fandom on the decline like MLP:FIM.
It took me a long time to learn that what people think about your story on here doesn't matter at all. Around 10 years, in fact. Long story short, I started writing here in 2014, then I got the impression that my story sucked, and then I quit. Quitting was the biggest regret of my life. If you want more details, you can see my silly blog about it.
But last summer, I decided to finally get over myself and stop caring, and with nothing holding me back, I starting writing again for the first time in years. I wrote only for myself, and I had never felt so fulfilled and happy. I published the first chapter of my story last month almost as an afterthought, because even if I got 0 views and million dislikes, I would continue regardless. Because my story is for me, and it is what I am passionate about and I care about. Any hypothetical readers are irrelevant.
So stop caring, and write only for yourself. You'll be happier.
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Thank you so much for sharing your opinion and life lessons. I'd like to respond to that by giving an update. The degree to which this bothered me has been on the decline recently, and yeah. I feel better. Writing for myself has always been part of my main motive. I just hoped that others can benefit too. Ever since this story I tried finishing the whole thing before I post even one chapter. That way, no matter what reaction I get, it won't prevent me from finishing that which is already finished. I still check the numbers of views but not as passionately as I used to.
I'm glad for you. I'm glad you returned to writing because if that is what you are ... if you got a story locked in your system, letting it out might feel as important as needing to go to the bathroom. It's sort of a nature's call. Maybe higher than that.
I find it quite likely that you still read comments in your stories when and if it's offered. If they made the effort to type it, seems to me you'd be interested in what your audience has learned. How they have grown from the experience. If we completely didn't care about that, just keep the story on your computer and let it meteorically gather dust from there. Share it with no one. I really do have a bunch of entire novels sitting on my computer like that. Part of the reason is not sure where to post it where it would have eyes on it, but also discovered many cultures have grown too sensitive and some of the content of those stories I really do think would be too much of a shock, probably in an offensive way. But when I wrote those stories, I let something out of my system. The practice also helped for my future work both creatively and technically.
Recently I have been posting a story that's been something of a minor exception to the rule I have above, and that is this story.
- MLP: FiM
- Doctor Who
- Adventure
- Sci-Fi
An extention of the adventures of Feather Wind, Stern Wing, and Vision's journey with eccentric Time Lord the Doctor and his adorable assistant, Derpy Hooves.Something that is different about that story is it is episodic. It h as mini arcs in it that is just like a different episode of something, in this case Doctor Who meets My Little Pony. Because of that, I don't have to worry about finishing the whole thing before posting the entire story. I really don't see this one ever ending anyway, but it might finish some grand arcs within it before potentially starting a new one. Anyway, with this one, I simply finish what is basically one "episode". I've been struggling with the current arc I've been writing and almost out of backlog chapters. I've actually been posting the recent unfinished arc because at one time I thought the story would just end there, unfinished. More recently though I got some gumption to resume, especially with other things in my life getting more settled recently.
Anyway, thanks again for sharing your two cents. I know it is from your heart. I'm curious how this blog came up on your radar. I don't know how or why anyone would hunt through blogs on this site instead of the stories, but they are there and apparently gets some eyes on it for some reason.
Btw, I'll take a look at your blog next since you shared it then I'll probably give my two cents after that.