26/05/2021 - Lesson Learned

I'm not sure where the year went, but I'm still here, trying and failing to be productive. Chapter 15 is in the final clean-up phase, so expect to see that before the end of next week.

I'd like to preface this by saying I don't feel pressured into this explanation; rather, I prefer to think of it as me actively wanting to share my experiences, so I guess it just counts as venting, or something. I'm not used to this. So... what happened? Well... work sucks, is the short version. The start of this year was busier than it's ever been and I guess I got swept off my feet for the first few months trying to rebalance myself to keep being creative in spite of the increased stress. Fun time-wasters like games and cartoons became the go-to form of relief, leaving actually productive things like writing and arting in the dust.

I've now uninstalled almost my entire Steam library as revenge. I'm still waiting to feel the positive effects.

Anywho...

Recall how I jokingly mentioned "Moondust version 4" a couple of blogs back? Well I tried it and it kinda worked. I think attempting something like that in the midst of the increased stress from work was the wrong choice given it took me about three months to realise how slowly the rewrite was progressing. I think I averaged one chapter per month, so... not a good time investment. Did it work, quality-wise? For sure! In just those three chapters it was becoming clear that it would become a superior version of Moondust compared to what's currently on Fimfiction, but the time spent scared me away and convinced me to simply focus on getting the current version wrapped up before going back yet again to perfect it. I think I finally reached a point where my perfectionism was getting slapped repeatedly in the face by the logical side of my brain and I gave up. I'll definitely come back to version 4 because I'm just that kind of person, but not until I make progress first.

The current status quo looks like this:
Moondust: Chapter 15 done. Need to write some more of chapter 16 to make certain that everything is where it should be.
Black Mountain: A proper test for the opening is being written. More plot threads have solidified into place compared to last time I mentioned it, so I should be able to have something tangible ready before the end of June.
Golden Ghost Library: Lots more detail is settling into place and the character and plot beats are finding their homes. By the time I'm finished with Moondust I expect I'll already have a first chapter completed and ready to post. Given the opening is partly dependant on Moondust's ending, though, it'll still have to wait until the first story is finished.

Golden Ghost Library, in general, will be a much easier undertaking (I hope these words don't bite me in the ass later) compared to Moondust. Instead of two main characters (Twi and Moon) and two integral side characters (Spike and Peace) whose plot threads have to play off of one another in order to even justify their inclusion (looking at you, Quilliam), GGL only has Twilight as a main and Spike as a side. We'll be meeting the Mane 6 in that story along with a small army of Ponyville locals, but in spite of the cast exploding in size I honestly feel a lot more confident handling it compared to the hyper in-depth interpersonal struggles of Twilight and Moondancer. Every chapter will offer something new and interesting, and that scattered focus matches my lack of attention span to a tee.

Black Mountain will be more of the Moondust variety, but it'll hopefully go a bit smoother after my experiences with the first story. More details on this one soon...