It was leading to rabbit holes of character arguments that spiraled into hellish domains where finding a feasible 'out' for Sunset grew dire indeed. After several attempts I've decided to just rip out the rootUpdate blog on chapter progress · 7:27am Dec 7th, 2012
Update time on how the chapters are coming along, whee!
First up, the story hardly anyone who reads this blog cares about, ie, SotA. Progress is: Non-existent. I haven't even written two words for the next chapter of that story. I just have a big ol' rock of writer's block in my path. It's funny, as I've known for months and months and months the structure, events, and plot of the last 2 chapters of the story, and now that I am at them, nothing. Just a big blank while I stare at my computer screen. This is mostly to do with how quickly things have fallen apart in the last few chapters in terms of the actual story. The time skip and the whole bit in the next chapter just... I don't like em, not one bit. I want to tear them down and just forget I ever wrote them.
Next up, the reason I seem to suddenly be popular; the Myths and Birthrights setting. Chapter 4 is ready to be sent to my editors for the initial pass. There are a couple sequences in the chapter I personally love, and a couple I know I will spend the next while smashing my face into to make them 'work' better. I've also got more of a feel for the next side-story, and I wrote the Interlude that takes place between arcs 2 and 3. Shame it's got to wait another 7-9 chapters before it'll be published. Chapter 4 has a bunch of character building, some plot development, and a whole lot of world building.
Chapter 4 is also 8 588 words long, pre-editing. Which to me sits nicely in my Goldilocks range for chapter lengths. Under 6k words and it feels too short. Over 10k, and you could grow a beard while reading. 7 - 9 k words for a chapter feels just about right to me.
In other news, when I last looked a few hours ago, The Longest Night was #35 on the Top Rated stories list, sitting just above The Sweetie Belle Chronicles. That... that's just amazing. To be rated up there with author's like WandererD is just mind blowing. This whole last week has just left me floored, and more then a little afraid. I am petrified that Chapter 4 will be a big pile of fail and I'll be chased off by hurled rocks, or something. So, I'll just have to take my time, work with my editors, and try to stay true to the quality of the first three chapters.
Thank you, everyone, for all your support and comments. They are what keep me going.
~Tundy
Oh, looks like I have to...
dl.dropbox.com/u/109212453/grammar%20time.gif
Okay, that was lame... but it made me laugh.
583069
Haha, that gif made me laugh too. Mostly because it is so true. You are my Grandmaster of Grammar. Guru of Grammar-Fu. The Grand Pumba of Commas. And so on.
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Oh, don't say that... I merely clean up around the edges.. the buffer pad in your arsenal of chisels as you hammer out your masterpieces.
And people keep saying Alicorn Twilight stories are terrible. Well sometimes a story just happens to be poorly written. Certainly isn't the case here.
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Ha! I wish! I don't know how to use commas to save my soul. Really. Some red dude with a goatee was all, 'I'll give you ten dollars if you can write a story without misplacing a single comma.' Of course I was all, 'Red dude with freaky horns and a pitchfork, you are totally on.' I then ripped out an awesome chord on my guitar, and confident in my prowess with a pen I went to work. It was a whole ten dollars after all. I'd have been mad not to take that bet. Naturally, I failed in the first sentence.
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Well, if you insist on extolling my virtues, who am I to stop you.
583086
There is a basic truth that many seem to forget.
Every idea can work, if the person behind it is up to the task.
It is completely possible to write a serious red/black alicorn story where the entire mane6 falls for him/her. It is possible, but the author that could pull it off would have to be the greatest wordsmith ever born.
583103
Mmhmm. If there was one lesson I learned from my years of reading fanfics, it's this: anything is possible.
583103
I know a guy who could probably do it too! I mean, an actual red/black alicorn story where the entire mane 6 fall for himj/her that is serious and pulled off? That's worth a soul, right?
....
Okay, I'll stop with the demon jokes now. Maybe after one more, on second thought....
I'm going to have to read them all, aren':t I?wilightsheepish:
Well maybe.
Woohoo!
SotA is totally on my 'read later' list.
Now, when I get the chance to read the 50+ stories on my 'read later' list is the real question
SotA is awesome. It's better then Myths, not to say that Myths is bad. I have to say that at first I was iffy but your skills in world building alone make that story one that I just have to reread every month. I fell in love with your portrayal of Twilight, Luna and especially Cadence, she's not that interesting in the show but she has so much potential to be. I love that you made her Luna's daughter. It really gives the chance for both of them to develop characters. I really wish more people would give SotA the read it deserves. Keep up the good work on it and take your time, stories of that quality are worth doing right, and you are doing it right.
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Heh, thank you. The world building is the one thing of SotA that I feel I really nailed.
583103
Hey, it's been done with HumanxLuna stories, so anything is possible!
Just keep breathing and stop looking at the numbers of where you place so much. I think you might be freaking yourself out!
Now don't stop listening to feedback and what people are saying but stop worrying about the numbers so much! I'm starting to see you like Twi! Getting all worked up over something that doesn't need to be worried about!
Just keep on writing and editing like crazy! Check, recheck and then check your work again! Make sure it flows and flow what your characters are saying to you... but I don't think you need to freak out so much about it. Okay? Okay.
585217
Actually, I am a lot like Twilight. We both have anxiety disorders and are OCD. Her's is just more of the comical variety as its a show. Mine's more I start seeing... things... Not happy things...
Twilight and Fluttershy were the characters that really attracted my attention and kept me watching the show back in season One. Mostly because it gave me a little bit of hope seeing these fictional colourful ponies overcoming their problems that I could as well. Maybe a bit silly, but there it is. 
585265 ...and I totally called it. Well sense you're Twi lets not have to make me be Celestia alright! ...not that I wouldn't mind having that kinda power
So take steady and strong breaths and calm down!
585273
Calm down? CALM DOWN!?!?! I can't calm down! I have 1100 people watching Myths! That's a lot of pressure!! I'm never going to be able to please everyone... never... Hehehehehehehahahahaha....
fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/289/f/8/crazy_twilight_sparkle_by_brianc1006-d4d26pi.png
585342 That's right you can't please everyone. We never can. Now be yourself... and CALM DOWN!
OBEY!
1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAg1_A65-Xc/UEzYceSRMaI/AAAAAAAAJFQ/ghL0qmh46Es/s1600/Celestia_OBEY_dirty.jpg
585435
Yes, Princess...
th09.deviantart.net/fs71/200H/i/2012/016/9/3/twilight_filly___dejected_by_zapapplejam-d4mix1p.png
583069 Relevant:
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27739150.jpg
586128
dl.dropbox.com/u/109212453/Taunt%20You.gif
586215
One of my alltime favourite scenes from one of my alltime favourite movies.
In a related note; Does anyone else think that Angel Bunny is probably related to the Killer Rabbit?
586215
fim.413chan.net/fim/src/133107034901-Ur_a_faget.png
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rlv.zcache.com/only_for_you_card-p137490583556571598b26lp_400.jpg
588636
585476
As one of the supposed 1,100 people waiting with bated breath and a pining look for more chapters of Myths and Birthrights, I have this to tell you: You're story is one of only three that I regularly follow. I'm a hard-expletive for writing quality.
No pressure though.
No, seriously, no pressure. You're doing great. Keep it coming at whatever pace you can sanely manage.
Oh, and sorry if my sub-stellar grammar made you cringe.
600287
'Sub-stellar' grammar making me cringe?! You weren't using l33t or something even more abominable and had proper punctuation. You are a paragon of grammar compared to many.