State of the Scribe: June 2022 · 10:02pm Jun 1st, 2022
As usual, this update is copied from my Patreon, where I post all my behind-the-scenes writing stuff and chapters for things that aren't ready for fimfiction yet.
Hey pones! It's another month, and the stories keep going! For the first time in... maybe ever... we have a full calendar here, with something new to read literally every day. There's some other news besides, but we'll get to that when we get there.
I've got something huge about to launch this month--The Optimalverse anthology! This thing has been in the works since January, but finally completed production. And when I say complete, I mean complete. The book will have a proof ready to go the first day of the campaign, and I should be able to order the print run as soon as Indiegogo disperses the funds.
The anthology will include a brand new short story written specifically for it, but I'll get more into what that's about when I actually announce the launch. Expect that--as soon as I get the proof copy from the printer. Two to three weeks from now. If it goes well, I'll have the same cover designer do Homebrew, and make them two volumes of the same set.
You'll notice three squares with something you've probably not seen before--Starscribbles. This is my own little anthology collection here on fimfiction, where I put the minifics people get from Patreon rewards. I've got quite a backlog of these, so I thought I'd post a few this month.
You'll find them on this story: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/464333/starscribbles , which I'll actually start using now. I don't know if I have any paticular order about when I'll post these, but expect to see them making their way to fimfiction.
Of these first three, we have a fluff story about programming socks, and two more serious pieces. In one, we'll see human survivors coping with grief after coming to Equestria. In another, Tempest Shadow trying to earn forgiveness for her service to the Storm King.
Don't Bug Me--the story of a summer camp ending up in Equestria after the changeling invasion--as changelings, continues. Sisters of Willowbrook--two little ponies who might be dark gods summoned by an evil cult, takes strides towards is conclusion. Then there's Return to Sender--a sequel to Message in a Bottle about ponies being the alien invaders from a world of technology, instead of the humans. And lastly, we have Tall Tale of Sweet Sauce, where an evil from the past returns with nothing more than an apparently genuine desire to reform.
This last story will complete on Patreon this month, but will make its way onto fimfiction over the next few months. Huge thanks to Boopy Doopy for sponsoring that one.
So far as Patreon goes, of course we have Myths Like Us, the sequel to Mew Like Me. The story of a pokemon champion who decides to cement his team with a mew, only to end up as a pokemon who can't lose. This story is free to read by anyone even if they aren't sponsoring me. It's also on Fanfiction.net, but that one is harder to keep up-to-date. My scheduling bot doesn't work on that dinosaur site, so it's usually behind. I'll post a PDF of the story once it's finished.
As usual, I can't close without thanking everyone who donates to keep me writing this stuff. Some of you know I have a writing dayjob now, something that demands so much of my time. If I was smart, I'd probably shelve ponies entirely--but I'm not, and I still have fun stories left to tell. Your help keeps me telling them a little longer.
Your support helped create 74,000 words of (mostly) pony story last month. Almost a whole novel's worth, every single month. I may not be the cleverest writing so much pony, but I am the happiest.
And don't worry about leaving anything undone, that's just not how I roll. If I post something here, you'll see it to its conclusion, even if only comes a few thousand words a week >.>
I'm planning on a few fun things this month, such as a 24-hour writing marathon. That should turn into a fun blog post, if my heart doesn't give out and I don't die in the process.
I have an active Discord community with tons of other writers. If you want a place to be motivated, or ask questions and chat about stories, or just watch bad movies with us at random times, this is the place: https://discord.gg/DMDrCrG. We also do live-read edits of whole blocks of chapters before they go up, for those who want to binge stuff and hear that last pass before publication.
I now conclude with the usual list of the ongoing Patreon stories. Feel free to read the first chapter for free on my Patreon. If you prefer not to support, just hang on a few months, and they will make their way over to Fimfiction for everyone to read.
Dreamlands: The story of a batpony who ventures into the dreamlands to try and rescue Nightmare Moon from banishment and save her outcast tribe. Read at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-story-45878879 . Also has an awesome cover now, but I'm not sharing yet >.>
Tall Tale of Sweet Sauce: A comedy about an ancient Equestrian "villain" returning from his banishment to earth as a little colt. Adoption may get in the way of his mysterious scheme. Read at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-story-tall-46197856
Diplomatic Solution: Equestria is uplifted into a spacefaring society, not to be received into a perfect utopia, but as the last best hope against a conquering force of magical aliens, who are sweeping across the galaxy. Ponykind doesn't know much about war, but it does know how to make friends. Maybe there's a way to solve things that doesn't need weapons. https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-story-30394496
Thanks for the update.
Also, what calendar do you use? Because I need one and can't find a good one online.
Can you DM me the link for this one?
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What kind of planner do you mean? For my writing work, I use a site called "Trello", which allows me to make cards, add things like checklists to them, and move them around in various lists as their status changes. I can also collaborate with my editors/artists/whoever, adding them to the cards to track their own contributions too.
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I meant for the picture you put on this blog of the calendar.
My laptop refused to edit it as a PDF or in Word.
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Oh, the calendar is a PNG file. I made it in an image editor specifically to show to readers. I also hang it on my wall so I know when things need to get posted. But that's the extent of its role in my own planning.
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What image editor do you use?
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Paint.net
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I searched it up and it came under GoDaddy.
Nevermind.
I am curious about your day job?