On the Future of Bulletproof Heart · 8:08pm Jun 16th, 2022
So I’ve been thinking about Bulletproof Heart for the last few days. As I occasionally do, I decided to put my thoughts down here.
Since the release of Sunset at Little Longhorn, I’ve been contemplating what to do next. I actually made three separate attempts to develop another story, each of which failed. Not because they were uninteresting or a lack of motivation, but because I had plot-based epiphanies. The original plan was to modify the next chapters for Book II of BPH, in order, but then I recognized potential in changing the order, twice, then realized that changing said orders ruins some things for the third story.
Rarity was supposed to visit the Canterhorn and solve a small mystery involving a couple returning OCs and one character from the show who had yet to appear at all in the BPH universe. The second story was to involve a visit to Manehattan, where she’d get reacquainted with Octavia and meet two more show characters who, again, hadn’t appeared in the series yet. Then there's the third one, which would have been a gateway story to pretty much everything that came after by giving Rarity a permanent traveling companion for the first time. I still want to do all of this.
Yet, lately, I’ve started to wonder if I should. While I’m working on these, the original fiction version is going untouched. Let’s face it, if I want BPH to reach the audience it deserves, I should be focusing on that.
There’s also the whole Sunset Shimmer idea. A few people pointed out that Sunset in Little Longhorn felt like it could have been an origin story for Equestria’s newest hero gunslinger. A lot of that stems from how I intentionally modeled Sunset’s situation to be reflective of Rarity’s own at the beginning of her story. And besides, we all know that Sunset has what it takes to be a badass gunslinger. There is potential here. Rather than being a drifter, I imagine Sunset taking on the role of a local hero to a cluster of nearby towns, eventually earning the popular title of The Phoenix. It’s an interesting idea, but not one I’ve put serious consideration into writing.
But now I look at it and realize there’s an opportunity here. What if I took that concept for Sunset and made it into an original fiction tale? I could release it instead of Bulletproof Heart. It would begin immediately after the events of Sunset at Little Longhorn, with Sunset regularly referencing Rarity as a role model to live up to. The original fiction audience wouldn’t know who Rarity is, and I’d intentionally leave her as a big mystery, a woman of legend, a character perpetually hinted at but never actually present.
And when The Phoenix is over, I release Bulletproof Heart. As a prequel.
I think this could be of significant value to me as the author. Over the past few years I’ve come to realize that if there’s anything I’m bad at, it’s trying to redo what has already been done. The originalfication of Guppy Love is stalling because I’m not as interested in writing a story I’ve already written once. The same issue arises with my efforts to redo the second book of Bulletproof Heart into short stories. Revisiting old material simply doesn’t motivate me much. I still want to do it, but now I understand that it’s not something I’ll do quickly. It’s only when I’m exploring the new that my mental engine begins churning at full capacity. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that my struggle to redo old material is the major reason I’ve been releasing so few stories lately.
I can’t say for sure that I’m going to start work on this, but it’s an idea that has a lot of merit. We shall see. Until then, I’m working on something new, and making really good time on it. It may yet be a few weeks before it’s ready to go, but I won’t be asking for editors/pre-readers this time and the cover art is already commissioned, so no delays for that kind of thing. Looking forward to seeing how people react!
That seems like a super solid starting point, and much like very successfully prolific authors of very popular series have done with the "previous hero" idea (I'm thinking right now of how Huma was just an inspiring legend for the whole Dragonlance Chronicles series since I decided to re-read Kaz: The Minotaur). I feel it gives you the chance to NOT be stuck with characters you developed that are too familiar, and it will give you the ability to really expand your world.
I like it!
Probably just preaching to the choir here, but I can relate so much on that redoing what's been done issue, and it sometimes being more fulfilling to tackle fresher material and characters, especially in a work of fiction where the world is inspiring enough that you can conceivably tell other tales (almost) totally disconnected from the characters in the starting adventure). Hay, my most persistent original fiction in development actually has a not-dissimilar situation of one mythic character in the first story that we they get as our main character in the next one (which chronologically takes place earlier, so I suppose it's a prequel), and with both meeting and colliding in a prospective third instalment.
Anyway, it sound like this has re-stoked the fires under you, and for the reasons you cite, Wanderer D's, and mine, I think you're onto something here! Go for it!
That seems like a solid concept. Rewriting old fan-stuff to make it original fic feels like it really would be a slog, similar to rewriting something that's already published. Jumping off another character in the planned setting sounds like a really solid idea.
Hey, whatever works. Just follow wherever your muse takes you.
While I would love to see more if Rarity I love the universe you have going here. So anything is good.
I would be happy with ANY continuation of BPH as the world is quite riveting, much like getting shot through the heart.
I think the idea of releasing an "original fiction" version of Sunset's story first could be super interesting.
Spot on! It sounds like you've mastered "Know Thyself!" and have used that knowledge to come up with a wonderful plan to move forward!
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And yeah, rewriting anything is a drag. Even when it clearly has to happen (like I am dealing with now trying to get my story out
I'm honestly excited by the prospect of an original fiction version of Gunslinger Sunset in the vein of Sunset at Little Longhorn. I just know it's going to rock.
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Did they ever actually tell Huma's story, or was he forever relegated to "hero of legend" status? It's been probably a good decade since I last cracked open one of my Dragonlance books.
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I can't imagine a need to step away from Bulletproof Rarity specifically, that mare is endlessly entertaining even without the gunslinging. But just focusing less on retelling what's already been told holds a lot of value. I'll probably continue to work on those rewrites, but make them more of a background thing than my main focus so that they don't slow me down as much as they have been.
5665519 Huma's story was told in full by Richard A. Knaak (It was his first book!), and his sort of side-story continued with Kaz The Minotaur, and the other... 3 books in that series