Hello all, Inky Jay back with another interview. No, we haven't added any new admins, but we do have an author of repute here to answer our questions. Say hello to Insertauthorhere!

So, please start us off by introducing yourself.

Answer: Well, I'm InsertAuthorHere. I've been a member of the community since April 2011, and been writing since August of the same year. Besides that, I'm really not that interesting.

What are the stories you’ve written and/or are writing?

Answers: So far, I've written and finished My Little Alicorn and it's sequel, Bringing Up Blueblood, both of which seem to be the stuff most anyone who's read my stuff has looked at. I also wrote Keeping Your Hooves on the Ground, where Rainbow Dash is scared of the ground because it's not clouds and covered in monsters like squirrels and bees. Currently, I'm working on And That's Terrible, where Celestia does battle with Lex Luthor after he steals her cakes, and Eye of the Hurricane, a story in RainbowDoubleDash's Lunaverse about Raindrops, a pony with anger management issues, suddenly reaching Pinkie Pie levels of blind euphoria.

What story is the one which attracted the most attention from readers?

Answer: Hard to say. My Little Alicorn is my first one, and seems to be the one people bring up the most often. But if you just go by views, Keeping Your Hooves on the Ground actually has more reads than any individual chapter of MLA, has had several readings on YouTube, and has almost as many upvotes. So I'll just go with both of those as my answer.

Would you say that that story is the one piece of your own work you are most proud of?

Answer: That really depends on when you ask and what kind of mood I'm in.

Why or why not?

Answer: Because all my stories have things I can take pride in, and other things I would like to avoid or fix in the future. I loved the relationship I built between Celestia and Luna in My Little Alicorn, but I was so upset at shoving Blueblood to the side for so long that I set up the sequel to cover the development for him that I had planned. Keeping Your Hooves on the Ground was a lot of fun to write, and I love the dynamic between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but I honestly feel sometimes like I rushed it a bit too much and lost a lot of the potential impact. Still, I'm proud that both stories have been so well-received, so I can't really bring myself to dislike either one.

...Sorry, I think I lost track of the question.

Do you write your stories with a deeper undertone in mind, or are your stories mostly random moments of inspiration beginning with ‘What if…”?

Answer: It really depends. In general, I like to have an envisioned point for the story to end on, whether it just be a specific scene or an aesop, but I leave things a bit loose in between until I've decided on exactly what route I want to take. And a lot of times, inspiration just strikes me out of nowhere. Things like the truth-or-dare game in My Little Alicorn, the birthday party in Bringing Up Blueblood, and the entirety of And That's Terrible were spur-of-the-moment ideas I worked into the existing story and expanded upon until they moved things closer to the end goal.

For all of the great writers out there who will be reading this, what advice would you give?

Answer: Just the same thing everyone else has said: write, write, write. Writing is just like any other form of art, and the more you practice, the better you'll become over time. One of these days, you'll be able to look back at stuff you've written years back and simultaneously laugh and groan in shame at how rusty you once were, and feel proud about how far you've come since then. Make sure you keep reading as well, and not just fanfiction. Look at the techniques other writers use and learn from them. And whatever you do, just keep striving to improve. Every time a person says they didn't care for your story, look at their reasons why and remember that for the next time.

As for getting recognition, a lot of it is in how you present the story's synopsis and cover image on the site's front page. There are very few people out there who have the time or inclination to read everything that's posted, so you really only have one chance to get their attention. Try to find an eye-catching picture that perfectly catches the theme or mood of your story. Make the synopsis longer than one sentence and give it some zest. And above all else, make sure your first chapter is very well-edited before you publish. Again, you have to make a solid first impression, and if the reader finds themselves tripping on your words, they won't be as eager to come back for the rest. Equestria Daily is also nice, but it's admittedly very difficult to get on there these days.

There are a lot of great authors in the brony community. Who would you want to do a collaboration with most?

Answer: To be perfectly honest, I'm not much use in a collaboration. Sorry if I can't answer this one.

What is the most constructive criticism you have gotten to date? How did it affect your writing, and what is some advice you would give to those writers out there about receiving criticism (of any kind)?

Answer: When I submitted the original draft for My Little Alicorn's first chapter to Equestria Daily, I was turned down. Nothing too out there about that; everything of mine that's on that site has been rejected at least once. I got exactly five sentences explaining why, each one from a different Pre-Reader, and almost all of them amounting to the same thing: expand the chapter and finish the second one before resubmitting.

This might not sound like much, but it had a huge impact on the entire fanfic. The original concept was a short, silly farce with Celestia and Luna bickering and Twilight stuck in the middle. But when I had to sit down and start working out the hows and whys of certain scenes, the concept began to grow. That first chapter blossomed into two separate ones, while what was going to be the second turned into the third. I spent more time looking into the relationship between the two Alicorns, eventually making it one of the core themes of the story. And when I started writing about the Arcanus E Draconus, I began to think more and more about its creator, giving birth to an entire new subplot that would come to dominate the story's middle third.

In short, those five sentences turned what would have been an utterly forgettable bit of farce into something much, much bigger.

Accepting criticism is hard. We work hard on our stories, so having someone tell you it's not good enough can make us feel hurt or upset. But the first thing you must remember is that it isn't personal. When someone offers criticism, they don't want to make you feel bad or shame you; they just want to express their opinion of a particular piece and how it can be improved. It doesn't even have to be anything super-specific; just read over each comment carefully to understand where they're coming from. And if you disagree, that's fine, but make sure to explain why calmly and politely. This is actually one of the nicest fandoms when it comes to offering criticism, and you should definitely take advantage of that and not make this a personal vendetta.

Okay, we’ve been serious for a while now. Time to break out the fun stuff.

What is your favorite episode?

Answer: “Hurricane Fluttershy.” What I love about this one is the relative level of maturity with which it handles what is a fairly stock episode plot, as well as developing the relationship between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Those two are my favorite pair on the show, and the way they work off each other throughout is fantastic. Everyone is in character, they make great use of background ponies, and the ending earns a lot of credit for realistically handling the situation. They don't break the record, but they gave it their all and got the job done. Fluttershy didn't become the greatest flier ever in a week, but greatly improved her speed with training and saved the day with her own contribution, however small it might have been in the grand scheme of things. It was just a wonderful episode, and I love rewatching it whenever I can.

Favorite Pony?

Answer: Twilight Sparkle. Out of all the Mane 6, she's the one I identify with the most, from her bookish personality to her social cluelessness.

Favorite Background Pony? (no AJ is not eligible)

Answer: If you include supporting characters, it would definitely be Celestia. The Princess of the Sun is a fascinating character to look at, and I still hope for her to get an episode some day. If you just mean actual background ponies, it would probably be Carrot Top. Not only do I like the look of her, but I love the stories and comics pairing her up with Derpy. So many fridges to be emptied...

Favorite Villian?

Answer: Discord wins for the sheer amount of danger he represents. He can very casually break a pony's mind and rewrite their personality, alter gravity itself, and make reality his love slave, and he loves every minute of it. He's like Q from the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, only even more evil and childish.

Favorite Fanfic?

Answer: I really can't say. I love so many that I could be here for hours just listing them all.

Favorite Ship?

Answer: I actually don't ship.

If you were to be inserted into an episode (not your favorite), what you do during those events?

Answer: No matter the episode, I'd just chill in the background, chat with a few of the ponies perhaps, and watch the chaos unfold from afar. I'm just boring like that.

What is your favorite fanon interpretation of a character?

Answer: As previously hinted at, I do enjoy the sort of buddy comedy fanon with Carrot Top and Derpy. The two form a very solid comic duo, and the stories about Derpy's ingenious schemes to snatch muffins from her friend/roommate were a lot of fun. It is a bit of a shame that it's been pushed aside in favor of Dinky and, on occasion, Doctor Hooves. While those have their moments, I just prefer the light, goofy relationship CT and Derpy have.

And finally, should Lyra ever get those hands she wants so badly?

Answer: If she wants them, then she should have them. She's certainly earned them by this point.

I think some colour coding between the author and the interviewer would help a little bit on make it more readable, because when I look over it does it look a little bit confusing...or it could be because it is 2,30AM here

609722 Or it could be because secretly, unbeknownst to you, Discord has been playing mind games with you using his MENTAL MIND POWERS!!!