Hey, new face, here. Yeah, it's your favorite who's-that-guy! Joking aside, I'm not exactly one for posting on forums. But an idea hit me through the week, and when I presented the idea to some people, they found it rather good.

So why do you art? Be it writing, playing and/or writing music, drawing, and any other form of art, why do you do it? What drives you on the inside to go through the efforts and sometimes hardship of your craft? What's you inner motivation, what are your virtues in this passion of yours? What made you care about this? What pushed you to improve?

We've all had moments where we looked at ourselves in the mirror and asked "Why am I doing this?" or "What am I trying to do?". I know I've had moments like this when I began writing on FiMFic. I'd gotten a much better understand of what I was trying to do at the time. I wanted to show it off. I wanted to impress someone, myself probably.

We've all faced these comments that bashed on us, that put us down, here or in the real world, by friends and family and enemies alike, and we've all faced hardship that made us reconsider our choices. I take it that those of you that are reading this and relate to this, you're ten times the winner than anyone who ever shot you down.

Back to the main point, why do you do what you do? Is it out of spite for those that shot you down (wink wink Crystal)? Is it because you just enjoy writing as a hobby? Is it another reason I can't think of at the moment because I'm oh so narrow-minded? Probably. Or maybe not. It really doesn't matter. You art because something drives you; there's something inside you that compels you to art.

And if I may ask this of you all, if you are willing to do it, I would like to ask what it is that drives you! I would like to know how you wound up doing what you are doing today! And more importantly, I would like to know what you would tell others that may be struggling with whatever issues that impair their ability to express their art!

Alright, bit of a story time with Uncle Star!

If you ask me what are my reasons, my virtues, for writing fanfiction, I would probably answer with this:

For me, it was simple. It began because I wanted to escape my reality, to recede into the depths of my imagination and never again come out. Then, it slowly began to grow on me; I began to study various grammatical rules, punctuation, dialogue structure. I explored different fandoms, different writing styles to make my learning experience even greater.

Yes, to me, fanfiction is a learning experience, always leaning in and whispering you something to help you improve further on. Nowadays, I write fanfiction not because I feel the need the be a model to other authors around; no, that's not what I want it to be. I write fanfiction because I want to share a passion.

There are many reasons why people write fanfiction to begin with. My reasons are to share and contribute. My reasons do not demand virtues; they demand me to just flat out express myself through art but not because I feel like I'm obligated to do so but because I want to do so. I write fanfiction because I enjoy doing it. I write fanfiction just for fun; nothing more and nothing less.

This has changed a little bit since April 2013, but the thoughts behind this remain the same. I write fanfiction because I can, because I want to, and because I like doing it. It's fun, it's entertaining, it can make me giggle, make me flat-out burst in laughter, make me feel sad, make me feel good and add in a variety of other emotions within me. It's a train I hopefully never want to leave so long as I can still manage to fuel it.

And of course, my personal piece of advice for you beautiful writers that may be struggling, or that may need another perspective (applies to everyone else too, not just writers): Don't stop. Write. Write anything and everything. If you find yourself stuck on a scene, pick another one and write it out, flesh it out and come back to the older one once you're past your block. Write about sad things. What about happy things, but just write. Steal from real life. If you see something happening in front of your eyes, examine it and try to see where you can draw inspiration from it.

Inspiration is sometimes right in front of us. Don't just give up because something doesn't work out as you expected it.

And I leave this here if you ever come crashing down, and you need some moral boost to make you care and want to do your art: http://projecttiger.deviantart.com/art/For-everyone-who-loves-to-create-395111562

This comic drove me to just go about my writing in my style. To not use someone else has an example. Of course, I still do the latter, but it's sometimes for the purpose of a guideline, or a way certain people do things

And if you come crashing down hard because of criticism, and you're afraid of moving forward, I leave you with this gem of a video to help you brave your hardships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY

I look forward to seeing what some of you will post in here. I am ecstatic about this. It means a lot to me to help others get better in their trades, and if this can help someone out there, well that's all I can hope for.

When I started writing in general it was because I found it fun and a great hobby that got me away from video games. But once I discovered MLP my inspiration and love for writing caught fire. Now I write not just because it's a hobby, but because telling the story of a character or a bunch of characters is like creating a real world for me. Reading was always my favorite activity. The thought of bringing the same joy I got from reading to others helps keep me going. I hope everyone has the chance to bring lovely reading material to others. Anzel and Crystal are pro's at this.

If anyone reads this thank you for listening.

Well, I used to have a pone YT channel and I once did a vector of Velvet Step. Why? Well... mainly because I was bored out of my mind at those times, so I figured I could do something to feel productive.

I guess I write to turn ideas and concepts that come to my mind into words. It's nice to see how much I improve from when I first start.
For drawing, it's something I honestly enjoy doing. It's fun.

My reasons for writing fan fiction are kinda all over the place.

I've had a rather over active imagination since I was a little kid. When I got done with schoolwork, I'd either read or daydream. If the latter, I could basically create a little world vibrant enough for myself that I wouldn't even realize that I'd missed the entirety of math class because I was dreaming of playing a hockey game or flying an X-Wing or something.

I was such a great student, I swear.

Fast forward a lot, I started reading fan fiction on, of all places, fanfiction.net.

You little son of a—the hive will never forgive this!

Oy, pipe down, Frank. I'm making a point here. Besides, I'm getting to the "ffn sucks" part.

Much as it gets a bad rep, the writing on ffn was about the same as here: a few really good stories, some meh, a lot of shit. Like, a lot of shit. The amount of shit that could make an 18-year-old ZOMG von ZOMGington the 57th who had never written creatively (everything was research papers or narrowly defined writing assignments) think to himself "hey, self, we can do better than that!"

So I wrote and published a story on ffn.

And I sucked.

So I wrote more.

And I sucked a little less, but still sucked.

Oy, you said you were getting to the "ffn sucks" part.

Patience is a virtue. Go play a few tricks on some ponies and snuggle with that mare you like. I'll call you.

Anyway, I got tired of ffn for a variety of reasons. Chief among them was the "WHEN ARE YOU GONNA BASH X CHARACTER" and "WHY AREN'T YOU BASHING" comments. So I bailed on that site and found my way over here, and I like this place a little better.

I also happen to enjoy ponies a lot more than, say, Harry Potter, Naruto, or whatever that site likes these days, so there's that too.

I suppose I started to write because of a mix of daydreaming and arrogance. Though, now that I've graduated and am waiting to hear back from the Air Force, something else has set in:

Complete, utter boredom.

I wrote a ton of research papers in college. I filled hours upon hours of my life with reading and writing those papers on top of playing college hockey and doing writing here. I'm now out of college, so I have no research or competitive hockey.

I.

Am.

BORED.

So, writing, for me, is an escape and a way to kill my own boredom. I have a way to enjoy my daydreams and move them along in a way that tells a story, and I get to share them with people. Sometimes, people love them. Sometimes, they couldn't care less.

Either way, that's why/how I started writing and continue to do so.

why do you do what you do? Is it out of spite for those that shot you down (wink wink Crystal)?

As some of you know, I've tried to write for a long time. With little to no success. My first piece of writing was DBZ "mary sue" wish-fulfillment trash. My next piece of writing was also trash. For a long time, I wrote crap, thinking it was good. Which brings me to my first quote.

"You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence."
― Octavia E. Butler

I kept writing, kept writing, and kept writing. During my angsty teenage years, it was a way to express those super dark feelings a lot of us feel when we're between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, give or take. I wrote dark things, I wrote violent things, I wrote edgy things.

I tried to write high fantasy. I tried to write sci-fi dystopias. I always fell in love with my characters, but I focused so hard on trying to tell a certain story that I never gave the characters much thought. It was always about telling a story rather than letting the characters tell the story.

I guess that should have been my first clue that my genre calling would be slice of life. I think the thing that has contributed the most to taking my writing from unbearable to tolerable would be finding the genre I was meant to right. So, my biggest advice for struggling writers would be: try another genre.

Now... back to Star's little wink wink nudge nudge at me. Spite. Yup. One of the main reasons I keep writing is out of spite.

When I started posting Wishes, every single negative criticism ruined my day. It made me feel like I was a terrible writer and want to give up. I took everything everyone said as fact and never questioned anyone's statements as opinions.

Everyone's opinion is valid, but that doesn't make them right.

There are people who really like my writing. There are people who hate it. I've been told my characters are deep, relatable, and lovable. I've been told my characters are shallow and no good at all. Everyone can't be right, so who do I listen to? Whose opinion do I value?

"The motive behind criticism often determines its validity. Those who care criticize where necessary. Those who envy criticize the moment they think that they have found a weak spot."
― Criss Jami

Mine! I value my opinion. I love these characters, and not everyone is going to like them. That's okay. I've learned to accept that. There are people who like novels and movies that I hate. And you know what? That's okay! It doesn't make them wrong, but it doesn't make me wrong, either.

So partially, I write out of spite. When I get negative feedback about my stories or my characters, I don't disregard it... but if it's something subjective like "your characters are shallow cardboard cut-outs" when I've also heard the opposite, I move on. And I keep writing. If I stopped writing, then that proves they're right. I don't want them to be right, so I can't stop.

"To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing."
— Elbert Hubbard

So what if your grammar is poor? So what if your pacing is off? Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you keep writing, then you'll figure things out eventually. Writing is just like any other skill. It takes practice! Did you go from crawling to walking in an instant? Nope! Did you turn on a computer and instantly know how to use it? Doubt it! So why should your first piece of writing be crafted at a masterful level?

The other reason I write is, of course, because it's a hobby that Anzel and I share. But I don't want to harp on that because I know not everyone has a writing partner. It is a great source of inspiration and strength for me, however.

So, as I always say, if you want to write, then write. If you don't think you're any good, then keep writing. I was terrible when I started out. I'm still learning. We're all still learning. The only way to truly fail is to stop writing.

"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."
— Ernest Hemingway