6398008
The key is to get them done before the inspiration fades, else they end up incubating for years... not that I'm projecting or anything. Maybe another run through the source material could help.

So, progress! I've finally started writing the thing, with like a week to go before the deadline! Yay? Still, 300 words is 300 words.

In all likelihood this will probably be rather short and silly, but ... well, I'm good at that. Plus, it's got a rather fun combination of characters that would be fun to write even if I wasn't basing this very (very) loosely on someone else's stuff.

But I've run into a snag in that I've got to name a random supporting cast level OC and I have a name that ALMOST works but it doesn't quite come together for ... well, reasons.

WRITING IS HARD.

At this point it will have taken me longer to find a title than it will have to write the fic. Waugh.

Well, combining the ambition of my story idea with the deadline, I'll have to really pump it out this week or else I'll have to drop out.

So many words and so little time.

6398592
I know the feeling. I've spent so long figuring out how to execute a project that's designed so differently from anything else I've done, and how to marry the author's headcanon at the time with MLP:FiM canon as it has changed over the years, that I now have, oh, somewhere between twenty thousand and fifty thousand words to write in the span of a busy work week.

I'll tell you one thing, though: dropping out is not an option for me. I'll apologize profusely if I miss the deadline, sure, but this story will not go unfinished.

6398051

What you've just described is so like me that it's almost scary.

It sounds like a lot of us are feeling the crunch. As such, I don't think any of us are going to be upset if things are late.

My own progress on the story. I might be able to finish in time. Some details need to be figured out or filled in. One incident needs to be cut back in scale because of it already happening in the show. It should get a few laughs even if there's not much to it.

Anyone have a good idea for a ponyism to replace "little man"? Like how a cool jazzy guy would address a child. Example:
"Hey little man, how's it shaking? What you doin' hanging 'round some jive cats like these?"

Little stallion would be the obvious route, but it rolls off the tongue poorly, and little colt isn't all that much better.
I might concede to using one of those, but I can get progress-haltingly nitpicky about choosing the right ponyism to use at times.

(In other news, 3000 words and finally into the main action, whoo!)

6398362
yeah, same. Not a doorstopper by any means. :D

6399535

If it's meant to be mildly disparaging, and since "gate" is apparently a generic enough term for "man" according to Wikipedia's Glossary of Jive Talk, then maybe something like "gatecrasher", implying that the kid is too young or otherwise unacceptable to get into a party officially.

Or "champ scamp" (as in "champing at the bit" and "you little scamp"). Or "pocket pony" (obvious). "Squat trot" (as in "being squat" AND "you know squat"). "Half-pint", if you want something drinks-related and/or already used in the show.

6399535
I'll lay it on ya straight. A real hepcat's jive is from the heart, ya dig? Buuut if one were to stop and think about it, I suppose a more evocative word for a male horse—"little bronco", for example, or maybe "little stud" would be a good fit going by swing culture norms—could do the trick. Personally, I feel "man" is okay for such a slang-heavy environment.

But now that I have stopped and thought about it, what does that mean for the ever-popular exclamation of "Man!" in such circles? Could you just imagine every other sentence in a dialogue bookended by the overuse of the word "stud"?

I'm finishing up my story now!

Okay... Between work, hunting for a new car, and a death in the family, I've written not a word since my latest personal update on Sunday. With any luck I'll be able to pound most of it out over the next two days. As I said, though, I can forgive myself for being a little late as long as it gets done.

6400733
Woo! Congrats, Alaborn.

6401145

I know it's not going to mean much coming from an online stranger, but: I'm sorry to hear about your loss. The death of a family member is never easy to deal with. I hope you've at least got your friends and family to help you through the grief, and I can only ultimately say that you have my sympathies.

6401145
Condolescences

I've FINALLY found a title. I am now ready to post the fic, come the date limit...

Wait, I still gotta find a pic. Dammit.

Story finished and now in editing. I may be able to finish for the deadline.

Inconceivable.

6403314
You keep using that word...

6403352
But I'm a genius!

You can't outwit me.

6403314

Story finished and now in editing. I may be able to finish for the deadline.

Does it got any sports in it?

6403371
There's some running. Does it count?

6403371

6403382
If it's gonna have 'sports' in it, it needs this song!

Well, pardon the double-post, but barring a sweep through, mine's done! 1,169 words. Kinda cracky, but hopefully not... bad?

6398375 I'm suddenly wondering about my title too. I have one idea which is a nice pun, another which is simple and descriptive, and another which plays off the inspiration fic's title. Not sure which I'll pick!

And now I'm questioning how good my title is. Then again, I'm questioning everything about my story, but it's a little too late for me to just wipe the slate clean and do it all again, especially since I'm not as fast a worker as I used to be. So, I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers when the moment of truth arrives.

It's pretty much set in stone now that I'm going to be late. I'm finally able to get some work done and it's coming along rather well, but, um... not fifty thousand words in a night well. Probably. Still, I'm very, very pleased that this is the idea upon which I settled and I hope to do it justice.

Also, in case anyone reaches to a certain part of my little project... I'm not sorry.

Finished! More or less. Might do a little tweaking tomorrow, but I have something coherent to post. Yeeeey. It's about 2800 words of silly and snappy dialogue, but ... hey, that's what I do, right?

Now time to watch new pony episode! Which ... is about the CMC. Ah well.

The story is ready to go. I'm not too happy with my description (both short and long), but then, I never am.

Clocked in at a 4.4k word count too. Longer than I expected.

Letting the story cool a bit. Final round of outfleshing should commence after lunch.

Made lots of good headway, but finishing the whole thing in time for a Monday posting's looking very dubious. Hopefully a first chapter and an IOU for the rest can suffice, with said IOU being delivered on once I can flail enough words out of my keyboard.

6407216
I wish I could do that. Mine can't be separated into chapters. I'm going to have to rely on an IOU until all however-flippin-many words are written and edited.

Tweaked mine a little more, but for all intents and purposes, it's done.

Welp, I guess I'm finished. Would love to have someone come in and edit between now and tomorrow, but that's probably not gonna happen. Eh. I'm okay with how it turned out.

Woo! Going to comb through it for any typos or omitted words, but it's largely good to go.

Did a final round of editing this morning; now good to go!

(BTW, does anyone know what happened to Fimfiction's Google Docs importer? I couldn't find it today and had to copy-paste.)

Midnight passed, story posted!

Grind

Still stuck. Starting to get irritated now. Here's hoping I kick-start my inspiration tomorrow morning and finish the fic in time for Wednesday, but there is no way I'm publishing it any earlier. Editing awaits even after I get the draft done.

6407391 Okay, time zone questions... should I wait to post till it's Monday in my time zone, or what?

(Also, do you mind adding your story to this group?)

6407428
Time zones really do muck up coordinated releases. I mean, I haven't even seen Sunday's sunset yet!

I'm just going to wait until it's about lunchtime or so on Monday. Then the Europeans will be getting off work while (hopefully) a good portion of Americans will be checking the site on their lunch break. Try to strategize for maximum exposure.

I'm gonna have a lot of reading to do in the coming weeks. :p

Almost done. Still have three hours - but it might still have a few typos.

6407391
Woo! I must say, this looks to be exactly the kind of thing I'm into right now. Don't forget to add it to the group!

6407216
In the same boat as you. Hopefully I can finish this up tomorrow and still technically get it done on the due date. Disappointed with myself that I couldn't get it done tonight, though.

To my mild surprise, I actually managed to finish a story by the deadline.

I'll probably post it in 18ish hours, once I've gotten a good night's sleep, gotten home from work and had time to do a final once-over of it.

Mine was definitely of the "inspired by my author's style and subject matter" school of writing. We'll see how s/he likes it!

I think I wrote about 2,000 words tonight. This is pretty much the kind of progress I need if I'm going to achieve the deadline, as I've lost much of my previous planned writing time to unexpected happenings. At this point, I think it's at least halfway complete, so there's a chance I'll get it out by the end of Monday, if nothing else comes up. Otherwise, I suppose I wouldn't be the only person a day or two behind.

I kinda want to write up a summary of who was assigned who and wrote what based on which—I'm hoping to follow the chain when I finish writing—but I don't like the idea of bringing shame to those who dropped out or fell to the wayside.

Speaking of shame, I am still hard at work on mine!

Today did not go well. Barely managed 600 words for a fic that's getting bigger than planned anyway. At this rate, I'm starting to question whether it'll even be ready for Wednesday 25th April, the original deadline.

One more day. I'll try again tomorrow. One more day...

6408563
I set out to write a hundred pages today.

I wrote four.