So, people of the School for New Writers, I have a question for you. What helps you write? How do you develop and understand your characters? How do you fashion your plot? Where do you get your ideas from? Favourite tense and perspective to write in and why?

Of course, you don't have to answer all of those questions if you don't want to. I'm just curious on how other writers find it best to write their stories.

I'll start.

When I'm trying to write a conversation between two characters (Especially canon characters) I see them talking inside my head, in the way the show would present them, how they would speak, and how they would react to a certain phrase. For instance, one exercise I like to do is stage an interview with a character and ask them questions related to both opinion and fact. Things such as:

Me: Is it true that you have a pet turtle called "Tank"?
RD: Yup! My friend Fluttershy helped me find him. I picked him out of a range of other pets.
Me: So, Rainbow Dash, why did you decide to pick Tank as your pet?
RD: Duh, because turtles are totally awesome!
Me: Why did you decide to name him "Tank"?
RD: Isn't it obvious? He practically is a tank! You'd break your own hoof tryin' to get past that shell!

You get the idea.

When I think up plots, I start off with the start, and figure out what should happen at the end. Then, I plot out the bigger points in the story, and after that I flesh it all out inside my head and start writing, putting in a little on-the-spot tidbits along the way.

I usually get most of my ideas when I'm lying in bed, nearly asleep or just waking up and my imagination is in full bloom. Sometimes ideas come to me in the shower, or when I'm on my computer, but it's usually when I'm tired that I start to drift off and my brain tries to entertain me. If the idea is good enough, I jot it down to ponder on later.

I usually write when I'm tired. No idea why, but I seem to have more motivation when I'm tired. When I'm awake, I go through and proofread.

When I first started writing I was using present tense with first person before discovering that writing in third person with past tense gives the author more opportunity with other characters than just the protagonist.

That's it for me. So, once again, what helps you write?

Before I write, I typically go for a jog. It helps energize my body and gives me time to think about how my stories can pan out.

But though my best ideas come from that activity, sometimes I'll just lay awake at night and I can't get back to sleep unless I write down this idea I think is solid gold. But my motivations? I set myself a weekly deadline for uploading a new chapter, then scold myself for not meeting that deadline. I tend to scold myself quite a bit.

I press "shuffle all" and see what horrible ideas music can conjure.

I usually tend to just be in my office at home on the computer, doing whatever, when suddenly (and totally off-topic) an idea about either a new or current story pops into my head. I then immediately go to write it.
After I've basically ruined the page with my short-hand, I go through it and fine-tune it.
I tend to keep direct action between the main characters at a minimal, however, when I do have them talk directly to another character, it just flows for me. I don't usually plan or think it out, I just write whatever seems natural.
Mostly I write in third person, so most of my character development happens in the mind. But I do enjoy it so much when I leave one aspect out, even though I can mind-read, just to have it answered in the last chapter with direct confrontation by another character.
Same goes for my plotting and scheming of the story-line. It tends to just sort of happen, but like you, I plan the beginning, the end, and have a rough idea of the flesh and blood in the middle.

Having recently discovered that I enjoy orchestral music (and little else), I'll be incorporating that into my writing routine, possibly to provide thematic assistance, or something. As Sabre said, I think while not being bombarded with stimuli, be it in the shower or when I'm trying to fall asleep. It's actually annoying when the latter occurs, as I end up thinking about my stories and stories I want to write instead of sleeping.

I have a kind of reward to work system to help me wright. I find something to do that I enjoy (Usually a good video game or some show from netflix,) and devide it into small chunks (such as ten turn incroments on civ 4 or ten minutes of an episode of whatever show i'm watching,) I then make a guestamation about how much time it takes me to go through one of the cycles. Switching back and forth between the two things I usually get about a thousand words down in an hour, which is a good pace for me as i'm a very detailed wrighter and prefer to take my time to describe everything.

How do I develope my characters? Well it depends. If i'm wrighting OC's it helps to give them a kind of mental bio, and then working off that. My favorite OC i've ever made nammed Whind Whisper, is a young stallion who can't speak above a whisper and is incredibly shy due to low social interaction. He's timid and nerviouse around others (exspecially friends) and dosn't know anything about casual conversation. I created that bio before I ever put him to paper, and when I did I just built off what I had made.

Cannon characters are different, I already have a bio to build off of, so I develope them through scenery and suroundings. Where the character is, what there doing, what there touching, and the simple interactions can do a lot to move along development and show complexity. A great example of this is anywhere Twilight finds something new, give me ten minutes and I can wright a scene where she interacts with it that could do more to advance her then dialoge or a ten thousand word story ever could. Why? Because her character is so inquisitive and willing to learn, her personality leads me to develope her.

How do I fassion plot? Once again, depends. If i'm wrighting a love story, I do whatever will draw the characters together or give them something to talk mushy over. I'm a hopeless romantic so I devope them through what the heart tells me to. If i'm wrighting an adventure story that gets a little more complex. First I find a clear goal for my characters to strive to acheive, devise a villian that in no way acts like a villian, yet still somehow hampers the heros, and describe how the characters interact untill they get to there goal, throwing in scenes and conflict as I go. Lastly, if i'm doing a slice of life fic, I wright whatever I find belevible or intertaining. Usually it just involves putting a character in a room and letting them wander around until they do something interesting. Like what would happen if I put Pinkie in charche of the Ponyville train? I just set her on it and the story rights itself. (thats not a bad story idea actually, I could call it the cho cho pie.... someone go wright that story, I want to hear it now.)

Where do my ideas come from? Mostly what i said above, put character in room, shenanigans. However I find I get my best ideas when wet, so the shower is like my think tank. and a rainy day is a blessing.

Favorite perspective is easily the style I used in Portal to Another World. Where the audiance knows the thoughts of the main character, but a narator tells the story.

That good enough to answer your questions?

I get my idea's off the top of my head mostly after having a dream closely related to it, day dream until I have a idea or story, so I get my idea's from dreams and day dreams or I sometimes just look out the window staring at the sky night or day doesn't matter just helps me think

I just shuffle random thought in my head until the random pieces make something up. Talking about that doing this I just came up with six different stories.

Here are some of the six I came up with:
A sain pony?
Why afriad of shadows?
A Clear Sky
The spark of Fire
What is time?

The last on is very special I won't say.

I normally play back episodes of My Little Pony from Netflix based off the character I'm writing about (Family Appreciation Day or Ponyville Confidential for Scootaloo!) and go on hatena. Many animators gather on that Flipnote Hatena, from role-plays to music videos, so I find myself wandering there all the time to get inspiration. For one to be a good writer, one must read a lot. For some stories, I think about them while walking home from school while others while reading Erin Hunter books.

Because I watch about 12 episodes of MLP on average every day of a weekday, I rarely have any characterization errors, and either way, I get a feel of them from the TV. My plot just seems to build around an idea, although I mentally write them out for later in my head. To write for long periods of time, not only does the show help, but I stay in tune with the computer, like when you're playing a good game. I'll write in any tense: past or present, first-person, second-person, third-person restricted or third-person omniscient. I'm not a beginner anymore!

Normally listen to music to inspire me. But occasionally i will have a weird thought pop into my head which usually leads to some sort of story

455329

Yup me too, but it mostly increases my aggressiveness, brutality and lust for gore. Also a standard walk with my dog leads to my mind shutting down from reality and expanding beyond, getting some craaazy ideas all of a sudden. I tend to play the imagination game during those walks, I can honestly recommend it to everyone. Too bad I'm lazy as hell and can't simply turn the ideas into full stories... <sigh> Will need a brain surgery or some special medications to lower my levels of sloth to an acceptable one soon...

My friends, the fact its my anti-addiction. The fact My Little Pony helped me when I needed something happy to write. In all honesty I don't need to write, I need help to continue writing. I keep up all my stories even the ones I regret ever posting as a reminder what never to do and what to write less of.

I sometimes like music without lyrics that can really drown out any distraction such as outside noise or even my own fleeting thoughts.
So, I open up the word program and then blare some apocalyptica or something. Focus all the way.

Also, when I go to bed, I "write" the current scenes out in my head.
Helps me fall asleep and gives me lots of new ideas on how to get everything to be cohesive.

Usually when I write I pull up a song. Most likely some Daft Punk or something along those lines. Then whatever comes to me comes to me.

I have a similar way to Sabre Blade, but sometimes I get ideas from songs. However, I also get aggresive when listening to music.

Many of my ideas come up at any time I'm not deeply focused on something. I write them down when I find the time for it. I have many story ideas floating in my head, most of them have never actually been written down. In fact only one story has been written down in full, though I've started to put another idea onto paper due to it being related to Nightmare Night.

As 450997 said, walking home from school usually involves an empty mind, and an empty mind is a creative mind. It's my primary (and most potent) thinking tool, and I get to do it almost every day.

470755
Ah... walking home from school. The time before writing more stories and after a full day of school.

Many of my ideas strike at a time of idleness such as waiting for the bus or walking to a location. Of course, I'm unable to record them in time which is a pity.

And there seem to be a difference between expanding my idea in my head and expanding it by writing. Writing is always frustrating slow.

If I want to do a lot of work on any sort of fiction, I usually take a drive beforehand, to let me think without distractions. Also, for me, writing is a self-perpetuating process. I start, and the ideas for how to continue flow freely from my head to my fingers. It's great.

A brainstorming session based off of a concept that pops into my head while bored. Then carefully regimented ideas written on a storyboard setting up overall themes and purposes behind the tale to tell. Next deciding what the most useful or interesting idea is. Then a breakdown into a proper 3 act structure with a bullet point outlined chapter blueprint that supports the overall story and theme. Finally a girlfriend who kicks me in the ass and yells "Just write the stupid story about ponies!" Then writing, then revising. Then handing it over to said girlfriend for critique, then revising, then sitting down at the same table and fixing my common writing mistakes mostly by adding "T3h fluffies." A final computerized check to make sure I didn't accidentally write (People, person, foot, feet, hand, etc...) Then posting and accepting feedback, then revising based on feedback. Then onto the next chapter which I try to pound out on a weekly basis through sheer force of will since waiting till I want to write might cause me to stall. Overall not a particularly useful or interesting system I know, but I'm still proud of what I produce.

normally when i write i have the scene playing through my head but only in words (because i can't see pictures in my mind). So i would have descriptions or feelings of what they are doing. I tend to think of plot in bits and pieces randomly. Normally they start when I am working on a completely different story so I have to stop what I am doing and write down the story idea to (Hopefully) come back to later. It is very hard for me to stay focused on one story because of that. Also when I am writing I don't like to be in my room because when i try to write in there i get the urge to move and wind up pacing (thats what i do when i think) after every single sentence.

Nothing.....

I really have a problem with the actual "writing" part of making stories. I feel like I have really good ideas for some, but actually it writing is really hard for me. Every time I try it just seems like I'm doing it wrong...

I work with music so I won't get bored

I have found that one of the best ways to write is to try to not write. As soon as you set yourself a limitation, bam. Inspiration comes flowing.
Random ideas also occur to me while running. Then it becomes a race against time to get home before the idea disappears.
And sometimes I stare at a blank page. It's mildly therapeutic.

443479 I know this may sound silly but...

When I write my dark stories (like this one ) I listen to happy and cheery music. I do not know why happy music makes me a dark writer, but if it works, it works.

443479 Most of the time, i draw my ideas right away. If i draw, i get right away a story and what the situation is. To know the characters, i try to put them in a really strange situation. What would they do? And why? And if they do that, what will there happen? If that happens is that then the right choice? Etc.

And btw, the most inspiration for me is in my toilet XD

558879
I drawed a pic a few days ago and got my new story And that story is also in a strange situation as well

Peace and quiet.

I just need to think of a way to start off and everything just... comes to me, I guess.

558879 When I'm taking a dump, I tend to think about things.

I can only write 500 words per day. Is this good? or is it bad?
Is it good to be paranoid about your work and and recheck it every 10 seconds?
Is it bad if my sleep is being limited by my active imagination?

I've got a rather odd manner of writing. I'll get my ideas together one way or another and be unable to just sit down and write, because I'll stress over each and every little thing far too much and constantly get distracted. The most common way I overcome that is by writing when I'm not feeling well. Either being sick, extremely tired, or something of the sort, anything to inhibit the little voice in the back of my head that tells me that everything I write is crap. Then, once I've begun to churn out my latest chapter, it's much easier to continue writing and I can get a few thousand words down in one sitting.

Only one thing that will help me write is Video Game Music, and peace & quiet from the annoyances.
Also, I may write around 1000-3000 words.

When I write, music very much helps. Aside from that, a good mood is always needed (not good as in good, necessarily, but the appropriate mood).

What else... ah yes, I read books that I find inspiring, like LoTR.

574436 Haha, go randomness!!!!!

Well, I do find myself engrossed with a large skew of media, whether I watch a good film or listen to a good song, read a good book or play a good game, different ideas come from me in different places.

However, since my specialty was crossovers on this website, I usually used any of those mediums and added onto the ones with great storylines, Metroid doesn't have a dialogue-based story, and, aside from the buttload of grammatical and spelling errors, you can tell that in my piece Ridley in Ponyville. But if you took a game that really does have an excellent story, like my crossover with Red Dead Redemption, it comes to me easy.

Now, my other writing is a different story.

All of the shows about police officers and period films inspire me to run my current piece-in-production that's straight from scratch, Salem Steel, about a police detective working a chain of murders in a steel mill in the grid-line fake-real town of Salem, Pennsylvania in the early 50's, I try to use concepts like the Untouchables and even a few police officers now. Really, anything can give you inspiration to write, but the four standards of media drive me forward, as does almost every. Other. Fucking. Person. That. Writes. Ever. Period. End. Of. Story. This. Must. Be. A. Popular. Form. Of. Expressing. Points. On. The. Internet. Potato.

Google. It's a habit.

Or is it Bing?

Music. Lots and Lots of soundtracks from various games and anime, in which they help me brainstorm ideas.

If I come up with an idea, I want to be able to expand on it with music. If Music helps expand the idea in my head, then it's as good as greenlit.

443479 Dreams, thinking about what will I write, what will I do etc. while I am on the bed. My brain does the rest on my dreams, I mostly put them if I find them usefull... And music, patapon 3 music.

Wow, I can't believe this thread is still being used. I forgot about this.

656448 Most of my ideas come from being sleepy as well! Although, I have never been influenced by music.

Perhaps I shall try it sometime.

~May your days be filled with laughter!~

656452 Oh they sure are. Try catching me on chatrooms, you'll be surprised what kind of person I am. May even block me, who knows? I have some friends who wishes hard to see Nightmare Moon chop my head off, and some of them want to sew my mouth...
*sigh* I always do that... I am missing the point again. Anyway, hope helped! Good days!

There; goes well while reading stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=CRVB4FQW8wU

Music, music is realy helpful like this song right here.

It made me tear up with manly tears. It also will help write a later chapter of my story.

I get my ideas by looking at cool pony pictures on deviantart

I usually just listen to music that fits my current mood. If I have any story ideas, I write them down and leave them be for about a week or more. After the time is up, I quickly review the idea and pick it apart until I am satisfied with it. From then on, I just allow myself to write the story at my own pace-usually around 500 words a day.

Also, I tend to avoid deadlines as much as possible. I want to create a quality story, and if I get stricken by a seemingly incureable case of writer's block, then it will obviously result in an inferior product.

There are certain maxims I go by when I write, in no particular order:

No music.

It distracts from my writing process (unless the song will end up somehow as a thematic element, like say "Locked out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars popping on the radio right after the main character can't get his/her lover to climax to accentuate how the main character feels like crap for enjoying something his/her lover didn't, just for a very rare example). The reason it distracts from my writing process is because it influences my mood, which influences how I phrase things, like say if "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles pops up on my Shuffle, it could make me use more depressing, grounded and/or realistic phrasing, even in a story that is supposed to be upbeat, happy, cheerful (maybe nonsensical), and Que Sera Sera.

I pay attention to my mood.

If I am tired, what I put on the page will "feel" tired when I go over it again. This actually happened at the end of Chapter 2 of my latest story (check out the Grading Room thread if you're curious about the story ), where I had been writing all day (kind of a rarity for me, but it happened) and I just gave up on doing anything meaningful with the story as it stood, because I did not have the energy to continue it at that point. This affected the end result of that second chapter. In contrast, if I am in a depressed/optimistic/thoughtful state of mind, that will change the kinds of words I use in my story in a similar fashion.

In short, I try and pick times to write where I am in the best possible frame of mind to create the story. Yes, it's not always possible, but it helps a lot to at least be aware of my mood and how it can affect what I write.

I think about my own life, and why many things are the way they are. I may not write down my observations, but I still keep them in mind. Why do I do this? To improve my writing, of course!

Yes, these characters are ponies, but I see them as human beings by definition. The definition I go by for "human beings" is that "human beings" have a physical body, and a spiritual soul. That's it, in its most general possible sense. I consider ponies to match this criteria, therefore I consider them "human beings" with a VERY different physical body from mine. This helps me with characterization and dialogue, because I can imagine these ponies as "humans" with different physical bodies from mine. By imagining them as "human", I relate to them, and I find more ways to express these characters in believable and interesting manners by using the "connection" I make between pony = "human", which allows me to draw on my own experience of being "human" to help me better write ponies.

By being able to relate to them as "human beings", I get to know them better and start to generate profiles of actions/reactions that the characters will do in certain situations that ends up feeling more realistic. Of course, it is helpful to keep in mind the differences that come from the Pony body, but it is what the characters DO with that body that makes them who they are, and THAT arises out of the connection between their soul and their bodies, and THAT *deep breath* is something that we humans share with them.

And... did I just repeat myself?

This third point is kind of "out there", but it helps me a LOT when I sit down to write, because it brings me closer to the characters. And that in turn helps me write them better, in a more believable manner.

Find a time period dedicated to writing that works for you.

I spend a lot of my free time on a combination of games, homework, chores and whatnot, which leaves my time for writing to be kind of short. BUT, the time I DO dedicate to writing is perfect for me, because it "fits" between most everything else I do. In short, while writing doesn't force me to "give up" any of my other interests, I still find time for it when I know I have nothing else to do. It is highly beneficial to find a similar time that works for you, and I'd rather not risk giving specific examples, because only YOU know what works for YOU. Just give it some thought, and find a way to slip in writing with everything else in your schedule.

As for where I get my ideas for writing, THAT is a complete mystery to me.

Sometimes, the ideas come so fast and thick that I get lost in trying to decide which one to run with; other times, I draw a blank as I stare at the screen. Sometimes, forcing myself to put SOMEthing on the page, even if it goes nowhere at first, helps get the creative juices flowing; other times, I'm dry no matter what I do. It is a crapshoot, but it's quite the entertaining crapshoot nonetheless

While I used to do a lot of third-person, I plan to branch out into first-person in my next story for many reasons.

It helps establish the concept of "this pony is someone I can relate to," because we all speak and interact with the world in the first-person.

It makes sense that one of the best ways to create a character that you want to be seen as relatable is to write their perspective from the first-person, because you can draw on a far greater well of experience for your writing. One downside is that the line between the author and the character can become blurred to the point where they are indistinguishable, at which point the story may be only slightly different from a self-insert, even if that isn't your writing goal. It takes some time and thought to truly get in the mind of another pony to the point where you can paint the world from their eyes in a believable manner that does not sound like VEHICLE FOR THE AUTHOR #2978.

It allows the author to do interesting things with description and perspective without leaving the reader feeling like they are being artificially fed details. For example, compare the following passages, one in third-person omniscient, one in first-person limited-unreliable:

As Tree Hugger approached the local farm that his new friend Fluttershy had told him about, he could hear the echo of repeated strikes upon wood. His demeanor continued to worsen, his face a contortion of fear, worry and purpose. He turned away from the brown-gray-green path and struck out through the woods, his ears swiveling to try and pinpoint the pulsing crashes that sickened his stomach the more he heard it.

Tree Hugger saw a flash of orange on his left, turned to try and get a better look of the object, and smashed his foot in the middle of the crack under an errant tree root. He flopped forward, his body bouncing on the grass as he tumbled over the root and smacked his back against a small boulder that poked out of the ground nearby. His head ended up under him and upside down, where he happened to blink his eyes open to a sight he wished he had never seen.

A flaming-orange pony with blonde hair reared her hind legs and smashed a nearby apple tree's trunk, the force vibrating through the wood and scattering a combination of leaves, branches, apples, and some gray blob that Tree Hugger thought was a baby bird onto the ground. His mouth gaped at the sight of the stranger kick away at the tree, over and over again, as the apples fell from the tree into the waiting buckets. It was too much for him; he blacked out.

While the passage is very "distant" from the reader, there is still some characterization and some small details to help give Tree Hugger some personality, and to put him in a particular place and time. It also allows the author to bring out details that the character may miss, which could be important to the reader.

However, the characterization is limited to what the author (the omniscient narrator) deigns to tell the reader, and the reader is affected by the author's word choice. If the reader feels that there is not enough detail, they can feel like stuff is "lost in translation" so to speak, with no one but the author to blame for the "missing information". Or, they may feel that the author explained TOO much, which can overwhelm the reader and cause them to ask the question: "How much of this is really necessary?"

It is a delicate balancing act, and one that is very flexible at times. It is relatively easy to edit and/or proofread such stories, even stories that are told through limited third-person perspective, where the omniscience begins and ends with a particular character(s), because of this inherent flexibility. Too much description? Take it out. Too little? Add it in. Stuff doesn't make sense? Clarification is quickly done and put in. Pure and simple.

Next passage, same event, but in limited, unreliable first-person:

The dirt on the path in front of me was not compact enough to keep my horseshoes from sinking into the ground. I would have gone to the local shoe store to get the metal plates removed from my hooves, but I just didn't have time; that BANGING was there, its repetitive *thwack* cutting through any conversations I tried to have with my new friend, Fluttershy.

I remember how surprised she was at my asking about that infernal racket. I suppose I'll have to apologize to her once I deal with that noise. But no time for musing! I HAD to stop this, this TRAVESTY to living beings that she had mentioned took place not more than a mile out of town. I, Tree Hugger, must stop the oppression and exploitation of the trees in the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres!

My ears perked up as I continued to walk down the path; the wooden knell of oppression was near! I walked a little further, hoping to pin-point the location of what I was sure was the source of the botanic slavery, and was elated to hear the sound fade as I walked. I was close, so very close! I walked back to where the sound was strongest and leaped into the forest, my ears guiding my way to where I was sure the tyrant worked her dictator's ways.

A flash of orange on the left passed the corner of my eye. Yes! My ears did not fail me! I turned to face the oppressor in all her sadistic glory-

And the world blurred instead.

Green, brown, blue and black morphed into an incomprehensible mess as I tumbled away from my goal. Next think I knew, my spine cracked against some rock, my right hoof throbbing where I think it had caught some errant stone. My whole body began to shake as my eyes adjusted to the fact that the world was upside-down.

I wish my eyes had not opened and focused on the cruelty in front of me.

The orange pony with blonde hair and a cowboy hat readied her rear hooves of doom and beat the poor apple tree's trunk. The entire tree shivered, as a slave would shiver from the master's whip. The apples the tree needed to ensure the creation of future trees fell into the greedy bitch's gaping baskets, along with bits of leaves and twigs. The mental image of a tree shaken to the point of nudity, and I could not get it out of my mind.

It was all just, so, so... so HORRIBLE! I can't believe something this perverted could even EXIST! I just, I can't-

I can't... believe....

This is very messy, but chock-full of details and characterization. The action is right in the reader's face, and they develop a closer connection to said action because of how close it feels. The thing about first-person perspective is that it allows EVERYTHING to reflect on the character that the perspective is being told from. Thus, a far more complete and realistic picture of Tree Hugger is achieved through every word the author uses, whether it is through the description of events or the character's actions; every word provides a clue to the character's personality.

However, this perspective can be frustrating to read. After all, this gives the author a powerful lever to rationalize away a lot of criticism: "This is how the character thinks, so that's how it is written!" "This is how the character speaks, so that is how the dialogue goes!" "This is how the character acts, so that is what happens!" "Of COURSE that isn't explained, because it's a mystery to the character!" "You do realize that the character's mind is just that farked-up, right?"

Even if the author does not stoop to rationalizing away criticism, reading such a story from the perspective of an editor/proofreader can still be frustrating. How does anyone BUT the author know how the character really WILL act in a certain situation? How SHOULD such details be told, if the character is just not privy to said details, which means the details get glossed over and plot holes appear to form? Sure, there is an explanation SOMEwhere, but WHERE?! How does a reader know that a plot hole isn't a plot hole? How can you let them know without destroying the first-person perspective? How CAN a character be made more interesting without sacrificing the author's original vision for the character, which could in turn drastically change EVERY ASPECT OF THE NARRATIVE?

So much of a good first-person-type story relies on the author's ability to "sell" the reader on whether or not this character is interesting to them. If they hate the character, they hate the story. In contrast, if they love the character, they love the story.

Then again, it can happen that readers will perceive the same character in complete opposite ways, and I'm not just talking about love/hate: if you write a story about a slacker surfer-pony in the first-person perspective, some readers will be tripped up by the fact that the character is a slacker, and some readers will be tripped up by the fact that the character is a surfer-pony. Some readers will get hung up on the fact that the character is both a slacker and a surfer-pony, and some readers will see something entirely different. Or a combination of all of the above.

Thus, even if you do everything possible to write the character in a certain way, that is no guarantee that your readers will see the character in the way that you wrote him/her, even if you're the best fan fiction writer in the world. Which could sink your story with said readers before it even starts. Or catapult your story to fan fiction stardom. If your story is written well, it's still a farking crapshoot.

As a result, it takes a lot of guts to write a serious first-person narrative because of how widely it can be interpreted/re-interpreted by editors/readers. When it succeeds, like in Fallout: Equestria or Sleeping with the Girls (non-MLP:FiM story) by Admiral Tigerclaw (again, depending on who you ask), it becomes an incredible experience to read because of how immediate and close to the action it becomes. In contrast, the above problem is sometimes magnified a thousand-fold. And there may be nothing the author can do about it but shrug and move on, although I will admit that a drastic action like that IS rare. I contend that 99.999999999999999999% of bad first-person stories can in fact be made better, and there is no excuse for an author to give up, unless the author has already made up his/her mind.

Anyway, those are my VERY long-winded thoughts Hope no one's overwhelmed by the giant walls-o-text!

Sincerely,

Mr. Album

I like to look through pony pictures on EQD for inspiration

Before I write a single word, I watch the episodes of the show my stories are somewhat based off of. Like the setting of the story, I watch an episode pertaining to the specific area, so I can soak in the scenery and have better detail in describing it. And if you're setting isn't in the show, make it up! And see the Creating a World lecture for it.

I also listen to music that matches the mood of the story. And it's not just limited to more popular artists, like Coldplay, or Owl City. Theres a lot more out there! Like Yiruma, he's a great pianist. I would recommend him if you want your story to have a more, melancholic feel to it. And go on Spotify, you can listen to a whole bunch of music like that for absolutely free! It only takes a minute to sign up, and you can keep playlists of your favorite songs!

Music is great to conjure ideas. However, my brain likes to make the best ideas while I sleep, and usually because I think some really deep carp while sleeping. For some reason though, I don't get inspired by pony pics I find on deviantART.

Music can provide the perfect atmosphere I need, whether it be writing or brainstorming ideas. Need an action packed scene? Listen the Sonic Unleashed opening cutscene music. Looking for a spooky but poignant mood for your story? Go with a Lavender Town orchestral. (Weird choices, I know, but it works.)
Talking to characters in my head can also give me ideas for what to write next--even if the character isn't really in my story. It helps get my creative juices flowing.