One thing I've been trying to research in the past week, and failing to find much on, is zebra (cutie/glyph) marks. In particular, I am trying to create one but am really not sure how to go about it. I want to be more respectful to the designs than just slapping (describing) an image like a pony cutie mark, ie a football.

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New chapter was to go live today (in fact about now) but I'm just not happy with its ending. Will work on it more and hopefully be only hours/a day or two away. This can be ignored. The first chapter of the second main arc is now live.

Tael.

Finally shaken all but the last of the bug, which has done a number on my memory, and am getting better focused on the story again. Doing so, I realised something. Looks like I forgot to name the village John arrived at so many chapters ago after escaping her cell. Or, if I did name it, I can't find it. So, looking for a bit of help.

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Sorry, been sick all week. Something one of my sisters generously shared with me last week. Almost fully recovered now. Hit me mid sentence working on the chapter, didn't want to ruin the scene by pushing forward as I crashed, and spent some time frustrated that it had happened. Bonus is that I thought of a slight change to the coming chapters and can bring it in with almost no one knowing what it was. Along with splitting headaches, my eyes were so sore I could barely look at any screen for

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Sorry this chapter is taking so long. Was expecting to complete it this week then family dropped in unannounced, turning me into an unpaid taxi at their every beck and call for the entire week. Combined with a few other things (including feeling like an absolute failure and screw up to my offline friends), I have ended this week incredibly mentally low. Doing my best to fight it off, currently succeeding but it was right on the edge there for a few hours. Going to rest a bit then get to working

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Trying to focus on the current chapter for A Deer Named John and all my brain wants to do is work on a scene for Coping of a Former Human for a chapter several steps down the road for that story than where it is right now.

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In fact, there was Susan the minotauress now, helping Morning Glow unloading goods for her stall.

I have been staring at this sentence for weeks. Even when I have been too busy or sick to write, I have stared at it. Although I had parts of scenes after it and notes on what to do, I simply couldn't work out how to follow this sentence while not going too overboard with the amount of former humans I could throw into this bit. I swear it was mocking me.

Until today!

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As the title says, I am considering making a ret-con to the story. It is really a minor thing, something I hadn't properly thought of during the time I was expanding the whole story to what it is currently planned to be. That said, it does play into the fact that there are differences between the show, which some former humans have seen, and what is reality in Equestria.

The ret-con is this:

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Really feeling for Knighty right now. *Blog entry for link has been deleted.*

As many of you know, I am very acquainted with that type of hopelessness and depression.

Thinking more to the (hopefully) distant future, if the FiMfiction site were to come to an end, especially while I haven't completed A Deer Named John, I would look to moving it to another site.

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Struggling to source this while not losing my writing rhythm, but are there canon nicknames given by Pinkie to Limestone and Marble?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Tael

Working on the chapter right now. Have a small speech from Ochre to play out and all I hear in my head is the voice of Sam Elliot.

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Although I can't promise that it will be done today, life being the crazy that it is, I have finally been able to grab some proper writing time for the next chapter of John this morning. It feels refreshing to be moving on it again and ignore the distractions around me.

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A sort of realisation of how I messed up in the challenge of the past two chapters:

Yet again just remembered my best writing method. When struggling, focus on writing random but important scenes then stitch them together into a narrative. The next chapter would definitely be one to do that with. It is actually how much of the early chapters of John, along with the entirety of The Fractured, were written. Amazing how I keep forgetting and relearning this lesson.

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As the title says. While I have been repeatedly pulled away from writing the next chapter over the past number of weeks (mostly carer duties, family birthdays, and Christmas preparations), I have got the notes for it pretty well ready to go. I've also been working on the notes for the entire second main story arc.

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Now that I have pulled myself out of a very bad place mentally, and the previous chapter of A Deer Named John has stopped weighing me down, I am now looking forward to and am anxious to get moving on the next pieces of writing:

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It has been just over a week since my mind snapped away from being so depressed that it was drowning in much darker places. With my head being clearer, I have been pushing to write each day, mostly just little bits of the coming chapter but it feels like things are finally all clicking into place with my creativity returning. Haven't felt this way for many months. It feels refreshing.

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...

My Uncle passed away in hospital a short time ago. During a discussion between my mother and my cousin about possible hospice care. Normally family would have been there in greater numbers, but this year imposed its restrictions and only two visitors could be with him at the end, completely clad in medical PPE. So much of a difference from the start of January.

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Although it is nowhere near ready (unless a huge blast of writing fever overtakes me), I am finally making some real progress on the next chapter. It is even taking me in a direction I hadn't thought of until about an hour ago. I hope this is the solution I've been struggling for while metaphorically hitting my head against a wall day after day.

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I have made two small changes regarding Shield Breaker in the chapter "Homesick Boos" to fix a problem I have had in failing to set up the next chapter.

I'm so, so sorry the next chapter of A Deer Named John is taking so long. I truly am. I hate that there has been such a long time between chapters but I can't do it when I can't focus. This isn't intended as a pity party or woe is me post. It is simply to explain the past couple of weeks and my continuing failure to get through this chapter.

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