Second Opinion: Who We Are, by kits

By the time you read this, I'll already be home (unless something's gone horribly wrong and I'm trying to hitchhike 2000 miles.  Let's... let's hope I'm at home by the time you read this).  But I probably only got in a few hours before this post went up, and let's face it; I'm not gonna be interested in trying to rush out my review of Esther Echos' Through the Well of Pirene right after rolling back into town.  So look for that on Wednesday--but first, check out our last guest post!  It's one you won't want to miss, as author extraordinaire Cold in Gardez bookends my vacation with a look at a story I gave a one-star review to which he thinks was a lot better than I gave it credit for.  If you have any interest at all in second opinions (and let's face it: if you're visiting a fanfic review blog, you probably are), then make sure you head below the break to see what CiG has to say.

A Critique of My Little Dashie – Part 2

And here's part two!  Head down below the break for more on structure, storytelling, and summing-up.

A Critique of My Little Dashie – Part 1

Okay, we've had our fun, now it's time to get serious.  You see, ColonelWaffle might not be a name you immediately recognize, but he's put together one of the most detailed, in-depth critiques of a piece of fiction I've ever seen.  And it's long, too--long enough that I'm breaking it into two parts, and they're both still heavy reads.

But don't mistake length for garrulousness!  What he's assembled is a comprehensive look at every aspect of construction, narrative, and cohesiveness, all meticulously and thoroughly explored.  ColonelWaffle makes a lot of statements, but he backs up everything he claims with story quotes and laudable analysis.  If you've ever wanted to take a deep dive into a story, today's your lucky day: head down below the break, and explore My Little Dashie with unparalleled fidelity.  

SOYBEAN SUBSIDIES IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICA

Time for week two of my vacation--a week which I will be dedicating entirely to guest posts about My Little Dashie.

...No, really!  I've got an excellent analysis to share with you all that's so long I'm going to split it into two parts, which dissects the fandom's most famous story in stunning detail.  If you enjoy deep dives into storywriting, you're in for a treat.  But before that, I've got something a little... let's say, lighter, to share with you.  Head down below the break for a quote-filled point-by-point rebuttal of my review, brought to you by the inimitable Richard!

Experiences and Thoughts for New and Prospective Writers

Ready for round three?  Because we're closing out week one of the guestravaganza with a fairly new author who you might have seen in the feature box once or twice in the past month.  That's right, today's post is by All Art Is Quite Useless, who's here to share some writing tips that he's picked up over the past few months, as well as offer some advice to would-be or prospective authors.  If you're still thinking about publishing that first story, make sure you check out what he has to say:

Seeing Through Your Characters’ Eyes: The Finer Points of Perspective

Speaking, as I ever-so-briefly did in the intro blurb on Monday, about Bronycon (smooth segue, Chris!), here's something that may look familiar to the attendees who went to Pascoite et al's panel.  That's right, everyone's favorite author/editor/pre-reader/mineral is at it again (I'd like to his past guest columns, but frankly he's written so much so well for OMPR that one could be forgiven for wondering who the OM is at this point!  To go back and see all his goodness, plus some reviews of his excellent stories, just type his name into the search bar on your right), this time with some thoughts about narrative distance and perspective.  Head down below the break for some truly excellent writing advice.

Couchfire

Welcome back from Bronycon, those of you who went, and welcome to day one of my vacation!  Batting lead-off for the fortnight is Icy Shake, a gentleman who's contributed his analysis here before, with reviews of In a Tavern, Down By the River, as well as of Somber's and Twilight Snarkle's entire outputs.  Today, he's once again going to dive into some fanfic analysis, by comparing and contrasting two well-known stories by well-known authors.  These fics may have similar premises, but Icy dives into why he found one more effective than the other, and what writing lessons can be learned from both.  Make sure you head down below and check it out!

Writing Collaboratively

To finish off our first week of guest posts, we have Richard, i.e. "the guy who wrote this wonderfully awful Mary-Sue parody in the comments section a while back."  Today, he's here to talk a bit about the mechanics and social setup for writing a collaborative fanfic.  The story in question isn't ponyfic, but everything he discusses is perfectly applicable to the wonderful world of writing about colorful equines; if you've got any interest in collaborative writing, you'll definitely want to head down below the break to see what he's found that works!

How To Read A Review

Today's entry comes to us from someone who wants to stay anonymous!  Fair enough, I guess; you'll have to analyze the writing style and see if you can figure out who it is.  He's here today to talk about how to get the most out of a review, and how to figure out from that review whether or not you'll like a given story; click down below the break to find out more.

Gimmick Stories

And so, the vacation begins.  And who better to kick off our guest posts than Pascoite, than ponyfic jack-of-all-trades who's written, reviewed, edited, and otherwise had a hand in more horsewords than, quite possibly, anyone else in this fandom.  I mean, I don't have hard numbers to back that up, but given how much he's done, it certainly sounds plausible.  In any event, head down below the break to see his thoughts on "gimmick stories"--that is, stories which utilize narrative tricks as an integral part of their structure.

Dissenting Opinion: First Sentences

Time for a guest post!  When I was looking for material to share while I was on vacation, Inquisitor M--noted author, editor, and pre-RCL inductee--offered to help out.  He had a great idea, but didn't quite get it finished before I left.  Now that it's here, however, I can assure you all that it was worth the wait.  Anyway, I'll let him take it from here...

-----

Greeting, ponyphiles!

Back when Chris asked for guest posts, he approached me about penning something in regard to my disagreements over the way he judges first sentences. I did some groundwork, but the post ended up too long every time, and then I had my bottom thoroughly spanked by depression for about a month.

Things are finally looking up, and the time has come to get this thing written. And this time, it is going to be as long as it needs to be, so buckle up and blame Chris.

Or Canada.

-Scott

Quality vs. Caliber

Today brings our run of guest posts to an end, and to take us (and me!) home, I'm calling an old standby in to bat cleanup.  That's right, today's column comes courtesy of Pascoite, man whose work as a writer, pre-reader, and editor more than speaks for itself, and who's done this a few times before.  Head down below the break to see his thoughts, which I think make a nice follow-up to DannyJ's column on Wednesday: having discussed what can or can't be said objectively about a fic, now let's look at the difference between "I don't like this story" and "this is a bad story."  Get it below the break!

Objective Quality

"People often say that comedy is subjective... and it is.  But then, so's almost everything else about writing, and we can still speak intelligently about "good" and "bad" stories, can't we?"

I said that at the bottom of Monday's post (you did read all the way to my blurb at the bottom, right?  Right?)... but if writing is so darn subjective, then how can we have a conversation that doesn't just devolve into unsupported opinion-slinging?  How can we talk about any sort of writing at all without prefacing our statements with "but that's just what I think?"

Today, that question is answered, courtesy of DannyJ.  You might know him from either his comments on this blog, or his various stories.  Click down below the break for his ideas of what we can--and can't--say about stories in the category of "factual statements."

Random Humor and You: A Very Serious Primer

Monday is a day when everyone needs a little pick-me-up... unless you're on vacation, in which case hahahaha I'm on vacation and you're not!

...But since you aren't, I figure the least I can do is brighten your day a bit by sharing a post from an author perhaps best-known for his comedy and his knack for walking the line between ridiculous fun and just plain ridiculous.  I'm talking about Aragon--and if you think he's got some absurd stories, take a gander at his blog.  Today he's got something to share that he has plenty of experience with: what makes a comedy, and especially a random/comedy, sink or swim.  Head down below the break for thoughts on avoiding the dreaded "dumb and pointless" tar pits which ensnare so many would-be comic authors.

Strength of Character(s)

Fridays aren't all that different from any other days when you're on vacation... but I'm going to go ahead and assume (as I sit here typing this, two weeks ahead) that it's a fine Friday nonetheless.  

Here to complement that Friday fine-ness is Bachiavellian, an author whom you might know for a story popping around near the top of the Top-All Time list on FiMFic as I type this (knowing the volatility of that list, it'll probably have a couple new downvotes by the time this post goes up, but what're ya gonna do?), but whom you really should know for his RCL-induction-earning, quintessential sad-tagged Carrot Top story.

...What?  Yes, I have a soft spot for Carrot Top, but that's a story that more than stands on its own merits.  Now, head down below the break for Bachiavellian's thoughts on how to conceive and create compelling characters.

Guest Review: In a Tavern, Down by the River

Welcome to the first guest post of the vacation!  Don't worry, I'll still be around up above the breaks, and with a sentence or three at the end of the post (because lord knows I have to have the last word on everything).  But the content?  That's all outside material... and speaking of, let's get to some content!  Today's installment is brought to us by Icy Shake, someone who's been around this blog as a commenter, and has earned his chops editing for ponyfic authors.  No, nobody you've ever heard of, just no-names like Somber and The Descendant.  Today, he takes a shot at reviewing with an analysis of Lysis's In a Tavern, Down by the River.  Click down below the break to see what Icy has to say, and to find out whether this is the fic for you!

By Order of the Inquisition: An Author is More Than A Writer

I'm taking the day off to sip fruity drinks with little umbrellas by the beach  shovel the driveway and catch up on work  do something more realistic than my idle fantasies, but less pedestrian than reality. Luckily, Inquisitor M has a guest post that you won't want to miss!  I (and others) have talked in the past about how to receive and deliver criticism, but one thing I don't think I've seen discussed is how to use advice which one has actively solicited.  Click below the break for his thoughts on how an author should treat suggestions and recommendations from editors and pre-readers--and on a common pitfall to avoid.

Why I Edit

Time for a guest post!  The title of this one is properly "Why I Write Edit," but I can't figure out how to get the strikethrough to appear in a title.  Oh well; Chris 0, Technology several thousand.

But leave me now to my confuzzlement, and click down below the break to read Scott "InquisitorM" Mence's thoughts on editing and otherwise assisting others with their creative writing--why to do it, and what benefits it reaps for not only the editee, but the editor as well.

O Brave New World, That has Such Ponies in't!

Before we move on to further reviews, let us pause a moment to remember what came before.  For example, remember those guest posts from the last few weeks?  Well, there's one more column still outstanding, courtesy of AugieDog: not just a talented author, but probably the best-credentialed ponyfic writer I know.  So naturally, when he agreed to write a guest post for me, I gave it a special place of reverence in my posting schedule.

No, wait, that's not right.  What I did was misplace the e-mail and forget to schedule him entirely.

Man, I suck.

Be that as it may, here's said post, reflecting a unique and fascinating look at ponyfic through the eyes of a man with more writing experience than the entirety of FIMFic's feature box, on a typical day.  Click down below the break for wisdom.

Why We Write

And now, it's time to wrap up the guest posts.  I'll be back Monday with my review of The Immortal Game (actually, I've been back in town a couple days now, but never mind that), but before that there's one more non-Chris post which you'll definitely want to check out.  To bring the last few weeks to a suitably gripping conclusion, today we have Bad Horse: ponyfic author and devil's advocate of note.  But we have a lot more than that, as he recruited more than a dozen other authors to help him with his post!  Click down below for a pseudo-survey which looks at the question, "Why do we write?"