Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Filler Post

Sometimes, when I don't have a post ready, it means that I'm reading a door-stopper of a fanfic.

Sometimes, it means that work has been more demanding than usual, lately.

Sometimes, it means that there's something going on with my family that requires my attention.

Sometimes, it means I've been working on a fanfic of my own, and it's taking away from blog-writing time.

Sometimes, it means I got season one of Game of Thrones from the library, and have been sinking an hour of my rarer-than-I'd-like free time into it most nights.

Sometimes, it means I'm a lazy bum, plain and simple.

And sometimes, it means all of those things at once.

Ponder the zen of my excuses for the next 48 hours; I'm not yet sure if it'll be the review of Antipodes or not, but I'll have something worth posting by Wednesday.

What Have I Learned?

I've seen more than a few impassioned essays from ponyfans detailing just how My Little Pony and/or the fan community have made them a better, happier, more wholesome person.  I'll be honest: as much as I do enjoy the show, the fanfiction, and the people I've met online via this phenomenon  I can't say I feel like I'm a better or happier person for my time here.  I was pretty happy before ponies, I'm pretty happy now, you know?

But I have been thinking about a few of the things I've learned as a writer from this community.  So below, I've compiled a short list of a few of the lessons I've picked up from other authors, editors, commenters, and others.  Head below the break to see just how much I managed to absorb.  Not to mention how much I needed to absorb.  There are many more, no doubt, but those are the ones that came immediately to mind when I sat down to type this:

Mini-Reviews Round 7

Do you ever have one of those moments where you're staring at your computer screen, and you know academically that you should be typing, but there seems to be some sort of disconnect between your brain and your fingers?  I've been having a lot of those moments, lately; hopefully, it doesn't linger.

Click below for my slightly-longer-in-production-than-should-have-been-strictly-necessary thoughts on a few fanfics I've recently read.  As always, these are reflective of my casual reading experience, rather than any concerted effort on my part to delve into the stories' fundaments, but hopefully they're still enough to inform your ponyfic experience.

6-Star Reviews Part 139: The Pony of the Opera

To read the story, click the image or follow this link

I can't seem to think of anything interesting to put up top here.  No matter; pop on down below the break for my review of Miyajima's The Pony of the Opera, about which I assure you I do have something to say; with any luck, it will even prove to be something interesting.

How Roger Ebert Accidentally Created One Man's Pony Ramblings

I'm pre-empting the review of Pony of the Opera to talk about some news I just heard: Roger Ebert, after more than a decade of battling cancer and two days after announcing a "leave of presence" from his reviewing job, died Thursday.  Click down below the break for some of my thoughts on the man.

Priming the Canons

I hope you all had a pleasant Easter, and that your April Fool's Day is going just as well.  I can't think of anything to do with the blog for the occasion that would be more entertaining than annoying, but feel free put your finger to your chest, look down, and then flick your nose on my behalf if that'll make your day feel a bit more complete.

On a completely unrelated note, I've been thinking about the official but non-show FiM materials which Hasbro has been putting out lately.  Click below the break for a few thoughts as to how it pertains to fanfiction.