Author and story recommendation

In an effort to spruce up my profile page beyond an icon and name, I realized some content was called for. At first I didn't know what, since as a lurker I've little to add. But aha, a blog post! Even someone like me, with all the creative talent of a dead rock, can manage one of those! And I even thought of a worthy subject: an author recommendation. Because there is an author on this site whose works get far too little attention, considering how amazing they are.

Words are tools. Like screwdrivers and paintbrushes they are used to create, except words build not in the physical world, but in the mind. And like all tools, their true value is not in themselves but what they accomplish. No one sees a fine sculpture and admires the oxyacetaline torch used to weld it. A painting is judged by its own beauty, not the brushes that conveyed it. As with other creative tools, the power of words comes from how they are used.

Using words to convey descriptions is easy; anyone with modest proficiency in a language can tell a reader that characters did things in places. To me, the true art of writing is conveying images and emotions. A great writer turns mere letters on a page (or screen) into a portal to another world.

When I don't see the words, but through them; when I truly share the characters' feelings; when it's past midnight and I have work in five hours but cannot stop reading until the end. Those are the stories I treasure.

Which brings me to Winston. His writing does those things. Most of his stories are vivid, even visceral. He has made me laugh, think, and cry with his imagery. And even when they cover topics I'd rather avoid, his stories are too gripping to resist. I'll be honest: stories like First and Scent of Roses are hard for me to read—they explore fighting, pain, grief and death, and I enjoy MLP as an escape into a world free of such suffering—but while not always strictly canon, Winston uses the MLP universe to explore themes and lessons that apply in the real world, and he does so magnificently.

In particular, I cannot recommend Ghost Lights enough, and the prequel Seashell as well. To crib from my 2 AM comment after finishing it, Ghost Lights magnificently describes what it is to be, to exist, to live. The story is so engaging it doesn't need a disaster or villain; the characters and their journies are completely engrossing. It may be about pastel colored magical horses but it is more real than anything else I've read, because at their core the characters are people. Regardless of having horns or wings they, their struggles, and what they learn, are relevant to anyone.

The story's quality is borne out by having only a single thumbs-down, but that such a masterfully told novel-length journey only has 79 thumbs-up (at this time) is unjust. If you've found this blog and made it to the end, I urge you to read Ghost Lights. Winston contributes a lot of value to FIMFic, and I consider that story his greatest yet. And make sure to follow him too, because I'm sure there's even more to come.