Update on my plans (And the strange times we are living in) · 9:14pm Mar 31st, 2020
Hows everyone doing? Just wanted to drop in and let everyone know whats going on with me and whats goign on in my mind right now regarding what im working on.
For starters, without mentioning it by name (because im sick of hearing about it), there is a certain something out there right now that has more or less caused the entire world to shut down. A lot of people are stuck at home and unable to work or go to school. I'm not going to turn this into any sort of rant about whats going on or my opinions on the reaction to it, so all i can say is hang in there because regardless of what any fear mongering doomsayers may say, once this has passed everything will go right back to the way it was.
As for me, its been a little rough. I am fortunate enough to work in a small office that only has seven people, so we've been allowed to keep operating, but im still walking to work and the streets of Milwaukee have been a ghost town. It's been unnerving, unsettling, and depressing. While i do have a few people nearby whom i see once or twice a week still, this couldn't have come at a worse time since my 2020 new years resolution was to branch out a bit and meet new people... and you know there's that whole eventually getting married and becoming a father thing that's only the most important goal i have in my life. So needless to say... this situation has not been helpful to my general mood (But i got myself a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a weight bench in my apartment now so i can at least still be a meathead YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!)
But while i've been feeling a bit discouraged by whats going on I HAVE started jotting down a general progression of events through my arc 4 timeline for PTH. Still gonna be a little bit till i have all my ducks in a row, but this is the usual process, just gotta make sure i stick to the road mapping and refrain from flat out writing new chapters between the major event points (which i've already had to stop myself from doing once or twice)
But now here's the real thing thats been on my mind regarding where to go from here. As i've been getting started on the arc 4 mapping i've suddenly had the urge to get right to work on it as soon as it's completed. Maybe seeing all the stuff i had planned for this get put into order has gotten me eager, i've been excited to get out of the action and back into the characters for some time, afterall.
So what does this mean for the short Weight of Responsibility sequel i was planning on doing? Im honestly not sure. I most definitely do want to do one and i still want it to be a brief "what happened after he went back and before he was called in again" story for Thunderlane. But thinking it all over now, im not sure i want to tackle it now because i feel like it might be rushed and it won't be respectful to the amount of thought i put into the first. The simple plan i had in mind for it feels too simple, like there wouldn't be much of an impact or point to it aside from a few laughs or some cute moments. I dont want it to be any longer than the first, but I also don't want to just throw it out there without making sure it's just as meaningful as the first.
So at this moment i am CONSIDERING setting it aside for now and just getting to work on the next arc of PTH as soon as i have it all lined up in the outline. But i dont think i will shelve it completely. I might think it out a bit more and then maybe use it as a change of pace every once in a while, shifting over to it to write something else when i need a brief break from PTH (We're talking 1k-2k chapters here, the ideas are not long winded like PTH, its simple, just like the first.) Then whenever it's finished, just release it amidst my PTH updates. This will give me time more breathing room to give it some actual thought.
So... apologies to those who were looking forward to it, but this is just how my brain is ticking right now. The motivation dial is heavily turning towards more PTH, so PTH is likely whats going to get going first.
Everyone hang in there!
It seems like it would make sense to switch off between the longer PTH chapters and the shorter ones from this new idea to help ease any burnout? Not sure about your process, but I've seen a few other authors rotate as their muse dictated.
Hey there ain't nothing to it. You do you and whatever you believe is best. It definitely sucks that we can't go out and meet new people, but like you said it'll pass eventually. I don't think this whole thing is gonna affect people that much in the end anyway. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go toast a bagel and have sex with it.
You keep up the good work my good man
Don't you worry I am hanging on.
I’m sticking with it and slowly making my way through PtH so I’m quite excited!
Take your time and whatever path you feel is best.
Personally I rather see it set aside. Take care, hard times but it will pass.
You do whatever feels best for you to do Calm, just put your creative energy into whatever way it's pulling you, no pressure!
5233322
I'm definitely leaning towards that, my own excitement about the events of the story aside, arc 3 did end on a big "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" moment and the more i think about that, the less i feel it would be appropriate to try and shove something different (albeit short) out thats unrelated to what happens next. I'd be lying if i said the mixed reaction to the way it ended wasn't also nudging me here to get right back to it and show that i did indeed not just pull that ending out of my ass.
So glad to hear news from you
I don't know about you, but my mother and brothers are going insane because they can't work 
Our economy sure took a dent.
It's nice to hear about your projects. Plus on these difficult time it's nice to hear your favorite fanfic MIGHT come back sooner than expected
Take care when going out!
5234393
Arc 3 was absurdly long and many of my ideas took up 5x-10x the space intended.
it will be shorter yeah, but dont expect it to be over quickly
Arc 4 will be the last one, yes.
I was looking forward to the 'sequel' to the weight of responsibility, but it's important in those times to do a but of what pleases you. Plus any calm wind writing is good to read
So as long as you keep writing i'll continue to read 
You do whatever is best for you. If you have a story to tell give it all the love it deserves, but don't write just to fill pages. I've read a fair amount of what you've done, liked most of what I've read, and made it as far as chapter 93 in Piercing the Heavens. To be honest I put it aside because it seemed to be suffering the same issues as serialized mangas that have a contract to create [X] amount of material and we start seeing the characters doing the same thing day after day with no real progress. Reading about ponies in what is supposed to be a professional organization behaving badly over and over followed by pretty much the same battle being fought over and over kind of started to lose its appeal for me.
Anyway, take care of yourself first and don't worry about writing if you don't feel you are in the right frame of mind for it.
5234960
Can't say i disagree with you, around that point in the story I started realizing i more or less repeated the same cycle of 'over emotional clashing, pep talk, battle, repeat' several times. I didnt really have a choice after that though since i couldnt stray from my outline path, my only option after that was to try and shift the tone based on how circumstances evolved, but it was still the same formula.
*appears like the ghost of Chrsitmas something*
Hang in there Calm. Glad to hear there's a sequel planned for my favorite ship. LOL AJXThunder
Staying crazy busy, planning an update post of my own... eventually. if homework allows and sleep... so much sleep need. LOL miss everyone in the community.
Hang in there We'll all get through this in the end.
5241548
Great to hear from you! I'm probably going to be putting it on hold for now for the sake of continuing on in PTH, but it is definitely planned. Hang in there as well!