Sleep isn't real.
Oh my god I am so sorry! I thought I had replied earlier! I don’t know what happened, bit it never went through. :( Bit anyway, I’ve read heigh and here’s what I have to say.
For starters, my idea in mind is pretty much a comedy/slice of life. The main plot revolves around Quibble Pants, Zephyr Breeze, and Soarin meeting for the first time (via Rainbow Dash) and having them interact.
I got the idea from all the art I’ve seen on dA and Derpi that shows all of them fighting and not once have I seen one of them in the same fighting over Rainbow Dash, or just fighting in general (well there possibly is one, but it’s explicit).
They all have interesting personalities and backgrounds that can clash with each other, but can still have some common ground to work on.
Now then,onto your points friendo!
@Parallel Black
First off, zoom out and think about whether the conversation is going in the direction you expected it to. If it is but you’re still having problems, don’t be afraid of changing something to make it fit, so long as the change stays in line with whatever you have in mind later on.
I like this as a start! So far I do have a good idea of how I want it to begin. Perhaps I could make myself a small “map” of sorts to plan out how I want to write my story. And with changes, I’m hoping that it’ll be easier said than done. Sometimes it can be as simple as wording and just as hard as that for me.
@Parallel Black
In other words and just as an example - the characters need to get somewhere quickly but you’ve found yourself mired in a long expository thing about their respective pasts. Shortening the dialogue would be difficult, but if the journey itself was a little easier for them (such as randomly finding a mine cart leading all the way down the steep cliff face(again, just an example) that would allow you to get them to Point B in time, while keeping the character development.
This kind of solution is one option. Another would be to simply provide them with a longer timeframe to reach their destination. I think retroactively fixing a problem is a lot better than coming up with a way through on-to-go, though the latter is much better for your progress as a writer since it challenges You.
I think with these options, I’ll have to find the time and place for them. The former I think would work in my favor for transitions and after as you said, long expositions. The latter is something I can use to develop the characters, have the timeframe extend instead of rushing it, and it’ll give the story some down time in between the shorter areas (ex:transitions).
@Parallel Black
I mentioned before about having a central theme. Not every story needs one (a murder mystery wouldn’t need one to function as a perfectly sound story for example), but there are plenty of benefits to think about, one of which is that it can give you a solid beginning and a solid goal to aim towards. Themes can also have tons of artistic value, but it’s better to get to grips with actually writing stories before trying anything too complex, unless you can fit something cool in under the surface.
Anyway. Having a theme or central focus for the story gives it grounding, upon which you can build the story’s events and even the characters from. Things start one way, and after the events of the story, they end in a noticeably different way. A central theme can help you out with this since it provides you with something to base the entire story around, which in turn provides you with information on how to start and end it.
Hmm, with a theme I’m not entirely sure on what it could be. With the story, to it’s most basic of terms it can be as simple as just because we are all different, doesn’t mean can’t try to get along with one another. Keep in mind what I said about them earlier. Their personalities and backgrounds are all different from what we’ve seen in the show. So maybe I can find a theme in there somewhere. Maybe.
Anyway, thank you once again for the advice! It is very helpful and I appreciate it very much!