Thread:Epzilon/@comment-5651818-20140407235926/@comment-2089817-20140408015323

I think it's time I finally step in and say something that's been on my mind for a while now. And in doing so, I will address the both of you individually.

Brave, your problem isn't in that you lack the ability to write in creative ways, but that you haven't been putting any heart into your writing. I can easily tell when a person cares about their writing and puts their soul into their work, but you haven't been doing that. You clearly have the skills to do it, the skills to write creatively and to generate interesting works, but all your effort goes to waste if you're not able to put your heart into what you write. A hiatus means nothing if all you did was take a break. But it isn't skills that you lack, but you need to like what you're writing. When me and Ten write, we put our heart and soul into it. Our characters are reflections of our state of mind and our emotions, and our stories are the same. We take inspiration from other series because we are emotionally invested in those series, and through our own creativity, we apply it to Bleach. I think, somewhere along the line, you forgot to write for you and started trying to compete with others. However, by identifying that you still have more work to do to mature as a writer, it only means you've identified your flaws and you can only grow from here positively.

Epzi, on the other hand, I can't say the same for you. While you have skills and heart in your writing, your focus is entirely misguided. You haven't changed from the time you engaged myself and Ten in that Opposition RP. You are far too caught up in trying to surpass "us", when what you should be doing is trying to surpass yourself. Surpass who you were yesterday. When you stop writing for you, and you start writing to compete with others, your writing and your work becomes stale and lacks substance. You will never reach our level like that. That is your issue now, and I can see it based solely on how you're writing Mukei now. You are trying way too hard to mimic Seireitou. You tried to focus on the hakkei principles in martial arts as well as neijing, that which Sei used to crush you and the others in the Opposition RP, as well as Kido-Hakuda applications. Hell, even the timing of making him a Dragon, right when I announced Sei was a Kitsune, seems a little too close. Almost all of the new additions you're making is basically rehashes of what Seireitou demonstrated during the Opposition RP and who he is. I'm not condemning you for it. I like that you are taking an initiative to improve upon the canon Hakuda and such. I like your work with the hakkei principles and stuff. But you need to stop trying to compete with me and start writing for YOU. So YOU can improve, not so you can surpass others. When you write for you, then you eventually will surpass us, but not until you realize this.

I can only hope this helps. I was given the same talk by others a long while back, and it was when I finally understood my flaws as a writer that I began to improve and reached this level that you are trying so hard to "surpass".