I mentioned in an earlier post I have two other “deadline-based” gigs. I should clarify.

These gigs aren’t outside jobs, but my own creations. They each started from observations I noted while watching the show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

The first and older of the two projects is The Tao of Maud. It is a daily post, centered around the concept that the character of Maud Pie is actually Zen-based. It’s more aphorism based, recycling quotes from famous sources modified to fit the world it is based from. We hit day 250 this week.

The Tao of Maud – Day 247

The second role is newer. Again based on My Little Pony it also has its roots in a specific episode – the 100th episode, Slice of Life. About three-quarters of the way through, this happened:

Gummy had until this point just been a silent character – stoic to the point of functional inactivity at times. Now we know why. He’s a Nihilist. You know what they say – still waters run deep. This just proved they are also gator-infested.

From this moment, I saw an opportunity to create a commentary style panel, The Te of Gummy.

The Te of Gummy #18 – #Books

The Tao of Maud is relatively easy to write. Actually, it feels more like I am curating a collection of ideas and determining how best to display them.

The Te of Gummy is a pure tightrope walk. I have to come up with a topic, an observation, a pony-connection, and publish it all within a 24-hour period. It’s a different style of writing than I am used to. The adrenaline rush is amazing, as is the sheer terror when I’m drawing a blank. It is stretching my wings as a writer.

You can view the Tao of Maud on Tumblr, Twitter (@TaoOfMaud) and Facebook. as well as its own website. The Te of Gummy has a presence on both Facebook and Twitter (@TeOfGummy).