I'm sadly a bit of a perfectionist, and take very seriously the fact that every mer's tail needs to be as unique as possible. Unfortunately that means when a blank template is thrown at me, I freeze up and can't think of any new pattern I haven't seen already.

When I do try to get one out, it ends up messy and poorly done -- I don't think I've the knack for designing one that's both unique and that people want to see.

I've some questions I hope can be answered:

- What principles need to be kept in mind for a great, unique design?

- Is computer software a help, and what are your recommendations?

- What's the design process you use for conceptualising your tail, from sketch to finished product? I'm worried that committing to one pattern will lock me out of another -- and that colours I thought would go well together don't.

- How helpful are tailmakers like the Mertailor, Mernation, etc. in taking customer designs and refining them?

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but any advice on how a dream tail design can come together would be appreciated. After all, it only gives you one shot