2013 Fic Roundup
Happy New Year everybody! I'm going to try to post a few roundup things, then get back to business as usual.
My answers to this are very much like last year, except that the numbers are even smaller. Am I phasing out of writing fic? It seems possible.
Total number of completed stories: 21. That’s counting the Sherlock/Lestrade WIP I finally finished this year.
Total Word Count: 58,273. This counts the WIP, and is still about half of last year’s.
Fandom Breakdown: 16, 7 of them for the first time (counting 3 that only appear in xovers).
Amazing Grace: 1
Aubrey-Maturin: 1
Benedict Cumberbatch/Tom Hardy RPS: 1
Endeavour: 1
Grimm: 1 (xover)
Hannibal: 1
H50: 2
Homeland: 4 (includes 3 ficlets for Purim Gifts)
Lewis: 2 (including one xover)
Peaky Blinders: 1
Pirates!: 1 (xover)
Raven Cycle: 1
Ripper Street: 1 (xover)
Sherlock: 4 (including one xover)
Sherlock Holmes (Ritchie films): 1 (xover)
X-Men First Class: 1
Overall Thoughts: That's...pretty scattered, even for me. Things seemed to interest me enough to write one little thing, and then I was over whatever it was and moving on. I had fun writing some of the things I wrote, and like some of them, but nothing blew my mind or anyone else’s.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?: About the same. Given that I went months without writing anything, I’m surprised I wrote the even number of stories I did.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?: I’m surprised that I adored Hannibal as much as I did-serial killers are so much not my thing, usually-and surprised that I dared to write something for it.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?: I don’t think I did. Hmmm. Maybe that’s what I need: risks. I am thinking of signing up for trope bingo, in the hopes that it would force me to write different kinds of stories,and maybe have fun doing so. But I feel so strapped for time when it comes to fic writing that I’m reluctant to sign up for anything.
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?: For fanfic writing, not really. Yuletide left me with some ideas for stories, but I don’t know that I’ll have time to write them. I like to post a story for my birthday in April, so hopefully I’ll do that. I have hopes of being inspired by XMDoFP. Yuletide again, and maybe Remix, if it comes back to life. I have serious goals for work writing, however, and those really need to come first.
From my past year of writing, what was...
My best story of this year: Um...Well, I was pleased that I finally completed Five Times Sherlock and Lestrade Danced without Touching, and one time they did, and I was pretty happy with the way it came out. Other stories I liked: I liked the emotional texture I got into my Lewis summer challenge story, Happy Families; I thought my work-around for Thursday/Morse worked well in my Endeavour story, Born to Live Without You; and I thought I got the knife!play to work well in character in my Homeland Carrie/Quinn PWP, My Tongue Upon Your Scars.
My most popular story of this year: I still haven't written anything that people read nearly as much as they read my old Sherlock, Sherlock RPF and H50 stories. According to AO3, my most popular new story, in terms of hits, kudos and bookmarks, was my Hannibal story, Matte Black (well, all those honors technically belong to the Sherlock/Lestrade story, but they've been accumulating over the past three years). I think this is a function of the size of the fandom, rather than of the story itself.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Ha! Well, I would’ve said my Carrie/Quinn knife!play story was underappreciated, but since S3 got going, interest has picked up on that one, for obvious reasons. Most of the others have gotten the attention they deserve, I think. I wish more people had read and liked one of the Homeland stories I wrote for Purim Gifts, Five Times Mira Saw Saul for the First Time, but interest in that pairing seems pretty minimal, in the already tiny Homeland fandom.
Most fun story to write: Shamefully, probably the Hardy/Cumberbatch PWP, Muscles. It's the second time I’ve written that pairing, tbh. I mean, why tease BC in your own voice when you can have THard do it for you?
Story with the single sexiest moment: I didn’t write much porn this year, so there’s not much to chose from. The wrestling in Muscles isn’t bad, but for me, the knife play in Your Tongue Upon My Scars is probably hotter. I like the physical intimacy in Summer Cold, though there’s no sex in that one.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Yeah, probably the non-con gun!play in Matte Black. Not that it’s particularly strong for either canon or fanon for that show.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: I think this year I mostly wrote short things to articulate something I already thought about the characters, rather than setting up situations that revealed new things about them. That said, I was surprised I had so much to say about Laura’s perspective in “Happy Families.” And the prompt for my Yuletide story, Gates of Horn, made me think about the character in situations I wouldn’t have explored otherwise.
Hardest story to write: Definitely "Gates of Horn"-I thrashed and bitched about it, and I wish I’d finished it with better grace and more ingenuity.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story: I’m not sure about this one this year. In A Chanukah Story I cruelly gifted Lestrade with my own inability to make latkes. Still writing weapons!kink and pain play-I’m sure there’s something to say about that.
In conclusion: A huge thank you to everyone who beta’d for me, or brainstormed ideas or offered encouragement or commented or put up with my obsessions and ever more obscure fandoms and above all read stuff--much love to you all!
My answers to this are very much like last year, except that the numbers are even smaller. Am I phasing out of writing fic? It seems possible.
Total number of completed stories: 21. That’s counting the Sherlock/Lestrade WIP I finally finished this year.
Total Word Count: 58,273. This counts the WIP, and is still about half of last year’s.
Fandom Breakdown: 16, 7 of them for the first time (counting 3 that only appear in xovers).
Amazing Grace: 1
Aubrey-Maturin: 1
Benedict Cumberbatch/Tom Hardy RPS: 1
Endeavour: 1
Grimm: 1 (xover)
Hannibal: 1
H50: 2
Homeland: 4 (includes 3 ficlets for Purim Gifts)
Lewis: 2 (including one xover)
Peaky Blinders: 1
Pirates!: 1 (xover)
Raven Cycle: 1
Ripper Street: 1 (xover)
Sherlock: 4 (including one xover)
Sherlock Holmes (Ritchie films): 1 (xover)
X-Men First Class: 1
Overall Thoughts: That's...pretty scattered, even for me. Things seemed to interest me enough to write one little thing, and then I was over whatever it was and moving on. I had fun writing some of the things I wrote, and like some of them, but nothing blew my mind or anyone else’s.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?: About the same. Given that I went months without writing anything, I’m surprised I wrote the even number of stories I did.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?: I’m surprised that I adored Hannibal as much as I did-serial killers are so much not my thing, usually-and surprised that I dared to write something for it.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?: I don’t think I did. Hmmm. Maybe that’s what I need: risks. I am thinking of signing up for trope bingo, in the hopes that it would force me to write different kinds of stories,and maybe have fun doing so. But I feel so strapped for time when it comes to fic writing that I’m reluctant to sign up for anything.
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?: For fanfic writing, not really. Yuletide left me with some ideas for stories, but I don’t know that I’ll have time to write them. I like to post a story for my birthday in April, so hopefully I’ll do that. I have hopes of being inspired by XMDoFP. Yuletide again, and maybe Remix, if it comes back to life. I have serious goals for work writing, however, and those really need to come first.
From my past year of writing, what was...
My best story of this year: Um...Well, I was pleased that I finally completed Five Times Sherlock and Lestrade Danced without Touching, and one time they did, and I was pretty happy with the way it came out. Other stories I liked: I liked the emotional texture I got into my Lewis summer challenge story, Happy Families; I thought my work-around for Thursday/Morse worked well in my Endeavour story, Born to Live Without You; and I thought I got the knife!play to work well in character in my Homeland Carrie/Quinn PWP, My Tongue Upon Your Scars.
My most popular story of this year: I still haven't written anything that people read nearly as much as they read my old Sherlock, Sherlock RPF and H50 stories. According to AO3, my most popular new story, in terms of hits, kudos and bookmarks, was my Hannibal story, Matte Black (well, all those honors technically belong to the Sherlock/Lestrade story, but they've been accumulating over the past three years). I think this is a function of the size of the fandom, rather than of the story itself.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Ha! Well, I would’ve said my Carrie/Quinn knife!play story was underappreciated, but since S3 got going, interest has picked up on that one, for obvious reasons. Most of the others have gotten the attention they deserve, I think. I wish more people had read and liked one of the Homeland stories I wrote for Purim Gifts, Five Times Mira Saw Saul for the First Time, but interest in that pairing seems pretty minimal, in the already tiny Homeland fandom.
Most fun story to write: Shamefully, probably the Hardy/Cumberbatch PWP, Muscles. It's the second time I’ve written that pairing, tbh. I mean, why tease BC in your own voice when you can have THard do it for you?
Story with the single sexiest moment: I didn’t write much porn this year, so there’s not much to chose from. The wrestling in Muscles isn’t bad, but for me, the knife play in Your Tongue Upon My Scars is probably hotter. I like the physical intimacy in Summer Cold, though there’s no sex in that one.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Yeah, probably the non-con gun!play in Matte Black. Not that it’s particularly strong for either canon or fanon for that show.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: I think this year I mostly wrote short things to articulate something I already thought about the characters, rather than setting up situations that revealed new things about them. That said, I was surprised I had so much to say about Laura’s perspective in “Happy Families.” And the prompt for my Yuletide story, Gates of Horn, made me think about the character in situations I wouldn’t have explored otherwise.
Hardest story to write: Definitely "Gates of Horn"-I thrashed and bitched about it, and I wish I’d finished it with better grace and more ingenuity.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story: I’m not sure about this one this year. In A Chanukah Story I cruelly gifted Lestrade with my own inability to make latkes. Still writing weapons!kink and pain play-I’m sure there’s something to say about that.
In conclusion: A huge thank you to everyone who beta’d for me, or brainstormed ideas or offered encouragement or commented or put up with my obsessions and ever more obscure fandoms and above all read stuff--much love to you all!