Meme: Fic of 2011
So, for fun, a meme about my fic from last year.
Note: I am not listing all of the fic I wrote last year in this post. There are 47 of them, and I just can't be bothered. Really, I'm just too lazy. If you're interested, you can find them at my FFN page if you like (obviously they are the first 47 fic).
;01. Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More. Far more. Going by number of stories alone, 47 is almost half of all of my fic, and I started writing three years ago. Although, most of that is due to the holiday fic, so I suppose it makes sense.
02. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Well, there's the obvious answer of Snow/James from OUaT, because the show didn't even exist in January (at least not that I knew about), but the real answer is probably CJ/Danny from The West Wing. I've wondered what it would be like to write Sorkin, but never really expected to do it. I mean, I wrote really terrible CJ/Danny fic back when I was twelve and the show was first airing, but it's never going to see the light of day (with good reason). I never expected to do it in any kind of genuine fashion.
03. What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
I'm not sure that I agree with the definition of my favourite story being the one that makes me the happiest. I would say Repelling Ever Closer (especially if you asked me earlier in the year), but that doesn't make me the happiest. For one, I'm frustrated with it, thanks mostly to the new season of The Mentalist and the fact that it deals with nothing, ever. I just realized that I haven't updated it since August, which is insanity.
So it definitely doesn't make me the happiest, but there are parts of that series that I think are some of my best writing. On the other hand, the alternative answer to this question is Taking Charge, because it's just a story I really enjoy. Although, there are many, many close seconds to this question.
04. Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?:
Yes, I would imagine I did, though I'm not sure I could articulate them all. I have learned several things, including.
1) Writing in the first person is difficult.
2) Writing in the second person is much less difficult, provided it's the right fic. And can be tremendously more fun.
3) Shorter sentences can be better. As can less description.
4) I am not particularly good at predicting which stories people will like.
05. Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?:
Not specifically. Keep writing. Write better.
06. From my past year of writing, what was...
My Best Story:
I always hate this question. Maybe "Taking Charge". Maybe You had to come along. Maybe Judge Not. Maybe even Secret Drawer. I don't know.
Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe
Either Rediscovering Teresa or Repelling Ever Closer, I guess.
Most Popular:
How are we counting this? Most reviews? Most reviews per chapter, to standardize things? Depending on how this is working, I'd say either Secret Drawer, Taking Charge, Five Times Red John got Conveniently Killed Off (sometimes silly fic is popular) or possibly Happy Birthday just to have a non-Mentalist fic in here. And OUaT is a fun fandom to write for.
Most Fun:
HEE. Either Restraints (Jane and Lisbon and a pair of handcuffs, what's not to like? Note: If you haven't read it, this fic both is and isn't exactly what you think it is), Clairvoyant Crime Fighters (Yay for being crack-adjacent) or Tarot Cards (probably the only of the December fic that I will end up actually expanding on...)
Most Disappointing:
Possibly Book Club. It's Castle/Beckett fluff, but I don't know, I'm not 100% pleased with it though.
Most Sexy
Not an adjective I would often use to describe my own fic. Um. Let's go with Restraints, for what are probably fairly obvious reasons.
Story With The Single Sweetest Moment:
You've got to be kidding me. 47 fic. Most of them with an element of romance, or at the very least strong friendship. Maybe Kith and Kin. I love the Rigsby/Lisbon friendship. Or maybe Reminiscing in the Rhododendrons, because I love the Restraints-verse, when Jane and Lisbon are happy.
Biggest Surprise:
The entire "Judge Not" trilogy. Writing in the second person was a surprise.
Hardest to Write:
"Restraints" (Writing Chapter 5 freaked me out a quite a bit, very overtly... romantic. Something I will always feel like I am adjusting to) and Impure, Unsimple, Truth (getting this out was difficult. It refused to write).
Alright, that's it for me, for now.
Note: I am not listing all of the fic I wrote last year in this post. There are 47 of them, and I just can't be bothered. Really, I'm just too lazy. If you're interested, you can find them at my FFN page if you like (obviously they are the first 47 fic).
;01. Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More. Far more. Going by number of stories alone, 47 is almost half of all of my fic, and I started writing three years ago. Although, most of that is due to the holiday fic, so I suppose it makes sense.
02. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Well, there's the obvious answer of Snow/James from OUaT, because the show didn't even exist in January (at least not that I knew about), but the real answer is probably CJ/Danny from The West Wing. I've wondered what it would be like to write Sorkin, but never really expected to do it. I mean, I wrote really terrible CJ/Danny fic back when I was twelve and the show was first airing, but it's never going to see the light of day (with good reason). I never expected to do it in any kind of genuine fashion.
03. What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
I'm not sure that I agree with the definition of my favourite story being the one that makes me the happiest. I would say Repelling Ever Closer (especially if you asked me earlier in the year), but that doesn't make me the happiest. For one, I'm frustrated with it, thanks mostly to the new season of The Mentalist and the fact that it deals with nothing, ever. I just realized that I haven't updated it since August, which is insanity.
So it definitely doesn't make me the happiest, but there are parts of that series that I think are some of my best writing. On the other hand, the alternative answer to this question is Taking Charge, because it's just a story I really enjoy. Although, there are many, many close seconds to this question.
04. Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?:
Yes, I would imagine I did, though I'm not sure I could articulate them all. I have learned several things, including.
1) Writing in the first person is difficult.
2) Writing in the second person is much less difficult, provided it's the right fic. And can be tremendously more fun.
3) Shorter sentences can be better. As can less description.
4) I am not particularly good at predicting which stories people will like.
05. Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?:
Not specifically. Keep writing. Write better.
06. From my past year of writing, what was...
My Best Story:
I always hate this question. Maybe "Taking Charge". Maybe You had to come along. Maybe Judge Not. Maybe even Secret Drawer. I don't know.
Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe
Either Rediscovering Teresa or Repelling Ever Closer, I guess.
Most Popular:
How are we counting this? Most reviews? Most reviews per chapter, to standardize things? Depending on how this is working, I'd say either Secret Drawer, Taking Charge, Five Times Red John got Conveniently Killed Off (sometimes silly fic is popular) or possibly Happy Birthday just to have a non-Mentalist fic in here. And OUaT is a fun fandom to write for.
Most Fun:
HEE. Either Restraints (Jane and Lisbon and a pair of handcuffs, what's not to like? Note: If you haven't read it, this fic both is and isn't exactly what you think it is), Clairvoyant Crime Fighters (Yay for being crack-adjacent) or Tarot Cards (probably the only of the December fic that I will end up actually expanding on...)
Most Disappointing:
Possibly Book Club. It's Castle/Beckett fluff, but I don't know, I'm not 100% pleased with it though.
Most Sexy
Not an adjective I would often use to describe my own fic. Um. Let's go with Restraints, for what are probably fairly obvious reasons.
Story With The Single Sweetest Moment:
You've got to be kidding me. 47 fic. Most of them with an element of romance, or at the very least strong friendship. Maybe Kith and Kin. I love the Rigsby/Lisbon friendship. Or maybe Reminiscing in the Rhododendrons, because I love the Restraints-verse, when Jane and Lisbon are happy.
Biggest Surprise:
The entire "Judge Not" trilogy. Writing in the second person was a surprise.
Hardest to Write:
"Restraints" (Writing Chapter 5 freaked me out a quite a bit, very overtly... romantic. Something I will always feel like I am adjusting to) and Impure, Unsimple, Truth (getting this out was difficult. It refused to write).
Alright, that's it for me, for now.