Writing: 2009 Year in Review
This year I rang in the new year at chez honestys_easy, with her and dreamerren. There was good food and football and peach champagne and Ryan in his tiny coat and tweets from David Cook, and then there was diner food for breakfast! Who could ask for more?
I spent almost all day today organizing my fics on delicious and updating the masterposts here and at DW. So I am more than ready for the writing meme! Since I made my goal of posting a fic a week (barely) I'm not going to give dates on these but just post them in order.
Total Stories: 23
Total Fandoms: 9
Total Word Count: 202,000
Total Pairings:
That's 48 total chapters (not counting So Much Depends on a Blue Honda Civic, which is getting repurposed), plus I reposted four fics I'd written for exchanges and posted elsewhere (So Many Roads to Choose, Where the Love Light Gleams, Earth Boys are Easy, and A Good Place We Could Start), so that makes 52 weeks of fic! I made my goal! Don't let the total word count throw you; I wrote a good half of that before 2009 what with most of ADTCNL written in 2008 and all of Different for Girls written in 2007.
In 2010, to get myself and hopefully others excited about the EWFS sequel, I'll be doing a read-it-in-order tour of the EWFS-verse as my weekly challenge. More self-indulgent, less pressure!
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More. I thought that I would get to my 52 posts by reposting EWFS and then posting the sequel. But then I got inspired by Kris/Adam and then by Star Trek, and decided to post the sequel and EWFS in 2010 instead. So I wrote all those small HP fics I'd been meaning to write for ages now-and of those I only have one more to go!
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2008?
I suppose Kris/Adam to a certain extent since it didn't exist yet in January 2008, but of course also nuTrek Kirk/McCoy. I also didn't think I'd write a mystery.
What's your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
A Dream That Could Not Last. I worked really hard on that story, and I'm very proud of it.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Well, I took on writing a very long fic with a lot of characters doing a lot of different things. I hesitate to say densely plotted because I think that implies something that isn't in the story-nearly all of its plots are interpersonal, not adventure, even though there's a war on. I learned that I absolutely can take on a large ensemble cast and keep track of what everyone is up to, and have most if not all of my ends tied up by the epilogue. ADTCNL also made me feel much more zen about comment numbers.
I also wrote a mystery, which really did have a proper plot, and that was really fun. Both KYEC and the ST Harvard fic had large helpings of my own personal experience in them, not to mention that both were written in settings I know very well. After years of writing HP fic, it almost feels like cheating to write about places that I actually have lived in!
Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?
I'm starting off the year with my Ryan/Simon reel_idol fic, which will get posted next week or so. I would like to write the "how they got together" for Ryan and Simon that I've only referred to in various fics, plus a season 3 fic of some kind and a rewrite/expansion of Who's Afraid of Janis Ian. I'd also be surprised if AI9 didn't provide some inspiration!
I've started writing another nuTrek AU that I'm really excited about. That I'll post sometime in the spring I think.
I really want to get the EWFS sequel done, because the final HP movie comes out in mid-2011 and I have set that date as the end date of Potterfic for me, which means the sequel, one last D/G fic, and to somehow finish the Seamus/Dean fanfic100. But hey, drabbles count for that, and with the sequel and what I've already written I'll have 37, so that's just 63, and I actually do have vaguely plotted further adventures for those two.
Overall:
I'm excited that there are so many fandoms represented this year. I'm feeling ready to properly start saying goodbye to Harry Potter, and to keep American Idol in the right perspective to avoid the disappointments of the past. Watching shows that I just like (Castle, HIMYM, White Collar) has proven inspirational, and who knows where Star Trek will take me, or what I might stumble onto next year. I feel very open at the moment!
I spent almost all day today organizing my fics on delicious and updating the masterposts here and at DW. So I am more than ready for the writing meme! Since I made my goal of posting a fic a week (barely) I'm not going to give dates on these but just post them in order.
- Serving in Silence. American Idol: Ryan/Simon, R, 1800 words.
I was trying to transition out of writing so much Rymon smut, so you never see them have sex here. A more direct reference to the things they do to stay hidden than I usually make. Interesting that Sara later went on Howard Stern and said that all Ryan ever did was kiss her. - I'm Here to Cook. Top Chef: Radhika/Jamie, PG, 2500 words.
I do want to write more femslash, and when I saw that little hug from behind I was inspired. Also an experiment in second person present tense that I think comes off pretty well. - A Dream That Could Not Last. American Idol: Ryan/Simon, Amanda/Carly, Kimberley/Anwar, PG, 92,100 words in fourteen chapters.
I'd started writing this in May 2008, but didn't start posting until the spring because I wanted it to be finished first, and it was save the epilogue. The experience of writing this fic was pretty fantastic; I had lots of folks cheering me on and helping me out and making amazing contributions. And within my little wing of Rymon fandom it was pretty well received, so I'll call this a success. - Don't Stop the Music. American Idol: Cook/Adam, R, 450 words.
One of those weird, sudden inspirations, based on nothing more than a song and some strange word associations. No Cook/Adam shipper am I. - Different for Girls. American Idol: Kat/Elliott, PG, 16,000 words in seven chapters.
I actually wrote this story in Nov-Dec 2007, but for several reasons couldn't post it until this spring. lillijulianne was trying to finish her McCake sequence and was woeful about Kat's fate, and I suggested a happy ending for her, and then wrote it. I like it because it's understated and doesn't have a lot of complications-Kat had already been through enough drama. - So Much Depends Upon a Blue Honda Civic. American Idol: Ryan/Simon, G, 200 words.
Something I found in my writing folder, that will eventually end up in a season 1 fic I'm planning. - Seven Christmases. Harry Potter: Seamus/Dean, PG, 900 words.
Written ages ago for a y-group started too late, and mysteriously never posted to LJ. More dependent on EWFS than most of my one-shots. - To Make the Season Bright. Harry Potter: Draco/Ginny, PG, 1200 words.
I had such fits with this story! The opening was rewritten probably five or six times, but finally I found my way in. - Affinity. American Idol: Ryan/Simon, NC-17, 1600 words.
I am quite fond of this story actually. I think this year I was into quiet introspection, particularly for Idol fics. - Keep Your Enemies Closer. American Idol: Adam/Kris, PG-13, 47,000 words in seven chapters.
My very first mystery! I read a lot of Sayers while I was plotting this over the late spring and summer, and I'm very pleased with how well the mystery plot works. Mystery is my genre, so I guess all those years of reading them paid off! I also wanted to look at what Adam might have been like when he was a little younger and a little more naive. I also wanted to explore the Cook-Adam dynamic suggested in Don't Stop the Music, but in a non-romantic way. Though Kris is a major character, he and Ryan are more facilitators for Cook and Adam to interact and round off each other's sharp edges. It's not the first time I've had a friendship at the center of a story-Seamus-Hermione anchors EWFS-but certainly the first time with Idol. - Best Laid Plans. Harry Potter: Seamus/Dean, NC-17, 3400 words.
Another fic that had been sitting half-finished in my writing folder for quite a while, and I finally put in the second half and posted it. Seamus and Dean are like coming home; it's so easy to slip into their heads. - A Bit of Earth. Harry Potter: Draco/Ginny, NC-17, 1300 words.
This D/G was much easier to work out, though it still had a few false starts and bobbles here and there. One thing I love about these two is that they both have ancestral homes and deep familial connections, and I think that could be a point of commonality for them. - His Favorite Sport. Harry Potter: Harry/Hermione, NC-17, 1500 words.
Mostly, when I wrote this, it was hot. Also, I love writing Harry being lustful. - The Three-Legged Stool. HIMYM: Ted/Barney/Marshall, NC-17, 3100 words.
I'd done a "what should I write next" meme and ali_wildgoose wanted an all-boy three-way, so I gave it to her. Mostly, it was a lot of fun contrasting Barney and Marshall, and required much watching of "The Tricycle"-that episode where Ted has a f/m/f three-way-and much watching of the "how it didn't happen" extra scene on the DVD. And I love writing post-Mother HIMYM. - Ten Short Stories About Kevin and Javier. Castle: Ryan/Esposito, R, 1000 words.
Seriously how adorable are they, especially this season when they're getting even more screen time? I'm willing to admit that there's something rather Seamus/Dean about them-their dynamic, the way they're paired up vaguely in the background while the Big Romance smolders in the foreground. - Count Me In And Count Me Out. John Hughes: Duckie/Cameron, PG-13, 2600 words.
I'd been planning this sequel to Sensoria probably since my dad died, and ended up putting a lot more of my personal experience into this story than I thought I would. Also written as a big present for bhanesidhe. - When The Game Ends, We'll Sing Again. Star Trek: Kirk/McCoy, R, 20,000 words in two parts.
So, how about that Star Trek? The gestation of this fic was pretty painful, I have to admit, and it wasn't until I just decided to be entirely selfish and self-indulgent with it that it got to where it was going. My second or third most popular fic ever, after EWFS and Leave No Man Behind, which is more of a testament to writing fics for super hot pairings in large fandoms than anything else. That said, I do adore this story, though I feel a little guilty for saying that because it was such a self-indulgent exercise to put them all at my alma mater and then write not a cohesive flowing narrative, but a series of scenes that hint at other, unseen events. Hopefully, though, I pulled it off. - To Match Her Eyes. White Collar: Peter/Elizabeth/Neal, NC-17, 1200 words.
My first time writing for a kink meme! Not to mention, my first actual OT3. I'm really loving this show; it's smart and charming and pretty light-art forgery, not government secrets or serial killers-which is incredibly refreshing. - Central Heating. Star Trek: Kirk/McCoy, PG, 300 words.
- He's Got a Million Dollar Car. American Idol: Simon/Ryan, PG, 300 words.
- A Belated Inheritance. Harry Potter: Seamus/Dean, PG, 300 words.
- A Lot of Nothing to Do. Harry Potter: Harry/Hermione, PG, 300 words.
Earlier this year mahoni had asked for comfort/cuddle-fic after a bad day and while I don't really write in her fandoms I felt like I needed some comforting too, so I started a much longer project of writing one 300-word comfort fic for each of my many pairings. I've managed one a month so far, so we'll see if I can keep that up. 300 words is a really good short length for me, I'm finding. - Caviar Sandwiches and Beer. Philadelphia Story: Dexter/Tracy, Mike/Liz, PG, 3000 words.
Yuletide! Last year when I offered Philadelphia Story, I was trying to think of scenarios where I could write Dexter/Mike without feeling weird about it, and came up with the idea of their meeting in the Pacific in the middle of the war. When I got my assignment, I changed it a bit, but I'd been thinking about what the four of them would do during the war for so long that the concept was easy. The writing, not so much, because there were a lot of pieces to put in the right places, and ultimately I had to just sit down over a weekend and play the movie over and over and over again until the thing was written. Happily I got over my initial panic and produced something I'm pretty proud of.
Total Stories: 23
Total Fandoms: 9
Total Word Count: 202,000
Total Pairings:
- Het: 6
- Boyslash: 14
- Femslash: 1
- All three: 1, plus the AI 90s AU and the ST 50s-60s AU were both foreground male slash with background het and femslash.
- Threesome: 1
That's 48 total chapters (not counting So Much Depends on a Blue Honda Civic, which is getting repurposed), plus I reposted four fics I'd written for exchanges and posted elsewhere (So Many Roads to Choose, Where the Love Light Gleams, Earth Boys are Easy, and A Good Place We Could Start), so that makes 52 weeks of fic! I made my goal! Don't let the total word count throw you; I wrote a good half of that before 2009 what with most of ADTCNL written in 2008 and all of Different for Girls written in 2007.
In 2010, to get myself and hopefully others excited about the EWFS sequel, I'll be doing a read-it-in-order tour of the EWFS-verse as my weekly challenge. More self-indulgent, less pressure!
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More. I thought that I would get to my 52 posts by reposting EWFS and then posting the sequel. But then I got inspired by Kris/Adam and then by Star Trek, and decided to post the sequel and EWFS in 2010 instead. So I wrote all those small HP fics I'd been meaning to write for ages now-and of those I only have one more to go!
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2008?
I suppose Kris/Adam to a certain extent since it didn't exist yet in January 2008, but of course also nuTrek Kirk/McCoy. I also didn't think I'd write a mystery.
What's your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
A Dream That Could Not Last. I worked really hard on that story, and I'm very proud of it.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Well, I took on writing a very long fic with a lot of characters doing a lot of different things. I hesitate to say densely plotted because I think that implies something that isn't in the story-nearly all of its plots are interpersonal, not adventure, even though there's a war on. I learned that I absolutely can take on a large ensemble cast and keep track of what everyone is up to, and have most if not all of my ends tied up by the epilogue. ADTCNL also made me feel much more zen about comment numbers.
I also wrote a mystery, which really did have a proper plot, and that was really fun. Both KYEC and the ST Harvard fic had large helpings of my own personal experience in them, not to mention that both were written in settings I know very well. After years of writing HP fic, it almost feels like cheating to write about places that I actually have lived in!
Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?
I'm starting off the year with my Ryan/Simon reel_idol fic, which will get posted next week or so. I would like to write the "how they got together" for Ryan and Simon that I've only referred to in various fics, plus a season 3 fic of some kind and a rewrite/expansion of Who's Afraid of Janis Ian. I'd also be surprised if AI9 didn't provide some inspiration!
I've started writing another nuTrek AU that I'm really excited about. That I'll post sometime in the spring I think.
I really want to get the EWFS sequel done, because the final HP movie comes out in mid-2011 and I have set that date as the end date of Potterfic for me, which means the sequel, one last D/G fic, and to somehow finish the Seamus/Dean fanfic100. But hey, drabbles count for that, and with the sequel and what I've already written I'll have 37, so that's just 63, and I actually do have vaguely plotted further adventures for those two.
- From my past year of writing, what was my...
- Best story: A Dream That Could Not Last.
- Story most underappreciated by the universe: A Dream That Could Not Last, but I expected it.
- Most fun story: Keep Your Enemies Closer, because I got to pick all this music for it.
- Sexiest story: Best Laid Plans, or Affinity, or To Match Her Eyes.
- Story with single sexiest moment: Hermione modeling a two-piece swimsuit and brown boots for Harry in His Favorite Sport, or David's comment to Adam in Don't Stop the Music.
- Story with single sweetest moment: Apple pie kisses in When The Game Ends We'll Sing Again, or morning-after chatter in Count Me In and Count Me Out.
- Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: All of them! You always learn something new about them when you write a story.
- Hardest story to write: To Make the Season Bright, because it just would not flow.
- Easiest story to write: His Favorite Sport.
- Biggest disappointment: None! I worked hard to manage my expectations and get more zen about response to stories. It really does have so much to do with size of fandom and general support of the ship.
- Biggest surprise: The response to When The Game Ends We'll Sing Again. I knew that I liked it, but I really didn't expect for so many others to like it as well, and to find so many undercurrents in it.
Overall:
I'm excited that there are so many fandoms represented this year. I'm feeling ready to properly start saying goodbye to Harry Potter, and to keep American Idol in the right perspective to avoid the disappointments of the past. Watching shows that I just like (Castle, HIMYM, White Collar) has proven inspirational, and who knows where Star Trek will take me, or what I might stumble onto next year. I feel very open at the moment!