The 2008 Writing Year In Review
I am dying to sink my teeth into some writing project or another, fic or otherwise. But I'm still on holidays until Tuesday, so I'm gonna stay on holidays and not do anything about that until next week sometime when I'll try and gather up some writing mojo and rub it into my scalp to stimulate my brain particles. In the meantime, here's a meme I meant to do earlier but ran out of time, what with xmas and all that. Snagged from swing-set.
The 2008 Writing Year In Review
By Month:
JANUARY
The Stig Sleeps (The Stig/James/Richard/Jeremy, Top Gear) (possibly written in 2007 but seeing as I posted it in 2008 I'll include it here)
FEBRUARY
Untitled (Cary Grant/Frank Sinatra RPS, ficlet)
various (4 actually) Top Gear ficlets (I can't be bothered listing them all individually, most/all began as comment fic)
Pressed Between (Cary Grant/Frank Sinatra RPS)
MARCH
APRIL
Rapture in Clingfilm (Richard/The Stig, hints of Richard/James, clingfilm, Top Gear)
that icon ficlet meme thing (various pairings and fandoms, lots of ficlets)
MAY
What you do when you are called (Murphy/Connor, Boondock Saints)
JUNE
JULY
A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure (The Wiggles/Doctor Who crossover)
Charlie Knows Fauns (Mike Fielding/Dave Brown, some Mike Fielding/Noel Fielding, The Mighty Boosh RPS)
Curled Up Inside (Richard/James, mpreg, Top Gear)
Transient (David Tennant/John Simm RPS)
AUGUST
Falling Backwards Off the Edge (John Simm/David Tennant RPS)
Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache (Gary Oldman/Tim Roth/Edward Norton RPS, er, crack!)
Untitled (Richard/James, incubus AU, Top Gear, ficlet)
SEPTEMBER
Here is Where I First Realised (Gary Oldman/Tim Roth RPS)
For the Love of Red Braces (OFC/Gary Oldam, OFC/Clea Duval and OFC/others, crack)
Bad Dreams (Supernatural almost-gen fic)
A Shift in the Air (Rogue/Logan, X-Men movieverse)
OCTOBER
Forty Miles of Bad Road (Ellen Harvelle/Ellen Ripley, Supernatural/Alien film series crossover)
The Question (Jensen/Jared, Supernatual RPS)
NOVEMBER
(was doing Nanowrimo, so my fic output was zilch)
DECEMBER
(did write some Merlin ficlets for an anon meme but have yet to post them on my lj, so won't count them here)
Total Stories: 16 (not including ficlets) (ficlets: 6 + all those mini ones (30 in total) done for that icon ficlet meme thing in April)
Total Word Count: approx. 26335 (yay!) (not including ficlets) (+ 50400 words written for Nanowrimo)
My favourite story this year: Oh man, this is actually a really difficult question. I have a handful of stories I wrote that I put a lot of thought and effort into and am, to varying degrees, happy with how they turned out. Then there is the crack which I love just purely for the insane joy of writing it. ... Ok, I'm gonna go with Forty Miles of Bad Road because I feel like that one really came together for me and there's nothing in it that I'm unhappy with (except for the fact that I have started a follow-up to it and haven't been able to finish it, blast!)
Runners-up: A Shift in the Air (except that I'm still not quite happy with that title, I'm sure there's a better, more suitable one out there, somewhere), Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache (which is possibly the best title EVAH so how can you follow that one, really?) and What you do when you are called.
My best story this year: Oh gosh, I don't know. Perhaps For the Love of Red Braces but I guess that depends on your definition of "best". If "best" means "includes the most red braces and is therefore the most hottest", then yes, this one is by far the best. Also, I like the way this one is written, I have used language in a REALLY GOOD and COMMANDING way.
Runners-up: I think the serious answers to these "best story" questions are the same as my answers to the "favourite story" questions.
My worst story this year: Um, possible Bad Dreams. As much as I love Supernatural, I am never quite happy with how I write Sam and Dean and that whole universe.
Runners-up: Runners-up in crapness? Um, I don't know, but the fact that I can hardly remember Charlie Knows Fauns could be saying something. Possibly if I'd included more actual fauns...
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: A Shift in the Air! Come on, people! It's Wolverine (who would be hot paired with anyone! I imagine if someone wrote Wolverine/Gary Oldman it would burn a whole through the internet, if not the whole world just through the EPIC SEXY HOTNESS of the two of them! And the two of them PAIRED TOGETHER!!!?!) So anyway. It's Wolverine having kinky claw not!sex with Rogue, who cannot touch him without sucking his life-force which would eventually kill him! It's pretty much the kinkiest thing I've ever written and if you go by the comments on the fic, next to no-one has read it. *pout* I also love What you do when you are called and it seems like next to no-one has read that one either. *single emo tear* But it is a tiny fandom (Boondock Saints) and it's twincest, so I'm willing to forgive that one a little more. *le sigh*
Story I wrote that I never thought I'd write: Hahaha. Well, I never thought I'd write mpreg but when I sat down to write Curled Up Inside it just flowed, for some unknown, slightly disturbing reason! I never thought I'd write het either, or kinky not!sex involving claws and cutting, but I got both those things out of the way with A Shift in the Air. I never thought I'd write a Doctor Who/Wiggles crossover ( A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure), but isn't that part of the joy of writing things from other people's prompts - you are given ideas you could never come up with alone!
Most fun story to write: Pretty much all the crack. Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache. A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure. For the Love of Red Braces. And also Forty Miles of Bad Road - that was fun to write too.
Least fun stories to write: Probably all those WIP I have never finished! I think my list of 2008's fic is actually a pretty good reflection of things I have enjoyed writing. I'm not good at forcing myself to write something I don't want to write or that I'm not enjoying writing. I had a couple of moments of uncomfortableness writing the cutting not!sex in A Shift in the Air and some vague twinges of guilt writing RPS incest (Fielding bros) but nothing to actually stop me writing!
Hottest story this year: ooh, I'm big on pimping A Shift in the Air today, aren't I? Though some people seem to think Transient is quite hot (I guess if you like skinny white guys like Tennant and Simm...)
Runners-up: There is something sexy about What you do when you are called, but that's nothing compared with For the Love of Red Braces which is probably THE HOTTEST THING EVER WRITTEN!
Favorite OC: Jessie Rust-Bucket, of course. Though I did also love some of my Nano characters: Alexis, Lola, Mark, Francis and Simion.
Favorite philosophical statement I've written this year: Bow ties are never alright in casual dress, in everyday dress, in business dress. THEY ARE BASICALLY NEVER ALRIGHT UNLESS YOU ARE WEARING A TUXEDO. Also: Cheese isn't meant to be low fat. - Those two gems were not from fics though. So, for some fic-related deep philosophy: You know, I don’t think Gary [Oldman] was wearing that moustache. I think the moustache was wearing him.
Favorite portrayals of: Erm. I always enjoy writing Gary Oldman and Tim Roth but I don't know if this is to do with my portrayal of them or my deep lust for them as an OTP. I was happy with how I wrote Connor and Murphy McManus, because it took me a while to get my head around how to write them and I felt like I'd cracked something when I finally wrote it (a feeling I am still looking for when I write about the Winchester brothers). I was also happy with how I wrote Ellen Harvelle and Ellen Ripley. I felt as though I was true to the characters despite the fact that I was throwing them together in an insane crossover.
Favorite opening lines: Ellen Harvelle is used to dark nights, but this is something different.
Runner-up: The light was blue-white and clear and lent everything the quality of a dream.
Favorite closing lines: Later that day Jeremy came round with some flowers. The card read: Congratulations on the alien spawn.
Runner-up: Gary was already looking at him, his eyes clear and blue. Between them, there was a knot unravelling.
And I was very happy with this one, partly because it brought the fic up to an important point in the actual cannon, leaving the reader (hopefully) with all the implications of what was to come: She struggles to find her sense of direction, thinking, for a second, that she is back looking at the burning barn instead of the Roadhouse. Beside her, she hears Ripley’s sharp intake of breath.
Also this one is classic: At the end of a long night, Jessie Rust-Bucket was alone. She looked down at her steampunkish suitcase and smiled. It was filled with a delicious tangle of red braces. Too many to count but not too many to love. She sighed, contented.
What I have learned: To trust myself more. That there is benefit to be had in locking oneself away in a room (away from distractions like the internet!) and just writing. That thinking things through carefully first can mean that the writing part is much easier.
My bad habits: Not finishing things. Promising to write things and then not writing them, for whatever reason (I'm sorry if I have promised to write you something and it hasn't happened yet!)
My New Year's Fic Writing Resolutions: I only really have one: to write as much as possible. I was happy with how my writing went in 2008 and would like to continue that into 2009. I feel like I'm gradually increasing my output and this is something I need to continue - both with fic and my original writing. December is always a bad month for writing - too busy and crazy with other stuff. And now I've had my holidays and am about to go back to work and get into my usual weekly routine, I hope to get stuck into some writing projects ASAP. I'd also like to finish some of those pesky WIPs, particularly the follow-up Ellen/Ellen one.
The 2008 Writing Year In Review
By Month:
JANUARY
The Stig Sleeps (The Stig/James/Richard/Jeremy, Top Gear) (possibly written in 2007 but seeing as I posted it in 2008 I'll include it here)
FEBRUARY
Untitled (Cary Grant/Frank Sinatra RPS, ficlet)
various (4 actually) Top Gear ficlets (I can't be bothered listing them all individually, most/all began as comment fic)
Pressed Between (Cary Grant/Frank Sinatra RPS)
MARCH
APRIL
Rapture in Clingfilm (Richard/The Stig, hints of Richard/James, clingfilm, Top Gear)
that icon ficlet meme thing (various pairings and fandoms, lots of ficlets)
MAY
What you do when you are called (Murphy/Connor, Boondock Saints)
JUNE
JULY
A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure (The Wiggles/Doctor Who crossover)
Charlie Knows Fauns (Mike Fielding/Dave Brown, some Mike Fielding/Noel Fielding, The Mighty Boosh RPS)
Curled Up Inside (Richard/James, mpreg, Top Gear)
Transient (David Tennant/John Simm RPS)
AUGUST
Falling Backwards Off the Edge (John Simm/David Tennant RPS)
Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache (Gary Oldman/Tim Roth/Edward Norton RPS, er, crack!)
Untitled (Richard/James, incubus AU, Top Gear, ficlet)
SEPTEMBER
Here is Where I First Realised (Gary Oldman/Tim Roth RPS)
For the Love of Red Braces (OFC/Gary Oldam, OFC/Clea Duval and OFC/others, crack)
Bad Dreams (Supernatural almost-gen fic)
A Shift in the Air (Rogue/Logan, X-Men movieverse)
OCTOBER
Forty Miles of Bad Road (Ellen Harvelle/Ellen Ripley, Supernatural/Alien film series crossover)
The Question (Jensen/Jared, Supernatual RPS)
NOVEMBER
(was doing Nanowrimo, so my fic output was zilch)
DECEMBER
(did write some Merlin ficlets for an anon meme but have yet to post them on my lj, so won't count them here)
Total Stories: 16 (not including ficlets) (ficlets: 6 + all those mini ones (30 in total) done for that icon ficlet meme thing in April)
Total Word Count: approx. 26335 (yay!) (not including ficlets) (+ 50400 words written for Nanowrimo)
My favourite story this year: Oh man, this is actually a really difficult question. I have a handful of stories I wrote that I put a lot of thought and effort into and am, to varying degrees, happy with how they turned out. Then there is the crack which I love just purely for the insane joy of writing it. ... Ok, I'm gonna go with Forty Miles of Bad Road because I feel like that one really came together for me and there's nothing in it that I'm unhappy with (except for the fact that I have started a follow-up to it and haven't been able to finish it, blast!)
Runners-up: A Shift in the Air (except that I'm still not quite happy with that title, I'm sure there's a better, more suitable one out there, somewhere), Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache (which is possibly the best title EVAH so how can you follow that one, really?) and What you do when you are called.
My best story this year: Oh gosh, I don't know. Perhaps For the Love of Red Braces but I guess that depends on your definition of "best". If "best" means "includes the most red braces and is therefore the most hottest", then yes, this one is by far the best. Also, I like the way this one is written, I have used language in a REALLY GOOD and COMMANDING way.
Runners-up: I think the serious answers to these "best story" questions are the same as my answers to the "favourite story" questions.
My worst story this year: Um, possible Bad Dreams. As much as I love Supernatural, I am never quite happy with how I write Sam and Dean and that whole universe.
Runners-up: Runners-up in crapness? Um, I don't know, but the fact that I can hardly remember Charlie Knows Fauns could be saying something. Possibly if I'd included more actual fauns...
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: A Shift in the Air! Come on, people! It's Wolverine (who would be hot paired with anyone! I imagine if someone wrote Wolverine/Gary Oldman it would burn a whole through the internet, if not the whole world just through the EPIC SEXY HOTNESS of the two of them! And the two of them PAIRED TOGETHER!!!?!) So anyway. It's Wolverine having kinky claw not!sex with Rogue, who cannot touch him without sucking his life-force which would eventually kill him! It's pretty much the kinkiest thing I've ever written and if you go by the comments on the fic, next to no-one has read it. *pout* I also love What you do when you are called and it seems like next to no-one has read that one either. *single emo tear* But it is a tiny fandom (Boondock Saints) and it's twincest, so I'm willing to forgive that one a little more. *le sigh*
Story I wrote that I never thought I'd write: Hahaha. Well, I never thought I'd write mpreg but when I sat down to write Curled Up Inside it just flowed, for some unknown, slightly disturbing reason! I never thought I'd write het either, or kinky not!sex involving claws and cutting, but I got both those things out of the way with A Shift in the Air. I never thought I'd write a Doctor Who/Wiggles crossover ( A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure), but isn't that part of the joy of writing things from other people's prompts - you are given ideas you could never come up with alone!
Most fun story to write: Pretty much all the crack. Sherlock Holmes Investigates the Diabolical Curse of Gary Oldman’s Moustache. A Wiggly Spacey Timey Wimey Adventure. For the Love of Red Braces. And also Forty Miles of Bad Road - that was fun to write too.
Least fun stories to write: Probably all those WIP I have never finished! I think my list of 2008's fic is actually a pretty good reflection of things I have enjoyed writing. I'm not good at forcing myself to write something I don't want to write or that I'm not enjoying writing. I had a couple of moments of uncomfortableness writing the cutting not!sex in A Shift in the Air and some vague twinges of guilt writing RPS incest (Fielding bros) but nothing to actually stop me writing!
Hottest story this year: ooh, I'm big on pimping A Shift in the Air today, aren't I? Though some people seem to think Transient is quite hot (I guess if you like skinny white guys like Tennant and Simm...)
Runners-up: There is something sexy about What you do when you are called, but that's nothing compared with For the Love of Red Braces which is probably THE HOTTEST THING EVER WRITTEN!
Favorite OC: Jessie Rust-Bucket, of course. Though I did also love some of my Nano characters: Alexis, Lola, Mark, Francis and Simion.
Favorite philosophical statement I've written this year: Bow ties are never alright in casual dress, in everyday dress, in business dress. THEY ARE BASICALLY NEVER ALRIGHT UNLESS YOU ARE WEARING A TUXEDO. Also: Cheese isn't meant to be low fat. - Those two gems were not from fics though. So, for some fic-related deep philosophy: You know, I don’t think Gary [Oldman] was wearing that moustache. I think the moustache was wearing him.
Favorite portrayals of: Erm. I always enjoy writing Gary Oldman and Tim Roth but I don't know if this is to do with my portrayal of them or my deep lust for them as an OTP. I was happy with how I wrote Connor and Murphy McManus, because it took me a while to get my head around how to write them and I felt like I'd cracked something when I finally wrote it (a feeling I am still looking for when I write about the Winchester brothers). I was also happy with how I wrote Ellen Harvelle and Ellen Ripley. I felt as though I was true to the characters despite the fact that I was throwing them together in an insane crossover.
Favorite opening lines: Ellen Harvelle is used to dark nights, but this is something different.
Runner-up: The light was blue-white and clear and lent everything the quality of a dream.
Favorite closing lines: Later that day Jeremy came round with some flowers. The card read: Congratulations on the alien spawn.
Runner-up: Gary was already looking at him, his eyes clear and blue. Between them, there was a knot unravelling.
And I was very happy with this one, partly because it brought the fic up to an important point in the actual cannon, leaving the reader (hopefully) with all the implications of what was to come: She struggles to find her sense of direction, thinking, for a second, that she is back looking at the burning barn instead of the Roadhouse. Beside her, she hears Ripley’s sharp intake of breath.
Also this one is classic: At the end of a long night, Jessie Rust-Bucket was alone. She looked down at her steampunkish suitcase and smiled. It was filled with a delicious tangle of red braces. Too many to count but not too many to love. She sighed, contented.
What I have learned: To trust myself more. That there is benefit to be had in locking oneself away in a room (away from distractions like the internet!) and just writing. That thinking things through carefully first can mean that the writing part is much easier.
My bad habits: Not finishing things. Promising to write things and then not writing them, for whatever reason (I'm sorry if I have promised to write you something and it hasn't happened yet!)
My New Year's Fic Writing Resolutions: I only really have one: to write as much as possible. I was happy with how my writing went in 2008 and would like to continue that into 2009. I feel like I'm gradually increasing my output and this is something I need to continue - both with fic and my original writing. December is always a bad month for writing - too busy and crazy with other stuff. And now I've had my holidays and am about to go back to work and get into my usual weekly routine, I hope to get stuck into some writing projects ASAP. I'd also like to finish some of those pesky WIPs, particularly the follow-up Ellen/Ellen one.