Summary of 2008 Fiction and some observations.
A number of people gave done this and it struck me as a good idea, both as a way to organize things a bit, and to get a grasp on where I've gotten better, and where there might be the most room for improvement. I'll do a separate summary of the videos. The questions were snagged from Cnidarian.
2008 fiction: Stargate SG-1
June
(At the End of the Day, PG-13)- My first story... I have a sentimental fondness for it.
(The Concept of Zero, PG)
(Of Ruins and Soldiers, PG-13)
July
(M is for Ma'chello, G)
(Checking Up, PG-13)
(Janet Frasier's Five Worst Nightmares, PG-13)
(Motivating Vala to Succeed, PG-13)
August
(D is for Debriefing, G)
(Somethings that Daniel wants to do, PG-13)-Not really a story, more of a list, just included here for the sake of completeness.
(Freedom: Jaffa Philosophy, PG-13)
(Digging Up the Past, PG-13)
( A Source of Power, PG-13) - In seven chapters.
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This point marks a kind of dividing line for me, as the point where the ideas about writing that people had been trying to explain to me became more clear, and I started to feel like I was getting a handle on things. Writing so much in August was definately a good thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Lost Over Time, PG-13)- This wasn't posted until the beginning of September, but was the last thing I wrote in August.
September
I took September off from writing-I needed a break...
October
(The Need to Know, PG-13)
(He was a Good Man (N is for Nem), PG-13)
(A Pleasant Pastime, PG-13)
November
(A Direct Order, PG-13)- This story took up a lot of time. Most of that was spent banging my head on my desk and deleting failed drafts.
(The More Things Change, PG-13)
December
(A Piano in the Woods, PG-13)
(Time Heals All, PG-13)
(Daniel in Wonderland-Part 1, PG-13)
(Daniel in Wonderland-Part 2, PG-13) - Last Story of the year...
My favorite story this year (of my own):
Humor - 'Daniel in Wonderland' (although I had a lot of fun writing 'A Pleasant Pastime, too), Drama - 'Lost Over Time, or 'Time Heals All'. I can't decide which, I'm afraid.
My best story this year:
Humor - 'Daniel in Wonderland', Drama - 'Lost Over Time'.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Well, I want to say 'A Source of Power' because I worked really hard on it, and it wasn't read much. Admittedly, I spent way too much time on the history and archeology, and not enough time planning things out. I pretty much wrote the plot in a 'stream of conciousness' way. The villain is conceptually very sketchy, and I made Daniel way too blind without his glasses... At the same time, even though the writing is a bit more rough than I can do now, there are parts that are still worthwhile and fun-my opinion of course.
The important thing about this story was not whether it was well liked, but how much I learned by working on a longer story. There is clear improvement from the first chapter to the last, at least to my mind. I need to go back to writing stories with more plot (or any).
In terms of under-appreciation, if I'm really being honest with myself, I would actually have to choose a later story with smoother writing to be able to consider it 'under-appreciated'. That being the case, I guess I would pick 'A Piano in the Woods' or 'The More Things Change'.
Most fun story:
Hmmm... 'A Pleasant Pastime' is straight-up fun. 'Daniel in Wonderland' has a little more edge. I guess it depends on what one finds fun.
Sexiest story:
Uh, none. I don't forsee there being any sexy stories unless I do enough research to be able to write Sha're. Even the, it will be PG-13 sexy. I'm canon, all the way.
Hardest story to write:
'A Direct Order'. That one was really tough. Characterization of Sam or Janet is more difficult for me than for Jack, or Daniel. Teal'c is also a bit tough, but there are some pretty obvious 'rules' that make it a little easier. It was also tough because, to me, Sam and Jack's behavior in 'Singularity' is rather bizarre for military people. It would have been easier if the story wasn't for the Galpalficathon. I would have left things unresolved after the conversation with Janet, and added another scene where Jack and Sam had it out. I was never really happy with the ending. I really couldn't resolve things to my satisfaction without a scene between Sam and Jack.
Biggest Surprise:
Not only did I decide to write fiction, but I did so publicly.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Once I decide to learn to do something, I tend to go all out-if I enjoy it, and I do enjoy writing. I wanted to improve as quickly as possible, and I knew that the only way to do that is to write a lot. So, about what I would have predicted, if I'd had any idea that I would start writing before I signed up for the SG-1 Friend Ficathon,
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Well, signing up for that first ficathon... Luckily, I've had wonderful beta readers. They tell me if I'm about to do something glaringly stupid, so no risks in an 'OMG, what was I thinking', kind of way. I suppose that 'Daniel in Wonderland' was a bit risky. I was initially worried that the humor might be a bit dry for some, or that it might offend. I guess I learned that you should go ahead and write whatever wacky idea comes to you, especially if you have strong feelings about the subject matter in some way.
Things I've learned:
Grammar-it's a work in progress. The difference between past and past perfect tense (still get messed up there, sometimes). That every story needs a conflict, even if it's a small, unimportant one. About POV (I'm still learning and experimenting with that one). That you can't write what you think people want to hear. You have to write what you really think/feel, or it will be very bad. Very bad...
Do you have any goals for the New Year?
To keep writing. To come up with a plot complex enough to go the 50,000 words necessary for the 'Summer of Stargate'. To write more episode-like stories. To make plots more involved, once I get the hang of it. To keep improving...
To the 2008 video summary.
2008 fiction: Stargate SG-1
June
(At the End of the Day, PG-13)- My first story... I have a sentimental fondness for it.
(The Concept of Zero, PG)
(Of Ruins and Soldiers, PG-13)
July
(M is for Ma'chello, G)
(Checking Up, PG-13)
(Janet Frasier's Five Worst Nightmares, PG-13)
(Motivating Vala to Succeed, PG-13)
August
(D is for Debriefing, G)
(Somethings that Daniel wants to do, PG-13)-Not really a story, more of a list, just included here for the sake of completeness.
(Freedom: Jaffa Philosophy, PG-13)
(Digging Up the Past, PG-13)
( A Source of Power, PG-13) - In seven chapters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This point marks a kind of dividing line for me, as the point where the ideas about writing that people had been trying to explain to me became more clear, and I started to feel like I was getting a handle on things. Writing so much in August was definately a good thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Lost Over Time, PG-13)- This wasn't posted until the beginning of September, but was the last thing I wrote in August.
September
I took September off from writing-I needed a break...
October
(The Need to Know, PG-13)
(He was a Good Man (N is for Nem), PG-13)
(A Pleasant Pastime, PG-13)
November
(A Direct Order, PG-13)- This story took up a lot of time. Most of that was spent banging my head on my desk and deleting failed drafts.
(The More Things Change, PG-13)
December
(A Piano in the Woods, PG-13)
(Time Heals All, PG-13)
(Daniel in Wonderland-Part 1, PG-13)
(Daniel in Wonderland-Part 2, PG-13) - Last Story of the year...
My favorite story this year (of my own):
Humor - 'Daniel in Wonderland' (although I had a lot of fun writing 'A Pleasant Pastime, too), Drama - 'Lost Over Time, or 'Time Heals All'. I can't decide which, I'm afraid.
My best story this year:
Humor - 'Daniel in Wonderland', Drama - 'Lost Over Time'.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Well, I want to say 'A Source of Power' because I worked really hard on it, and it wasn't read much. Admittedly, I spent way too much time on the history and archeology, and not enough time planning things out. I pretty much wrote the plot in a 'stream of conciousness' way. The villain is conceptually very sketchy, and I made Daniel way too blind without his glasses... At the same time, even though the writing is a bit more rough than I can do now, there are parts that are still worthwhile and fun-my opinion of course.
The important thing about this story was not whether it was well liked, but how much I learned by working on a longer story. There is clear improvement from the first chapter to the last, at least to my mind. I need to go back to writing stories with more plot (or any).
In terms of under-appreciation, if I'm really being honest with myself, I would actually have to choose a later story with smoother writing to be able to consider it 'under-appreciated'. That being the case, I guess I would pick 'A Piano in the Woods' or 'The More Things Change'.
Most fun story:
Hmmm... 'A Pleasant Pastime' is straight-up fun. 'Daniel in Wonderland' has a little more edge. I guess it depends on what one finds fun.
Sexiest story:
Uh, none. I don't forsee there being any sexy stories unless I do enough research to be able to write Sha're. Even the, it will be PG-13 sexy. I'm canon, all the way.
Hardest story to write:
'A Direct Order'. That one was really tough. Characterization of Sam or Janet is more difficult for me than for Jack, or Daniel. Teal'c is also a bit tough, but there are some pretty obvious 'rules' that make it a little easier. It was also tough because, to me, Sam and Jack's behavior in 'Singularity' is rather bizarre for military people. It would have been easier if the story wasn't for the Galpalficathon. I would have left things unresolved after the conversation with Janet, and added another scene where Jack and Sam had it out. I was never really happy with the ending. I really couldn't resolve things to my satisfaction without a scene between Sam and Jack.
Biggest Surprise:
Not only did I decide to write fiction, but I did so publicly.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Once I decide to learn to do something, I tend to go all out-if I enjoy it, and I do enjoy writing. I wanted to improve as quickly as possible, and I knew that the only way to do that is to write a lot. So, about what I would have predicted, if I'd had any idea that I would start writing before I signed up for the SG-1 Friend Ficathon,
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Well, signing up for that first ficathon... Luckily, I've had wonderful beta readers. They tell me if I'm about to do something glaringly stupid, so no risks in an 'OMG, what was I thinking', kind of way. I suppose that 'Daniel in Wonderland' was a bit risky. I was initially worried that the humor might be a bit dry for some, or that it might offend. I guess I learned that you should go ahead and write whatever wacky idea comes to you, especially if you have strong feelings about the subject matter in some way.
Things I've learned:
Grammar-it's a work in progress. The difference between past and past perfect tense (still get messed up there, sometimes). That every story needs a conflict, even if it's a small, unimportant one. About POV (I'm still learning and experimenting with that one). That you can't write what you think people want to hear. You have to write what you really think/feel, or it will be very bad. Very bad...
Do you have any goals for the New Year?
To keep writing. To come up with a plot complex enough to go the 50,000 words necessary for the 'Summer of Stargate'. To write more episode-like stories. To make plots more involved, once I get the hang of it. To keep improving...
To the 2008 video summary.