2011 Year End Fic Meme
This year I wrote and posted:
13 Chris/Zach (plus 7 time stamp comment!fics [with more to come])
1 William Strunk/E.B. White
Pinto:
Turnabout Intruder in My Pants
Morning Glory
Consumed
Feels Just Like It Should (trekrpfexchange for medea_fic)
Louder Than Sirens, Louder Than Bells (Toy Box 'verse)
The Steelrod Chronicles
Chris and Zach Go to a Nudie Beach (for Pinto Pornapalooza II)
Jordan Has Two Daddies (Queensland auction for darlapr0duction)
A Good Hard Lei
Aum
Pretty Piece of Flesh (Toy Box 'verse)
I Need You So Much Closer (for rpf_big_bang)
The Pirate King and the Cabin Boy
Strunk/White (Whunk?):
Every Word Tell
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? Well, last year I wrote a whopping 238,879 words, which was kind of insane. This year I wrote about half that - 122,277 words - and far, far fewer fics. I was really surprised to count them up and see I’d written only 13 full-length Pinto fics. But, on average, the fics were substantially longer, so there’s that.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? I’ll take “historical grammarian angst!fic” for 2000, Alex.
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest? The Steelrod Chronicles. God, I am so proud of that, even though I have no idea if the porn industry is anything like I portrayed it. How can you not love pornstar!Zach and hapless!Chris?
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? Sigh… I don’t know that I did, and I’m kind of unhappy about that. Well, I mean, I submitted stories to a publisher, which was a risk. And I Need You So Much Closer was definitely outside my usual genre, but I feel like I haven’t been really pushing myself. But I don’t even know what I want to push myself to do, so don’t mind me. :oP
From my past year of writing, what was . . .
My best story of this year: Maybe Feels Just Like It Should? I think the pieces all really came together on that one, and it had some *ahem* memorable moments.
My most popular story of this year: Going by AO3 hits, that would be I Need You So Much Closer, which is not a total surprise as it was my Big Bang. And it really turned out a lot better than I thought it would while I was writing it - I kept wondering if anyone was actually going to want to read it. But I felt the same way about Training Wheels last year, so I guess I really underestimate the h/c junkies out there.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: None, really. If I had to answer this, gun to my head, I would sound really ungrateful and say that I was maybe expecting more hoopla when I finally finished Turnabout Intruder? But that’s only because of all the mental anguish that went into finishing that fucking thing, even though… well, I’ll get to that. Arrrrgh.
Most fun story to write: The Pirate King and the Cabin Boy, no contest. I think I had a grin on my face the whole time. A Good Hard Lei was a blast, too.
Story with the single sexiest moment: Hmm… possibly Aum, when Chris tugs the pendant with his teeth and they kiss with it in their mouths. Hrrrngh, that image still does things to me.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Um, I don’t know that I had any that strongly fit this description. Consumed, maybe, because I was trying to make vore sexy, but it was a pretty mild form of the kink and the story turned out oh so right. ;o)
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Pretty Piece of Flesh, when I realized that Zach, though undoubtedly a Dom in the Toy Box ‘verse, is not actually a sadist. He’s in it for the power and the drama, not necessarily Chris’ pain.
Hardest story to write: I think everyone and their mother could answer this one - Turnabout Intruder. It fought me every step of the way. I doubted most every plot point in there.
Biggest Disappointment: I hate to say it, but… Turnabout Intruder. I don’t know; I just get this feeling that I could have done so much more with the premise, but kind of fizzled out. Please feel free to disagree with me on that. And I didn’t write ANY fucking K/S! What is wrong with me?
Biggest Surprise: I sure as hell wasn’t expecting to write Strunk/White. One XKCD comic and a dare from ewinfic later…
Most Unintentionally Telling Story: Oh lord, I don’t even know. For some reason, I want to say Louder Than Sirens, Louder Than Bells, because even though it’s incredibly far afield from my own experience, something about it felt really… personal, I guess? Like I was revealing something about the way my mind works when I was writing it. Uh, take that as you will.
My fic writing goals for 2012: Well, addressing my goals from last year, I did manage to finish both Turnabout Intruder and what would become I Need You So Much Closer (begun in late 2009), but of course I managed to write zero K/S. HOW ABOUT I DO SOME OF THAT BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS. Um, I actually want to try to write more original fic, but most of all, I just want to keep writing. I haven’t been doing much of that in the past few weeks and it feels… not right.
Favorite 5 Opening Line(s):
"God, look at you," Zach says with a smirk. "All tied up and helpless. I could just eat you up." (Consumed)
It starts in a bar in Sydney, after a few too many cocksucking cowboys. The drinks, not the, uh, cowboys. (Feels Just Like It Should)
It wasn’t a girly scream, no matter what Zach says. Yes, it was a bit high-pitched, but under the circumstances, that’s completely understandable, even appropriate. (The Steelrod Chronicles)
“Okay, everyone in this room who has made a living by getting up on stage and dropping trou six nights a week, raise your hand.”
Zach glares at him.
“Zaaaachary, I don’t see any haaa-aaands.” (Chris and Zach Go to a Nudie Beach)
Zoe is a bad person. That’s all there is to it. She is cruel and hateful and probably kicks puppies in her spare time. She delights in misery and suffering.
Surely that can be the only reason she talked Chris into this speed dating thing. (A Good Hard Lei)
Favorite 5 Closing Line(s):
“Don’t get snarky with me or next time I’ll truss you up like a Christmas turkey. Guess where the meat thermometer’s gonna go?”
Chris groans, and even he can’t tell if it’s in horror or anticipation. (Consumed)
Sure enough, Chris whips the sheet back and there’s the donut, sitting at the base of his erect cock.
“Eat up,” Chris says, draping himself back over the pillows. “And Zachary? Clean your plate.” (Feels Just Like It Should)
Chris finds he has nothing to say to that, so he takes in a deep breath of the warm night air, fragrant with the scent of the ocean and the nearby plumeria trees, and just smiles. He really does live in paradise. (A Good Hard Lei)
“Mmm, thought so. Goddamn, I feel good. Could even go for a little yoga chanting now. Hit me up with some of that mantra shit.”
“Oh, fuck you, Pine.”
“Yeah, that’d work, too.” (Aum)
“We’ve already survived,” Chris whispered, pulling back to kiss the tip of Zach’s nose and look him in the eyes. “Now we can just… live.” (I Need You So Much Closer)
Favorite 10 Line(s) from Anywhere:
Because there it is, right in front of him. A penis in the sun. And look, he manscaped just for the occasion. At least he didn’t yell “Release the Kraken!” upon unzipping. That has been known to happen. (Chris and Zach Go to a Nudie Beach)
After fifty years, the ink had faded, but not as considerably as White might have imagined. Somebody cared for this manuscript - somebody kept it from the damaging influence of light and mold and insects. Something about that thought touched White’s heart immeasurably. (Every Word Tell)
Chris pouts. “You’re no fun anymore. You used to be cool, man. You’ve changed.”
“I have not,” Zach shoots back, just a little too soused to think critically about the need to argue this particular point. “I’m still fun.”
“Are not. ‘Chris, don’t fuck the bed.’ ‘Chris, don’t eat an entire box of Tim Tams.’ ‘Chris, don’t try to box with the kangaroo.’” (Feels Just Like It Should)
“Um, Zach? I know this is kind of weird, but, uh… how big… is it? When you’re, y’know, hard?”
Zach glances over at him with disbelieving eyes. “That cannot possibly be on the form.” (The Steelrod Chronicles)
“Look, look, she’s dialing!” Chris said, pointing at Jordan’s other hand mashing the buttons. “Hey, go easy on the long distance calls, sweetie. By the time you get to Berkeley, I’m not sure even Daddy’s bank account is gonna cover the tuition.”
“Berkeley, huh?” Zach teased. “She’s not going to make it in to Stanford?”
“She’ll get in, but she’s going to turn them down, because they’re a bunch of self-important, elitist a-holes. Aren’t they, Jordan? Aren’t they a bunch of a-holes?”
“Wait, that doesn’t count as a swear?”
“Not on primetime TV.” (Jordan Has Two Daddies)
“You still didn’t tell me the full story. I want to hear all about Bev.”
“You can’t have Bev. She’s mine. Our wedding will be small, but we’re honeymooning in the south of France.” (Turnabout Intruder in My Pants)
Zach shrugs. “Well, yeah, you or the fire-twirling guy. He was pretty cute.”
“Goddamn it, the fire-twirling guys get so much ass,” Chris mutters, mostly to himself. (A Good Hard Lei)
Zach managed to wait a beat after the guy left the kitchen before contorting his face with disgust. “Holy shit, that might actually be bat piss.”
Chris doubled over with laughter. When he could speak again, he wheezed, “Oh, god, I can’t believe you just drank Miller Lite for me! That’s like the Quinto equivalent of taking a bullet to the chest.”
“Try the groin. Do they brew this shit in the sulfur cauldrons of hell, or what?” (I Need You So Much Closer)
“Uh, have we met?” Zach asks with a disbelieving snort. “The only color my pale skin is going to turn under the fiery sun is lobster-ass red. And then it’s all going to peel off. If you’re going for sexy, that is not it. And didn’t we already cover malignant melanomas?”
“That’s where you’re refusing to suspend your disbelief? Skin care? Just fucking go with it, you big whiner, or we’ll all die of scurvy before we get to the sex part.” Zach looks sufficiently chastened, so Chris continues. “Where was I? Oh, okay, we’re getting to the part where you stumble across my secret stash of pilfered books, and you realize I’m no ordinary pirate.”
“Well, that wasn’t my first clue.” (The Pirate King and the Cabin Boy)
“I reach a hand up to touch your face, trace my thumb over your cheekbone, watch your lips tremble just a little in the bare candlelight. And that’s when I realize… you’ve never known the touch of a man.”
Zach stills his hips and frowns. “Wait, how old am I in this?”
“Hey, this is my fantasy,” Chris says, poking Zach in the chest to make his point. “And in my fantasy, you’ve never known the touch of a man. You had a very sheltered upbringing.”
“Apparently.” (The Pirate King and the Cabin Boy)
If I don't post again before the new year, happy celebrating! Let's all have fun kicking 2011 out on its ass!