2008 Round-up
It's new New Year, and you know what that means: author reveals and restrospectives!
I am now prepared to officially take credit (and/or blame) for the following:
Total Stories, Words: 12, ~77200
...in SGA: 4, ~31,350
...in TS: 5, ~37,500
...in other fandoms: 3, ~8,350
My best story(ies) of this year: People seemed to like Gayworld, which certainly benefited from the most time devoted to writing and thinking for a single story all year. I think Checking It Twice is neatest in terms of a gimmick that worked, and the biggest story in fewest words. I still think, in a list of my top three stories of all time, two slots would be taken up by the two I wrote in 2007.
My favorite story of this year: I'm fond of Two Weeks Notice, because it was very satisfying to not only to write some freaking Zelenka already but to write the movie the way I wanted it. I also like the Criminal Minds fic, if only because it has the glamor of a shiny new fandom (new to me, anyway) and because as I'm still working on it so it has infinite potential!
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Earlier this year I would have said Overload, because I was very passionate about it while I was writing it and people didn't seem to like it. But my personal opinion of it has gone down over time. It's just so angsty; I have no desire to re-read it. Also, someone recently looked for it on sentinelficfind, so I guess someone read it after all! It's early days yet for some of my stories, and some are in fandoms I have no right to expect to be widely read (has anyone read Philo Vance in the last 50 years?), so it's hard to say.
Hardest story to write: A lot of them were hard, especially the ones for challenges (I always seemed to have deadlines falling in particularly stressful RL periods ie. moving, finals), but His Hologram Lover! caused me untold pain and angst as I couldn't get it work and couldn't get it to work and then I ran out of time to restart with a new concept so I just had to go with what I had. I really wanted to redeem "Bodyswap," one of my least favorite Red Dwarf episodes, by remixing it as slash, but it turned out to be a difficult slog. I think I learned an important lesson: it's much more satisfying and inspirational to build on what you love, than to try to fix what you don't.
Easiest story to write: Subject to Error came to me all at once, fully formed, and writing it was really more like typing it up. I think I started and posted it in the same day. This has never happened before or since.
Sexiest story: Subject to Error contains some of the most and the most plot-central sex. (I have such a clinical definition of 'sexiest.')
Story with the single sexiest moment: Probably also Subject to Error - the opening scene - although I'm quite fond of some of the awkward faux-intimacy in Gayworld.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Overload. I'm thinking of a specific creepy vaguely non-con bit but honestly the whole story is full of moments where I was cackling with glee for all the wrong reasons.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: A Most Unusual Soiree was most successful in causing me to like the characters more after I'd written it than before. Granted, before I wrote it I thought they were poncy posery jackasses. And they still are, in the story, but in a cute, made-for-each-other kind of way.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story: Unusual Soiree and, to some extent, Subject to Error, both contain the surprisingly persistent theme of people being tied up and abused in some way. If you'd asked me before I started writing fic if that was a particular interest of mine, I'd have said no, but it seems to keep coming up in my work (see also: 2007's Rock, Paper, No Scissors) and in the fandoms I choose to enjoy (see: Criminal Minds).
Story you didn't write, but you swear you will someday: The one where Jim Ellison is being held and tortured, and... There! There! You see?
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2007? Overall, I think 2007 me would probably be surprised at how sexual some of my stories ended up: I remember in the 2007 TS Secret Santa, I was all, "No kink or even, like, explicit sex," and now I'm like, "Bring it!"
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? Fewer but longer stories. I started out the year on track for 12in2008, with one or two stories a month at 2,000-4,000 words and a big 17,000 word story in March. A short break, and then I busted out with two 8,000-10,000 word stories in May. A looooong break, and then I cleaned up at last minute with a quick frenzy of shorter stories. I'm cheating a bit to make my quota, counting my shortest, 550-word story (well below my self-set minimum of 1235) and a WIP. I'm happy with the final word count, though. And if you add to that about 30,000 words of recap, I think I had a pretty productive year.
Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year? 2008 was all about forcing myself to write and building up my repertoire (going from about 2 to about 14 stories). I'm envisioning 2009 as a year of writing fewer but better stories. One hopes!
Acknowledgements: Thanks to yolsaffbridge for tireless beta, throwing around ideas, putting up with my dreamy distraction when she's trying to tell me to buy cat food and I'm trying figure out how Blair is going to react when zzzzz, and Criminal Minds; keefaq for beta on multiple stories, inspirational chats, and Gayworld; janedavitt and mab_browne for beta, comments, and long-term Sentinel excitement; the mods of ts_ficathons, reel_sga, ts_secret_santa, and yuletide; and everyone who feedbacked me, nominated me, prompted me, or otherwise enjoyed my stories. You guys rock.
Chronological list of stories, 2008:
Key: Title, Fandom, Pairing (POV character first)
With Replacement, SGA, Rodney/John
Subject to Error, TS, Jim/Blair
It's Complicated, SGA, John/Rodney
Checking It Twice, TS, Jim/Blair (though, a "found documents" type story so POV is less clear-cut)
Overload, TS, Blair/Jim
Go Down Gamblin', TS, Blair/Jim
Two Weeks Notice, SGA, Rodney/Radek
Gayworld, SGA, Rodney/John
A Noble Mind O'erthrown, TS, Jim/Blair
His Hologram Lover!, Red Dwarf, Lister/Rimmer
A Most Unusual Soiree, Philo Vance, Van Dine/Vance
First Impressions (WIP), Criminal Minds, Morgan/Reid
Chronological list of recaps, 2008
The Sentinel episodes 1x8-1x10 (All other episodes previously posted)
Demon Under Glass
Doogie Howser, M.D. Season 1
Red Dwarf Series 5-8
Criminal Minds Season 1
Criminal Minds Season 2 (WIP)
Chronological list of art, etc., 2008
Day Off TS, comic
Regency J/B TS, illustration for a fanfic (Cards on the Table by mab_browne)
Rentboy Blair, TS, illustration for a fanfic (Paying the Rent by cross_stitchery)
The Switchman in 15 Minutes TS, recap comic
Welcome to the Show, Mighty Boosh, illustration
DIY Glam Rock Vince Noir T-Shirt, Mighty Boosh, T-shirt
The "Men Erotically Caressing On the Hood of a Car" Mix & Match Kit Multifandom, paper dolls (kind of)
Easy to Love, TS, vid
I am now prepared to officially take credit (and/or blame) for the following:
- A Noble Mind O'erthrown, TS, Jim/Blair, 9000 words, for ts_secret_santa
- His Hologram Lover!, Red Dwarf, Lister/Rimmer, 3100 words, for yuletide
Total Stories, Words: 12, ~77200
...in SGA: 4, ~31,350
...in TS: 5, ~37,500
...in other fandoms: 3, ~8,350
My best story(ies) of this year: People seemed to like Gayworld, which certainly benefited from the most time devoted to writing and thinking for a single story all year. I think Checking It Twice is neatest in terms of a gimmick that worked, and the biggest story in fewest words. I still think, in a list of my top three stories of all time, two slots would be taken up by the two I wrote in 2007.
My favorite story of this year: I'm fond of Two Weeks Notice, because it was very satisfying to not only to write some freaking Zelenka already but to write the movie the way I wanted it. I also like the Criminal Minds fic, if only because it has the glamor of a shiny new fandom (new to me, anyway) and because as I'm still working on it so it has infinite potential!
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Earlier this year I would have said Overload, because I was very passionate about it while I was writing it and people didn't seem to like it. But my personal opinion of it has gone down over time. It's just so angsty; I have no desire to re-read it. Also, someone recently looked for it on sentinelficfind, so I guess someone read it after all! It's early days yet for some of my stories, and some are in fandoms I have no right to expect to be widely read (has anyone read Philo Vance in the last 50 years?), so it's hard to say.
Hardest story to write: A lot of them were hard, especially the ones for challenges (I always seemed to have deadlines falling in particularly stressful RL periods ie. moving, finals), but His Hologram Lover! caused me untold pain and angst as I couldn't get it work and couldn't get it to work and then I ran out of time to restart with a new concept so I just had to go with what I had. I really wanted to redeem "Bodyswap," one of my least favorite Red Dwarf episodes, by remixing it as slash, but it turned out to be a difficult slog. I think I learned an important lesson: it's much more satisfying and inspirational to build on what you love, than to try to fix what you don't.
Easiest story to write: Subject to Error came to me all at once, fully formed, and writing it was really more like typing it up. I think I started and posted it in the same day. This has never happened before or since.
Sexiest story: Subject to Error contains some of the most and the most plot-central sex. (I have such a clinical definition of 'sexiest.')
Story with the single sexiest moment: Probably also Subject to Error - the opening scene - although I'm quite fond of some of the awkward faux-intimacy in Gayworld.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Overload. I'm thinking of a specific creepy vaguely non-con bit but honestly the whole story is full of moments where I was cackling with glee for all the wrong reasons.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: A Most Unusual Soiree was most successful in causing me to like the characters more after I'd written it than before. Granted, before I wrote it I thought they were poncy posery jackasses. And they still are, in the story, but in a cute, made-for-each-other kind of way.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story: Unusual Soiree and, to some extent, Subject to Error, both contain the surprisingly persistent theme of people being tied up and abused in some way. If you'd asked me before I started writing fic if that was a particular interest of mine, I'd have said no, but it seems to keep coming up in my work (see also: 2007's Rock, Paper, No Scissors) and in the fandoms I choose to enjoy (see: Criminal Minds).
Story you didn't write, but you swear you will someday: The one where Jim Ellison is being held and tortured, and... There! There! You see?
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2007? Overall, I think 2007 me would probably be surprised at how sexual some of my stories ended up: I remember in the 2007 TS Secret Santa, I was all, "No kink or even, like, explicit sex," and now I'm like, "Bring it!"
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? Fewer but longer stories. I started out the year on track for 12in2008, with one or two stories a month at 2,000-4,000 words and a big 17,000 word story in March. A short break, and then I busted out with two 8,000-10,000 word stories in May. A looooong break, and then I cleaned up at last minute with a quick frenzy of shorter stories. I'm cheating a bit to make my quota, counting my shortest, 550-word story (well below my self-set minimum of 1235) and a WIP. I'm happy with the final word count, though. And if you add to that about 30,000 words of recap, I think I had a pretty productive year.
Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year? 2008 was all about forcing myself to write and building up my repertoire (going from about 2 to about 14 stories). I'm envisioning 2009 as a year of writing fewer but better stories. One hopes!
Acknowledgements: Thanks to yolsaffbridge for tireless beta, throwing around ideas, putting up with my dreamy distraction when she's trying to tell me to buy cat food and I'm trying figure out how Blair is going to react when zzzzz, and Criminal Minds; keefaq for beta on multiple stories, inspirational chats, and Gayworld; janedavitt and mab_browne for beta, comments, and long-term Sentinel excitement; the mods of ts_ficathons, reel_sga, ts_secret_santa, and yuletide; and everyone who feedbacked me, nominated me, prompted me, or otherwise enjoyed my stories. You guys rock.
Chronological list of stories, 2008:
Key: Title, Fandom, Pairing (POV character first)
With Replacement, SGA, Rodney/John
Subject to Error, TS, Jim/Blair
It's Complicated, SGA, John/Rodney
Checking It Twice, TS, Jim/Blair (though, a "found documents" type story so POV is less clear-cut)
Overload, TS, Blair/Jim
Go Down Gamblin', TS, Blair/Jim
Two Weeks Notice, SGA, Rodney/Radek
Gayworld, SGA, Rodney/John
A Noble Mind O'erthrown, TS, Jim/Blair
His Hologram Lover!, Red Dwarf, Lister/Rimmer
A Most Unusual Soiree, Philo Vance, Van Dine/Vance
First Impressions (WIP), Criminal Minds, Morgan/Reid
Chronological list of recaps, 2008
The Sentinel episodes 1x8-1x10 (All other episodes previously posted)
Demon Under Glass
Doogie Howser, M.D. Season 1
Red Dwarf Series 5-8
Criminal Minds Season 1
Criminal Minds Season 2 (WIP)
Chronological list of art, etc., 2008
Day Off TS, comic
Regency J/B TS, illustration for a fanfic (Cards on the Table by mab_browne)
Rentboy Blair, TS, illustration for a fanfic (Paying the Rent by cross_stitchery)
The Switchman in 15 Minutes TS, recap comic
Welcome to the Show, Mighty Boosh, illustration
DIY Glam Rock Vince Noir T-Shirt, Mighty Boosh, T-shirt
The "Men Erotically Caressing On the Hood of a Car" Mix & Match Kit Multifandom, paper dolls (kind of)
Easy to Love, TS, vid