Yet another meme: My fanfic year in review
Yes, I'm posting a lot today; it's the first time over the past couple of weeks I've had the chance to really sit down and think. Deal with it. ;-)
So, swiped from various friends:
My fic year in review:
Eighteen stories in four fandoms. 16,648 words. Short of my goal of 25,000 words, but still a lot more than last year. I've started experimenting with rougher first drafts (thanks to my AlphaSmart Neo) and cleaning them up. I don't think the quality is quite as good that way, but I expect to improve over time, and I'm sure that it's the best way to increase my output. Overall, I'm very pleased with this year's writing accomplishments (barring my non-performance in NaNo, which doesn't really have much to do with fanfic).
Stories I wrote this year:
These are in my previous 2005 Story Index post, chronologically by fandom.
My new WIP's were:
::mutters:: Can we just not talk about that, please? Let's just say that none of them were intended to be WIPs. And they're on top of my to-do list.
My favourite story this year (of my own):
I'm not sure I have one; how do you pick something like that? Favorite to write was Who's Got the Button (the Scotsman's Tale Remix); first person Jarriere seems to pretty much write himself (and no, I do NOT want to think about what that means). Most pleased to have written, Marshmallow, simply because I've been meaning to write Willow/Snape for so long. The one that changed my life for the better the most, Seasonal Work, because it helped my mother understand that fanfiction is real writing.
But you know, I love 'em all.
My best story this year:
Going by other people's reactions, Lay Not Up. It's probably the one I'm proudest of, in a way, though it's not one I take a great deal of pleasure in re-reading. Blake is incredibly difficult for me to write, because I don't like or understand him, and yet I want to write a Blake who's recognizable as the character that so many other fans love. So the story took a disproportionate amount of hard work. And yet I think of all my Blakes 7 stories, it's truest to canon, so in that sense it's a success. When I do go back and look at it, I think it's very good and I'm glad that I wrote it, but apart from being that, I don't much enjoy it as a story, if you see what I mean.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I don't suppose I consider that any of them were underappreciated, though in future I'd like to develop a wider audience for my Willow/Snape fic (Marshmallow) and my Labyrinth fic (Seasonal Work). There aren't really many people on my friendslist who enjoy that sort of thing, so I guess I'll have to go looking for the target audience.
Most fun story:
I'm all about the fun, but I could never choose just one. I like the Author-fic, the self-insertion, and anything with Jarriere.
Sexiest story:
Well, gen can be sexy, but I don't know that any of mine was. Either The Long Way Home or Marshmallow, I guess. Probably Marshmallow.
Story with single sexiest moment:
Again, probably Marshmallow.
Hardest story to write:
Either Lay Not Up or The Long Way Home, for different reasons. The former because it's POV Blake, and the latter because I was uncomfortably aware that I might not be able to persuade the reader to accept the idea of Avon/Jenna with children.
Most unintentionally telling story:
I think the ones that are telling--the Author-fic and the self-insertion--are intentionally telling. And if some of them are unintentionally telling, why would I tell you which ones they are?
Most "[[ACK]] HEY *I* WROTE THAT" fanon-turned-canon moment:
None this year. The only open-canon story I worked on still isn't finished, and I'm not watching the current season until I do finish it. I can't imagine that they've done anything remotely similar to my story, though.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would did this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More than I'd expected, but not as much as I'd hoped. I'm quite pleased with the increase in output over last year.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2005?
I didn't expect to write Sprogs 'n' Snogs, or romance, or self-insertion, or Author-fic. I definitely didn't expect to write Cally/Tarrant.
What's your favorite story of the year?
I really didn't read a lot of fic, but I loved the Multiverse story that was written for me, Close Encounters of the Jetty Kind. (The link goes to the index page; choose 'Stories by Title', and then the letter 'C'.)
Did you take any writing risks this year?
::snerk:: Every time I write something it's a risk, even when I'm not deliberately trying something new or challenging (which is almost every time). But yes. Writing present-tense POV Blake in Lay Not Up was a risk. Writing Sprogs 'n' Snogs in The Long Way Home was a risk. Writing self-insertion fic and Author-fic was a risk. Writing Willow/Snape romance. Writing Cally/Tarrant. Writing Hoggle. Writing angsty Ganya deathfic.
Mind you, some of the biggest risks I took were in pieces that I haven't finished yet, so I've yet to see how they'll turn out.
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year?
Tons. Write more. Write more that's not B7. Finish things that are owed and overdue. Have a proper outline ready for NaNo. Write something original, however short or stupid it may be. Do more beta work. Mostly just write, and have fun doing it. Because that's where it's at. :-D