end of the year writing meme

[dbskyler]

I had an absolutely dismal year for writing, and I wondered if I should even bother with the meme this year, but I decided to do it in the hope that 2012 will be tons better in comparison. Speaking of comparisons, you might want to also check out what I wrote for this meme last year and the year before.

And now, here's what I wrote in 2011:



Fics Written:

Star Trek: TNG
untitled ficlet for curuchamion's fandom stocking

Doctor Who
Rainy Days and Sundays
Holiday (50ficlets)
Deathlock (50ficlets)

Yes, that's unfortunately correct -- a grand total of 4 (FOUR!) stories, three of which were short little ficlet things.

I do have one more complete story to add to the list by default, however, as while it was written in 2010, I wrote it in late December, after I made my journal entry for this meme, so it didn't make last year's list:

Doctor Who
Once Upon a Time

WIPs:

Turn Again -- yes, AGAIN
Untitled and extremely belated Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic for justice_turtle, who won my sadly lacking fic services in a help_japan auction. But I am working on it!

Total: 7 worked on in 2011 / late 2010, with 5 completed. Two of those 5 are full-fledged stories (Once Upon a Time, and Rainy Days and Sundays).

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Less than I thought, by a longshot.

Where did you publish/archive your stories?

All over the place this year. The two full-fledged fics both went to Teaspoon and to my LJ journal. The fandom_stocking ficlet stayed on that comm. I might put it at AO3 someday if I can come up with a title/summary for it. One 50ficlets ficlet stayed on that comm, and one I posted on my journal.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2011?

Star Trek: TNG. I'd never written that fandom before, but somehow or other I got the idea of Data singing a G&S patter song, and then I had to run with it.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

I wouldn't say it makes me happiest because it's a sad story, but my favorite is Rainy Days and Sundays. I had a very specific idea, and I think it came out exactly the way I wanted it to. Also, I think it's one of my best titles. That's a silly reason to like a story, but I have a hard time with titles, so when I do get a good one, I'm happy about it.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Actually, that would again be Rainy Days and Sundays. Not that there was that much competition this year with only two full-fledged stories, but Rainy Days did rack up a nice number of reviews and favorites. And perhaps there was some competition, because I was very fortunate in having both Rainy Days and Once Upon a Time receive calufrax recs. As a result, Once Upon a Time did well too, but Rainy Days did better.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

None, unless I want to count Holiday, my ficlet that wasn't posted anywhere except 50ficlets and thus didn't get any reviews, but I don't think that one would be fair to count. Anyway, I don't like it much myself, which is why I didn't post it anywhere else. ;p

Story that could have been better?

Holiday, definitely. Also Deathlock. And, well, all of them, really. Stories can always be better, can't they? Although I am very happy with how both Rainy Days and Once Upon a Time came out.

Sexiest story?

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Most fun story?

I guess this would be the Star Trek: TNG one, since it's the only humor piece. Wow, I really have to get back into writing humor, don't I?

Story with single sweetest moment?

Another tough one to answer this year, but I think it might be Rainy Days and Sundays, for the ending. It's bittersweet, though.

The story that made you cry?

Sorry to keep naming the same fic, but again it's Rainy Days and Sundays. Although I was already crying about the death of Elisabeth Sladen when I started writing it.

Hardest story to write?

Everything felt hard to write this year, but I think I'm going to have to give the award to my Man from U.N.C.L.E. WIP. Although I think I've finally figured out the biggest road block, so I'm hoping to make lots more progress on it soon!

Easiest story to write?

I think I have to again name Rainy Days and Sundays, just because I wrote it so quickly (three days, start to finish). But the speed had more to do with the strength of the emotions I needed to express than the easiness of the writing.

Most overdue story?

I think I'm going to have to name the Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic since that's actually something I owe to someone, who fortunately has been incredibly nice and understanding about it! justice_turtle, I am still working on it, I swear!

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I feel like this was a pretty bad year for writing, let alone for taking writing risks. I can't think of any risks I took, so I guess if I took any, I didn't learn anything from them. :(

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?

Oh my, yes. Finish the Man from U.N.C.L.E. fic. Finish Turn Again. And overall, try to write a lot more!

More specific goals:

Write at least one more humor fic! I'm definitely way overdue.

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I need to do this meme too - I've a feeling I wrote more than I remember, if you see what I mean. Of course, working on four different original fic stories and not getting even one of them finished didn't help!

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

I'd actually fogotten about the TNG ficlet until I checked dates in the writing folder on my computer. So it's a worthwhile meme just to remind yourself of what you've written!

Even if you haven't finished, maybe you can post about progress?

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I shall have to check my LJ for the completed fics because a large number of my fic files have the same date on them from where I copied them from the now unused laptop onto the netbook.

I shall have to check the fic files on the original fics (the three longer ones anyway) for progress info as I've forgotten. Too many bunnies, not enough writing time.

(One of the reasons I haven't finished much this year is that pain is *really* distracting - and between the dodgy shoulder and the equally dodgy knee, 2011 has been a year of constant pain.)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Yes, you've had a really rough year. I hope 2012 is better for you! *hugs and painkillers*

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *hugs back and downs the painkillers*

[aralias.livejournal.com]

if nothing else, this meme pointed me in the way of the TNG fic, which i really enjoyed :)

also i think it's a good meme to do and if it gets you writing more stuff next year - so much the better!

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

It's a good meme for pointing to missed stories! Or perhaps I mean a dangerous meme for that. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the TNG fic, though!

I do hope this will inspire me to write more in 2012. Well, it would be hard to write less, right?

[lolmac]

So shall start I dangling crack prompts in front of you during fic_rush?

Do give yourself credit for writing, period, and especially for getting yourself back to writing after a slump. I personally think that's an incredibly challenging cliff to climb, and anyone who does so deserves fireworks and cheers.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Actually, come to think of it, there was that one piece of fic_rush crack I wrote that's not included in this list. Remember, The Ark in Time and Space, the one you named for me? I'd totally forgotten about it because it's not on my computer anywhere; I typed it straight into LJ. Just as well it's not on the list, though, because it wouldn't make sense to anyone who's not in fic_rush! Actually, it wouldn't make sense to anyone who wasn't in that round of fic_rush!

But yes, feel free to dangle crack prompts in front of me, in addition to glowsticks and ninja penguins. And thanks for the encouraging words -- you're absolutely right.

[lolmac]

*re-reads* *laughs again*

You may already know this: I eventually collected my 'Rush cracklets and started posting them as a series of unrelated vignettes, with a short note on each one mentioning the running jokes in the atmosphere of the spawning round. They get some traffic, and they're in a place where they can be found again.

I think it would be well worth it for you to post this, because it's well-written and funny as hell. You might want to revise it slightly for a less specific audience, particularly the line about all the words having been taken -- that can be expanded into another joke and add to the absurdity. Hell, you could also add in the need not to swat the butterfly (they're not only extinct, it might rewrite history, y'know?).

So count it! Post it! And count the fanvid too -- "supplemental creative fanworks", maybe?

BTW, I've had fairly good success with titling other people's untitled works, if you'd be willing to let me have a go at it. And I love MfU.

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Here's to a better writing year next year... *hugs*

(And Rainy Days and Sundays is brilliant. You should mention it very often! :D)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! *hugs*

[thisbluespirit]

Aww. But some words are better than none! And Rainy Days is indeed wonderful, as are many of the others. :-/

(I have this feeling, if I did this, it would come out as more than is reasonable, considering, because I don't think I counted the stuff I wrote at the end of last Dec - two Yuletide fics, several fandom stockings, three Press Gang ficlets...!)

Anyway, that was 2011, which was a pretty terrible year in many ways and is obviously to blame for the curse of no fic-writing. 2012 will either be better, or the world will end just under the weight of everyone claiming it will. Or because London just couldn't handle the Olympics. :-)

Anyway, you should have added that you also MADE A FANVID. *nod*

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

You know, I almost included the fanvid in the list, but decided to leave it out since it's a writing meme. But yes, I did make a fanvid!!! (I need to count as many creative endeavors as I can.)

You should do the meme, and include everything from the end of 2010 that didn't make last year's list! After all, why not?

But yes, 2011 was kind of a sucky year, wasn't it? Here's to a much better 2012!

[thisbluespirit]

Yes! You did! :-)

I think I'll find something different to do instead. If I have to talk about writing things, it won't be fun, because it'll be a matter of which ones hurt the most/least to write - the Full Fathom Five fic destroyed my concentration to a degree that it took five weeks to return to how it was, and I was so scared I didn't try to write like that again till these last few weeks. I really don't want to go into that. especially since I'd be saying that, and what I managed before & since would actually look quite good! I think not. I'll discount 2011 and look forward to 2012 in which I shall write masses. As will you, obviously. :-)

On the plus side, now I feel I'm coming out the other end, I really, really value the things I can do more than I ever did before. Anyway, I know your 2011 was pretty much as bad, so I'll stop with the waffling. But yes, we thought 2010 was rotten, 2011 was worse... 2012...? World ends, definitely. :lol:

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

*hugs* That makes a lot of sense. Definitely don't do the meme if it's going to make you have to think about things you don't want to revisit.

But you have managed to do a lot of creative things this year anyway, and that should be celebrated. Maybe a fanvid-making, icon-making meme instead? Or how about a generic congratulation of yourself on everything you accomplished? Actually, we should be doing that for you, shouldn't we? You accomplished so much this year despite adversity. YOU ARE AMAZING!

[thisbluespirit]

I thought of something else, and it cheered me up a surprising amount, so that was nice! I think I have some small things I had forgotten that I can probably type up very soon. :-)

And, aww. Thank you. *blushes*

[lolmac]

I don't actually know the specific nature of the problem you were having this year, but I do know you've had a terrible struggle of it. I really hope the coming year is better for you!

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you. That's very kind!

Also, I realise my comments on fic_rush must have seemed a little cryptic! I tend to try and not talk about it too much on comms, but what with the nature of that one, and it being occupied by lost of my flist, who do know, well... :-)

Basically, it's just that I've had a bad relapse of the ME/CFS I had as a teenager, so it's not as bad as some things - not life-threatening or very painful & I've been treated well by people, but, yes. It has been v difficult. I've had to work my way by inches from every single thing being an effort to being able to at least do some small things quite happily - and improving all the time!! One of the common symptoms is a lack of concentration/co-ordination - a sort of brain fog, which is why writing has been particularly difficult. Reading, also. And noise of all kinds.

But thank you! Your kind comments on fic_rush have always been very welcome!