scripsi | Entries tagged with fanfic

I haven’t written any fanfic in a long time, and I feel I need to get back into it. I know from experience it’s good for my mental wellbeing to write, and as the world continues to hassle us, I need what I can get to feel good. I had been thinking of signing up for Yuletide, but completely missed the sign-up window. But when I checked what other people wish for, I found 2 letters that gave me ideas. So I will try to get those done as treats. I’ll try to write 300 words every day. More if I get in a flow, of course, but 300 words is doable even days with little writing time.

Fanfic meme gakked from all over my f-list.

From your AO3 Works page, look at the tags and find the answers to these questions.

I currently have 123 works published, in 28 fandoms.

1. Under what rating do you write most?
Teen and up audience, with 47 works.

I thought Explicit or Mature would be on top, but they are number 3 and 4. But as it is my longer fics that tends to get that rating, while my one-shots usually have a lower rating, that isn’t so surprising.

2. What are your top 3 fandoms?

Doctor Who with 32 fics.
Peter Pan with 17 fics.
And Harry Potter and Versailles both come third with 8 fics each.

Peter Pan was my first big fandom in the early 2000s, and Doctor Who my second one, ten years later, so no surprise with those. I was also super into Versailles for a bit, so that’s not odd either. But I’ve never really been very big on Harry Potter. I was over 30 when I first read the series, and I never really thought they were particularly well-written, though I was hooked enough to read every new book. But 3 of my fics are written as part of a re-mix challenge, so I didn’t really choose which fandom I would match on.

3. Which character do you write about most?

Captain Hook, who is in all my Peter Pan-fics. The Delgado version of the Master comes second, and River Song third. Though if you want to argue that the Master is the same character regardless of regeneration s/he is definitely my most written one, in 30 fics in total.

4. What are the 3 top pairings you've written?

On shared first place are Wendy Darling/James Hook (Peter Pan), Sophie de Clermont/Fabien Marchal (Versailles) and The Master/River Song (Doctor Who), who all have 7 fics each. Second pairing is Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov (The Queen’s Gambit) with 6 fics. And third place are Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell and Imhotep/Evy Carnahan O'Connell (The Mummy), and Vanessa Ives/Sir Malcolm Murray (Penny Dreadful) with 3 fics each.

5. What are the top 3 additional tags?

On shared first place I have Humor, Angst, Dark, which have 14 fics each. Second is Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence with 9 fics, and in third place is Spanking with 8. Which I feel gives a pretty good general overview over my fanfics.

Gakked from all over my f-list.

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

Whenever a letter has more than one fic, I have shamelessly chosen the one I felt most to share. Leaning towards one-shots, and trying to spread the fandoms around.

A. All That You Love Will Be Lost (Doctor Who, Ninth Doctor & Nyssa of Traken)
B. But A Dream (Victoria, Queen Victoria/Lord Melbourne)
C. A Conversation In the Drawing Room, And Other Letters to Mrs. Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Emma Pole/John Childermass)
D. The Devourer (Peter Pan, Captain Hook)
E. Elizabeth’s Child (Emily of New Moon, Elizabeth Murray)
F. The First Passion, And the Last (Doctor Who, Twelfth Doctor/River Song, Missy/River Song)
G. A Gift For Her Heart (Ivanhoe, Rebecca of York/Brian de Bois-Guilbert)
H. Homeward (The Borgias, Cesare Borgia/Micheletto Corella, Lucrezia Borgia & Micheletto Corella)
I I Always Wanted To Be A Pirate Queen (Doctor Who. Liz Shaw & Delgado!Master)
J. Juliana and John (The Man In the High Castle, Juliana Crane & John Smith)
L. Little Miss Sunbeam (Doctor Who, Delgado!Master & OC)
M. Make Her Yours (The Queen’s Gambit, Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)
N. Nothing Interesting Ever Happens in Perivale (Doctor Who, Sarah Jane Smith & Ainley!Master & Third Doctor)
O. Only Forever (Labyrinth, Jareth/Sarah Williams)
P. A Place In the Shadows (Penny Dreadful, Vanessa Ives & Sembene)
R. Requesting Comfort (Agent Carter, Peggy Carter/Ana Jarvis/Edwin Jarvis
S. Susan, Once Queen of Narnia, Always Queen of Narnia (Piranesi & Chronicles of Narnia, Piranesi & Susan Pevensie)
T. Three’s Company (The Mummy, Ardeth Bay/Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell)
V. Visiting Time (Doctor Who, Delgado!Master/River Song)
W. Wedding Nerves (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Jonathan Strange/Arabella Strange)
Y Yellow, Sweetie? (Doctor Who, Eleven Doctor/River Song)

22 letters out of 26 covered. I missed out on K, Q, U, and X. But with 123 fics, I'm not surprised I have covered most of the alphabet.

One more post before vacation.

Challenge #7

The Ferris Wheel

Journaling: Life in fandom goes through ups and downs. Reminisce about the "wild ride" of your time in fandom or in other online communities.

The net wasn’t around when I was a teenager, but if it had, I’m sure I would have written fanfiction. Because even if I didn’t write them down, I did long and elaborate stories about The Lord of the Rings in my head. First merely adding a female companion to the fellowship, but after I read Silmarillion I made up more independent characters and adventures. I’m sorry I never did write them down, but I still have some of the synopsis for them.

I ventured online for the first time in early 1999. My son was a newborn, and one sleepless night I did a search for Dorothy L. Sayers and found a mailgroup that had just decided on a read.through of all her books. It was my first online community, and we had so much fun. Now, 26 years later, I´m still in contact with some of them. At some point we decided to write a round robin to create Harriet Vane’s fictitious detective novel Death 'Twixt Wind and Water, as it has a fair amount of clues to reconstruct. It was great fun, and the first time I wrote fiction in English. This mailgroup also introduced the concept of fanfiction to me, as some members also wrote Harry Potter fic.

For a couple of years I read fanfiction now and then, but never considered writing it. That changed when I happened to see a promo shot of Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook in Peter Pan in 2003. Peter Pan was one of my childhood favourites, and this picture triggered me into writing. For about 2 years I wrote feverishly, and wrote some really dark fanfic. And wrote myself into dealing with some trauma from my teens. To cut a rather long process very short, writing fanfic helped me heal in a way I had not foreseen, and was instrumental in shedding a depression I had lived in for years.

I didn’t write much between 2005-2013, even if I did write from time to time. I divorced, and juggling work and being a single mother gave me little time and energy for it. Even when life settled down I had got out of the habit to write, but in 2013 there was a sudden death in my family. It was a terrible and traumatic experience, and it triggered me into another feverish writing spell. I had just re-watched Doctor Who, from the First Doctor and onwards, and I started writing Whofic.

Once again I found writing very therapeutic, but after the first rush of writing I realised something I never consciously realised before. I love writing. It’s good for my well=being, regardless if I write a blogpost or a fic. Up until early 2022 I wrote steadily, exploring a number of fandoms and ships. Then I had a creative freeze when the war in Ukraine happened. I couldn’t do anything creative at all for a long time, and only got back to writing on a regular basis earlier this year. It feels good to be back!

As of now I have 123 fics on AO3 in 26 fandoms. 94 of those one-shots. I mostly write het, with a preference for strong and competent female characters and morally ambiguous male ones. I just checked, the ratio looks like this, F/M (80 fics), Gen (33), F/F (7), M/M (5), Multi (5). All my fics are in a historical and/or fantastical fandom. As a history nerd I spend a lot of time researching history when I write.

My fanfics can be found here.

Fanfic game from kitarella_imagines

If you’ve written fics for more than one year on AO3, go to your statistics page. Click on the different years at the top to see the categories of statistics for each year.

1. Which year did you write the most words? Do you know why? e.g. you had more time; you were caught up in an exciting new fandom or pairing; you got a rush of ideas etc.

The year with the highest word count is 2015 with 137 352 words. But that is because when I signed up to AO3 in the very late 2014, I uploaded most of the fics I had written from 2003 onwards. Even if I had a writing spurt in 2015, I'm quite sure it wouldn’t be the year with the highest word count if I just checked the new fics. So the year where I can be absolutely sure is my most productive one, would be 2021 with 94497 words. I had watched The Queen’s Gambit over Christmas, and fell for Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov. At the time there was a very active Discord for that pairing, which was very inspirational, and I wrote 6 fics for that fandom, one of them being the longest and most ambitious things I have ever written. I also started fanfics for The Mummy and All About Eve.

2. Which year did you write the least words? Why was this? e.g. lack of time, too busy, no inspiration etc.

2023 with zero words. The war in Ukraine completely killed my inspiration. So from March 2022 to March 2024 I didn’t write anything at all. I’m writing again now, but I have only worked on fics I started in 2022, I still haven’t got any ideas for new fics. The year with the least wordcount when I have actually written anything is 2024 with 2948 words.

3. Which years did you get most hits, kudos, bookmarks and fic subscriptions? Do you know why? (e.g. popular fandoms, lots of words written.) Are there years where you have the same amount of bookmarks and subscriptions?

Again 2015 racks them up, but it’s 2021 that I can be sure of. It has the most of everything. I think it’s because, completely by accident, I managed to fall for a fandom that was hot right then, The Queen’s Gambit, and I have found that The Mummy fanfic seems to have a perpetual fandom, as those fics always are among my most popular. And to my surprise my all About Eve fanfic has got a lot more attention than I ever thought, considering the pairing is so unusual I’m the only one who has written it on AO3.

4. Which years did you get least hits, kudos, bookmarks and fic subscriptions? Do you know why? (e.g. niche fandoms, not many fics written.) Do you have any other conclusions?

Apart from the nothing year of 2023, it's 2024, when I only updated with a chapter on a WIP. If I take a year when I participated actively, then it’s 2019, when I wrote 6 fanfics in as many fandoms. But 4 of those were one-shots, and only 2 in fandoms that are on the bigger side. Most of my fandoms are small, and usually I enjoy pairings that aren't the popular ones.

Writer’s meme from all over my f-list.

The last sentence you wrote.

And to her joy, both she and Vasily were to attend the Hoogovens Tournament in the Netherlands shortly after New Year, which would give them nineteen days together.

2. A character whose POV you’re currently exploring.

Beth Harmon from The Queen’s Gambit and Karen from All About Eve. Because I can never write on just one fic at the time.

3. How you feel about your current WIP.

Of the two I actively write on, I feel good. Of the ones that I haven’t written on for a very long time, varying degrees of guilt.

4. A story idea you haven’t written yet.

Several. On the top of my head I have ideas for Grimm, The Mummy and The Queen’s Gambit.

5. First sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP.

I don't have any unpublished WIPs… I have unpublished chapters, or rather chapters I'm still working on, though.

What made being married to Addison so difficult was what wasn’t there.

6. The word that appears the most in your current draft (wordcounter.net can tell you).

I’m sure it can, but I can’t muster up the energy to check. I don’t think it would be very interesting anyway.

7. Your preferred writing fonts.

Whatever is default. I don’t care, as long as it isn’t difficult to read.

8. If you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

A sequel to my Mummy-fic Ghosts. I have the whole plot mapped out, it’s the writing out that takes time.

9. Start to finish, how long did it take you to write the last fic you posted?

No idea. I never time it.

10. What is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

Probably a couple of years, but I’ve never timed that either.

11. A WIP you’d like to finish someday.

All of them. When, is another matter…

12. A trope you’re really into right now.

I’m not sure I can say I’m really into it, but marriage of convenience/forced marriage is looming large.

13. A fandom you’re thinking about writing for.

Grimm. Not sure I will write it, though. I’m having a lot of fun thinking out a plot for a Rosalee Calvert/Sean Renard-fic, but I doubt anyone would be very interested in it, so it may just live rent-free in my head instead.

14. Where do you get your inspiration?

I never really pinpointed exactly what it is that triggers my inspiration. I like strong female characters and morally ambiguous male ones, but there are plenty of media I really love that I never feel the urge to write for. Like Sens8 which certainly contains both and that I love so much, but when it comes to fanfic ideas, I have none.

15. Favorite weather for writing.

No idea. I never even thought about that.

16. Favorite place to write.

At work. I realize how that sounds, but my work largely is me having to sit in front of a computer waiting for things to happen. And mostly things don’t happen, and as long as I stay put I can do whatever I want to occupy myself, as long as I can drop it at once. I do all my writing and other computer activities at work and barely touch a computer when I'm home.

17. Talk about your writing and editing process.

I start with writing scenes and snatches of conservation I know I want to include. I’m not a very linear writer but go back and forth until the whole fic/chapter is complete. I usually do spellchecking continuously. When I need a little pause, but don’t do any major editing until I’m done. I usually read it through, and then run it through some kind of free grammar checker. If I have a beta, I then send it to them. And when I get it back I go over it again.

18. If you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic.

I don’t.

19. The most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic.

17th century medicine for a Versailles-fic.

20. In what year did you publish your first fic?

2003. Which means I’ve been writing for 22 years, as I have been writing for a year before I got the nerve to publish it. On LJ and fanfiction.net. And it was a Hook/Wendy Peter-Pan-fic.

21. When did you publish your most recent fic?

Last chapter on a WIP in February this year. Last WIP I started was in September 2021, and the last finished fic was in February 2022.

22. Do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? How do you get past that?

I do, as I often write about pretty traumatizing things, like non-con. I don’t want to upset people, but I know some people get upset just by the fact that people write it, not how it is written. I try to be respectful of my subject, and I also make sure the fic in question is tagged accordingly, and often also have an AN in the beginning with warnings.

23. Pick three keywords that describe your writing.

Historical, fantasy, female protagonists. Ok, that was four words.

24. How do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

I try to not force myself, but I also try to do something creative every day, even if it’s just a very tiny thing.

25. Besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

Reading and sewing, both everyday clothes as well as historical costumes. I also enjoy other creative pursuits like embroidery, beading and, very recently, making paper flowers.

26. Are you able to write with other people around?

Yes, people around and talking is not a problem. But music is too distracting

27. Your favorite part of the writing process.

Coming up with the story, and being done!

28. Your least favorite part of the writing process.

Getting to the point that I start writing. I’m very good at finding other things to do. When I started, I always wondered what the fuss was about.

29. How easy is it for you to come up with titles?

Quite easy. But I often use quotes from published authors and poets.

30. Share a fic you’re especially proud of.

A gen Penny Dreadful fic;A Place In the Shadows. It turned out exactly as I had envisioned it, which is rare.

I haven’t done this in four years, so it will be interesting to see the changes.

I currently have 123 fics on AO3 divided between 27 fandoms. There are only four more in each category, compared to four years ago. But then I haven't been writing much, so not surprising. Also, nothing new since The Queen's Gambit has sparked my inspiration.

My top five fandoms
1.Doctor Who, 32 fics
2.Peter Pan, 17 fics
3. Versailles 8 fics
4.Harry Potter, 8 fics
5. The Queen’s Gambit, 6 fics

Number 5 is new, removing the fandoms Penny Dreadful and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

( Read more... )

Borrowed from thisbluespirit

Rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

Most hits and second most kudos: The Might of his Strength with 12751 hits and 354 kudos. (The Mummy-fic, Imhotep/Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell, Imhotep/Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Ardeth Bay)

Third most comment; The Number of Vices with 45 comments. (The Queen’s Gambit-fic, Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

Fourth most bookmarks: Ghosts has 73 bookmarks. (The Mummy-fic, Imhotep/Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell, Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Ardeth Bay)

Fifth most words: Man’s Greatest Joy has 14348 words. (Peter Pan, Captain Hook/Wendy Darling)

The fewest words: Warnings For Curious Children with 98 of them. (A Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gen)

And here is the state of my fic-writing in general. I’m currently working on two WIP’s. Passions of Some Difference (The Queen’s Gambit, Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov) and Sable Coats and Razorblades (All About Eve, Karen Rickards/Addison DeWitt). Both are completely mapped out and have large chunks already written. I hope to finish them soon-ish.

The Might of His Strength is still a WIP, but I’m struggling to finish it. My original ending didn’t work out and I haven’t been able to knit it together in a way that feels right. Most annoying, but hopefully I’ll get there eventually.

And while rewatching Grimm I have got a fic-idea I don’t think anyone would read, but is very persistent, so I might write it down anyway. It’s Rosalie Calvert/Sean Renard which is A. Not a pairing anyone writes, and B. I would need to get rid of Monroe, which no one would want to read.

I have several other ideas for fics that are all mapped out, but need to be written.

Death In Paradise: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Dracula/The Historian: A sequel to Clara and Sophie.
The Borgias: Cesare Borgia/Lucrezia Borgia/Micheletto Corella
The Mummy: A sequel to Ghosts. Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell. Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Ardeth Bay
The Queen’s Gambit: A prequel to Paris Redux, Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov

So if I can only keep my writing mojo going, I will have plenty to write about.

As I said, I'm finally writing again. And I recently posted this.

Title: Sable Coats and Razorblades
Fandom: All About Eve
Rating: Explicit
Chapters: 5/?
Characters: Addison DeWitt, Karen Richards, Eve Harrington
Pairings: Addison DeWitt/ Karen Richards, Addison DeWitt/Eve Harrington
Warnings: Blackmail, Non-consensual kissing, Dubious consent, Coercion, Dominance/submission, Forced marriage, Marriage of Convenience
Summary: To try to fight Addison DeWitt is doomed to failure, but what if one folds?

The fic on AO3

It*s one of those fics that are just plain fun to write. I never expected it to get any attention being in an obscure fandom with a pairing that only exists in this fic. And true, not many has read it, but those who have seem to really like it. Which is nice.

My fanfic year starts on the last day of November, so December always sees my year of fanfic. In the last year, I have published, or continued 9 fanfics, from four fandoms- and 3 of those are still WIP’s. This is my most productive writing year ever! My word count has soared this year. I also started writing in three completely new fandoms, Piranesi, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Queen’s Gambit.

The fics are:

All About Eve:
Sable Coats and Razorblades (Addison DeWitt/Karen Richards, Addison DeWitt/Eve Harrington) This is a WIP I started in 2019.

The Mummy:
The Might of His Strength (Evy Carnahan O’Connell/Imhotep, Evy Carnahan O’Connell/Rick O’Connell, Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Ardeth Bay/Imhotep) This is a WIP I started in 2019.

Piranesi/The Chronicles of Narnia:
Susan, Once Queen of Narnia, Always Queen of Narnia (Piranesi & Susan Pevensie)

The Queen’s Gambit:
Taking the White Queen (A Lesson in Patience) (Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

Make Her Yours (Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

The Black King (Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

Paris Redux
(Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

The Number of Vices (Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

Passions of Som Difference WIP (Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov)

I didn’t sign up for any challenges, though the Piranesi fic was inspired by a Yuletide letter, and Taking the White Queen and Make Her Yours were written as treats for The Chocolate Box.

For my next year, I will definitely finish Passions of Some Difference, and I also have plans for follow-up fics. I also hope to finish at least one treat for Yuletide, though I have ideas for at least three additional treats. As for my other WIPs, which are four, though I only wrote on two of them, I will really try to finish at least one. Hopeful two. And as always I still like to re-write my two Dracula-fics as I still have an unwritten idea for a third and concluding fic.

A few more words on The Queen’s Gambit, as this is the first time in a very long time I’m actually engaged with a fandom. And not only a fandom but a ship to boot. I’m not at all used to that, and I have had a lot of fun. It prompted me to sign up to accord as bethov has a fairly active discord server. Getting to know people there has actually rendered me a beta for Passions of Some Difference, who not only check my grammar, but also actively discuss the writing process with me, and have helped me hammer out the characters of three rather important original characters. To great success as I have got some outstanding feedback on the fic as a whole and a very positive reaction on the OCs. None of which I expected as the fic is fairly dark and deals with a number of subjects that can be triggering. I really feel I have grown as a writer this year, and it’s a great feeling!

The government is less likely to provide her with protection if the people are no longer aware of her existence or care for her.

End of April, and my yearly AO3-meme

I currently have 119 fics on AO3 divided between 23 fandoms.

My top five fandoms
1.Doctor Who, 32 fics
2.Peter Pan, 17 fics
3. Versailles 8 fics
4.Harry Potter, 8 fics
5.Penny Dreadful and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, each 5 fics

No changes at all here.

( Read more... )

Crossposts: https://scripsi.livejournal.com/373333.html

If you enjoy darkfic, then there is a new exchange:

dark_fic_exchange

They are currently taking nominations and will do so until January 15. Also, the minimum word length is 500 words, so not too strenuous.

Given how scatterbrained I am right now I'm not sure I will join- I'm still waffling about Chocolate Box, but I might put in nominations so I can if I feel the inclination.

Gakked from

senmut as I can never resist a fanfic meme.

1. Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

I always write on at least two fics at a time. Currently, I’m working on two Yuletide treats- which I obviously can’t talk much about. I also have a Mummy and an All About Eve fic on the backburner to return to as soon as I’m done with treat-writing. Both of those satisfies my love for melodrama. I do have two more ideas for Yuletide, but I doubt I will have time for those.

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project.

Not much to say- I enjoy everything I’m currently on, and I look forward to the fics I have temporarily paused.

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway).

None comes to mind.

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like).

I can’t think of any. Or rather, I can think of a lot. This is something I feel I’m good at, and there are usually a few in every fic I really, really like.

5. What character that you're writing do you most identify with?

Usually the person from whose POV I’m writing.

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

I love writing villains of the elegant, verbal type. Eloquent evil is a lot of fun to write.

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

I’m good at writing emotions- my fics are much more driven by character and emotion than by plots.

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

Pretty much always, unless I write for a fic-exchange. And even then I can usually write something that I enjoy.

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other? Both, or neither?

I don’t write many drabbles, but even my multi chapters aren’t that long. I had to check- out of 115 fics, 90 are one-shots. Though several of those belong to a series. I’m definitely a plotter. I usually have a very clear idea of how a fic should go, and I rarely deviate all that much. I can’t say I feel a need to change.

10. How would you describe your writing process?

I start with writing a few scenes, or pieces of dialogue that I already have finished in my mind. Then I weave back and forth, skipping more difficult passages- which often feels easier later when I know what happens before and after.

11. What do you envy in other writers?

I’m a little envious of people who can pull off a novel.

12. Do you want your writing to be famous?

No. I think they are perfectly fine specimens of fanfic, but they aren’t that good.

13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?

Yes, I post it here, and also on AO3. A few of my earliest fics aren’t there, though. They’re fairly disturbing, so I keep them here for archivalSP purposes- I don’t think anyone really cares to dig them up.

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

Usually quite early, but that’s by no means certain.

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Summaries all the way!

16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

No. This year has been mentally taxing and I haven’t felt up to trying to stretch my wings.

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

I don’t think they perceive them very differently from how I see them. At least people who leave comments. Perhaps they don’t realise how much I have used fic-writing to work out personal issues, though.

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characteristics?) Tell us about them.

Yes. I completely re-wrote and expanded a Doctor Who-fic called Professor Keller. It’s probably the fic I have obsessed most over, and easily the one I have put in the most work in- and which have got the least attention. That’s fanfic writing for you! :D I’ve also re-written three of my early Peter Pan-fics, Rain, Man’s Greatest Joy and A Milder Fate They all had much higher ratings and were a lot darker before (They still are, so that says something), but I was never really satisfied with them. The original fics of all of these are still here, but I don’t really recommend them.

19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe 'too often', trope you can’t get enough of?)

I prefer writing from a female POV. My protagonists in need of help are basically never saved by a Big Damn Hero. They either save themselves, or they don’t get saved at all. Exploring uneven power balances.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks, or clues for future scenes?)

A super interesting question that I don’t feel mentally equipped to do justice right now. UI may get back to it.

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

I never really thought about that. Hmm, well, I think some of my shorter fics could be made into a music video without losing much plot being lost.

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

Yes, I do. I quite like most of them. But then I write what I like to read, so that’s probably not so strange.

23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

Probably the last part of a series called Your Heart’s Desire. It’s a Dracula/The historian fanfic, and I have had the idea for at least five years. But I feel I really need to re-write the first two stories to make for a better flow, and, well, new shiny fics have got in the way. Perhaps in 2021...

24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?

It’s obviously better. Especially, i think, when it comes to describing things- my first fics were pretty bare-boned.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

Developing the idea, and the part where all the bits I have worked on here and there gets together to a cohesive whole.

My fanfic year runs from the last day of November, so December always sees my year of fanfic. In the last year, I have published 5 fanfics- and 2 of those are still WIP’s. Not a very productive year for me, in other words. All of these have been from different fandoms:

All About Eve: Sable Coats and Razorblades (Addison DeWitt/Karen Richards, Addison DeWitt/Eve Harrington) WIP

Doctor Who: I Always Wanted To Be A Pirate Queen (The Hungover Remix) (Liz Shaw&Delgado!Master)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: A Moment (Midge Maisel/Lenny Bruce)

Timeless: To Lucy With Love (Garcia Flynn/Lucy Preston)

Versailles: The End of the Story (Fabien Marchal/Sophie de Clermont) WIP

Two of these fics are multi-chapters, and those are also my WIPs. A Moment got most kudos and hits. Most comments go to The End of the Story, but then it’s a multi-chapter with readers who comments on every chapter, so that is hardly surprising.

I only did two fic exchanges; The Chocolate Box and Remix Revival. I opted out of Night At Fic Mountain and darkest Night again and missed Yuletide due to severe cold. I hope to do it next year, and I also plan to at least do Chocolate Box and Remix.

I’m rather pleased with the few fics I wrote, and I have high hopes I will be able to finish the WIPs next year. The last chapter of the Versailles fics is ⅔ done, though I have lost my steam with that one. The All About Eve-one have the next chapter almost finished, and great chunks of the rest written in bits and pieces.

Right now I’m putting the finishing touches on a Yuletide treat. I have two half-written ones meant for treats too, but I won’t be able to finish in time.

Looking back I see I planned to finish The End of the Story in last year’s post too. Argh! And I didn't write one word on Mary’s Tale, which I had hoped to do. Double argh! I also have an idea for the finishing third Dracula-fic. The problem with that is that I need to edit the second one first. Or at least I feel I ought to. We’ll see. In the last week, I have finally got back into the habit of writing at least a little every day, and if I can keep up with that, I will probably be able to finish everything I want to finish…

And if there is something else you’d like to know I borrowed this nifty End of the year-meme from

thisbluespirit (I know I have already answered some of these questions above, but I choose to keep all the question if someone else wants to gack it.)

Give me a number and I'll answer the question.

1. favorite fic you wrote this year
2. least favorite fic you wrote this year
3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year
4. total number of words you wrote this year
5. most popular fic this year
6. least popular fic this year
7. longest completed fic you wrote this year
A: To Lucy With Love with 2490 words.

8. shortest completed fic you wrote this year
9. longest wip of the year
10. shortest wip of the year
11. fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year
A: 11: A tie between Doctor Who, a perennial favourite and All About Eve- shiny and new.

12. favorite character to write about this year
13. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year
14. a fic you didn’t expect to write
15. something you learned this year
16. fic(s) you completed this year
17. fics you’ll continue next year
18. current number of wips
19. any new fics to start next year
20. number of comments you haven’t read
21. most memorable comment/review
A: A difficult question; I have only got nice reviews. But I think it must be the long and thoughtful review of an old fic of mine, Clara, which has always been a fic dear to me, but with not one which has been very popular.

22. events you participated in this year
23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t
24. favorite fic you read this year
25, a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read
26. number of favorites/bookmarks you made this year
27. favorite fanfic author of the year
28. longest fic you read this year
29. shortest fic you read this year
30. favorite fandom to read fic from this year

I’ve only seen the first episode of American Gods, and I’m sadly a little underwhelmed. Also, I got annoyed. ( Spoilers )

I still enjoy Blacklist, though I feel the show has outlived itself. Even if they are very amusing, the sole purpose now seems to be letting Red steal scenes. Logic be damned. ( Spoilers )

Supernatural isn’t bad this season, but I feel it doesn’t really take off. ( Spoilers )

Husband and I re-watched Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It’s aging very well and is still my favourite adaption. And the costumes are lovely- my only (slight) beef is that Jane, Lizzie, and Lydia frequently have deep-cut necklines during the day. But I can live with that. Feeling inspired we went on watching the adaption of Persuasion with Rupert Penry-Jones, who was adorable as usual. I still think the version with Ciaran Hinds is vastly better in all respects. And now we are watching the early 80’s series of Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke. Apart from the rooms being very obviously studios, I think it’s still very good. It was my introduction to the story and I feel hard for Mr. Rochester and identified myself with Jane. I was also pleased to notice the time period is accurate. Most adaption set Jane Eyre around the time it was published, 1847, but the story is actually set several years earlier, as Jane Eyre is talking about events taking place when she was young. The year is never set in the novel, but one give away is that Jane never travels by train. The series starts in 1822 and people are depressed in Regency, and the main part takes place in 1830, with waistlines still high, but much closer to the natural waistline. And the costumes are really beautiful too.

Someone had a George Sander’s secret on

fandomsecrets which prompted me to re-watch Ivanhoe yesterday; something which I have been thinking since I talked about it on The Snowflake Challenge. It was highly enjoyable, but not exactly good. The character Ivanhoe is rather blah, to begin with, and Robert Taylor is rather boring. Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca of York is still heartbreakingly beautiful, but not given much to do than look just lovely. Guy Rolfe’s Prince John was very good and very evil, but George Sanders' Bois-Guilbert was best. Though a bad guy he doesn’t comes across as particularly evil, and though he remains selfish, it’s also obvious he genuinely falls for Rebecca.

I then went on to watchAll About Eve which is one of my all-time favourite movies. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommended. It’s a wickedly funny movie about an aging actress who gets her life infiltrated by a young fan. Bette Davis is great as Margot Channing, and George Sanders got an Oscar for the role of malevolent theatre critic Addison DeWitt. It also rocks Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles. She’s doing her mainstay ditzy blonde, but with a few subtle hints of actually having a brain somewhere. One of the reasons why I like this movie is how many unlikeable traits most of the characters have. ( Spoilers )
And now I have a plot bunny for a fanfic no one would want to read. I doubt there is much, if any, interest in all About Eve-fic, and then add a pairing which you may only see if you squint a lot, and add some more disturbing themes… Oh well, I may write it out for my own amusement, if no one else.

Usually, retrospects take place at the end of the year. But at that point, Yuletide isn’t yet revealed, and those fics are, technically, written before the end of the year, though they are revealed after. So I do my retrospect by the end of November, instead.

Since December 2017 I have posted 9 fics, 8 of those finished, in 7 fandoms: The Borgias, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Ivanhoe, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Peter Pan and Versailles.

The Borgias: Homeward (Cesare Borgia/Micheletto Corella, Lucrezia Borgia & Micheletto Corella)

Doctor Who: Nothing Interesting Ever Happens in Perivale (Sarah Jane Smith, Ainley!Master, Third Doctor, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart )

Harry Potter: Soaring High (The Flying Lessons Remix (Sirius Black/Remus Lupin)

Ivanhoe: A Gift For Her Heart) (Brian de Bois-Guibert/Rebecca of York)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Conversations In the Yellow Drawing Room (Emma Pole/John Childermass)

Wedding Nerves (Arabella Strange/Jonathan Strange)

Peter Pan: The Devourer (Captain Hook)

Versailles: Remembrance (Fabien Marchal/Sophie de Clermont)

The End of the Story (Fabien Marchal/Sophie de Clermont) WIP

Four fics were multi-chapters. My most popular fic, by far, was Remembrance with most hits, kudos and comments of all my new fics. But even if I haven’t written much, I’m rather pleased with what I have written. I’m especially pleased with Nothing Interesting Ever Happens in Perivale (It’s always fun to write the Master), A Conversation of the Yellow Drawing Room (Because Emma is an awesome heroine) and A Gift For Her Heart, mostly because I have wanted to write an Ivanhoe-fic for years.

Five of these were written for fix exchanges, and one of those was a remix. I did Yuletide, Chocolate Box, and Remix Revival. I opted out of Night of Fic Mountain and Darkest Night because they both took place when I had very little energy to write, but also because I didn’t find any pårompts but my own interesting. I had planned to write treats, but there was not a single request with sparked my interest. As for gift exchanges for 2019, I have already not signed up for Yuletide, though I am writing a few treats. I will definitely do Chocolate Box, and probably Remix Revival, though I will not offer Harry Potter anymore. I know the canon very well, but I’m not very amused by it anymore. Then we’ll see if I sign up for anything else. I do wish there were a fic exchange solely for Classic Doctor Who.

Apart from Yuletide treats and a few exchanges I don’t have any particular plans for next year. I want to finish The End of the Story, and also edit a few old fics- especially Mary’s Tale which I really want to finish, but needs to be edited first. I also have a rather long fic rumbling in my mind, but I’m not sure I’ll write it down. It takes place before WWI, mainly in Egypt and focuses on Delgado!Master and eventually Third Doctor. But there will be no Doctor/Master slash and there will be original characters, and my Delgado!Master is not nice at all, so it’s not a fic which will appeal. I’ll write it down if I feel a massive urge to not forget it.

Usually retrospects takes place at the end of the year. But at that point Yuletide isn’t yet revealed, and those fics are, technically, written before the end of the year, though they are revealed after. So I do my retrospect now, instead.

Since December 2016 I have posted 13 finished fics and 1 WIP in 8 fandoms:

( Read more... )

Crossposts: https://scripsi.livejournal.com/259739.html

I’m still really under the weather, though I am better. I spend my days in an armchair and read, write and watch DVD’s. I’m starting to feel mightily bored by inactivity.

Usually the end of the year look back takes place at the end of the year. But at that point Yuletide isn’t yet revealed, and those fics are, technically, written before the end of the year, though they are revealed after. So I think I will do my retrospect in the early December, instead. As you can see.

So, since December 2015 I have posted 16 finished fics and 1 WIP in 9 fandoms:

( Read more... )

In 2015 I wrote 33 fics and extensively rewrote 3 old ones, so I have been less productive this year. On the other hand I feel my writing has improved and the quality of the fics are better. I’m particularly pleased with my two Versailles-fic and Ghosts. I also still like Professor Keller a lot and I really need to finish it. Thematically I have written love stories with happy endings, which I’ve never done before. Even if most of them are pretty angsty, one way or another. I still like darkfics, but I have written less of it. As for gen and ship, I have written 7 gen fics, 8 M/F, 1 M/M, 1 F/F and 1 M/F/F. My Doctor Who-kick has clearly waned, even if I still love it, and I’m sure I will write more fic in that fandom. But I have always been a multi-fandom fangirl, and I don’t think that will change. I have participated in several fic exchanges, Yuletide, Chocolate Box, Rare Pair Fest, The Darkest Night, Fandom Stocking, Remix Me and Fandom Gift Box.

So, plans for next year? Well, obviously finishing Professor Keller. I also have two other WIP’s I really ought to do something about. I also have another Doctor Who-fic which is almost finished featuring Ainley!Master, Sarah Jane, the Brig and the Third Doctor. I have a half-finished Labyrinth-fic ‘d like to finish too, and a Versailles-fic; a sequel to Show Me. And, I just remember, half a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell-fic I really enjoyed writing, but then forgot about when I had a bit too much on my plate. I enjoy doing fic-exchanges, but I felt I overdid it a little this year. I’ll definitely do Yuletide, Rare Pair Fest and The Darkest Night, and probably Chocolate Box and Remix Me.

Spoilers as per usual, especially for Outlander which has spoilers even for episodes not aired yet.

( The Mummy )

( On writing )
( Orphan Black )

( Penny Dreadful )
( Outlander )

( Game of Thrones )

( Lie To Me )