2020 writing roundup and analysis

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A Year in Writing: 2020
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JANUARY
Fanfiction:
Wild Honey -- Chronicles of Narnia/Harry Potter, 100 words. Edmund and Ginny forage for food. (Part of Edmund and Ginny Go to Harfang) genprompt_bingo fill.
Kinbaku -- Daredevil, 750 words. In which Elektra Natchios, heiress and law student, meets a handsome and mysterious stranger in her favorite coffee shop. daredevilbingo fill.

Fanfiction: 850

Original Fiction:
No Friend Like a Sister -- Persephone Noir, 1,450 words. In which Thorn Lovelace calls her older sister for romantic advice, because she's never needed to know how to date anyone before and while family may mock you mercilessly, a good sister will always have your back. ladiesbingo fill.

Original Fiction: 1,450

January Total: 2,300

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FEBRUARY
Fanfiction:
[see Three Sentence Ficathon index post for details]

Fanfiction: 11,800

Original Fiction:
Manual Adjustment -- 50 words. Our new robot overlords are malfunctioning.
Alexa Play Despacito -- 175 words. Our new robot overlords continue to malfunction.
Solve the Right Problem -- 75 words. The world is filled with crazy men in love. So what?
A Kind of Paradise Enow -- 750 words. Two mercenaries transport texts through the post-apocalyptic badlands on behalf of the library network.
Serpens Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus -- 100 words. Turning into a giant snake only almost never helps.
Equivalent Exchange -- 500 words. Buying back your memories is a tricky proposition.

Original Fiction: 1,650

February Total: 13,450

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MARCH
Fanfiction: none

Original Fiction: none

March Total: 0

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APRIL
Fanfiction:
Sufficiently Advanced Magic -- Iron Fist (MCU), 125 words. Ward is done with magical ninja bullshit.

Fanfiction: 125

Original Fiction: none

April Total: 125

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MAY
Fanfiction: none

Original Fiction none

May Total: 0

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JUNE
Fanfiction:
The Three Sisters of Tumbledown Creek -- Chronicles of Narnia/Naruto, 13,750 words. In the days when Jadis the White Witch conquered Narnia and trapped the land in an enchanted winter, there were three Talking Pigs, all sisters, who lived in a little brick house beside a creek that flowed through the woods into the Glasswater. One day, they had some unexpected guests. ladiesbingo fill. [prompt!fic for the_rck]
Never the Twain Shall Meet -- Homestuck, 625 words. Plastic plates go in the plastic plate stack and china plates go in the china plate stack. This is very important! Jade/Rose. (Part of the Leaf and Letter AU)
I Believe the Children Are Our Future -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,425 words. Helping your sister take care of her new twins is vexing. Figuring out a stable and robust system of government for Narnia that will outlast your death is even more vexing, but you can't properly manage the former task without eventually facing the latter. AU, no White Stag. genprompt_bingo fill. [prompt!fic for alexseanchai]

Fanfiction: 15,800

Original Fiction: none

June Total: 15,800

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JULY
Fanfiction:
Shoot for the Moon -- Chronicles of Narnia, 650 words. "Are there any stories about how the sun and moon came to be?" Jill asked one night as she and Scrubb huddled against each other in the meager shelter of a low hill's lee. fan_flashworks prompt response.

Fanfiction: 650

Original Fiction: none

July Total: 650

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AUGUST
Fanfiction:
The Patience of Inanimate Objects -- The Magnus Archives, 270 words. Cassette tapes jam; it's a fact of life. The Institute tapes don't. fan_flashworks prompt response.
Faith, Hope, Love -- Darkangel Trilogy, 180 words. The body Ravenna made for Aeriel is eerily true to life, except for when it isn't.
Like Graphite Powder and a Skeleton Key -- Rusty Quill Gaming, 400 words. If you make a metal box, stick a fancy lock and some traps on it, and call it a safe, people think whatever you shut inside it will be untouchable. But there's no such thing as a lock that can't be picked or a trap that can't be disarmed. fan_flashworks prompt response.
Of Memory Against Forgetting -- Harry Potter, 850 words. Agnes MacPhearson knows her memory is full of holes and shifts out from under her mental feet like sand washed free by a receding tide. It's always been that way, which is why she records and stores important things in a Pensieve and carefully labeled bottles every evening. Of course she notices when over an hour of her Tuesday afternoon goes missing. (AKA, in which one of Gildeory Lockhart's victims notices and fights back -- maybe too little, maybe too late, but sometimes it's important to stand up and set the record straight.) fan_flashworks prompt response.
Building Blocks -- The Magnus Archives, 850 words. In which Sasha James explains her theory of life, the universe, and everything to Tim Stoker. Possibly they should both be more sober for this conversation. fan_flashworks prompt response.

Fanfiction: 2,550

Original Fiction: none

August Total: 2,550

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SEPTEMBER
Fanfiction:
Building Bridges -- Chronicles of Narnia, 6,400 words. If sentient rivers experience bridges as chains, how do you establish a functional transportation network? Joanna Baker, a girl from Port Paravel, sets out to answer that question with the help of a mechanically-minded naiad. Also featuring a brief diversion into the post-Miraz Narnian tax system! ladiesbingo fill.
To Calormen and the South -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,200 words. How Sallowpad came to travel in the lands south of Narnia. Written for marmota_b in the 2020 Narnia Fic Exchange.
Twelve Views of Port Paravel -- Chronicles of Narnia, 3,400 words. Khoshet was in Tash's nest as the ship drew near the coast, and so he was the first to see not the shore but a strange black cloud above it. (Or, the fall of Port Paravel, as seen by the crew of a Calormene merchant ship and the trading staff in the port.) Written for songsmith in the 2020 Narnia Fic Exchange.
If Today Be Sweet -- Six of Crows, 625 words. When Inej woke, late morning sun lying heavy and hot against her closed eyelids, she could tell by the empty echoes that Kaz had long since left the room. Written for musesfool as part of Hold Me: a comfort promptfest hosted by sholio.
A Cloudy Morning Is No Guarantee -- The Magnus Archives, 500 words. Jon gets an unexpected text on a bad day. Written for sholio as part of Hold Me: a comfort promptfest hosted by sholio.
How To Win Friends and Influence People -- Doctor Who/The Magnus Archives, 13,050 words. In which Rose Tyler and Jonathan Sims have an extremely unpleasant experience in Henrik's department store one evening shortly after closing. [prompt!fic for wingedflight] Finished for wipbigbang.

Fanfiction: 25,175

Original Fiction:
I Shall Repay -- 525 words. "Take me anywhere but here!" the princess said when the fairy appeared in her tower prison. fan_flashworks prompt response.
A pool among the rock -- Sunbright and Shadowfall, 375 words. Shadowfall brings truth into her dreams. Written for sholio as part of Hold Me: a comfort promptfest hosted by sholio.

Original Fiction: 900

September Total: 26,075

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OCTOBER
Fanfiction:
Sharp Dressed Man -- The Magnus Archives, 475 words. Before Martin's mum got really sick, back when she still sometimes looked at him without anger or disappointment, he used to do his homework in the living room while she ironed her work blouses and skirts. fan_flashworks prompt response.
Between the Saltwater and the Sea-Strand -- Naruto, 3,500 words. Yukiko and Kakashi run an undercover mission in the coastal port of Asase during monsoon season. Rain can make anyone philosophical. (Part of the Apartment Manager AU) genprompt_bingo fill. [prompt!fic for warriordrgnmage]
Pay Attention (The Peacock and the Pickpocket) -- Rusty Quill Gaming, 1,575 words. The first true illusion Oscar creates is a peacock in his tutor's window. The bird cocks its glorious, brilliant head, and adjusts its feathers. Then it screams like a dying train. Written for Nemainofthewater in Remix Revival 2020.
The Common Woman's Gold -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,100 words. In which Aravis encounters an unexpected complication on her way to set up a moderately illegal coffee import contract. ladiesbingo fill. [prompt!fic for musesfool]

Fanfiction: 6,650

Original Fiction:
Mountain Dream -- Tenich Valley, 450 words. Mountain dreams were meant for the young, those old enough to no longer be children, but young enough to not yet have children of their own. Navila got hers when she was twenty-seven: married, widowed, and mother of three. fan_flashworks prompt response.

Original Fiction: 450

October Total: 7,100

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NOVEMBER
Fanfiction:
Whilst You and I Keep Ourselves Warm -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,650 words. These tunnels didn't carry the icy cold of winter, but even the mild chill and damp of a dreary autumn twilight could leech a body's grip on life, given enough time. Susan wasn't certain, but she thought she and Lucy had been down here at least three days -- perhaps as many as five. ladiesbingo fill. [prompt!fic for violsva]

Fanfiction: 1,650

Original Fiction: none

November Total: 1,650

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DECEMBER
Fanfiction:
Trust Fall -- Rusty Quill Gaming, 1,050 words. Azu, Sasha, and a long drop. (AU post-Rome) fan_flashworks prompt response.
String New Threads -- Darkangel Trilogy, 1,200 words. When the last fragment of the soul of the world was regathered and Aeriel stood in the heart of Crystalglass before the loom where she had learned to weave numbers into truth, she broke the cloth she wove and sank to her knees, weeping. Written for MarsDragon in Yuletide 2020.
A Whirlwind Visit -- Oz, 2,225 words. The first time Polychrome took Button-Bright to visit the kingdom of the sky fairies, all went well. They were both determined that the second visit would be even better. Button-Bright asked Princess Ozma and the Wizard to help him pack and shrink a whole week's worth of food, Polychrome asked her aunt for help weaving a blanket of moonbeams to keep Button-Bright warm in the chill of the upper air, and they picked a week that should start and end with sun, but have some rain in the middle so Polychrome could show off the sky kingdom in all its moods and weathers. (It was a very good plan. Unfortunately, it went awry.) Written for aurilly in Yuletide Madness 2020.

Fanfiction: 4,475

Original Fiction:
untitled haunted painting story -- 525 words. "What's with the creepy painting?" Gwen asked as she took her coat off just inside Isabel's front door.

Original Fiction: 525

December Total: 5,000

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2020 Fanfiction: 69,725
2020 Original: 4,975
2020 Total: 74,700

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ANALYSIS

As always, I count words by posting date rather than writing date, which can give somewhat misleading results if you are trying to track my periods of greatest productivity. Given that I participated in getyourwordsout in 2020, I can now actually quantify the difference between what I wrote in any given month, and what I posted in any given month.

Interestingly, my writing and my posting word counts were only about 1,000 words different -- but those two counts don't overlap entirely. Some of the words I posted this year were written in previous years, and some of the words I wrote this year have yet to see the light of day.

Anyway, I wrote more this year than the past two. \o/ I completely credit getyourwordsout for the motivation to buckle down and actually put words on the screen. I would also like to thank rthstewart for running the Three Sentence Ficathon, for which I wrote about 13,500 words for 72 prompts (plus one tacked on two months later, and another that spiraled into a 13,000-word monster which I posted at the tail end of September.

I signed up for 3 fic challenges/exchanges this year -- Narnia Fic Exchange, Remix Revival and Yuletide -- and completed all three. I also picked up a pinch hit for the NFE and wrote a Yuletide treat. I continued running sporadic mini-ficlet prompt memes to whittle away at my various bingo cards, I wrote a bunch of responses to fan_flashworks prompts, and I wrote three ficlets for sholio's impromptu comfort prompt exchange. I like writing things for people, you know?

I have still not succeeded in establishing a writing routine, and I'm unsure how much writing time I'll have this year -- I will, as always, be fairly crunched during tax season due to my seasonal second job as a tax preparer, besides which I acquired new responsibilities at my main job with an apartment rental/management company that have given me less downtime at work. I think I may need to start getting up at 7am or something and trying to write before work, since I am usually kind of brain-fried by the time I get home in the evening.

And one of these days I really will get back to writing original fiction in a major way. *sigh*

Did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
---More than I expected, less than I hoped. The difference is mostly down to a lack of schedule, I think.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?
---The Magnus Archives and Rusty Quill Gaming -- the former because I'd only just started getting into it in December 2019, and the latter because I didn't get into it until this summer. No surprising ships, no surprising genres.

Did you take any writing risks this year?
---I mean, writing a Narnia/Naruto crossover loosely based on the Three Little Pigs that started mostly as a bad joke (what if Tonton were secretly a Talking Pig from Narnia?) and turned into a meditation on varying methods of coping with a totalitarian dictatorship as well as family trauma was probably not what anyone would call a wise idea, but I feel it's very much in line with my past work, so eh.

Other than that, not really.

Do you have any fanfic or original fic goals for the coming year?
---Write more! Make progress on my old WIPs! Establish a regular writing schedule!

Favorite story -- not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest
---"The Three Sisters of Tumbledown Creek," "Building Bridges," "Twelve Views of Port Paravel," and "Between the Saltwater and the Sea-Strand." Basically I love worldbuilding, ethical dilemmas, and character interactions.

Best story
---Hmm. Probably "The Three Sisters of Tumbledown Creek" or "Building Bridges." Both are standalone stories that do the thing I am often trying to do when writing fiction: to express in words an idea/feeling that can't be expressed in words. Also to create interesting characters and indulge in worldbuilding, but the former is, I think, more important in terms of creating thematic unity within a work.

Most underappreciated by the universe
---"How To Win Friends and Influence People," but that's my own fault because I have not yet gotten around to editing the story and posting the final version on AO3. Maybe by the end of January?

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story
---Every year I get more annoyed by the phrasing of this question. Possibly I should reword it to "Darkest story" instead? Anyway, probably some of the Magnus Archives ficlets I wrote for the Three Sentence Ficathon, and/or "Twelve Views of Port Paravel," which is almost certainly in the top ten bleakest stories I have ever written. I mean, that was the entire point, but still.

Sexiest story
---None, so far as I can tell.

Hardest story to write
---Probably either "The Three Sisters of Tumbledown Creek," which fought me up, down, and sideways for over a year, or "How To Win Friends and Influence People" because ugh, PLOT.

Easiest story to write
---All the Three Sentence Ficathon fills. :D

Most fun to write
---Also the Three Sentence Ficathon fills! Oh, all right, and "Building Bridges," which I started writing with only a vague notion of where I wanted to end up, and which took a completely unexpected detour through the Narnian tax system that surprised the heck out of me. I allowed that tangent to play out because I deserve some self-indulgence now and then. *wry*

Most disappointing
---Any WIP I didn't finish! *headdesk*

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters
---None, really.

Story with the single sweetest moment
---I think "A Cloudy Morning Is No Guarantee," because everyone needs a pick-me-up some days.

Biggest surprise
---None, really.

Most revealing story
---I think this answer is the same as my "favorite story" list: "The Three Sisters of Tumbledown Creek," "Building Bridges," "Twelve Views of Port Paravel," and "Between the Saltwater and the Sea-Strand." I feel that after reading those four, and maybe also "No Friend Like a Sister," you will have a pretty good portrait of me in 2020. *wry*

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And that is that for the year. :)