Writing Roundup, 2010
Jan. 8th, 2011 02:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfalling2009 version
2005 version
Warning: long post is long!
JANUARY
Fanfiction:
A Simple Plan -- The Dark Is Rising, 1,200 words. The White Rider goes to Wales and meets John Rowlands.
The Transient and the Eternal: Far Away -- Angel Sanctuary, 2,025 words. Alexiel and Jibril decide not to take over heaven.
New Horizons ch. 2 -- Harry Potter, 1,625 words. Canon-compliant post-epilogue Ginny/Harry/Draco. Yes, really.
No Quarter -- Chronicles of Narnia, 200 words. Jadis and Cynara: the end of the war vs. the end of the world.
Lemonade ch. 16 -- BtVS/Gundam Wing/Naruto, 2,050 words. Faith Lehane, Duo Maxwell, and Uchiha Sasuke fall into a hell dimension and must work together to get home and stop the demons who are responsible for the mess.
Game Theory -- Yu-Gi-Oh!, 375 words. The nameless pharaoh sealed the Shadow Games, but memory is harder to kill than people often think.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,025 words. They forgot England for fifteen years. Peter wants to know why.
Original Fiction:
Nor Good Red Herring -- Firsthome, 550 words. Ekanu and Ain talk about the history and ethnic tensions of Yanomy.
January Total: 9,050
---------------
FEBRUARY
Fanfiction:
The Good Daughter -- Naruto, 900 words. One year before she graduates from the academy, Yukiko talks to her mother -- ostensibly about fire safety codes, but mostly about trust.
Resistentialism -- Naruto, 375 words. Yukiko and Naruto personify inanimate objects.
The Courting Dance chs. 1 and 2 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 2,650 words. Aravis and Cor. Marriage is a bit more complicated than quarrelling and making it up again, especially for the crown prince of Archenland and an exiled Calormene Tarkheena.
Babel -- Chronicles of Narnia, 650 words. Susan and Edmund talk about linguistics, post-LWW. Meta thinly cloaked in dialogue. (Revised from 2009 version.)
Friends and Neighbors -- Naruto, 250 words. Fragmentary follow-up to "The Way of the Apartment Manager," requested by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aishuu.
Sugar and Spice -- BtVS/Dragaera, 425 words. Opening scene of the sequel to "Lemonade," requested bymonkey5s.
Original Fiction:
Cobweb Maze: In the Still of the Night -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Lia Reynard talks with one of her ghosts as she sets a trap for her shadowy stalker.
Curiosity, Satisfied -- Ithaca Paranormal AU, 2,150 words. When Danny Carolanza learns his best friend is a werewolf, Claire Flaherty, the Tompkins County shape-shifters' regional coordinator, brings him into the conspiracy of silence around the paranormal.
February Total: 7,525
---------------
MARCH
Fanfiction:
Remembrance -- Chronicles of Narnia, 900 words. Follow-up to "Endurance," in which the Church of England adds a day honoring Susan Pevensie to the Calendar of Common Worship. Requested byuminohikari.
New Horizons epilogue -- Harry Potter, 175 words. Requested byaskerian.
Lives by Mending -- The Darkangel, 400 words. Thoughts on exploring Oceanus.
Turn to Stone/Silent Screams -- Avatar:TLA/Enchanted Forest, 1,025 words. Toph and Mai: two versions of the conquest of Toure-on-Marsh. (This is basically the same fic with cosmetic variations, so I'm only counting one set of words.) Requested bysilverblade219.
The Courting Dance ch. 3 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,450 words.
Testing the Waters -- Naruto, 1,350 words. A cut scene from ch. 11 of "The Guardian in Spite of Herself," in which Seichi babysits Sasuke and Naruto.
Tug of War -- Naruto, 1,150 words. Naruto has a bad day at school. Yukiko wishes he'd let her help more.
No Wasted Deed -- Naruto, 1,150 words. Uzumaki Naruto is Kigaru Shinnin's best friend. She has no regrets for her lost popularity.
Original Fiction:
Harvest: All We Know of Heaven -- Firsthome, 225 words. Monologue rough draft of Ekanu's speech during the climactic scene on the vision island where she and Denifar hash out their relationship.
Ashes take one -- Ashes, 1,350 words. Preliminary sketch toward my 2010 NaNo attempt.
March Total: 9,175
---------------
APRIL
Fanfiction:
What You Need -- Naruto, 475 words. Yukiko is a genjutsu specialist from necessity, not from inclination.
Anatomy of a Fight -- Naruto, 200 words. Sakura at work, because damn it, medic-nin should be scary to fight.
Troy in Reverse -- Naruto, 775 words. The opening of chapter 1 of "Sparks," which would be the second sequel to "Tides." Sakura POV.
Lemonade ch. 17 -- BtVS/Gundam Wing/Naruto, 2,350 words.
Original Fiction:
Harvest: Downwind -- Firsthome, 300 words. Denifar and Ekanu tentatively resume communication after their screaming argument on the vision island.
Cobweb Maze: Dinner Date -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Takeshi Fitzroy prepares for a dinner date with Lia, and asks his friend Aileen for help.
April Total: 4,650
---------------
MAY
Fanfiction:
The Guardian in Spite of Herself ch. 13 -- Naruto, 4,525 words. The reward for a job well done is a bigger job. In this case, Ayakawa Yukiko's new job is a lot more complicated than anyone expected. The Uchiha massacre and its aftermath, in the world of "The Way of the Apartment Manager."
Set in Stone -- Naruto, 575 words, May 2010. A year after the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke understandably still has issues about the loss of his family.
Strange Likenesses ch. 6 -- Harry Potter, 2,350 words. What if the newly-disembodied Voldemort had noticed his link to Harry? A dark AU.
The Beginning of Wisdom -- Chronicles of Narnia, 425 words. "It is foolish to become attached to anything or anyone. We are all replaceable -- even the gods. That is the foremost of Lilith's teachings."
Made Manifest: Mother Wolf -- Code Geass, 875 words. Marianne vi Britannia gave birth to her first child in a tiny, bunker-like room in the basement of the hospital wing of the imperial palace. Charles did not attend.
Made Manifest: Etiquette -- Code Geass, 1,450 words, May 2010. Cornelia speaks with Marianne about the rules of manifestation.
What Isn't Broken (Can Still Be Fixed) -- Naruto, 24,500 words, May 2010, revised Dec. 2010. Madara lied about the eye transplant's effects. Captured and brought back to Konoha, Sasuke must adjust to blindness and his unexpected survival. NaruSasu. Written for RemixRedux 8, based on "Put a little fixing on it" by megyal.
Original Fiction:
A Dream of Butterflies: If Not Us -- Ithaca Paranormal, 575 words. Kari Fitzroy begins the fall semester at Cornell, teaching a class on the history of Touched rights.
Cobweb Maze: In the Morning Light -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Takeshi and Lia talk about tattoos and Arthurian legends in the back room of her store one morning.
Heirlooms -- Elsewhere, 700 words. Apple finds unexpected treasure in the attics of Briar House, during a visit to Daphne's cousins.
May Total: 36,525
---------------
JUNE
Fanfiction:
When You're Not Strong -- Naruto, 875 words, June 2010. Iruka and his great-aunt deal with the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack and the deaths of Iruka's parents.
The Transient and the Eternal: Snowfall -- Angel Sanctuary, 6,900 words. Sara asks Lucifer about Jibril.
With a Vengeance -- Naruto, 950 words, June 2010. Sakura is working night shift at the hospital when Naruto brings Sasuke home.
The Courting Dance ch. 4 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,800 words.
More Sins Than Condemnation -- Naruto, 2,700 words, June 2010. Iruka never wanted to get involved in Konoha's politics. Unfortunately for him, sometimes the Rokudaime Hokage needs an incorruptible man.
Original Fiction:
The Poor Woodcutter's Children -- an unconstruction of The Golden Goose in 1,400 words.
June Total: 14,625
---------------
JULY
Fanfiction:
Rich and Rare -- Chronicles of Narnia, 250 words. Jadis, on magic, jewelry, and the symbolism of crowns.
Secrets ch. 14 -- Harry Potter, 10,650 words. CoS according to Ginny. Nobody noticed anything wrong for an entire year -- how did she slip so far from her family and friends? Angst and betrayal, but also mysteries, jokes, an enchanted suit of armor, and a guaranteed happy ending.
Original Fiction:
Small Mysteries part 1 -- Firsthome, 2,950 words. During her tour as a chapterhouse inspector in Yanomy, Ekanu meets an intriguing man while traveling alone through the Pakarrin hills.
Craftsmanship -- Firsthome, 325 words. Ekanu watches Denifar do woodcarving.
Pebble on a Mountain -- Firsthome, 575 words. Tallo Nashialle meets Svedanya sin Alar in the slums of imperial Estara. Fifteen years later, they will lead the Three-Day Revolution that topples the Estarin Empire.
Against the Flood -- Firsthome, 975 words. In the aftermath of the Three-Day Revolution, Empress Consort Maranea de Colleua is informed of her husband's death.
July Total: 15,725
---------------
AUGUST
Fanfiction:
none
Original Fiction:
Quid Pro Quo -- Firsthome, 675 words. Tallo and Svedanya discuss magic, secrets, and stupid parlor tricks.
Raspberry Red -- 325 words of meditation on Star Island and picking raspberries.
I Will Follow -- Ashes, 550 words. Morgalen and her brother in happier days.
August Total: 1,550
---------------
SEPTEMBER
Fanfiction:
The Transient and the Eternal: Babies -- Angel Sanctuary, 6,000 words. Setsuna and Sara mentor a neighbor's child; Lucifer wonders about reincarnation.
Fester Like a Sore -- Chronicles of Narnia, 575 words. When Edith is very young, she wants to be exactly like Mary. This doesn't last.
Maxims and Verses -- Chronicles of Narnia, 800 words. Edith and Rabadash in Tashbaan, thinking of history and poetry, desire and war.
Summer of '39 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,250 words. The year before the Pevensies go to Narnia, their family is falling apart. Stephen makes the best of it, as much as he can.
Original Fiction:
none
September Total: 8,625
---------------
OCTOBER
Fanfiction:
Anchor Points -- Chronicles of Narnia, 550 words. Laurie's world always makes sense, even if his siblings don't see what he does.
Wings To Fly -- Seaward, 800 words. Cally had the sea; West had a fight. When they returned from their journey, they switched.
Original Fiction:
none
October Total: 1,350
---------------
NOVEMBER
Fanfiction:
none
Original Fiction:
Ashes parts 1-13 -- 17,700 words. Two hundred years after miasma spilled through the Gate to taint the earth and air, a magician, a binder, and a swordswoman set off through the Great Waste on a quest to set things right. But the magician has hidden motives, her companions have secrets of their own, and there is no guarantee that their effort may not simply hasten the death of their world.
November Total: 17,700
---------------
DECEMBER
Fanfiction:
Childish Things -- Hexwood, 7,200 words. Three games Vierran played with Mordion over the years.
Served Cold -- Hexwood, 1,600 words. Orm Pender bred Martellian's descendants into Servants for a thousand years. He was quite practiced by the end.
Original Fiction:
Ashes part 14 -- 800 words.
December Total: 9,600
---------------
2010 Fanfiction: 102,325
2010 Original: 33,775
2010 Total: 136,100
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
The most I wrote in a single month was 36,525 words in May. The least I wrote in a single month was 1,350 in October. These numbers are, of course, slightly misleading since I count by posting date rather than religiously tracking my actual writing dates, but they are a fair reflection of my tendency toward bursts of activity followed by periods of little obvious work. I am always thinking about my stories, but that translates into writing progress much less often than I wish it did. *sigh*
You can see that I started the year writing a lot of short fic -- mostly for weekly 15-minute fic prompts -- and had stopped doing that by the end, which is a pity. I think I do some of my best work under time constraints, and I do love the thrill of getting to post something finished, no matter how short. I must get back to prompt fic on a more regular basis.
I signed up for four fic challenges/exchanges this year -- RemixRedux, Femgenficathon, lgbtfest, and Yuletide. I only completed fic for Remix and Yuletide. Annoyingly, while I had a couple ideas for Femgen, I couldn't dredge up the mental energy and interest to write any of them. (I think that was August, when I wasn't writing much of anything.) Lgbtfest fell foul of Remix -- they were too close together and I was wiped out by writing over 20,000 words in two weeks -- and of my unexpected difficulties writing about my own sexual identity in fictive form.
This year I also got back to writing original fiction in a bigger way than I'd been doing for a few years, which makes me very happy. I love fanfiction to the bottom of my soul, but my earliest stories were original, and my own worlds and characters are always going to be closest to my heart. So it's nice to get back into that groove.
Did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
---More, actually! I was aiming to break 100,000 words, which I did quite handily.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in 2009?
---Fandom? Code Geass. I don't really watch anime -- I don't watch much audiovisual media in general -- so that was definitely a surprise.
Genre? My Narnia genderswap AU. Genderswap of the always-was-the-opposite-sex type is something I've found interesting to read on occasion, but always a little odd. Partly that's because I think a lot of it is done badly, but it's also because genderswapped characters don't feel, to me, as if they're the same people I know from canon. Which is the point, of course, and yet they should be the same, or you've missed the point in the opposite direction. Anyway, I did not expect to write any myself, but I threw the idea out into the ether as a thought-experiment to address some of Lewis's gender issues, after which it kind of ate my brain.
Pairing? Honestly, NaruSasu. I like it just fine to read, but if I have any Naruto OTP, it's an OT3 -- Team 7 forever, baby! But I remixed a NaruSasu story for RemixRedux, and it was interesting to develop that relationship while also acknowledging Sakura's importance to both boys. I'm still ambivalent about the results -- I really would have been happier writing either gen or OT3 -- but given my own limitations as a romance writer, I think it worked out pretty well. (Also long, but see above re: limitations as a romance writer. *wry*)
Did you take any writing risks this year?
---I attempted to write a NaNo novel in public; I guess that's a risk. Also the Narnia genderswap AU, because those are always tricky.
Do you have any fanfic or original fic goals for the New Year?
---As always, I would like to finish my WIPs. Also as always, I suspect I will fail. *sigh*
Favorite story -- not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest
---"No Wasted Deed," which is a sidestory for "The Way of the Apartment Manager" and "The Guardian in Spite of Herself." Because Naruto deserves friends, because I love watching ripple effects play out, and because I like Kigaru Shinnin, the OC who serves as my POV character.
Also "Heirlooms," because Apple and Daphne Rumluck never fail to make me smile, whether in their own world or in their slightly altered versions in "Secrets."
Best story
---"Against the Flood," "Maxims and Verses," or "The Beginning of Wisdom." "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is also good, but marred by too much subtlety to the point where quite a lot of readers came away with only the surface message instead of the underlying protest against that message which I was trying to convey.
Most underappreciated by the universe
---"Secrets," as always, though that is (also as always) my own fault for being so slow and inconsistent with updates.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story
---"Served Cold," but there was no way to write that backstory without horror. Also "The Beginning of Wisdom," but the same explanation holds true.
Sexiest story
---It's only sensuality, not actual sex, but definitely "Maxims and Verses" and chapter one of "The Courting Dance." Apparently Calormen inspires me. Who knew?
Most fun to write
---"Sugar and Spice," the opening snippet of the sequel to "Lemonade." I still only have about half of what I need for a coherent plot, but the basic ideas amuse me to no end.
Most disappointing
---Any WIP I didn't finish! *headdesk*
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters
---"The Courting Dance," because I tend to see all Narnian characters as asexual, and Lewis himself makes Aravis and Cor sound like the most unromantic and asexual couple in the history of the universe. I keep losing the original thread of sexual desire under oceans of world-building, but I am trying to get back to that, I swear.
Story with the single sweetest moment
---Hmm. "Tug of War" is pretty sugary, as is "No Wasted Deed." However, I think I have to pick "Childish Things," which is designed as a build-up to a crowning moment of heartwarming and is all about the power of friendship besides. *beams*
Hardest story to write
---"The Courting Dance." Oh god, stop me before I do more world-building!
Easiest story to write
---The whole point of 15-minute fics is to sit down and write something -- anything! -- so they all went pretty easily. "Served Cold" also went very fast, mostly because I am quite practiced at developing backstory, creating OCs, and writing sociopaths.
Biggest surprise
---"Pebble on the Mountain," "Quid Pro Quo," and "Against the Flood," three ficlets set around the decline and fall of the Estarin Empire in Firsthome. I've spent years playing around with world-building for that era, but I'd nearly given up on finding a way to put any of it into actual stories, so those ficlets surprised and pleased me very much.
Most revealing story
---"The Body Politic," which I have neither finished nor posted because it is so revealing! I am convinced that one reason I cannot get Astrin Ymris to come out and tell people he's asexual is that I myself have yet to flat-out explain to my own family that I'm asexual, though I think by this point that I have done everything but use those specific words. *sigh*
Of posted stories, though, I guess I'd say "Ashes," because that is me raw and pretty much unfiltered, both in the story and the little accompanying notes. If you want to see the inside of my head (and how I think about people), that's a decent place to start.
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
And that is that. On to 2011!
2005 version
Warning: long post is long!
JANUARY
Fanfiction:
A Simple Plan -- The Dark Is Rising, 1,200 words. The White Rider goes to Wales and meets John Rowlands.
The Transient and the Eternal: Far Away -- Angel Sanctuary, 2,025 words. Alexiel and Jibril decide not to take over heaven.
New Horizons ch. 2 -- Harry Potter, 1,625 words. Canon-compliant post-epilogue Ginny/Harry/Draco. Yes, really.
No Quarter -- Chronicles of Narnia, 200 words. Jadis and Cynara: the end of the war vs. the end of the world.
Lemonade ch. 16 -- BtVS/Gundam Wing/Naruto, 2,050 words. Faith Lehane, Duo Maxwell, and Uchiha Sasuke fall into a hell dimension and must work together to get home and stop the demons who are responsible for the mess.
Game Theory -- Yu-Gi-Oh!, 375 words. The nameless pharaoh sealed the Shadow Games, but memory is harder to kill than people often think.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,025 words. They forgot England for fifteen years. Peter wants to know why.
Original Fiction:
Nor Good Red Herring -- Firsthome, 550 words. Ekanu and Ain talk about the history and ethnic tensions of Yanomy.
January Total: 9,050
---------------
FEBRUARY
Fanfiction:
The Good Daughter -- Naruto, 900 words. One year before she graduates from the academy, Yukiko talks to her mother -- ostensibly about fire safety codes, but mostly about trust.
Resistentialism -- Naruto, 375 words. Yukiko and Naruto personify inanimate objects.
The Courting Dance chs. 1 and 2 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 2,650 words. Aravis and Cor. Marriage is a bit more complicated than quarrelling and making it up again, especially for the crown prince of Archenland and an exiled Calormene Tarkheena.
Babel -- Chronicles of Narnia, 650 words. Susan and Edmund talk about linguistics, post-LWW. Meta thinly cloaked in dialogue. (Revised from 2009 version.)
Friends and Neighbors -- Naruto, 250 words. Fragmentary follow-up to "The Way of the Apartment Manager," requested by
aishuu.Sugar and Spice -- BtVS/Dragaera, 425 words. Opening scene of the sequel to "Lemonade," requested by
monkey5s.Original Fiction:
Cobweb Maze: In the Still of the Night -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Lia Reynard talks with one of her ghosts as she sets a trap for her shadowy stalker.
Curiosity, Satisfied -- Ithaca Paranormal AU, 2,150 words. When Danny Carolanza learns his best friend is a werewolf, Claire Flaherty, the Tompkins County shape-shifters' regional coordinator, brings him into the conspiracy of silence around the paranormal.
February Total: 7,525
---------------
MARCH
Fanfiction:
Remembrance -- Chronicles of Narnia, 900 words. Follow-up to "Endurance," in which the Church of England adds a day honoring Susan Pevensie to the Calendar of Common Worship. Requested by
uminohikari.New Horizons epilogue -- Harry Potter, 175 words. Requested by
askerian.Lives by Mending -- The Darkangel, 400 words. Thoughts on exploring Oceanus.
Turn to Stone/Silent Screams -- Avatar:TLA/Enchanted Forest, 1,025 words. Toph and Mai: two versions of the conquest of Toure-on-Marsh. (This is basically the same fic with cosmetic variations, so I'm only counting one set of words.) Requested by
silverblade219.The Courting Dance ch. 3 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,450 words.
Testing the Waters -- Naruto, 1,350 words. A cut scene from ch. 11 of "The Guardian in Spite of Herself," in which Seichi babysits Sasuke and Naruto.
Tug of War -- Naruto, 1,150 words. Naruto has a bad day at school. Yukiko wishes he'd let her help more.
No Wasted Deed -- Naruto, 1,150 words. Uzumaki Naruto is Kigaru Shinnin's best friend. She has no regrets for her lost popularity.
Original Fiction:
Harvest: All We Know of Heaven -- Firsthome, 225 words. Monologue rough draft of Ekanu's speech during the climactic scene on the vision island where she and Denifar hash out their relationship.
Ashes take one -- Ashes, 1,350 words. Preliminary sketch toward my 2010 NaNo attempt.
March Total: 9,175
---------------
APRIL
Fanfiction:
What You Need -- Naruto, 475 words. Yukiko is a genjutsu specialist from necessity, not from inclination.
Anatomy of a Fight -- Naruto, 200 words. Sakura at work, because damn it, medic-nin should be scary to fight.
Troy in Reverse -- Naruto, 775 words. The opening of chapter 1 of "Sparks," which would be the second sequel to "Tides." Sakura POV.
Lemonade ch. 17 -- BtVS/Gundam Wing/Naruto, 2,350 words.
Original Fiction:
Harvest: Downwind -- Firsthome, 300 words. Denifar and Ekanu tentatively resume communication after their screaming argument on the vision island.
Cobweb Maze: Dinner Date -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Takeshi Fitzroy prepares for a dinner date with Lia, and asks his friend Aileen for help.
April Total: 4,650
---------------
MAY
Fanfiction:
The Guardian in Spite of Herself ch. 13 -- Naruto, 4,525 words. The reward for a job well done is a bigger job. In this case, Ayakawa Yukiko's new job is a lot more complicated than anyone expected. The Uchiha massacre and its aftermath, in the world of "The Way of the Apartment Manager."
Set in Stone -- Naruto, 575 words, May 2010. A year after the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke understandably still has issues about the loss of his family.
Strange Likenesses ch. 6 -- Harry Potter, 2,350 words. What if the newly-disembodied Voldemort had noticed his link to Harry? A dark AU.
The Beginning of Wisdom -- Chronicles of Narnia, 425 words. "It is foolish to become attached to anything or anyone. We are all replaceable -- even the gods. That is the foremost of Lilith's teachings."
Made Manifest: Mother Wolf -- Code Geass, 875 words. Marianne vi Britannia gave birth to her first child in a tiny, bunker-like room in the basement of the hospital wing of the imperial palace. Charles did not attend.
Made Manifest: Etiquette -- Code Geass, 1,450 words, May 2010. Cornelia speaks with Marianne about the rules of manifestation.
What Isn't Broken (Can Still Be Fixed) -- Naruto, 24,500 words, May 2010, revised Dec. 2010. Madara lied about the eye transplant's effects. Captured and brought back to Konoha, Sasuke must adjust to blindness and his unexpected survival. NaruSasu. Written for RemixRedux 8, based on "Put a little fixing on it" by megyal.
Original Fiction:
A Dream of Butterflies: If Not Us -- Ithaca Paranormal, 575 words. Kari Fitzroy begins the fall semester at Cornell, teaching a class on the history of Touched rights.
Cobweb Maze: In the Morning Light -- Ithaca Paranormal, 550 words. Takeshi and Lia talk about tattoos and Arthurian legends in the back room of her store one morning.
Heirlooms -- Elsewhere, 700 words. Apple finds unexpected treasure in the attics of Briar House, during a visit to Daphne's cousins.
May Total: 36,525
---------------
JUNE
Fanfiction:
When You're Not Strong -- Naruto, 875 words, June 2010. Iruka and his great-aunt deal with the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack and the deaths of Iruka's parents.
The Transient and the Eternal: Snowfall -- Angel Sanctuary, 6,900 words. Sara asks Lucifer about Jibril.
With a Vengeance -- Naruto, 950 words, June 2010. Sakura is working night shift at the hospital when Naruto brings Sasuke home.
The Courting Dance ch. 4 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,800 words.
More Sins Than Condemnation -- Naruto, 2,700 words, June 2010. Iruka never wanted to get involved in Konoha's politics. Unfortunately for him, sometimes the Rokudaime Hokage needs an incorruptible man.
Original Fiction:
The Poor Woodcutter's Children -- an unconstruction of The Golden Goose in 1,400 words.
June Total: 14,625
---------------
JULY
Fanfiction:
Rich and Rare -- Chronicles of Narnia, 250 words. Jadis, on magic, jewelry, and the symbolism of crowns.
Secrets ch. 14 -- Harry Potter, 10,650 words. CoS according to Ginny. Nobody noticed anything wrong for an entire year -- how did she slip so far from her family and friends? Angst and betrayal, but also mysteries, jokes, an enchanted suit of armor, and a guaranteed happy ending.
Original Fiction:
Small Mysteries part 1 -- Firsthome, 2,950 words. During her tour as a chapterhouse inspector in Yanomy, Ekanu meets an intriguing man while traveling alone through the Pakarrin hills.
Craftsmanship -- Firsthome, 325 words. Ekanu watches Denifar do woodcarving.
Pebble on a Mountain -- Firsthome, 575 words. Tallo Nashialle meets Svedanya sin Alar in the slums of imperial Estara. Fifteen years later, they will lead the Three-Day Revolution that topples the Estarin Empire.
Against the Flood -- Firsthome, 975 words. In the aftermath of the Three-Day Revolution, Empress Consort Maranea de Colleua is informed of her husband's death.
July Total: 15,725
---------------
AUGUST
Fanfiction:
none
Original Fiction:
Quid Pro Quo -- Firsthome, 675 words. Tallo and Svedanya discuss magic, secrets, and stupid parlor tricks.
Raspberry Red -- 325 words of meditation on Star Island and picking raspberries.
I Will Follow -- Ashes, 550 words. Morgalen and her brother in happier days.
August Total: 1,550
---------------
SEPTEMBER
Fanfiction:
The Transient and the Eternal: Babies -- Angel Sanctuary, 6,000 words. Setsuna and Sara mentor a neighbor's child; Lucifer wonders about reincarnation.
Fester Like a Sore -- Chronicles of Narnia, 575 words. When Edith is very young, she wants to be exactly like Mary. This doesn't last.
Maxims and Verses -- Chronicles of Narnia, 800 words. Edith and Rabadash in Tashbaan, thinking of history and poetry, desire and war.
Summer of '39 -- Chronicles of Narnia, 1,250 words. The year before the Pevensies go to Narnia, their family is falling apart. Stephen makes the best of it, as much as he can.
Original Fiction:
none
September Total: 8,625
---------------
OCTOBER
Fanfiction:
Anchor Points -- Chronicles of Narnia, 550 words. Laurie's world always makes sense, even if his siblings don't see what he does.
Wings To Fly -- Seaward, 800 words. Cally had the sea; West had a fight. When they returned from their journey, they switched.
Original Fiction:
none
October Total: 1,350
---------------
NOVEMBER
Fanfiction:
none
Original Fiction:
Ashes parts 1-13 -- 17,700 words. Two hundred years after miasma spilled through the Gate to taint the earth and air, a magician, a binder, and a swordswoman set off through the Great Waste on a quest to set things right. But the magician has hidden motives, her companions have secrets of their own, and there is no guarantee that their effort may not simply hasten the death of their world.
November Total: 17,700
---------------
DECEMBER
Fanfiction:
Childish Things -- Hexwood, 7,200 words. Three games Vierran played with Mordion over the years.
Served Cold -- Hexwood, 1,600 words. Orm Pender bred Martellian's descendants into Servants for a thousand years. He was quite practiced by the end.
Original Fiction:
Ashes part 14 -- 800 words.
December Total: 9,600
---------------
2010 Fanfiction: 102,325
2010 Original: 33,775
2010 Total: 136,100
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
The most I wrote in a single month was 36,525 words in May. The least I wrote in a single month was 1,350 in October. These numbers are, of course, slightly misleading since I count by posting date rather than religiously tracking my actual writing dates, but they are a fair reflection of my tendency toward bursts of activity followed by periods of little obvious work. I am always thinking about my stories, but that translates into writing progress much less often than I wish it did. *sigh*
You can see that I started the year writing a lot of short fic -- mostly for weekly 15-minute fic prompts -- and had stopped doing that by the end, which is a pity. I think I do some of my best work under time constraints, and I do love the thrill of getting to post something finished, no matter how short. I must get back to prompt fic on a more regular basis.
I signed up for four fic challenges/exchanges this year -- RemixRedux, Femgenficathon, lgbtfest, and Yuletide. I only completed fic for Remix and Yuletide. Annoyingly, while I had a couple ideas for Femgen, I couldn't dredge up the mental energy and interest to write any of them. (I think that was August, when I wasn't writing much of anything.) Lgbtfest fell foul of Remix -- they were too close together and I was wiped out by writing over 20,000 words in two weeks -- and of my unexpected difficulties writing about my own sexual identity in fictive form.
This year I also got back to writing original fiction in a bigger way than I'd been doing for a few years, which makes me very happy. I love fanfiction to the bottom of my soul, but my earliest stories were original, and my own worlds and characters are always going to be closest to my heart. So it's nice to get back into that groove.
Did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
---More, actually! I was aiming to break 100,000 words, which I did quite handily.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in 2009?
---Fandom? Code Geass. I don't really watch anime -- I don't watch much audiovisual media in general -- so that was definitely a surprise.
Genre? My Narnia genderswap AU. Genderswap of the always-was-the-opposite-sex type is something I've found interesting to read on occasion, but always a little odd. Partly that's because I think a lot of it is done badly, but it's also because genderswapped characters don't feel, to me, as if they're the same people I know from canon. Which is the point, of course, and yet they should be the same, or you've missed the point in the opposite direction. Anyway, I did not expect to write any myself, but I threw the idea out into the ether as a thought-experiment to address some of Lewis's gender issues, after which it kind of ate my brain.
Pairing? Honestly, NaruSasu. I like it just fine to read, but if I have any Naruto OTP, it's an OT3 -- Team 7 forever, baby! But I remixed a NaruSasu story for RemixRedux, and it was interesting to develop that relationship while also acknowledging Sakura's importance to both boys. I'm still ambivalent about the results -- I really would have been happier writing either gen or OT3 -- but given my own limitations as a romance writer, I think it worked out pretty well. (Also long, but see above re: limitations as a romance writer. *wry*)
Did you take any writing risks this year?
---I attempted to write a NaNo novel in public; I guess that's a risk. Also the Narnia genderswap AU, because those are always tricky.
Do you have any fanfic or original fic goals for the New Year?
---As always, I would like to finish my WIPs. Also as always, I suspect I will fail. *sigh*
Favorite story -- not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest
---"No Wasted Deed," which is a sidestory for "The Way of the Apartment Manager" and "The Guardian in Spite of Herself." Because Naruto deserves friends, because I love watching ripple effects play out, and because I like Kigaru Shinnin, the OC who serves as my POV character.
Also "Heirlooms," because Apple and Daphne Rumluck never fail to make me smile, whether in their own world or in their slightly altered versions in "Secrets."
Best story
---"Against the Flood," "Maxims and Verses," or "The Beginning of Wisdom." "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is also good, but marred by too much subtlety to the point where quite a lot of readers came away with only the surface message instead of the underlying protest against that message which I was trying to convey.
Most underappreciated by the universe
---"Secrets," as always, though that is (also as always) my own fault for being so slow and inconsistent with updates.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story
---"Served Cold," but there was no way to write that backstory without horror. Also "The Beginning of Wisdom," but the same explanation holds true.
Sexiest story
---It's only sensuality, not actual sex, but definitely "Maxims and Verses" and chapter one of "The Courting Dance." Apparently Calormen inspires me. Who knew?
Most fun to write
---"Sugar and Spice," the opening snippet of the sequel to "Lemonade." I still only have about half of what I need for a coherent plot, but the basic ideas amuse me to no end.
Most disappointing
---Any WIP I didn't finish! *headdesk*
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters
---"The Courting Dance," because I tend to see all Narnian characters as asexual, and Lewis himself makes Aravis and Cor sound like the most unromantic and asexual couple in the history of the universe. I keep losing the original thread of sexual desire under oceans of world-building, but I am trying to get back to that, I swear.
Story with the single sweetest moment
---Hmm. "Tug of War" is pretty sugary, as is "No Wasted Deed." However, I think I have to pick "Childish Things," which is designed as a build-up to a crowning moment of heartwarming and is all about the power of friendship besides. *beams*
Hardest story to write
---"The Courting Dance." Oh god, stop me before I do more world-building!
Easiest story to write
---The whole point of 15-minute fics is to sit down and write something -- anything! -- so they all went pretty easily. "Served Cold" also went very fast, mostly because I am quite practiced at developing backstory, creating OCs, and writing sociopaths.
Biggest surprise
---"Pebble on the Mountain," "Quid Pro Quo," and "Against the Flood," three ficlets set around the decline and fall of the Estarin Empire in Firsthome. I've spent years playing around with world-building for that era, but I'd nearly given up on finding a way to put any of it into actual stories, so those ficlets surprised and pleased me very much.
Most revealing story
---"The Body Politic," which I have neither finished nor posted because it is so revealing! I am convinced that one reason I cannot get Astrin Ymris to come out and tell people he's asexual is that I myself have yet to flat-out explain to my own family that I'm asexual, though I think by this point that I have done everything but use those specific words. *sigh*
Of posted stories, though, I guess I'd say "Ashes," because that is me raw and pretty much unfiltered, both in the story and the little accompanying notes. If you want to see the inside of my head (and how I think about people), that's a decent place to start.
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
And that is that. On to 2011!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-09 07:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-10 05:37 am (UTC)