2009 in fic (as in, my fic) meme

[leigh57]

Well. I’m supposed to be organizing my entire life, but naturally I’m not doing that. Instead, I’m doing this fic meme, because lowriseflare did it, and she’s so cool that I want to be just like her even though I can’t. Anyway! Bring on the fic navelgazing. First, a list of stories I wrote this year. There are a lot more than I thought. A lot more. Geez.


1. Waterfall

2. Fusion

3. Restraint Part 1

4. Restraint Part 2

5. Sutures

6. 24 frames per second

7. Not Dark Yet Part 1

8. Not Dark Yet Part 2

9. Challenge Fic: Kim and Renee

10. Harvest

11. Meme Fic: Elliot and Olivia

12. Four Times Five Things

13. Speed of the Sound of Loneliness

14. The Night Before Christmas

15. I’ll dream that you’re not left alone


My favorite story this year (my own): “24 frames per second.” I find this absolutely hilarious, given that it’s the least “me” style story I’ve ever written, but something about the song prompts and the jigsaw puzzle challenge of fitting each piece into a hundred words just did it for me. Also, this one caused me pretty much no stress for some reason I have yet to figure out. Granola bars to dealan311, without whom the story wouldn’t even exist.

My best story this year: Wow I’m bad at choosing stuff like that. I’m going to go with “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” I somehow managed to stay calm in the middle of having five betas (yeah I must have been on something, but in the end I think it made the story stronger). Also, it actually has a plot, there is at least a nominal thematic arc (at which I usually fail), and I think it’s one of my more in-character stories. And generally attempting to meet word counts cut down at least a little on my usual five clause sentences.

My worst story this year: Tossup between “Restraint” and “Not Dark Yet.” “Restraint” is just dumb because I wrote it so damn fast, trying to be done before getting jossed by the next ep. “Not Dark Yet” sucks for a whole long list of reasons. Ahoy.

Fic that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Probably “Fusion,” because it was so early in the game and I was still so new at playing with them. I was still so unsure about what I could do with Jack, and I felt as if I kinda learned by touch (yeah no pun intended) as I went through that one.

Sexiest story: Finally, a no-brainer. “Fusion.” Well, it’s pretty much nothing but sex? In lots of different places? And there’s jerking Jack off in the shower (still no clue how I got myself to write that), so win!

Most fun story: Tossup between “24 frames per second” and “Harvest.” “24 frames per second" because OMG it was just so different and weird and not ME and I was making them up while I was on the fucking treadmill, and “Harvest” because I wrote it in like five minutes and had so much fun letting Jack and Renee banter and be goofy and happy. I’m a stooge like that. God am I a stooge.

Best title: “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” because I adore that song, had wanted to use that title forever, and finally managed to break out of my own rut where I have to name everything with one word. (24 frames is an exception because Kay titled it.) I think I’m officially over it.

Hardest story to write: God. Another no-brainer. “Not Dark Yet.” That one is just eroaighaesio;rghiozsgijhzesghdzbhizfjADJWFikdgh;ezhgehwijfihga;. For real. It came on the heels of the most epic writing confidence crisis I have ever experienced (and please let me not have another one to top it, but you never know!), and god does it show. My Renee is ludicrous, the dialogue is often clunky and ridiculous, and it goes on for fucking ever without actually saying anything. Made. Of. Win.

Most unintentionally telling story: Okay, at the risk of turning beet read I’m just going to be honest. “Fusion.” Because it showed me exactly how far I am willing to go when I have Jack and Renee on the brain. Oy.

Biggest surprise: Tossup again. I can never choose. Either the Elliot/Olivia fic, because really wtf I am so over them (thanks a lot, lowriseflare!) and “The Night Before Christmas,” which I entirely didn’t mean to write and came fully out of nowhere in about an hour and a half. eta: Oh! And in case Kay reads this later, another huge surprise was my insane Larry love. If you start my stories from the beginning, you can just feel how much he annoys me in "Waterfall" and "Fusion." By the time we get to "Sutures," the entire story is about Renee trying to deal with Larry's death and has so much Larry love it's hilarious. Oh, Kay, I can't get over how right you were. At least I'm big enough to admit it, so there's that.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? Wow. That’s a difficult one. When I first started watching 24 I had no intention of ficcing anything about it. Jack is just too difficult to write, as far as I’m concerned. So when I wrote “Waterfall,” because I couldn’t stop myself, that was a risk, just attempting to write him. Also a risk? Posting in an entirely new place. I barely knew what LJ was before I posted “Waterfall.” What a difference a year makes, huh?

This year’s theme: Well, embarrassing as it is, let’s be real. This year’s theme is . . . (drum roll, please) JACK AND RENEE HAVE SEX. Okay okay. Maybe it’s not quite THAT bad. More like, Jack and Renee are ludicrously sappily happy in a way they will never ever be on the show, and they also have lots of sex. Yeah. That works:-P

Comments

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Aw, Cinna. I don't think you even know how much sometimes comments like yours kept me going when I was like OMG I SUCK SO HARDCORE. So thank you for that. Honestly. You're killing me quoting my own lines back to me. I do have fondness for quite a few of the 24 frames lines, and that's probably because the blurbs were so short that they honestly allowed me to write and edit them in my head for ages before I even tried to put them on paper. It makes for fun wordy things!

Also, it makes me happy that you like "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" so much, because for some reason I'm just proud of that one. And hee shower. I'm forever going to be infamous for that, and I'm not sure that's a good thing! *blushy face*

Ack you're quoting my lines again! Oh, NDY, fic that almost killed me. But hey. I lived through it, right? I'm actually glad all that happened, but only on the other side.

And hellz YES to SO much sex and happiness for Jack and Renee!!! Even though we'll get neither. *pouts and hopes for at least some really smokin' kisses*