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

[lowriseflare.livejournal.com]

I love that you did this! SO MUCH! (Did it take you forever? It took me for-fucking-ever).

I am so proud of us this year, and of all the writing that we did, and of all the ledges we talked each other off and all the savage betas we did. I feel so lucky to have you as my writer-pal (and my life-pal, too, obv).

Also, I actually really love "Not Dark Yet." Like...a lot. But I actually think 24 Frames Per Second is my favorite thing you wrote this year--I remember reading that for the first time and getting SO EXCITED that you'd found this pairing you loved so much. AND I love Fusion for the shower scene. WORD.

I also love that SVU fic you wrote. Because that is HOW I ROLL.

[cybertoothtiger.livejournal.com]

I am so supposed to be working, but what an interesting meme! I'll have to come back and read some of your earlier fics, which I read before I knew you were you.

I'm so very, very happy you found LJ and enriched our little corner of the internet.

*squishes you*

I love your theme for next year. Can't wait to see what it brings! *G*

[lauridsen09.livejournal.com]

I'm happy you found LJ! I've had a blast getting to you know you through all the flail! :) Here's to hoping you get some Jack/Renee and I get some E/O this year...I think we deserve a little of what we want!

[adrenalin211.livejournal.com]

I think it's because we're all geeks, but I find this writing insight stuff SO interesting.

I'm with K on actually really loving Not Dark Yet. Huge huge tight hugs for the crisis overcome....eventually. I'm so excited, though, to have an actual list because now I can just bookmark this and come back to it when I want to reread one of your stories.

My favorite of yours to read and reread and...reread again, well. I don't have to SAY it, do I?

Your theme is hilarious. I hope that continues to be the theme this year. My goal for this year, though, is to write more than one story. Oh and to finally write something Mulder/Scully.

Hugely impressed with your list, am I. Like I was saying to Katie, I remember all of these so fondly and I LOVED betaing them and being a part of the writing process and Eeeeeeeeeeee! I hope you manage to write MOAR after the season. (I hope they don't fuck things up so bad that you don't want to write.)

Love!

Okay really really gonna be productive now.

[marinw.livejournal.com]

What a good meme. Maybe I should do my own. Or maybe not, as a LOT of my fics are cringe-worthy, at least to me.

Of all your fics, I still love "Waterfall" the most. And that is the fic that introduced you to LJ.

[alwaysashipper.livejournal.com]

What, but I loved "Not Dark Yet"!!! I really really really did. *hugs fic*

My Renee is ludicrous, the dialogue is often clunky and ridiculous, and it goes on for fucking ever without actually saying anything.

[century-fox.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, your best story is a tie between 24 frames per second and Speed of the Sound of Loneliness. 24 frames was just such an excellent description of their relationship, and it has one of my favorite lines ever- Nobody else can flay her with his exquisite skill. That line will stay with me forever. And Speed of the Sound of Loneliness is beautiful beyond words and I love it so much, even though I can no longer see orange Tic Tacs the same way again. :P I'll always feel attached to Sutures, though, because it's the first fic of yours I ever read and I'm so glad it introduced me to your amazing writing. And Fusion is just HOT. Especially that shower scene. Holy fuckcakes. Damn it, I can't pick a favorite. I love them ALL. *flails*

I know you were going through a major confidence crisis when you wrote Not Dark Yet, but I feel like that makes that story all the more impressive, since you were able to get through your confidence issues and write this story that was absolutely amazing, and come up with your line that expresses love so perfectly: He looks at her for a long, quiet moment, soaking in the way that somehow, although he knows she’s as scared as he is, everything on her face tells him she’s one hundred percent willing to take the risk.

Oh, and I fully approve of your themes of Jack and Renee being happy and having lots of sex. I hope they'll continue being central themes of your fics this year, hehe. ;D

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Aww, it pleases me to no end that I was able to convince you to even try the 100 word drabble format, so the fact that you like 24 frames the best is beyond awesome. My personal favorite is Speed of Sound of Loneliness. It was just working on all cylinders, and I'm sort of a sucker for hurty fic (which that one had in spades.)

It makes me laugh that your theme this year is Jack and Renee have sex. Isn't that going to be next year's theme too? Hehehe.

Congrats on writing all that fic, though. Quite the accomplishment, that. :)