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2018 Writing Round Up!
2018 Writing Round Up
March
Beautiful Mess for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
smpc, 3,400 words, J2, escort verse
June
pas de deux [a dance for two] forsmpc, 2,100, J2, Jensen escapes the noise of the rock star life for something quieter.
July
Those Who Show Up forspn_j2_bigbang, 50,000 words, J2, Jared Padalecki is the latest politician to throw his hat into the Presidential Race. As a Texas Senator, he's well respected by the Republican Party for upholding the values of the GOP. But his earnest, can-do attitude only gets him so far when it comes to the American public. Enter: Jensen Ackles, a renowned strategist who resuscitates fledgling campaigns and wins political races. Over the course of a year, Jensen and Jared struggle to see eye to eye even as they're both hell bent to win in November. If only Jensen could figure out what skeletons are in the Senator's closet so he can get ahead of a scandal before it breaks.
August
Let It Down forsmpc, 4,400 words, J2, escort verse
September
Various Masquerade Fills forspn_masquerade, including J2, JDM/Jared, JDM/Danneel, Jensen/Danneel, Sam/Dean, etc.
Halfway Gone forsmpc, 4,500 words, J2, escort verse
November
Out of the Machine forspn_cinema, 9,400 words, J2, The integrity of Jensen’s programming is compromised when interactions with his human software tester advance further than his programmer had intended. Based on the film ex machina
December
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf, for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cherie_morte/spn_j2_xmas, 23,000, J2, A lot happens in nine years, everything in his life passing him by. When he wakes up after nearly a decade in a coma, he's mighty grateful for a second lease on life, but there’s far too much that’s changed, and yet so much that remains.
Total Word Count: 117,600 - of note, I wrote 50,000 last year. More than doubling my word count is kind of a surprise to me! :D
Fandoms that I dabbled in this year, old and new: Same old J2 RPF, but also a few Sam/Dean pieces in masquerade as well as JDM/Danneel and JDM/Jared.
My favorite story this year:
My immediate answer, without much thought, is The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf. I wrote that whole thing in like five days and felt invigorated, excited, so in tune to the story that it reminded me of my early days in fandom when all I did was write, write, write and could post fics on a near-weekly basis.
My least favorite story this year:
I guess in a way that Release (After a stressful day on set, Jared needs to relieve that stress. He follows Jensen into his trail, bends Jensen over and uses him as a stress reliever) didn't come out how I expected/wanted, but it was a quick write forspn_masquerade so I just fired it out and posted.
Most successful story:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf has the most kudos on AO3, but Halfway Gone has the most comments.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf for sure. As I said above, I was SO EXCITED while writing and I was like vibrating when posting it ... and while, yes, it has a lot of kudos, there are so few comments it makes me sad/disappointed. Once again, the downfall of AO3 is the kudos/likes culture ruining actual feedback and interaction between readers and writers :-\
Most fun story:
I had a hell of a time with some of the lastspn_masquerade fills when we were all working under the wire that last night ... Creature Feature Double Feature came out of that chat group and I had fun, even if I was drained, half drunk, and half asleep.
Story with single sexiest moment:
In Halfway Gone, I love the visual of Jensen coming up behind Jared in the shower and holding onto him, then reaching lower and lower ...
Biggest story fail:
LOL THIS IS FROM LAST YEAR AND IT STILL STANDS ...
It's probably been like three years in the making, butquickreaver and I have been planning to collaborate on a boxing J2 for spn_cinema. This year I got about 5k 7k written, when it had languished at 1k/5k years prior ... but it's still nowhere near done and I hate that it's been sitting around so long... along with all the WIPs on my computer.
Hardest story to make:
Those Who Show Up for a variety of reasons ... This was a shitty year for me at work and I had tons of OT and stress always wearing me down, so I waited until the last minute to figure out what to do for Big Bang. And then I had to go back and fix what I cobbled together for drafts and the story nearly doubled ... meaning I had to write another 20-30k in the weeks leading up to posting (in between crazy work hours and that stress). Also, there was a lot of research that went into the timeline, stats, etc., to round out a lot of what's in there.
I'd give an honorable mention to Out of the Machine because while I thought it would be cool to write the story from the robot's POV, it also limited me a lot in my typical writing/word choice since it couldn't be emotion, but had to be based in technological phrases and actions to represent the emotion.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Given that I have 2x the amount I wrote last year, I'm pretty happy ... though I would gather that these last two years, combined, are still lower than many past years.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Forspn_masquerade, I wrote 3 Wincest fics, along with JDM/Jared and Dean/Cas. Didn't expect any of that!
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? Writing risks?
I guess a major risk was quitting 12k of fic I started for cherie's xmas fic and starting over to write another 23k of a brand new story? Otherwise, I don't feel particularly risky in anything I've done?
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Domestic Dreams continues to dive deeper into Jensen's feelings, far more than I had planned. I reread the whole series last night in anticipation of writing the next piece and I realize I originally wrote Jared a bit more open/talkative while Jensen was more free-wheeling and confidently cocky about things ... but now it's much more angsty for them both. I do enjoy going through this version of them, just wish I had planned that better lol.
Biggest Surprise:
I was shocked to get a big # of comments for Those Who Show Up and Halfway Gone. Both went to 100 comments (including replies) and I don't think I've had that happen to me since the heyday of LJ being such a huge fandom base.
Story with the sweetest moment:
There's a moment in Those Who Show Up that is terribly angsty, but Jensen makes a face and puts his hand over his heart in apology, which I shamelessly took from The West Wing when Toby apologize to CJ with the same motion while she's running a press conference ... despite the tension of the scene, I love that tiny moment.
Story that made you cry:
I still haven't cried while writing my own fics, but I know I was making a very angsty crumbly face for nearly all of writing The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
A Whole New Ball Game I guess? But I was purposely being cheeky ;-)
Most intentionally telling:
I would guess Out of the Machine, since it's about Jensen becoming more than the machine he is?
Unintentionally?:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf maybe? I initially had When We Heal as the title then James Bay's Incomplete came on and it seemed more appropriate as it tells more about Jared, having put his heart up on a shelf, waiting to bring it back down (waiting for Jensen to return).
Most overdue:
I started Those Who Show Up in like 2013-2014 and it languished for a long while in gdocs. I'm really happy I finally got it wrapped up and could tell the story I wanted to tell.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
I don't think I had one, other than exploring unbalanced relationships and how many things, and anything, can get in the way of what feels right ... politics, class dynamics, other relationships, etc.
Favorite Opening Line(s):
There is darkness. Like the depth of the ocean, this place is murky and muted, and strokes of white fight to be seen through the black.
- The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf. In a way, it describes where they all are ... stuck in darkness without only a swatch of light showing hope.
Favorite Closing Line(s):
This is life, Jensen tells himself and he never looks back.
- Out of the Machine . In my head, Jensen runs off and never looks back, never looks back at Jared, essentially leaving him behind to seek out what all he wants. I'm pretty sure people missed that point of it being open ended, and Jensen had become that much more human to seek out what he wanted/turned selfish.
Top 5 Scenes from Anywhere You Would Choose to Have Illustrated:
1. J2 in the shower in Halfway Gone
2. Always-a-girl!Sam/Dean in the gas station bathroom in Pit Stop
3. J2 in bed, the morning sun coming in, and Jensen up on his side giving Jared a hand job while they can't break eye contact in Let It Down
4. J2 in the forest at the end of Those Who Show Up(especially Jared with scruff, dressed down, going for Jensen's hand)
5. Anything in She is All I Need because JENSEN/DANNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL
The things I've learned this year:
I said this last year and it's still true ...
I think I say it every year but ... if I make the time to write, then I can write. But I feel like as I get older, my attention is split more and more among not just RL and fandom, but just so many different things like other TV shows, movies, friends, etc. I just can't make myself do much more for fandom at this time and I'm doing my best to not feel guilty for it.
Fic-writing goals for 2018:
1. From last year but still ... Finish that damned boxing fic withquickreaver.
2. Find the right path to end Domestic Dreams
3. Finish the foodie WIP? Or the cat!Jensen WIP? Or any WIP?
4. Get old fics up on AO3! This includes cleaning up a lot of fics that I know deserve a refresh.
5. Write for myself so there isn't so much emotion tied to not getting comments :-\
March
Beautiful Mess for
smpc, 3,400 words, J2, escort verseJune
pas de deux [a dance for two] for
smpc, 2,100, J2, Jensen escapes the noise of the rock star life for something quieter.July
Those Who Show Up for
spn_j2_bigbang, 50,000 words, J2, Jared Padalecki is the latest politician to throw his hat into the Presidential Race. As a Texas Senator, he's well respected by the Republican Party for upholding the values of the GOP. But his earnest, can-do attitude only gets him so far when it comes to the American public. Enter: Jensen Ackles, a renowned strategist who resuscitates fledgling campaigns and wins political races. Over the course of a year, Jensen and Jared struggle to see eye to eye even as they're both hell bent to win in November. If only Jensen could figure out what skeletons are in the Senator's closet so he can get ahead of a scandal before it breaks. August
Let It Down for
smpc, 4,400 words, J2, escort verseSeptember
Various Masquerade Fills for
spn_masquerade, including J2, JDM/Jared, JDM/Danneel, Jensen/Danneel, Sam/Dean, etc. Halfway Gone for
smpc, 4,500 words, J2, escort verseNovember
Out of the Machine for
spn_cinema, 9,400 words, J2, The integrity of Jensen’s programming is compromised when interactions with his human software tester advance further than his programmer had intended. Based on the film ex machinaDecember
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf, for
cherie_morte/spn_j2_xmas, 23,000, J2, A lot happens in nine years, everything in his life passing him by. When he wakes up after nearly a decade in a coma, he's mighty grateful for a second lease on life, but there’s far too much that’s changed, and yet so much that remains. Total Word Count: 117,600 - of note, I wrote 50,000 last year. More than doubling my word count is kind of a surprise to me! :D
Fandoms that I dabbled in this year, old and new: Same old J2 RPF, but also a few Sam/Dean pieces in masquerade as well as JDM/Danneel and JDM/Jared.
My favorite story this year:
My immediate answer, without much thought, is The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf. I wrote that whole thing in like five days and felt invigorated, excited, so in tune to the story that it reminded me of my early days in fandom when all I did was write, write, write and could post fics on a near-weekly basis.
My least favorite story this year:
I guess in a way that Release (After a stressful day on set, Jared needs to relieve that stress. He follows Jensen into his trail, bends Jensen over and uses him as a stress reliever) didn't come out how I expected/wanted, but it was a quick write for
spn_masquerade so I just fired it out and posted. Most successful story:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf has the most kudos on AO3, but Halfway Gone has the most comments.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf for sure. As I said above, I was SO EXCITED while writing and I was like vibrating when posting it ... and while, yes, it has a lot of kudos, there are so few comments it makes me sad/disappointed. Once again, the downfall of AO3 is the kudos/likes culture ruining actual feedback and interaction between readers and writers :-\
Most fun story:
I had a hell of a time with some of the last
spn_masquerade fills when we were all working under the wire that last night ... Creature Feature Double Feature came out of that chat group and I had fun, even if I was drained, half drunk, and half asleep.Story with single sexiest moment:
In Halfway Gone, I love the visual of Jensen coming up behind Jared in the shower and holding onto him, then reaching lower and lower ...
Biggest story fail:
LOL THIS IS FROM LAST YEAR AND IT STILL STANDS ...
It's probably been like three years in the making, but
quickreaver and I have been planning to collaborate on a boxing J2 for spn_cinema. This year I got about Hardest story to make:
Those Who Show Up for a variety of reasons ... This was a shitty year for me at work and I had tons of OT and stress always wearing me down, so I waited until the last minute to figure out what to do for Big Bang. And then I had to go back and fix what I cobbled together for drafts and the story nearly doubled ... meaning I had to write another 20-30k in the weeks leading up to posting (in between crazy work hours and that stress). Also, there was a lot of research that went into the timeline, stats, etc., to round out a lot of what's in there.
I'd give an honorable mention to Out of the Machine because while I thought it would be cool to write the story from the robot's POV, it also limited me a lot in my typical writing/word choice since it couldn't be emotion, but had to be based in technological phrases and actions to represent the emotion.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Given that I have 2x the amount I wrote last year, I'm pretty happy ... though I would gather that these last two years, combined, are still lower than many past years.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
For
spn_masquerade, I wrote 3 Wincest fics, along with JDM/Jared and Dean/Cas. Didn't expect any of that!Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? Writing risks?
I guess a major risk was quitting 12k of fic I started for cherie's xmas fic and starting over to write another 23k of a brand new story? Otherwise, I don't feel particularly risky in anything I've done?
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Domestic Dreams continues to dive deeper into Jensen's feelings, far more than I had planned. I reread the whole series last night in anticipation of writing the next piece and I realize I originally wrote Jared a bit more open/talkative while Jensen was more free-wheeling and confidently cocky about things ... but now it's much more angsty for them both. I do enjoy going through this version of them, just wish I had planned that better lol.
Biggest Surprise:
I was shocked to get a big # of comments for Those Who Show Up and Halfway Gone. Both went to 100 comments (including replies) and I don't think I've had that happen to me since the heyday of LJ being such a huge fandom base.
Story with the sweetest moment:
There's a moment in Those Who Show Up that is terribly angsty, but Jensen makes a face and puts his hand over his heart in apology, which I shamelessly took from The West Wing when Toby apologize to CJ with the same motion while she's running a press conference ... despite the tension of the scene, I love that tiny moment.
Story that made you cry:
I still haven't cried while writing my own fics, but I know I was making a very angsty crumbly face for nearly all of writing The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
A Whole New Ball Game I guess? But I was purposely being cheeky ;-)
Most intentionally telling:
I would guess Out of the Machine, since it's about Jensen becoming more than the machine he is?
Unintentionally?:
The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf maybe? I initially had When We Heal as the title then James Bay's Incomplete came on and it seemed more appropriate as it tells more about Jared, having put his heart up on a shelf, waiting to bring it back down (waiting for Jensen to return).
Most overdue:
I started Those Who Show Up in like 2013-2014 and it languished for a long while in gdocs. I'm really happy I finally got it wrapped up and could tell the story I wanted to tell.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
I don't think I had one, other than exploring unbalanced relationships and how many things, and anything, can get in the way of what feels right ... politics, class dynamics, other relationships, etc.
Favorite Opening Line(s):
There is darkness. Like the depth of the ocean, this place is murky and muted, and strokes of white fight to be seen through the black.
- The Bleeding Heart Left on the Shelf. In a way, it describes where they all are ... stuck in darkness without only a swatch of light showing hope.
Favorite Closing Line(s):
This is life, Jensen tells himself and he never looks back.
- Out of the Machine . In my head, Jensen runs off and never looks back, never looks back at Jared, essentially leaving him behind to seek out what all he wants. I'm pretty sure people missed that point of it being open ended, and Jensen had become that much more human to seek out what he wanted/turned selfish.
Top 5 Scenes from Anywhere You Would Choose to Have Illustrated:
1. J2 in the shower in Halfway Gone
2. Always-a-girl!Sam/Dean in the gas station bathroom in Pit Stop
3. J2 in bed, the morning sun coming in, and Jensen up on his side giving Jared a hand job while they can't break eye contact in Let It Down
4. J2 in the forest at the end of Those Who Show Up(especially Jared with scruff, dressed down, going for Jensen's hand)
5. Anything in She is All I Need because JENSEN/DANNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL
The things I've learned this year:
I said this last year and it's still true ...
I think I say it every year but ... if I make the time to write, then I can write. But I feel like as I get older, my attention is split more and more among not just RL and fandom, but just so many different things like other TV shows, movies, friends, etc. I just can't make myself do much more for fandom at this time and I'm doing my best to not feel guilty for it.
Fic-writing goals for 2018:
1. From last year but still ... Finish that damned boxing fic with
quickreaver.2. Find the right path to end Domestic Dreams
3. Finish the foodie WIP? Or the cat!Jensen WIP? Or any WIP?
4. Get old fics up on AO3! This includes cleaning up a lot of fics that I know deserve a refresh.
5. Write for myself so there isn't so much emotion tied to not getting comments :-\