Fic wrap-up survey for 2022!!

[lakeeffectgirl]

This year I wrote and posted: 36 things across 12 fandoms.

Total word count: 129,067.

Overall Thoughts: My goals for last year, per this same questionnaire: "Write 100k and finish at least one thing from my lingering WIPs pile. Exchanges: only do Chocolate Box, Fandom5k, and Yuletide, and try to write at least one treat for each." Well, I definitely beat my word count goal (I even upped it and then went past that), finished three things from my lingering WIPs pile, did the Hurt/Comfort Exchange, RMSE, and Fandom5k. I did not participate in Yuletide this year, but I was busy enough doing some Top Gun holiday exchange things that I really didn't miss it.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?: This is more than I have ever written in a single year before!! And this is entirely Tom Cruise's fault, which feels so wildly insane to say! Well, I will revise - 100% I watched the first TGM trailer when it dropped in 2019 and thought, "I am definitely going to want Maverick to bang Goose's son, no doubt about it." But I wasn't expecting to actually find a fandom or a community of other TG writers/TC fans to hang out with online, and that definitely made all the difference.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?: [looks into the camera like it's The Office]

What's your own favorite story of the year? I have left and come back to this question multiple times now and I cannot decide. I think maybe the snowed in story, won't you stay by my side, because it's the exact sort of ridiculous fluff I most like to write.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I guess o, woodcutter, cut my shadow was a little different stylistically from my usual, and writing from Khonshu's POV was a challenge, but honestly I didn't go too outside the box.

My most popular story of this year: your body keeps the score, the Mav/Rooster physical therapy AU

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: That I wrote this year? None of them. Even the Fantastic 4 piece that doesn't even have a hundred hits as I type this had someone comment that they were happy I'd written it, and if just one person enjoys? That's worth it to me.

Most fun story to write: Hilariously enough, the MerMav - this was just utter crackfic I did for a soulmates fest on the discord. I originally started out writing something else but a few days later there was discussion of mer-fic and my brain was like, "apply brakes on first story, WRITE THIS ONE INSTEAD". Plus it's very different from the other Mav/Rooster soulbond story I'd done earlier in the fall.

Hardest story to write: I think sudden in the darkness: a light, a flame was the most difficult to write but I also enjoyed writing it a lot - I wanted to write Paul/Duncan since the first time I watched Villeneuve's Dune, but it was the sort of thing where I knew I probably wouldn't do it without it being an exchange assignment, and after offering it for a few exchanges in 2021, it ended up being my fandom5k assignment for 2022.

Biggest Disappointment: I was slightly disappointed in myself that I didn't cross anything off my "write someday" list. But I didn't add anything to it, either!

Biggest Surprise: Being in an actual fandom again after YEARS of just mostly doing my own thing. I was also kind of surprised by how little FOMO I had about Yuletide after deciding not to do it, but again, I was busy with TGM things.

Fic-writing goals for the coming year: I would like to cross 100k again, finish at least three of my outstanding in-progress things, and cross one item off my "write someday" list.

Stats notes: Last year's biggest hit-count gainers changed from the previous year more than I was expecting! Changes marked with an asterisk -

2009 and prior: living with the living (Wizards of Waverly Place)
2010: Après moi le deluge (Generation Kill)
2011: been at this far too long (The Social Network)
2012: cursed at first, but mended (The Eagle)*
2013: relámpago (National Treasure)*
2014: Yesterday You Knew Tomorrow (hockey RPF, Ryan Whitney/Taylor Hall)
2015: the sore spot (Generation Kill)
2016: Friday Night Bracing for Monday (Good Will Hunting)*
2017: make this place beautiful (Generation Kill)
2018: a place to grow, a chance to flourish (Venom)
2019: enough to feel alive (Star Wars)
2020: on second approach (Top Gun)*
2021: out of a million (Venom)
and 2022's top performer was: your body keeps the score (Top Gun: Maverick)

Comments

[notyourwinter]

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?: [looks into the camera like it's The Office]

*laughing Tom face emoji*