(no subject)

[lakeeffectgirl]

For my main assignment, I wrote: seven day forecast - The Gray Man, Six & Claire.

I enjoy this movie a lot, and Six and Claire's relationship the most! I did check to be sure that my recipient didn't want Six/Claire - one of those things that's best to check on first - and while I could have written that and do have a vague futurefic idea for the 'ship, I think it would have taken me much longer to figure out.

Feeling in the mood to write treats somehow aligned with being really into Oppenheimer for like three weeks straight, so I just went with it and wrote all four of these.

I guess I can't be too bummed since treats are treats, but having one person kudos the treat I wrote for someone else, while neither kudosing nor commenting so far on either thing I wrote them, is a bit disheartening. And confusing, I guess.

I really enjoyed writing the Oppenheimer things - I did "made such mirrors" first, then was still in the mood to write the pairing and thought, I might as well write a treat for the other person requesting this pairing, so that was "contract of the senses", and then I was still in the mood to write it and also thinking I might want to try a different style of writing since I was reading some poetry. That one ended up being "as that comes home" - and then I figured I might as well even things out - and why not get out of my comfort zone and try something even more experimental? So the last one was "wilds of thought".




This year I wrote and posted: 39 fics across 11 fandoms.

Total posted word count: 147,045

Overall Thoughts: My goals for last year, per this same questionnaire, were - "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." I definitely crossed the 100k mark and finished quite a few of the WIPs I carried into the year, but didn't do anything that was on my someday list (which I haven't actually added to in a few years).

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?: WAY MORE. I didn't think I'd even get close to what I posted last year, much less surpass it and write more this year than I have any other year before now - I published 147k, and wrote - per my spreadsheet - 198k.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?: Well, I sure didn't predict the four Oppenheimer things. That was a wild confluence of spending three weeks obsessed with the movie right during prime treat-writing time. (I mean, is it Yuletide if I don't request or write a Matt Damon and/or Ben Affleck movie? No, but I didn't expect this movie.)

Also, if you'd have told me last year I'd write Katie Holmes femslash, I would have thought you were insane. Like, WHAT? And yet. Some things just beg to exist.

What's your own favorite story of the year?: ooh, might be a tie between the book of love has music in it and if I never laid eyes on you, would I feel something missing, both Tom Cruise/Chris McQuarrie/Heather McQuarrie fics.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?: I usually don't write second person POV, but enjoyed the stream-of-consciousness feeling using it gave to two of my Oppenheimer things (and commenters noted that it worked, which was very validating).

I also completed NaNoWriMo for only the third (I think?) time since I discovered it - that was the majority of the difference between the words I wrote and the words I published, since the MCU fic I worked on for it is nowhere near complete. I'm hoping to finish it in the next few months!

My most popular story of this year: everyone seems a damn genius lately, Top Gun: Maverick.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: with these drums and these guitars, also Top Gun: Maverick. I don't know if it was the outright AU, or the drawn-out Mav & Rooster tension that makes up most of this before they get together, or what (maybe readers just wanted more porn) - but this one was a poor performer compared to my previous chapter-by-chapter fic for TGM.

Most fun story to write: I think maybe if you have an opinion, maybe you should shove it - aka, the ace!Bradley fic. It took me quite a while to figure out where it was going, but indulged my near constant desire to write people getting handsy with each other but not boning.

Hardest story to write: an atlas on us (Hawkeye), mostly because I feel shaky with Clint's voice, but I also enjoyed writing it at the same time.

Biggest Disappointment: Nothing was really a disappointment, honestly. The smaller fandom things I write, I don't expect them to be big hits. As I've said before - if just one person enjoys it, and understands what I was trying to do, that's what's worth it to me.

Biggest Surprise: Posting this much, for sure!

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: (Changes from last year marked with an asterisk)

2009 and prior: living with the living (Wizards of Waverly Place)
2010: and my glory shall be love (Generation Kill)
2011: been at this far too long (The Social Network)
2012: cursed at first, but mended (The Eagle)*
2013: break something old to build something new (hockey RPF, Briere/Giroux)
2014: relámpago (National Treasure)
2015: the sore spot (Generation Kill)
2016: Friday Night Bracing for Monday (Good Will Hunting)
2017: trouble's only trouble if it finds you (The Nice Guys)*
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)
2022: your body keeps the score (Top Gun)
and 2023's top performer was: everyone seems a damn genius lately (Top Gun)