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jazzypizzaz · 7 years

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end of the year fic meme

I’m pretending like @multsicorn tagged me in this :-). I would love if other writers were to answer these questions too! I love hearing what people think of their own work and process, so consider yourself tagged if doing this type of reflection is interesting to you.

Statistics: I wrote 22 fics this year (21 for DS9 and 1 for Columbo), ~105k words between May and December, which works out to almost ~500 words/day. 12 Quodo fics, 10 different pairings. I’m very proud of forming this habit of indulgent creative writing, and honestly it’s improved my overall well-being immeasurably. Hopefully I’ll keep it up this year as a habit. (special thanks to trek-rarepair-swap and Quodo, and everyone associated participating and supporting each other)

under the cut for length, ten questions:

1. What’s your personal favorite thing you wrote this year?

Hmmmm maybe this is an odd choice, but at the moment my favorite is Rule One Thirteen. I hit all the emotional notes I wanted to, which was a delicate balance in tone/characterization, and I think stylistically it’s beautiful in a particular bittersweet way.

They’re all my babies that I love in different ways though.

2. What’s your least favorite thing you wrote this year?

Uummmmm?????? They are my children and I love them all dearly!!! uhhhhhh maybe What if Feels Like for a Girl, because a) I have more distance from it as among the first fics I wrote, and b) it was necessary but I like the other fics in the series better, c) the title and description and some of the dialogue makes me cringe a little idk.

3. Which of your fics was most different from what you usually write?

since what I write is rare pairs with odd combinations of fluff and angst and absurdity and poetic imagery and indulgence and too many emotions, “what I usually write” feels like a super broad category???

Messy Desks was the only non-DS9 fic, so I guess that’s an outlier by default, even though small scenes and shipping a one episode character is my bread and butter lol. Morn’s Big Mouth I feel like had a different style than anything else. Rule One Thirteen wins for not having any silly moments maybe.

4. Which of your fics this year was most successful?

For my corner of fandom, this is such an odd question with how to measure it! Because going by pure kudos, the numbers are small enough that factors like a) who reblogged it and especially b) what the pairing is I think almost entirely accounts for variability. That said, Sweet Dreams Are Made of This is by far the most successful in this regard, with ~50% more kudos than the runners-up, many of which fall into a similar range. Odo/Quark is probably a more popular rare pair, plus hurt/comfort I think might draw bigger audiences than angst or smut, plus maybe since it was pre-slash that also upped interest. Who knows, it’s all guesswork on my part.

The bigger measure of success for me is comments. In that regard, Down On My Knees has the most comments from individuals, particularly proportionate to the kudos, which I think is more telling of success within the target niche audience lol. I’ve very happy about that because ~tentacles~.

Honorable mentions to Morn’s Big Mouth -- which also had a high rate of comments-to-kudos, mostly of people expressing delighted surprise aka my favorite reaction -- and Case of the Caged Heart -- which had the BEST outcry of emotional tags on tumblr and in the comments hahahahaaaa I draw strength from your pain dear readers.

5. Which of your fics do you wish was more successful?

ummmmmm idk I think they all drew the audience reception that could be expected! anytime anyone enjoys my self-indulgent absurdity is such a gift, honestly. like I’m so happy that there’s this small group of us obsessed with rare pairs and weird aliens in a show that’s been off the air for two decades??? it’s such a delight, always.

to not cop out of answering this though I guess I’ll say Hungry for Your Touch, even though the fact that anyone is willing to read Sisko/Quark is a miracle honestly.

6. What’s your favorite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?

uhh let’s say Morn’s dialogue in Morn’s Big Mouth hehehe

7. What’s your favorite piece of description or narration?

probably it doesn’t work as well as I think it does, but I absolutely adore all my over-the-top weather elemental imagery metaphors in Breathing Underwater.

8. Which fic this year was most fun to write?

well the month of May was fun because I wrote the majority of Can’t Buy Love series in one long crazed obsessive spree. also Down on My Knees because shut up I like tentacles and angst and aliens and weird consent and D/s okay, it’s fine it’s all good it’s just what I like.

anyway any time that the ideas just ~flow~ and I can write 2k words or more in a single sitting because I’m that ~inspired~ is A+ peak writing experience.

9. If you could go back and change something about one of the fics you wrote this year, what would it be?

listen I go back and change stuff in my fics anyway... but I guess only minor stuff. for something bigger I’d make Odo more stoic and less overtly sincere and maybe more vulnerable in various ways in Can’t Buy Me Love (I was still working out his characterization at that point). there’s PLENTY of other stuff I’d like to be better or change in other fics, but much of that I don’t mind keeping because it’s something I enjoy even if it doesn’t actually strengthen the narrative for the reader haha.

10. What, if anything, are you going to try to do differently in your writing in the new year?

maybe spend more time editing and thinking about the fic before posting. like I always say that, and then get over eager anyway. also, figure out how to extract more honest criticism, because so often I *know* something doesn’t work as well as I want it to, but I need outside perspective to figure out how to even figure out what isn’t working.

probably not use so many adverbs?? idk.... if anyone has suggestions, I honestly honestly honestly do like hearing constructive criticism. like if something bugs you about my writing I LOVE well-intentioned suggestions.

#jazzy liveblogs writing #end of the year fic meme

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