Fic Year in Review - 2009

[jedibuttercup]

Last year when I did this review, I observed that my fic production seems to be directly tied to my emotional state; 2008 was a terrible year for me overall. That seems to be borne out by 2009's results; despite being far busier this year, I was also far happier, and ended up writing four times the total wordcount: 189,412.

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2009 Fanfiction Totals

Of the 189,412 words written this year, 97,800 of them were non-crossover. That's a steep increase over previous years-- largely due to the new Star Trek movie, which is responsible for 57,000 of them.

For comparison purposes, here are the previous years' totals:

2008 - 45,058 (25,758 non-cross)
2007 - 141,018 (24,300 non-cross)
2006 - 163,612 (26,136 non-cross)
2005 - 47,878 (All crossovers)

2002, 2003, and 2004 are harder to differentiate, as I didn't keep records of chapters and fics by month until late 2004, so I'm not sure just where everything fell. But between them, it comes to about 196,000 words, or an average of 65,000 words a year, most of it Buffy/Angel non-crossovers.

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Breakdown of Fic, by Category and Length:

Remix Entries:

Soaring High (The Rusted Wingspan Remix) - Firefly, 100 words, River/Mal
Doing His Part For Morale (The Professionalism Remix) - Star Trek XI, 100 words, Kirk/Uhura
No Phony Smile (The Made Me What I Am Remix) - Tin Man, 100 words, Az/Zero, Queen/Zero

Book & Movie Fandoms, Non-Crossover Fic:

What Matters Most - Dresden Files, 2400 words, Michael/Harry

Not-So-Mutinous Insurrection - DOOM, 4600 words, Reaper/Sarge (yuletide)
Right Where to Find You - National Treasure, 1200 words, Ben & Ian (yuletide)

Work in Progress - Constantine, 1200 words, Constantine & Angela (for empressvesica)

Crossing the Finish Line - Death Race, 2200 words, Jensen/Joe
Horseshoe Nail - Push, 1400 words, Nick & Cassie

Star Trek Fandom, Non-Crossover Fic:

As Sparks Fly Upward - Kirk POV teamfic; 28700 words (startrekbigbang)

No Compromises -- Kirk POV; 1000 words
The Press of Duty -- Pike POV; 1400 words
Pressing the Point -- Pike & Jim Kirk; 3400 words
Pressing Sail -- Pike & Admiral Barnett; 2600 words
Relieving Pressure -- Pike & Dr. McCoy & Jim Kirk; 4900 words
But Not Jim Kirk -- Jim Kirk & Gary Mitchell; 2000 words
The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time -- Winona & Jim Kirk; 2500 words
Acquired Care -- Leonard McCoy & Jim Kirk; 1600 words
Just Doing Her Job -- Gaila & Jim Kirk; 1400 words
Giving Her All They've Got -- Enterprise/Everyone; 10 x 100 words
Throwing Down the Gauntlet -- Spock & Jim Kirk; 1400 words
A Most Dismissive Manner -- Uhura/Spock; 500 words
A Change of Perspective -- Jim & Winona Kirk; 2500 words
What Must Never Be -- Spock Prime; 2000 words

TV Fandoms, Non-Crossover Fic:

That Which Remains - Sanctuary, 1600 words, Helen & Will
To Light She Be Shown - Tin Man, 2900 words, Azkadellia/Zero (Sticks & Strings)

There's Another Train (There Always Is) - AtS, 9000 words, Wes-centric S3 AU

All the Tools He Needs - Eureka, 500 words, Jack (eureka_tag)
A Special Case - Eureka, 1000 words, Allison & Tess (eureka_tag)
Brothers and Sisters - Eureka, 900 words, Jack & Zoe (eureka_tag)
The More Things Change - Eureka, 800 words, Jack & Vince (eureka_tag)
A Hand to Hold - Eureka, 500 words, Jack/Tess (eureka_tag)
Beneath the Milky Twilight - Eureka, 1000 words, Jack/Tess (eureka_tag)
Gift of Light - Eureka, 800 words, Henry (eureka_tag)
Shadow of Posterity - Eureka, 400 words, Jack (eureka_tag)
Welcome Home - Eureka, 400 words, Jack & Taggart (eureka_tag)
The Full Truth - Eureka, 200 words, Henry (eureka_tag)

Non-BtVS Crossover Fic:

Just Passing Through - CSI/Die Hard, 1400 words, Catherine/John (for phoenixrae)
The Path of the Righteous Man - Boondock Saints/Die Hard, 2500 words, (for butterflyflame)

Small Town, Smaller World - Eureka/Leverage, 2000 words, Jack & Eliot
Worth the Effort - Dresden Files/Castle, 2500 words, Dresden & Murphy & Beckett (for the spookathon)

Buffyverse Crossover Fic:

The Soul Job - Leverage/AtS, 25,000 words, Lindsey & Eliot (crossbigbang)

Handle With Care - BtVS/Dresden Files, 4000 words, Dresden & Buffy (for polgara_5)
Risky Business - BtVS/Dresden Files, 2000 words, Dresden (follows HWC)

Witty Jack - BtVS/PotC, 3100 words, Buffy/Jack Sparrow (for glitterangelem)
Field Trip to Isla Sorna - BtVS/Jurassic Park, 3000 words, Buffy/Billy Brennan (for amusewithaview)
A Possessive Species - BtVS/Star Trek XI, 1400 words, Buffy & Jim & Spock Prime (part 7 of series)
Audi Alteram Partem - BtVS/Boondock Saints, 2300 words, Summers/McManus x2 (part 4 of series)
Plan Z - Fast & Furious/BtVS, 2000 words, Brian/Mia & Dom
Secondary Insurance Policy - BtVS/Hancock, 1900 words, Buffy & Faith & Hancock
In Pursuit of Happiness - AtS/Hancock, 1200 words, Illyria & Mary Embrey
The Longest Stride - BtVS/DOOM, 1400 words, Buffy/Reaper (part of a series)
Mover and Shaker - BtVS/Push, 1000 words, Buffy & Nick & Cassie

The Princess and the Pizza - BtVS/Tin Man, 2000 words, Dawn & D.G. (for digiemissary)
A Non-Issue - BtVS/CSI, 1900 words, Buffy/Nick Stokes (for jerseyfabulous)
More Jean Grey, Less Wolverine - BtVS/SG-1, 2300 words, Tara & Team SG-1 (for rivulet027)
No Barrel of Monkeys - BtVS/CSI, 1200 words, Xander & Willow (for cinnamon_kat)
Advanced Reading Assignments - BtVS/SG-1, 3000 words, Dawn/clone!Daniel (part 2 of series)
Welcome to the SGC - BtVS/SG-1, 1400 words, Dawn & Daniel & Jack
A Hire Well Made - BtVS/SGA, 1000 words, Rodney & Oz (for butterflyflame)
Just Another Day in the Neighborhood - BtVS/Eureka, Jo Lupo & Buffy

Crossover Drabbles & Tinyfic:

Ten Further Things That Never Happened to Buffy Summers - BtVS/various, 10 x 100 words
Sticking With What Works - BtVS/Dresden Files, 200 words, Dresden & Buffy
And the Law Won - AtS/Firefly, 200 words, Lindsey & Mal

That Which Kills Us - AtS/Highlander, 600 words, Illyria/Wes
Once More Into the Breach - AtS/Dr. Horrible, 450 words, Wes
Countermeasure - BtVS/G.I. Joe, 750 words, Duke & General Hawk & Riley Finn
Equitable Exchange - Angel/HP, 850 words, Lindsey & Malfoy
Golden-Eyed Girl - AtS/SG-1, 300 words, Harmony & Daniel
Quick Ride to Crazytown - BtVS/Transformers, 400 words, Buffy & Will Lennox & Ironhide
Surface Seeming - AtS/Dresden Files, 600 words, Illyria & The Archive

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Major WIP Series/Entries

No Place Like Eureka (Dawn in Eureka Season 3; Stark fix-it)
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

backagainharry (Harry Potter post-DH time-travel AU)
Chapter: Twelve

Down the Primrose Path (Angel Season 5 mid-season AU)
Chapter: One

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The Year In Review

1. Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

Considering last year's totals? I just wanted to make it back above 100K. I think I far exceeded expectations in reaching 190K -- and not only did I increase my wordcount, I also increased average words per fic entry from 1325 to 2282. \0/

2. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

Fandoms? Star Trek XI and Leverage. I did not see either obsession coming.
Pairing? Jensen Ames/Machine Gun Joe from Death Race. First non-request slash fic, ever.
Character? Lindsey McDonald! Repeatedly! *blames maevebran*

3. Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I think the biggest risk I took was participating in two Big Bangs, first the Star Trek one, and then the crossover one. I'd signed up for similar challenges before and always failed at them; but I'd hoped my new obsession with the Star Trek reboot would help me over that hurdle-- and it did! The last fic I'd finished more than 15,000 words long was back in 2003, and I'd sort of feared I just didn't have it in me anymore.

I also completed a remix challenge for the first time, and found it less scary than anticipated.

4. Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

Oh, several. There are a few more Big Bangs on my plate, and lots of WIPs and requestfic I really need to finish. If 2009 was about finding my inspiration again, 2010 is going to be about reaching goals. Maybe I'll even sign up for Nanowrimo this year-- and do something original. *is hopeful*

I'd like to reach 200K words overall. We'll see.

5. my favorite story (of mine) this year:

As Sparks Fly Upward - 28,700 words of kind-of-spy-AU Star Trek XI teamfic

That's usually a hard one for me to answer, but there's no question about it this year: a Certain Fandom ate me alive and gave me the motivation to finish my first-ever Big Bang fic. I did more research for this fic than for any other I've ever done, and am still fiendishly pleased with the results.

6. my best story this year:

See previous question. =) That story was a milestone for me in many ways.

7. the story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

My Season 3 Angelverse AU fic, There's Another Train (There Always Is). I'm not terribly surprised, though; there's a reason it died back in 2004 when I was trying to write it as a chapterfic! Still, wrapping it into a finished 9,000 word story felt like one of my major personal accomplishments of the year.

8. most overrated story, in my opinion:

My answer this year is going to be the same as last year-- I'm sorry, but it's true: backagainharry

It's not that I think it's bad; on the contrary, I'm pretty proud of what I've done so far. No one needs to pep-talk me on that score. It's just that the rabid nature of HP fandom has made this one stand out above most everything else I've ever written, both positively and negatively, and that both intimidates and frustrates me.

9. most fun story:

Probably Handle With Care, my Harry Dresden meets Buffy Summers story. It was so much fun to write, and reception seemed to indicate my readers enjoyed it, too.

Two others that made me laugh to write were Small Town, Smaller World, a Jack Carter meets the Leverage Team story, and Worth the Effort, in which Harry Dresden defends Karrin Murphy and Kate Beckett from a Crawling Eye. *grin*

10. most sexy story:

I still don't write NC-17. I don't think I even had any naked scenes this year! Probably the closest I came was Buffy and Jack "making up" at the end of Witty Jack, or Reaper and Sarge grappling at the end of Not-So-Mutinous Insurrection.

... Wait, wait; if you count the remix drabbles, then definitely River/Mal in Soaring High. *blushes*

11. story with single sweetest moment:

This one's easy: A Non-Issue, the BtVS/CSI in which Buffy's new boyfriend Nick Stokes finds out about her job and copes much better than expected. (Thanks go to jerseyfabulous for the pairing request!)

12. most friendshippy story:

Hm. There are a lot of friendship moments in my stories, due to the general emphasis on gen over pairings. But either of my big bangs would probably qualify, due to the team-fic nature of the storylines, or maybe-- oh, of course:

Bones and Jim in Acquired Care, one of my STXI missing scene stories.

13. the story that made me cry:

I came pretty close with The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time, my Winona Kirk missing scene story. The first ten minutes of the new movie choke me up every single time, and a lot of that made it into the fic.

14. story that shifted my own perception of the characters:

I used several fic this year as means to explore and grasp characterization in various fandoms, particularly Constantine, Tess Fontana of Eureka, and the first of my Christopher Pike fics. The one that best fits the title, though, is probably my Tin Man fic "To Light She Be Shown", in which I attempted to sketch both a non-evil Zero and a non-weak Azkadellia in the aftermath of the miniseries events, and succeeded more than I had expected.

15. most unintentionally telling story:

This year, it was brought to my attention by more than one source that I seem to write about Grief, and Loss, and various methods of coping (or not) in authentic ways, more often than I return to any other theme. That was more of a surprise to me than it should have been, I think.

I lost people close to me when I was 12, when I was 18, and in 2008 in painful, shocking, and preventable ways, and I guess it's left more of a stamp on my writing than I'd thought. I don't think that'll change now that I'm aware of it, though-- I write what draws me, and hey, maybe that's part of what's behind my obsession with Wes/Illyria and certain other pairings and characters.

16. hardest story to write:

Surprisingly, not my Big Bang stories. While they were very time consuming and there were times I despaired of ever finishing them, when I was writing? The words just flowed. It wasn't the '08 Yuletide stories, either; though next year, the '09 ones might feature in this space!

No, it was that string of tinyfic I wrote for eureka_tag. Some of those episodes totally failed to inspire me, but I had to find something to write for every one.

17. worst story:

I'm not really unhappy with anything I wrote this year, though I'd guess the lowest quality stories were probably produced during the August fic-a-day challenge, due to the rush to write them. If I had to pick one I'd say the BtVS/Hancock cross Secondary Insurance Policy, which produced the only "you got the characterization wrong!" type comments I got all year. I don't agree with the commenters-- I think my interpretation valid, given the character growth by the end of canon-- but it does mean I didn't sufficiently sell it.

18. biggest surprise:

Probably actually finishing both Big Bangs. Or Star Trek XI in general, which took me by storm.

19. story I wish I'd finished:

Don't make me answer this. I know just how many WIPs I have out there.

20. story I didn't write but swear I will, someday:

Other than the fic already on my list? I have a few ideas. You'll see. *grin*
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