Fic Year in Review - 2017

[jedibuttercup]

So, 2017 happened. Moving to a new apartment when the family members I'd been living with sold their house with no warning, my aunt's flooding woes in Missouri, and my mom's transitioning from 15 hours a week to a full-time job all combined to eat a lot of my writing time and motivation this year. Stress always saps my energy as it is; it's a damn good thing I'm finally making good money, or the steep increase in expenses due to the move would have made things a lot, lot worse. It's bad enough that I've had to go back to planning every indulgence months in advance, until my car payment goes away in three years. *sigh*

I ended up doing more exchanges than usual to give myself a nudge to actually write (deadlines are good for that), which I think on balance helped? The timing of everything really derailed my BAH plans, though. And I still didn't finish the 2015 Wishlist, though I did at least make progress, and what's left is mostly crossovers with one of two very research-heavy fandoms. (Has it really been that long since SG-1 finished airing? And since Butcher published his last Dresden Files novel? Argh.)

Anyway, TL;DR fic meme, here we go!

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2017 Fanfiction Totals

(As a reminder, I always count Yuletide stories with the year following, in which the reveals happen; so 2017's count includes the Yule 2016 stories and not the Yule 2017 ones.)

Of the 140,350 words I wrote in 2017, 103,950 of them were non-crossover. Percentage-wise, that's 74.1% or so of content, compared to last year's 86.4%. (That makes the second year in a row I haven't written at least half crossovers, mostly due to the aforementioned exchanges and big bangs.)

The posts average out to 3,190 words long, however, which is my second highest yearly average since I started writing-- and only not first because everything skews when half last year's content was one 100k-word fic! So at least one of my stats achieved a landmark in 2017!

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

2016 - 198,835 (171,635 non-cross) 2015 - 127,150 (54,250 non-cross) 2014 - 143,700 (70,500 non-cross) 2013 - 158,850 (82,100 non-cross)          2012 - 215,450 (88,100 non-cross) 2011 - 272,200 (72,500 non-cross)

2010 - 207,200 (91,500 non-cross) 2009 - 189,412 (97,800 non-cross) 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 between them totaled about 196,000 words, or an average of 65,000 words a year, most of it composed of My First Fanfic Epic set in the Buffy/Angel universe.

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Breakdown of Fic, by Category and Length:

Book Fandoms, Non-Crossover Fic:

raison d'être - Out of the Dark, 2,000 words, Stephen/Vlad (yuletide)
The River's Daughter - Uprooted, 1,600 words, Agnieszka/Sarkan (yuletide)

Movie Fandoms, Non-Crossover Fic:

What's In a Name? - Hitman: Agent 47, 2,100 words (yuletide)
the secret to happiness (is releasing expectation) - The Last Witch Hunter, 1,700 words (yuletide)
From Darkness Into Light - Snow White and the Huntsman, 4,200 words, Snow/Eric (yuletide)
Breaking the Ice - Transporter 2, 3,300 words, Frank/Tarconi (yuletide)

A Life Sentence, for a Rose - Beauty and the Beast (2017), 2,900 words (nightonficmountain)
the only thing that matters - Fast & Furious, Brian/Dom & Brian/Mia, 2,000 words (trickortreatex)
Here's To Retirement - Mummy 3: TODE, 5,600 words, Rick/Evy/Ardeth (not_primetime)
Nothing Lost But May Be Found - Sense and Sensibility (1995), 5,300 words (fandom5k)

a certain equity - Riddick, Boss Johns/Riddick, 10,200 words (rarepairfest)
Making an Exception - Riddick, Riddick/Dahl, 1,500 words (chocolateboxcomm)
Seeking the Threshold - Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick/Vaako, 1,350 words (chocolateboxcomm)
why drive, when you can get driven - Riddick, Riddick/Vaako, 2,000 words (nightonficmountain)
Zeroing the Clock - Riddick, Boss Johns/Riddick, 5,000 words (fandomgrowthexchange)

Are You Falling For Me (Like I'm Falling For You)? - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Arthur/The Mage/Lancelot, 11,000 words (iddyiddybangbang)
Holding Steady - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, 500 words (trickortreatex)
Ysbrydnos - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, 2,000 words (trickortreatex)

in one another's shelter - The Great Wall, William/Tovar, 1,000 words (for comment_fic)
Acquiring a Frame of Reference - Thor 2, 1,500 words (for pronker)

TV Fandoms, Non-Crossover Fic:

we the penitent (with humble heart) - Sleepy Hollow, 23,000 words, Ichabod/Abbie (het_bigbang)

Paying It Forward (The Ain't Gonna Happen, X Remix) - B:tVS, 1800 words (circle_of_friends)
Two Damsels, Hold the Distress - Person of Interest, 2600 words (for rose_griffes)
J is for Just One More Thing - Stargate SG-1, 1400 words (sg_fignewton Soup)

Non-BtVS Crossover Fic:

Far, Far Better Things Ahead - Mummy 3/The Great Wall, Rick/Evy, 5,000 words

Breaking Out of an Infinite Loop - POI/Terminator: tSCC, 3,000 words (for sulien)
Not That Unique of a Thing - GOTG/Jurassic World, 1,800 words (for milady78)
The Red Shirt Job - Leverage/Star Trek XII fusion, 1,100 words (for edenfalling)

Buffyverse Crossover Fic:

The First and Best Victory - A:tS/Pacific Rim, 2,200 words (for twistedshorts)
Half Human, Half Frickin' Danger Magnet - A:tS/GOTG 2, 1,200 words (for twistedshorts)
A Meeting of Equals - B:tVS/John Wick 2, 1,000 words (for twistedshorts)
There's Always Another Way - B:tVS/Sleepy Hollow, 2,000 words (for twistedshorts)
This World Doesn't Belong To Us? No Kidding. - B:tVS/MonsterVerse, 1,000 words (for twistedshorts)

Another Five Slayers Who Were Never Called - B:tVS/Various, 5 x 100 words (for twistedshorts)
Entropy Doesn't Always Win - B:tVS/ID4, 1,400 words, 6th of a series (for twistedshorts)
Time for the Fireworks - B:tVS/ID4, 1,200 words, 7th of a series (for twistedshorts)
Punctual - B:tVS/Chronicles of Riddick, 1,000 words, 6th of a series (for twistedshorts)

Repeat the Sounding Joy - B:tVS/MCU, Buffy/Clint, 2500 words, 6th of a series (for pixieinthedark)

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Lengthy WIP Series/Entries

Back Again, Harry (Harry Potter, Time Travel AU) - STILL WIP
         Chapter 19

Weathering the Storm (Tin Man, post-miniseries) - STILL WIP
         Chapter 4

An Energy Like No Other (Fast & Furious/Transformers, part of a series) - FINAL WC: 16,200
         Part 3: Mikaela
         Part 4: Sam
         Part 5: Brian

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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?

Less, for sure. Although I did publish more stories, total, than last year; and more words, total, than in 2015. So, it wasn't as bad as it could have been! :)

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

The resurgence of my interest in historically set stuff, I think. Between The Great Wall and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, I actually did more nonfiction research this year than I probably have since college, and without those two movies, I don't think I'd have written anything just for myself this year. I think my S&S fic probably counts in this category, too, if you count reading a bunch of Austen and Heyer for cultural flavor.

Also, I wrote a lot of Riddick this year. A lot. The last time I was really moved to write for that 'verse was in 2013, but it seemed like every time I turned around someone was requesting it this year, and how could I resist?

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

I wrote my very first Explicit fic this year: Are You Falling For Me (Like I'm Falling For You)? - that 11,000 word Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot story for KA:LOTS. It isn't all that explicit, but it's more than I've ever written before, and reactions were positive enough that I might take more risks in that direction in future.

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

Basically the same as last year: work on backagainharry, chip away at my Wishlist(s), and complete a leavening of exchanges/big bangs to keep the juices flowing.

Although... I felt so tired in 2017; there was very little of that 'omg, gotta write' spark of something I had to write for myself after the move. Life was such a grind, writing became more an exercise and obligation than a genuine hobby. So: I also want to write more stories just for me in 2018 than I did the year before.

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

Far, Far Better Things Ahead, that Mummy/Great Wall crossover in which I slightly AU the events of The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, improving Rick and Evy's relationship with their son, and incidentally implying background Rick/Evy/Ardeth and William/Tovar/OFC. It was very deeply satisfying to me on a personal level, for multiple reasons, and was also the only thing I wrote all year that required no prompting or deadlines at all.

6. my best story this year:

Probably Nothing Lost But May Be Found, the Elinor Dashwood/Colonel Brandon canon-divergence AU I wrote for the Fandom 5k exchange in May, for the 1995 Sense and Sensibility movie.

Granddad introduced me to Jane Austen at age 7, and I've loved just about every iteration of her work I've encountered since, up to and including Clueless and P&P&Z. But I've also always had issues with Sense and Sensibility - Edward is affable enough in the 1995 version, but the only reason Elinor marrying him works as a happily ever after for me is that she loves him; he's very milquetoast otherwise. (The 2008 BBC version works much better for them as a pairing for me; YMMV). Exploring an Elinor/Brandon alternative for an exchange in which I had room to roll around in the story and the author and character voices a little was enjoyable for me - and it seems to have gone over well with readers, also. A success all round.

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

I... don't think anything of mine really got ignored this year? Probably the ones that got the least attention were my B:tVS remix story and Stargate Alphabet Soup story, but even those collected their share of kudos.

8. most disappointing story, in my opinion:

For purely petty reasons: The River's Daughter, one of the treats I wrote last Yuletide. I worked hard on getting the voice just right and thought I'd been clever, but though the recip left a kudos, they didn't comment. And still haven't. That lingering feeling of 'what did I do wrong?' spoiled the satisfaction of a job well done for me.

9. most fun story:

The Leverage/Star Trek fusion came close, and so did the Peter Quill fanboys velociraptors fic, but I think the one I made myself laugh with the most this year was the Rocket POV fic I did for the August Twistathon: Half Human, Half Frickin' Danger Magnet, in which Rocket catches Quill flirting with another apparent Celestial ... Illyria.

10. story with the sexiest moment:

I actually have a story that qualifies this year! Are You Falling For Me (Like I'm Falling For You)? is a twist on the Magic Made Them Do It trope, setting up Lancelot/Arthur/Guinevere for the new King Arthur movie. Not very detailed, true, but not fade to black either for once! Contains M/F, voyeuristic masturbation, and M/M scenarios.

Honorable mention goes to Making an Exception, an R-rated Dahl/Riddick fic set just after the 2013 Riddick movie. In which Dahl doesn't usually fuck guys, but it's less about dick and more about them being guys, and Riddick's ... something else altogether.

... Also, now that I think of it, Here's To Retirement, my Mummy-verse OT3 that writes Ardeth Bay into "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". Contains one of my favorite incidences of working a quote into a story of all time: classical literature being abused for sexy purposes. *grin*

11. story with the sweetest moment:

Probably Repeat the Sounding Joy, that extremely domestic Buffy/Clint Christmas fic I wrote.

Honorable mention goes to a life sentence, for a rose, the post-movie fic for Beauty and the Beast (2017), in which Belle navigates life after the fairy tale ends, including interactions with her father and Adam.

12. most friendshippy story:

The First and Best Victory, I think; in which Raleigh and Mako still don't know each other very well post-movie, but are still extremely drift compatible, and he discovers the reason for the blue dye in her hair.

13. Holy crap, that's wrong even for you!

I don't think anything I wrote actually qualifies for this category this year?
... Unless you count actually writing Sharknado fanfic, LOL.

14. the story that made me cry:

I don't think any of my stories actually qualify for this category this year, either. I didn't have enough emotional energy to write anything that wrenched at my own heart-strings.

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

I didn't break much new emotional ground, this year. But we the penitent (with humble heart), this year's Sleepy Hollow long fic, did blunt down a lot of my aggravation with Katrina Crane's storyline by way of figuring out a coherent explanation for her show characterization. Which I needed, so I could satisfyingly spork it and write an Abby/Ichabod story set at the beginning of Season 2. (Very, very satisfying).

I suppose that Yuletide treat I wrote for The Last Witch Hunter probably also counts here, in which I took the idiot ball away from Dolan 37th. :)

16. most unintentionally telling story:

As always, it depends on what you mean by 'telling'. This year, I'm going with Acquiring a Frame of Reference, aka Thor attends a Wizard World Comic Con with Darcy. In which a character walks in my steps, for once - I think it's pretty obvious that I have in fact been where I put Thor and done very similar things!

17. hardest story to write:

backagainharry. Obviously. Once I got derailed, there was just no getting back on that train without the ability to dedicate several more weeks to research, and that just never happened.

18. easiest story to write:

the only thing that matters, I think; a Brian/Dom and Brian/Mia canon divergence for the fourth Fast and Furious movie. Or the wrapup for An Energy Like No Other, the latest installment in my F&F/Transformers crossover series.

(The F&F-verse characters have been living in the back of my head for years; I almost don't have to rewatch to hear their voices as I write, any more.)

19. this year's theme, overall:

Looking back over it ... Nostalgia, I guess? I wrote mostly for a lot of older things I've been in love with for years, and several new spins on older loves (see: above regarding historical/legendary/fairy tale settings) in 2017.

20. story I wish I'd finished:

The answer's always going to be backagainharry, until it's done. *sigh*


Past analysis posts: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010| 2009 | 2008 | 2007a & 2007b | 2006

Comments

[flingslass]

You’ve got lots to look forward to 😎

[jedibuttercup]

:)