hells_half_acre | Meme: Fic-Year in Review

Happy New Year Everybody!!

I'm back from my quick weekend trip to the states. I hope nothing too exciting happened this past weekend, because if it did, I completely missed it.

As has become my tradition. It's time to review 2012 in terms of the fic I wrote.

I only wrote three fics this year. Yes, you read that right. I don't even know what to say for myself. I mean, on the one hand, I also wrote a novel - but on the other hand, the novel isn't actually that good (IMO). Sigh.

My favorite story this year (of my own):

The Case of the Unfortunate Younger Brother. I did so many things with that relatively short piece that I absolutely love. More than that, it's one of my rare fics that opens up a whole different universe for me to play in. I know it sounds arrogant and narcissitic and all things you aren't supposed to be - but I'm a huge fan of the way I write crossovers and fusions.

That being said, I am KICKING myself for putting the "Younger" descriptor in the title - because I realized only after I published it that I should have kept it vague. In the UnfortunateBrother'verse - as you find out - it's actually Sherlock that's the Unfortunate one.

My best story this year

Again, I'd have to say The Case of the Unfortunate Younger Brother.

Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion

I think all my stories were appreciated to the extent that they deserved. TCotUYB got a lot of love on AO3, more than LJ, because I'm not a member of Merlin communities on LJ. People who enjoy the demented'verse seemed to enjoy Brains and Bones, and the person who most wanted me to write the Time for a Wedding remix was pleased with the result and that was the only opinion to me that really mattered with that one.

Most fun story

Hmm, well, I really like writing Till - the completely odd person that he is... so it was fun to bring him back in Brains and Bones. But that being said, I may have enjoyed writing TCotUYB even more, since that one turned out so nicely.

Most suspenseful story

I don't really write suspense. Year after year, I can never effectively answer this question. Maybe my novel? I bet my novel would have turned out better if it had more suspense in it anyway.

Story with single sexiest moment

This year I did not write any porn at all... nor anything particularly sexy. I mean, I think Till's voice is kind of sexy in its own way, but you people can't hear that since it's just in my head. Uh, I can't decide if Arthur and Merlin are a couple in TCotUYB, so I guess if I decided they were then THEY would be the single sexiest moment. :P

Story with single sweetest moment

Sweet? Hmm...well, again, I think Arthur and Merlin are always sweet to each other in their own way. I also think Till's kind of...hero-worship of Sam is sweet, though I don't dwell on it that much in the stories.

Most unintentionally *telling* story

None of my published stories this year were particularly telling. I'm working on one right now that's a little bit telling. Also, probably my novel would have been better if I had been brave enough to make it more telling... it's something I might have to add in the next draft, so that the characters are more fleshed out, flawed, and interesting. I was actually a little bummed out to realize that the character that I loved the most was the one that no one could really connect with - so obviously, I did him a really big disservice.

"Holy crap, that's *wrong*, even for you" story

I didn't write anything that anyone would view as "wrong", I don't think

Fic that shifted my perspective on the characters:

Again, I'd have to say TCotUYB - you don't see it in the fic, but you'll see it if I ever publish my follow-up. When I was in the process of writing this story, I had to think about Sherlock's childhood, because I had to answer questions that John had about Merlin - like does he get along with Mycroft? I decided that Merlin, Sherlock, and Mycroft would all be separated by 7s. Mycroft is 7 when Sherlock is born, 14 when Merlin is born...by the time Merlin is forming permanent memories, Mycroft if away at school, etc. Anyway, it was in imagining Merlin's childhood (and also thanks to a line in Sherlock 2x01) that my perspective on Mycroft started to shift dramatically from what it had been...and that was true both in my alternate universe, and in the canon universe.

Most disappointing story

Probably the Time for a Wedding remix. I'm not used to writing episode-style, and I really couldn't get the hang of it AND have a depth of emotion that's required for me to like a fic. I actually have a whole outline for a re-written S7, but I don't think I'll ever actually write any of it...maybe I'll just post the outline one of these days.

I also would have liked to have had a better ending for Brains and Bones... the problem with that one was that I absolutely loved my ending on Seers, Souls, and Scandinavians - cheesy though it was. And I actually contemplated never writing another demented'verse fic again so that the end of SSS would be the end of the demented'verse.... but I gave into pressure from my readers and my own love of writing in that verse, and I did Brains and Bones anyway, but I do remember it sat on my computer for a very long time in the hopes that I would miraculously think of a better ending for it.

Hardest story to write

I'd say the Time for a Wedding Remix...again, it was just outside my comfort zone in terms of style.

Easiest story to write

The Case of the Unfortunate Younger Brother - that one just flowed. I'm sure I wrote it in a day.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most

Sometimes I lose my writing mojo. Sometimes I lose it when I need it the most. Hopefully none of the stories reflect this, but they probably sadly all do. :P

I hope you all have a good New Years eve and a wonderful start to 2013!

I'm going to be sitting at home drinking sambuca, because I think you should start the new year with those you love the most... and I'm a narcissist.

For those of you who are hanging around and want to chat, if you have me on a social media platform, I'll be on there... and if you don't, there's always the comments to this entry. ;)