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Fanfic in review 2018
Yes, the Discworld Year of the Justifiably Defensive Lobster is at an end, and as we enter the Year of the Incontrovertible Skunk, it's time for me to look at my fic and think "Was that all?"
(I actually meant to do this on the 2nd of January holiday, but I got distracted by sorting out my fic list. I've added a couple more categories, inserted a couple of things I forgot to add at the time, and most importantly, finally fixed all the LJ links, nine months after I deleted it and a year and eight months since I moved to Dreamwidth.)
Completed Fics:
Really Stretching ... Something (Doctor Who/Discworld)
The Vetinari Clinic Newsletter (Discworld)
Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call (Furchester Hotel)
Ten Alternate Universes: Granny Weatherwax (Discworld)
...and if it counts, Ten Alternate Universes: Daibhid and Bob
Total Number: 5 if we're counting Daibhid and Bob and count the Ten Alternates as one fic each. 23 if we count each ficlet separately.
Total word count: 3014
Character Breakdown:
If we count the Ten Alternates as one story, nobody appears in more than one fic.
If we seperate them out, then:
Granny Weatherwax - 10
Daibhid - 9
Bob the Muse - 8
Nanny Ogg - 5
Mrs Earwig - 2
And the 13th Doctor, Lord Vetinari, Sam Vimes, Moist von Lipwig, Ridcully, Harry King, Dick Simnel, Mr Harvey Dull, Duke Felmet, Magrat, Death, Lady Lilith, Tiffany, and Esk appear in one each.
[Edited following the sudden discovery that there are in fact only nine alternate universes in "10 Alternate Universes: Daibhid and Bob"]
Best/worst title?
Well, since the joke "The Vetinari Clinic" is based around is the title, I'm naturally quite pleased with it. My excuse for the thudding descriptivism of "Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call" is that that's what Furchester episode titles are like, but I can't help feeling I could have done something more interesting with it.
Best/worst summary?
Um ... best is probably "Vetinari Clinic" for cheerfully acknowledging the daftness of the concept. So joint worst is "Mr Dull" which is just kind of blah, and "10 AU", which continues to be boilerplate.
Best/worst first line?
Honestly, they all strike me as kind of ... functional ... this year. Not good or bad just ... there.
Best/worst last line?
Best: "Granny Weatherwax - Fusion": "'No, if you strike me down, I'll be dead,' Esme said matter-of-factly. 'So I've a fair bit invested in not lettin' you do that.'" It's so Granny that I'm sure I must have stolen it from one of the books, I just can't place which one...
Given that "Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call" is a leadup to a single joke, it's annoying that I don't really think I landed the punchline.
Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted? I stopped making predictions a while back. But less.
On the other hand, this is because I'd forgotten how much hard work longer stories are; I've been working on-and-off on two, and I have vague hopes one of them will be finished this year.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?
I probably wouldn't have predicted Furchester.
What's your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. I'm quite pleased with "The Vetinari Clinic Newsletter". In fact, I'm starting to regret cramming so much stuff in it, because it means I don't have material for another one.
Okay, NOW your most popular story.
Definitely "10 Alternate Universes: Granny Weatherwax".
Story most underappreciated by the universe?
So it turns out there isn't a huge untapped market for fic based on a UK-only Sesame Street spin-off...
Story that could have been better?
As I said, "Mr Dull" was a single gag that didn't stick the landing. "Really Stretching", on the other hand, was a single gag that was telegraphed too soon, and also had the ... interesting ... decision to use the 13th Doctor before her first proper appearance, and then spend most of the time in third person to avoid actually characterising her, in case I got it wrong.
Sexiest story?
Nope.
Saddest story?
Um ... probably "Granny Weatherwax - Mirror Universe", although I suspect this is unearned emotional resonance I've stolen from The Shepherd's Crown.
Most fun?
Probably "Vetinari Clinic".
Story with single sweetest moment?
Not sure.
Hardest story to write?
Of the ones I completed, probably "10 Alternate Universes - Granny Weatherwax", since I got totally stuck on one of the AUs and had to sub in one from an earlier version of the meme.
Easiest/most fun story to write?
Either "10 Alternate Universes - Daibhid and Bob" (which I did, after all, describe as the most self-indulgent thing I've ever written) or "The Vetinari Clinic.
Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?
Not really.
Most overdue story?
The ones I haven't completed yet!
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? Writing 13th before her debut. While others have got away with this, I think what I mostly learned was "Don't".
What are your fic writing goals for next year?
Finish at least one of the two longer stories I'm working on. Do some of the 100 prompts. And look into Yuletide.
How did you do on last year's goals?
Last year's goals were also 100 prompts and Yuletide. As were the year before's...
(I actually meant to do this on the 2nd of January holiday, but I got distracted by sorting out my fic list. I've added a couple more categories, inserted a couple of things I forgot to add at the time, and most importantly, finally fixed all the LJ links, nine months after I deleted it and a year and eight months since I moved to Dreamwidth.)
Completed Fics:
Really Stretching ... Something (Doctor Who/Discworld)
The Vetinari Clinic Newsletter (Discworld)
Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call (Furchester Hotel)
Ten Alternate Universes: Granny Weatherwax (Discworld)
...and if it counts, Ten Alternate Universes: Daibhid and Bob
Total Number: 5 if we're counting Daibhid and Bob and count the Ten Alternates as one fic each. 23 if we count each ficlet separately.
Total word count: 3014
Character Breakdown:
If we count the Ten Alternates as one story, nobody appears in more than one fic.
If we seperate them out, then:
Granny Weatherwax - 10
Daibhid - 9
Bob the Muse - 8
Nanny Ogg - 5
Mrs Earwig - 2
And the 13th Doctor, Lord Vetinari, Sam Vimes, Moist von Lipwig, Ridcully, Harry King, Dick Simnel, Mr Harvey Dull, Duke Felmet, Magrat, Death, Lady Lilith, Tiffany, and Esk appear in one each.
[Edited following the sudden discovery that there are in fact only nine alternate universes in "10 Alternate Universes: Daibhid and Bob"]
Best/worst title?
Well, since the joke "The Vetinari Clinic" is based around is the title, I'm naturally quite pleased with it. My excuse for the thudding descriptivism of "Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call" is that that's what Furchester episode titles are like, but I can't help feeling I could have done something more interesting with it.
Best/worst summary?
Um ... best is probably "Vetinari Clinic" for cheerfully acknowledging the daftness of the concept. So joint worst is "Mr Dull" which is just kind of blah, and "10 AU", which continues to be boilerplate.
Best/worst first line?
Honestly, they all strike me as kind of ... functional ... this year. Not good or bad just ... there.
Best/worst last line?
Best: "Granny Weatherwax - Fusion": "'No, if you strike me down, I'll be dead,' Esme said matter-of-factly. 'So I've a fair bit invested in not lettin' you do that.'" It's so Granny that I'm sure I must have stolen it from one of the books, I just can't place which one...
Given that "Mr Dull Makes a Telephone Call" is a leadup to a single joke, it's annoying that I don't really think I landed the punchline.
On the other hand, this is because I'd forgotten how much hard work longer stories are; I've been working on-and-off on two, and I have vague hopes one of them will be finished this year.
I probably wouldn't have predicted Furchester.
Okay, NOW your most popular story.
Definitely "10 Alternate Universes: Granny Weatherwax".
Story most underappreciated by the universe?
So it turns out there isn't a huge untapped market for fic based on a UK-only Sesame Street spin-off...
Story that could have been better?
As I said, "Mr Dull" was a single gag that didn't stick the landing. "Really Stretching", on the other hand, was a single gag that was telegraphed too soon, and also had the ... interesting ... decision to use the 13th Doctor before her first proper appearance, and then spend most of the time in third person to avoid actually characterising her, in case I got it wrong.
Sexiest story?
Nope.
Saddest story?
Um ... probably "Granny Weatherwax - Mirror Universe", although I suspect this is unearned emotional resonance I've stolen from The Shepherd's Crown.
Most fun?
Probably "Vetinari Clinic".
Story with single sweetest moment?
Not sure.
Of the ones I completed, probably "10 Alternate Universes - Granny Weatherwax", since I got totally stuck on one of the AUs and had to sub in one from an earlier version of the meme.
Either "10 Alternate Universes - Daibhid and Bob" (which I did, after all, describe as the most self-indulgent thing I've ever written) or "The Vetinari Clinic.
Not really.
Most overdue story?
The ones I haven't completed yet!
What are your fic writing goals for next year?
Finish at least one of the two longer stories I'm working on. Do some of the 100 prompts. And look into Yuletide.
Last year's goals were also 100 prompts and Yuletide. As were the year before's...