End of the Year Writing Meme 2023 edition

[thisbluespirit]

The usual writing meme for the year. (Last year's post is here.)

Stats
List of Completed Fic
Soul Choice (The Time Master series, G, drabble, Tirand Lin, Yandros, Aeoris.) For small_fandoms February drabble fest)
turn, turn, turn (The Time Master series, G, 552 words. Aeoris & Ailind.) For 100fandoms & allbingo

Two for the March mini-round of no_true_pair:
Midnight on Wardour Street (Miss Scarlet & the Duke/Craddock & Co. G, 1123 words. Eliza Scarlet, Charles Craddock) Also for 100fandoms & allbingo
House on Fire (Legends of Tomorrow/Doctor Who. G, 330 words. Seventh Doctor, Sara Lance.) Also for 100fandoms

Jack in the Box (Sapphire & Steel, Teen, 2066 words. Emerald & Iron & Mercury) Also for allbingo
time, kept in a box (S&S/DW, Silver, Lucie Miller, G, 3131 words.) A stray fic leftover from the Reverse Writing Meme in late 2022; also for genprompt_bingo


Unconventional Courtship ficlets in honour of john_amend_all's birthday:

Trapped With the Maverick (DW, G, 751 words, Nine & Charley)
Midnight Garden (DW/Dracula 1968; Thirteen/Mina Harker)
Strange Awakening (DW/AAL! Adam Adamant/Victoria Waterfield)
Risky Engagements (DW; G, 333 words. One, Steven & Vicki)

Give Me A Smile I Can Keep For A While (Wish Me Luck; Teen, 2619 words. Colin Beale/Matty Firman) For 100ships, 100fandoms and allbingo
Shadow Trail (Glorious 39; Teen, 404 words. Anne Keyes, Joseph Balcombe) For no_true_pair September Challenge, 100fandoms, allbingo & 100_women

Then, the tumblr/Dreamwidth kiss prompt meme, which was fun & produced these ficlets:
End in Tears (DW, G, 182, Eight & Lucie)
Old Flames, Old Wounds (DW, Teen, 216 words. Six/Romana II)
Without Agenda (DW, G, 465 words. Peri/Governor of Varos)
Eyes on the Prize (OUaT, G, 251 words. Belle/Rumple)
Turn Back the Clock (S&S, Teen, 189 words. Sapphire/Silver)
Made of Secrets (Spooks, G, 272 words. Ruth/Harry)
False Is True (DW, G, 294 words. Six/Charley)
Tears, Hope & Ghosts (DW, Teen, 111 words. Twelve/River)
Everything Stops For Tea (DW, G, 387 words. Eight/Charley)
And They Say Romance Is Dead (WtOVPIC, G, 663 words. Katrina/Uljabaan)
Candy Kisses (G, 168 words. DW, Ace/Susan Q)
After the End of the World (Department S, G, 277 words. Annabelle/Jason/Stewart)
A Touch of Silver (S&S; G, 279 words. Silver/OMC)
Winding Down (S&S; G, 325 words. Silver/Copper)

you asked me how i knew (my true love was true) (The Lady Vanishes; Teen, 2657 words. Iris/Gilbert) For yuletide 2023 for heartofwinterfell
Wedding of the Year (No Wind of Blame; G, 366 words. Hugh Dering/Vicky Fanshawe) For 100ships, 100fandoms & allbingo
Double or Nothing (DW; Teen, 1796 words. Ben Jackson/Polly Wright, Second Doctor) For jjpor in the 500 Prompts meme; also for 100ships, genprompt_bingo & allbingo



Total number: 29 (3 more than last year, but with more tiny ficlets for the kiss meme)

Total word count: 20,990 (Probably the smallest ever, but there was also quite a bit of origfic for rainbowfic, although not all that much, compared to some other years for that, either.)


Ship/character breakdown:

No ships appear more than once, but there were quite a few, what with all the kiss meme prompts - 19 in total (/ only), so I won't name them.


Characters appearing more than once:

Aeoris (Time Master), Lucie Miller, Eight Doctor & Sixth Doctor = 2

Charley Pollard = 3

Silver = 4 (he got requested more than anybody else in the kissing meme! I'm sure Silver would be fine with this)

This year was even more random and slender pickings than last year.

Specifics:

(As usual, I refuse to answer the 'worst' ones because it's bad enough as it is, thank you.)


Best/worst title?

I don't think there was anything especially outstanding this year. Probably go for time, kept in a box or Give Me A Smile I Can Keep For A While.

Soul Choice is quite a reasonable bad pun title, also.


Best /worst summary?

Er. Well, all of the kiss meme ficlets just had the prompt, so they get instantly disqualified, and I'm not sure there's anything especially thrilling in the rest, so maybe "Put three 'elements' in a box and what do you get?" from Jack in the Box (although I don't think the fic lives up to it).


Best first line?

I wasn't sure I'd have much to put here, either (especially the whole: do they lit. mean first sentence, or first full line?). But, actually, I do like:

Their kisses are secret, like everything else. (Made of Secrets)

And these aren't bad at all, in different ways (I hope):

As the mortal world gives way to the ever shifting rainbow of stranger realms, two unhumanly tall figures wait for the dying man. (Soul Choice)

Sometimes homesickness wasn’t about missing a place, it was more about a person. (time, kept in a box)

“I’m fairly sure the town hall wasn’t supposed to burn down before 1902.” (House on Fire)


Best last line?

(Again, line/sentence dilemma, argh.)

“If it’s any consolation,” said the Computer, “you did ask me to make sure that kiss was unforgettable.” In context, this is a good punchline, ok, trust me. (And They Say Romance Is Dead)

Matty smiles right back till it hurts. (Give Me A Smile I Can Keep For A While)

If she looked hard enough, then she’d find him. It was only a matter of time. (time, kept in a box)

End lines are always weird, because often the ones I like the most aren't much out of context.


General questions:

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

Probably less, although if I'd thought about the impact on my health of having to be away at the end of 2022, I'd probably have expected even less, and the answer would be 'more'. (As usual, instead, I just thought, "Gosh, why am I being so hopeless and boring at everything this year?" And only now does it dawn on me, finally, why I was quite this rubbish. I mean, it was also that I was not only writing some origfic, which is usual, but worldbuilding for it, which does eat brain in a very nice, creative way, and isn't something I've done properly for a very long while.)




What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

Well, I am glad to report that even with this relatively small output, I still managed to write things I would not have expected, except for the fact that I now expect the unexpected. But I've wanted someone to write The Lady Vanishes for me ever since I watched it. I am pleased that I turned out to be able to write some myself, which I didn't know that I could, but. I still would like to be able to read some that I didn't write, lol. So, you asked me how i knew (my true love was true).

Also, I didn't expect to get so into Matty/Colin from Wish Me Luck even in the circumstances, in Give Me A Smile I Can Keep For A While. But I did! You're all lucky it was summer or there would have been more. Probably canon-appropriately TRAGIC and things. Or a-canonically happy idk. But by the time I had brain, it had been fairly proven there was not an audience for that. Still, nice to have the obsession going on in my head for a bit while feeling rotten anyway!


What's your favourite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

I think time, kept in a box is the best and also got at least some response, which = happiest for me.

I am pretty happy with you asked me how i knew (my true love was true), although idk. I think it's always too soon to really rate the much-scrutinised Yuletide gift fic until at least another few months or so.

Also: Wedding of the Year because a) I do think Vicky Fanshawe is great, and b) I dropped the ball on just writing random ficlets for whatever obscure thing I was watching or reading to get me back in the game, and I missed it. Writing this hasty ficlet made me happy and reminded me that it is a really good thing for me to do, and as a bonus, rare fanfic for whenever that other rare fan eventually turns up looking. *shakes self* do the thing, do the thing, do the thing. (It has no pressure because absolutely nobody wants it but me, but it has Added Value for working for 100fandoms.)

And Give Me A Smile I Can Keep For A While because I needed that fic, and it wasn't as if anyone else in the universe was going to write it.


Okay, NOW your most popular story.

(ok. before I look: I bet it's one of the random kiss meme ficlets, I bet it is. That's the law, right? XD)

(Using kudos as a measure, as that seems to be the most reasonable measurement for 'popular' on AO3)

A tie! House on Fire (17 kudos, 100 hits, 3 bookmarks) vs Tears, Hope & Ghosts (17 kudos, 135 hits, 0 bookmarks)

So, yeah, Twelve/River, a Proper Ship kiss prompt ficlet of 111 words. But I'm startled about "House on Fire"! I was pleased with getting that done at the time - I thought it was a really fun little DW/LoT crossover (even if there is really so, so much more a person could do with Sara Lance and Seven), but nobody else seemed to agree. Apparently the kudos elves have found it acceptable since? Yay?? ;-)

(Oh, even more surprising, if I do it by comment threads, it is time, kept in a box!)

I think this is actually because I simply did not write anything very popular this year: I took part in 0 exchanges, save Yuletide, but that was a fairly obscure fandom, so three comments was pretty great going for it; it was not a runaway comment palooza one. 2023 will not be threatening Miss Marple's lead in the AO3 stats meme is what I'm saying.)


Story most underappreciated by the universe?

turn, turn, turn, but it was for a super-obscure book sff series, The Time Master, and not even for the initial trilogy that others in fandom are more into, but the middle, later-set trilogy. I liked it, though; I thought it was definitely a "had to be done" idea and TWO WHOLE PEOPLE agreed with me, so there.


Story that could have been better?

I mean, all of them, as usual! But I do have a definite answer as well this time - Jack in the Box. When I first started typing this up, I wasn't well and the ending trailed away into complete befogged sentences and I left it (in late 2023). I tried to sort it out properly early this year and thought I had, but I think I probably really needed to just sit down and rewrite or retype the whole piece, because it's still plagued by the fog and muddle. There's a good story in there somewhere and I should have found a way to get it out. This one just doesn't quite make sense and not in the way that an S&S fic shouldn't.


Sexiest story?

I don't know, one of the kiss ficlets? Probably? idk, I have not been sexy lately in fic at all, even by my mild standards.


Saddest story?

Probably Tears, Hope & Ghosts

Generally, I was not very sad in fic this year either. A bit angsty here and there, but nothing much more.


Most fun?

Probably you asked me how i knew (my true love was true) - 1930s screwball banter! Also House on Fire because, I mean, a few words, stuff burning down and blowing up, what's not to enjoy? Oh, and And They Say Romance Is Dead, I hope.

(But writing fanfic was a lot less fun - see above re. ill - and therefore that makes the end result not feel fun, either, so other people must judge, not me.)


Story with single sweetest moment?

Bound to be a kiss ficlet, really. Please nominate your favourite, lol. Old Flames, Old Wounds or Without Agenda, maybe?


Hardest story to write?

Far too many of them, ack. I want things to get a bit betterer again, please, I really do. But "Jack in the Box" as mentioned, "time, kept in a box" took a long while to finally get done, although I was much happier with it, but it's just been hard going.


Easiest/most fun story to write?

Most of the kiss prompt ficlets, generally and probably chiefly And They Say Romance Is Dead, because writing WtOVPIC does make me laugh like listening to it does.


Most overdue story?

Jack in the Box and time, kept in a box were both leftover from 2022, while Double or Nothing was something I started either at the same time, or in early 2023. But since the latter is also one of the original bunch of 500 prompts and therefore left for me in 2013 by jjpor, and I've had several stabs at writing it before it eventually became this (I do love me some Ben/Polly) - it must win!


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

I signed up for Yuletide, even though I have been terrible at exchanges for ages. It worked! I mean, I'm not running round signing up for everything again yet, because the problems that have been preventing me haven't gone away, but I can manage things a bit better, at least at certain times and under certain conditions, and that's very good to know.


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

I should do tumblr kiss memes or similar a lot? Kiss everybody fictionally, but especially Silver. And ships that are ships, although idk why the world is that boring. (lol)


What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Do the "just write for my current read/watch/listen" ficlets again! It really works for me, so it was silly to stop.

Otherwise, I don't know. See how it goes, how I feel. Try to be very careful about signing up for an exchanges, if I do, but I might actually do another. Don't fall out of intoabar this year, because intoabar is the best. Hopefully do better with no_true_pair because that's also fun and low-pressure.

I'd like to do Yuletide again, but I will probably be going away then so, we'll see.

Not write if I don't feel happy about it, but also don't completely not write because that makes me unhappy, is the thing.

I should probably post about stuff I like more and see if I can ensare others into it, but idk, that feels impossible. (NB: self, see above re. unreliable feelings.)

I also feel I'd like to do a birthday writing fest, like I used to do with Obscure & British Comment Fest, because if you can't party irl, you should definitely still find a way to party, right? But idk what. Hmm...

Comments

[persiflage_1]

I've a feeling I wrote even less than you this year thanks to losing my mum, but anyway, well done what you did write.

[thisbluespirit]

Aww. Thank you! ♥ I hope that you'll be able to find some solace in writing again soon, but the mojo does seem to desert us when things are at their worst. Brain-levels, I suppose! *sends hugs*

[persiflage_1]

Yeah. I've started a couple of fics in the last few weeks, got about 3k words in, and then the Muse has mooned me and run off laughing!

[thisbluespirit]

Your Muse always was a troublesome one, though! Either it's ravaging bunnies everywhere or they've buggered off somewhere. ;-p

*hugshugshugs*

(ETA: I need to go to bed; my hugs kept turning into bugs & I presume you don't want bugs!)

[persiflage_1]

This is true!

*hugs back*

Heh, not so much!

Random reply is random

[romanajo123]

… Just jumped here to say I love that hug icon - it’s lovely 🥰

[potentiality_26]

Congrats on getting so much done, even if it's less than you thought.

Do you have a link the kiss prompt meme? I thought I might try something like to that to get my ficlet writing mojo back.

[thisbluespirit]

It's not less than I'd thought; I just need to work on either the quality or being happier about being able to just manage... anything. :-) But thank you!

The prompt meme was good fun and worked for me (as you can see! Without it, I'd have like, what 10 things, lol?)

I found it again here: https://www.tumblr.com/asexual-fandom-queen/738284222684479488/send-me-a-ship-and-a-number-and-i-will-write-a?source=share

[potentiality_26]

Thank you!

[senmut]

Look at you knocking it out of the park! WAY TO GO!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! I need to work on being happier with what I can manage, though, that's the fly in the ointment. Brains... *hugs*

[theseatheseatheopensea]

I think 29 stories is a very nice amount, and one to be proud of... but I only wrote six, so what do I know? XD

And ohh, a writing/comment fest sounds like an excellent way to party! :D I'm definitely up for it, if you feel like doing one!

[thisbluespirit]

29 stories, chiefly kisses! It isn't at all bad. I think six is great! The key is to be happy with them, however few or many, and that's the bit I'm struggling with again, but I just have to remember that I was Very Ill. I was so ill for three months I kept having to ask my friend to get my things from the Tesco four minutes' walk away from my house any time I needed something, because going hit me too hard. But, brains, they never make proper allowances for us, only for other people! XD

<3<3<3 I think six of your stories sounds marvellous, because they're always so beautiful and contain such a lot, but I wish you whatever number, quality, deaths of brain weasels, or enthusiastic fannish response would make your year for 2024 also! <3

And ohh, a writing/comment fest sounds like an excellent way to party! :D I'm definitely up for it, if you feel like doing one!

Yeah, I would like to do it! I have to think, though, because I don't know if I want to do a commentfest again, but something different? But it would have to be something I could at least sell a bit to a reasonable number of other people, heh.

[theseatheseatheopensea]

The key is to be happy with them, however few or many, and that's the bit I'm struggling with again

Relatable! And yes, brains can be the worst! I hope 2024 is better, for brains and health and all things in general! <3

And thank you! <3 To be honest, I'm such a slow writer, than even finishing one thing is an achievement... I never make any resolutions (writing or otherwise), because that way lies disappointment, but deaths of brain weasels is a good thing to wish for!

But it would have to be something I could at least sell a bit to a reasonable number of other people, heh.

Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fun! \o/

[thisbluespirit]

but deaths of brain weasels is a good thing to wish for!

*sends you a virtual can of weasel repellent and also a bird. an effin' bird*

[theseatheseatheopensea]

*sends you a virtual can of weasel repellent and also a bird. an effin' bird*

XD XD XD (Does the repellent work for mosquitoes as well? I hope so! Or maybe the effin' birds can eat them?)

[thisbluespirit]

I think the effin' birds would love to eat the mosquitos!!

[romanajo123]

Congratulations!!

I might have to do this meme at some point.

Wow… 29??? 😳

[thisbluespirit]

It's a nice meme to do and look back on over the years! <3

[luthien]

*applause*

You’ve had a wonderfully productive year. Well done! I like all of those opening lines, btw - they all make me want to know what happens next. Meanwhile, the last lines need their context, which tells me that they’re effective too.

I am not doing this meme because I wrote a grand total of two stories in 2023. 😂 Hoping to get back into the writing groove this year.

May we both keep the brain fog and pain at bay as much as possible this year, and let the words flow smoothly!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! ♥

And, aw, I am sorry about your writing year - although if it has been bad, then rocking up for Yuletide with two Heyers (that I'll have to take a look at some time) is pretty fantastic in itself!

May we both keep the brain fog and pain at bay as much as possible this year, and let the words flow smoothly!

I'll drink to that all right!

[luthien]

Tbh, the second story was essentially an epilogue to the first story - set twenty years later - so they were only technically two stories. But writing them did remind me how much I enjoy writing, so I'm going to try to keep going now I've made that re-start with Yuletide. We'll see how it goes...

[astrogirl]

I always go for the first/last sentence for this meme, but sometimes even figuring out what that is confuses me, because sometimes I write things in formats that might start with some kind of header, rather than a sentence (epistolary fic and such), and in that case... I mean, it would seem silly to consider the header, but it is actually the first line.

Speaking of which:

“I’m fairly sure the town hall wasn’t supposed to burn down before 1902.”

That is, indeed, a fantastic first line!

[thisbluespirit]

It's difficult! I mostly go for the sentence, and then sometimes include the whole 'line' out of either rebelliousness or because I just didn't notice. I think the header would be getting too literal about the whole thing. It's a meme, fish out the shiny first line, not the header! (Well. UNless it's a great header and you want to.)

That is, indeed, a fantastic first line!

Aw, thanks!

[astrogirl]

It's a meme, fish out the shiny first line, not the header!

Thank you. I think I actually may have needed someone to just tell me to stop being overly literal and do that. I will now give myself permission for that next time this meme comes around. :)

[thisbluespirit]

Although you do have to remember the permission for a whole year before this comes around again, which might be the tricky bit. XD

[mab_browne]

End lines are so dependent on the power of what went before them, I think. Congrats on a varied and productive 2023. :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, they are! It makes it a weird question. Do I answer with one that I think looks at least slightly better out of context or the one I feel has most impact in context? I usually go for the former, but even there, well, context is everything.

And thank you! ♥

[liadt]

Congrats on keeping on writing and having Yuletide happiness! 29 is a nice total of fics to have written:) I don't count word counts because a fic wants to be the length it wants unless you're going for a world's longest kiss record.

I should probably post more about stuff I enjoyed watching as well, at least 'Little Lost Robot' because 'Robots of Death'.

A birthday fest of some sort sounds great!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! I think I let things slip for a while, but the kiss prompt meme was helpful, and, lol, yeah, I don't think I'm going to be writing the longest kiss ever! XD

I should probably post more about stuff I enjoyed watching as well, at least 'Little Lost Robot' because 'Robots of Death'.

Definitely!

:-)

[paranoidangel]

That's lots of fic!

End lines are always weird, because often the ones I like the most aren't much out of context.

That is exactly what makes the last line question so hard because of that.

[thisbluespirit]

It was a lot of random kisses, anyway! :-)

End lines shouldn't be allowed out on their own. *nods*