#self eval 2022

[allwaswell16]

2022 Writing Self-Evaluation

I was tagged by: @boosbabycakes28 @chai-hat-tea @lunarheslwt @larrieblr @wabadabadaba @disgruntledkittenface @onlythebravest @starsweredible @thedevilinmybrain

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 7

2. Total word count posted to AO3 for the year: 100, 852

3. List of works published this year: these are in order by date posted

Ace of Spades

But We Could Be So Good

Should Have Known

Walk of Shame

Next Door 

St. Elena 

This Beautiful Fantastic 

4. Work you are most proud of (and why): Probably Ace of Spades. It's a fic I've been thinking about for years, probably since I started writing fics. It was the first time for me writing a true adaptation, and it was a subject matter...pirates...that I hadn't ever written before either. It was quite interesting adapting something like this. In the past I've adapted things but made them into something modern, whereas in this one I made the story a/b/o and changed the point of view. lol is that actually different than what I've done before? I don't know, I'm tired.

5. Work you are least proud of (and why): I wouldn't say I'm not proud of any of them. I'd say I mostly just wish I'd been able to write more.

6. A favorite excerpt of your writing: from Ace of Spades

“Louis?” he asked, frightened at the sound. The room seemed to vibrate with it.

Louis smiled down at him. “Don’t worry, love. Just whales. You can hear them talk to each other on nights like this. They sound a bit sad at first, but the more you listen to them the less melancholy they sound. When I hear them now, their voices sound as charming as a songbird. Would you like something to drink?”

Harry nodded, so Louis held him up, supporting him in his arms as he helped him sip a cup of water. When he was done, Harry had no desire to be released from Louis’ strength. “Could we sit by the window? I want to hear the whales more clearly.”

Without speaking, Louis picked him up and carefully brought him to the window bench. Harry kept his hands clutched to Louis’ shirt, staring into the chest and soft hair he found there. Louis seemed to know what he desired and opened his shirt further so that Harry could press his cheek against the skin there. 

“I wonder what whales talk about,” Harry said against Louis’ chest.

“Mm? Well, I suppose they’ve heard you’re ill.” A loud moan called from the sea. “Ah, now they’re saying how terribly sorry they are to hear of your sickness. They’ve decided to send one of them to fetch cool breezes from the Arctic to keep you comfortable.”

Harry smiled against Louis’ skin. Another whale moaned an answering call.

“Now they’ve saying that when you’ve recovered, you’re welcome to go whale back riding.”

With a snort, Harry curled into Louis’ body further. They were quiet for a time, simply listening to the whales in the night.

7. Share or describe a favorite comment you received: This is part of a comment that I loved..."i wish i could erase all memory i have of this fic just so that i can read it again with fresh eyes again and again. i will definitely reread this one"

8. A time when writing was really, really hard: All the time? lol. That's not entirely true, but I just didn't find myself with a lot of time to write. Or maybe the emotional capacity to write. It's been a hard year.

9. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I wrote a lot of Zayn this year, including some Zayn pov, which was new for me, and I really enjoyed writing the Zayn characters more than I ever have.

10. How did you grow as a writer this year: I noticed something surprising happening this year, which is that I became someone who can write thousands of words at a time. That used to be something that rarely happened for me. I would be good about writing almost every day, but not writing a lot in one sitting. I'm not entirely sure how this has happened, but I'm not mad about it lol.

11. How do you hope to grow next year: I always want to find something new to write and work on, so I'm definitely have some new things planned for that Chicago fic for sure...kid fic, mpreg. New territories for me right there. Also, I want to work more on how I write details in my writing. I feel like I've improved a lot, but I have more there to work on.

12. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): I feel emotional thinking about everyone who has helped me this year. Always always always @taggiecb, my writing soulmate, read everything I wrote (even though she's never even read or seen Harry Potter and had to google things to understand my Drarry fics) and gave me the motivation and desire to keep writing. @louandhazaf for being such an amazing beta and polishing everything up and always being willing to jump in with whatever genre I've decided on next. @lululawrence is always there for me to kick my ass when I need it and also keeps me from doing stupid things lol. @nouies for being so kind and supportive and generous with her cheerleading and art. My Drarry fics would not have existed without @haztobegood and @fallinglikethis dragging me through them when I felt like giving up. I feel like I could go cry now.

13. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: not really. I think I subconsciously stayed far away from my real life. lol.

14. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: When I talk about the things I want to work on in my writing, it's because I've read it elsewhere. The more I analytically read, the more I find things to work on with my own writing.

15. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I'm signed up to write a fic based on Chicago for the @faithinthefutureficfest which I'm really excited about! And I'm going to run the @louisrarepairfest again in 2023 with the same schedule, so I'll definitely write something for that, too.

16. Tag 3 writers whose answers you’d like to read.

I'm going to tag more than 3... everyone I've tagged in the post for other reasons + @kingsofeverything @thinlinez @homosociallyyours @louistomlionson @jacaranda-bloom @pocketsunshineharry @phd-mama @evilovesyou @parmahamlarrie and anyone who wants to do this!

--Went looking for @juliusschmidt's original form and realized how much it's changed over the years! So I just picked one and went with it--

Past years: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 , 2021

[blueraspberrycoolatta]

2022 writing self-evaluation

okay so. wayyy back in 2019, a friend tagged me in this writing self-eval. a questionnaire designed to help you look back on your previous year. i haven’t done it in years, and we’re almost 3 months into 2023, but i wanted to come back and do it for 2022, and hopefully keep it going as long as i keep writing. because it’s nice having a summary of my writing to look back on! 

anyway, here we go. 

1. Number of stories (including drabbles) posted to AO3: 12

2. Word count posted for the year: 21,448 

3. List of works published this year (in order of posting):

dancing’s not a crime (february 2)

fiending for that sweet spot (february 15)

carrying the banner (february 17)

to be a king beside you (march 24)

i’m half-doomed, you’re semi-sweet (may 5)

you were the song stuck in my head (every song that i’ve ever loved) (may 7)

sugartime is anytime that you’re near (august 19)

got me running from the daylight (october 19)

crosswalks and crossed hearts (november 11)

do you see me now, goncharov? (november 22)

automatic door (december 6)

and there will be no tenderness (december 14)

4. Fandoms I wrote for: haikyuu (11), fire emblem: three houses (1)

5. Pairings (excluding side/past pairings): 

semi eita/ushijima wakatoshi (2)

akaashi keiji/miya osamu (1)

iwaizumi haijime/oikawa tooru (1)

semi eita/ennoshita chikara (1)

semi eita/sugawara koushi (1)

felix hugo fraldarius/sylvain jose gautier (1)

6. Story with the most:

Kudos: do you see me now, goncharov? (80)

Bookmarks: do you see me now, goncharov? (9)

Comments: do you see me now, goncharov? (19)

9. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

you were the song stuck in my head. i was experimenting with a slightly different style and i really, really liked how it came out. and i felt like with it, i made my return to more emotionally charged, angstier fics—the fics that i started out in this fandom with.

also, i’m quite fond of i’m half-doomed, you’re semi-sweet. i just really liked the atmosphere and the dynamic i established in so few words. there’s a hell of a story there that’s begging to be written too, but it also suits them as it is. 

10. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

got me running from the daylight. i wrote it in weird chunks, very close to the deadline, and i Know that the concept was strong and fun and could have been a much better fic. but i was pressed for time after procrastinating and had to resort to making it a collection of slice of life vignettes. still fun, and my giftee enjoyed it, but i know i could have written it much better.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

from i’m half-doomed, you’re semi-sweet:

Suga turns his cheek and catches Semi’s mouth in a bruising kiss. Suga kisses like he belongs onstage himself—determined, fearless, demanding of both himself and everyone around him; and yet, like he’s got all the damn time in the world. Semi leans into it, melts into the shape of Suga’s mouth, licks the taste of the cigarette from behind his teeth and kisses him full of something new, something sweeter. Not that Suga needs extra sweet.

and i’m also fond of the phrase “some insignificant capillary of a street” from and there will be no tenderness.

12. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

my favorite comment was on and there will be no tenderness. they said “it just stabbed me five times in the gut and then put a little kiss on top of my hair” and that just got me

13. A time when writing was really, really hard:

most of the year, actually. last year was kind of a lot—ended one relationship, started a new one, traveled a lot to see my partner, had family issues, got COVID, changed jobs, went through the law school application process...it all just didn’t leave me a lot of spoons for writing. i played a lot of video games to relax last year and i just didn’t write as much.

14. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

sylvain, in and there will be no tenderness. he’s a character i’ve always Liked but honestly this fic alone made me absolutely adore him. i had initially just set out to actively make him a foil to felix emotionally, but he ended up leaping out as this man who so clearly has feelings that run deeper than this arrangement should allow, someone who despite being so rough with felix, truly cares for him underneath it all—someone who knows, truly, that felix won’t ever return those feelings, yet continues to go back to him over and over again. AH it was really fun.

15. How did you grow as a writer this year:

i think i’ve gotten quite good at the whole ‘show, don’t tell’ concept. i do feel like my writing style is rather...observational, so i really enjoy writing out how characters show their emotions and motivations.

16. How do you hope to grow next year:

i want to try (key word: TRY) to not leave as many WIPs dangling out in the aether. i want to plan my fics out better so i don’t post one chapter and then leave it for years because i don’t know what happens next.

17. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

my friend enno @sugaandyams! even though i didn’t write as much last year, enno was always down to talk headcanons, AUs, elaborate RPs, all of it. 

18. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

so confession, i’ve been writing some personal experience into my smut lately~

19. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

uh, i think one of the biggest things i learned this year is that it’s okay (and even fun) to change up your style. try something new! what’s the worst that could happen, you don’t like it so you don’t do it again?

20. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

the priority WIP i really am aiming to finish this year are: bound for i don’t know where, bit your heart and released, crosswalks and crossed hearts, and you were the song stuck in my head (every song that i’ve ever loved). and i’m also excited to keep progressing with my 100 kink challenge!