#writing wrapped ?

[mjulianwrites]

happy new year! here’s a fun little look back at all the writing i did in 2023:

by FAR my biggest project was the first draft of NEXT DAY AFTER DAWN, my no-magic fantasy novel inspired by shakespeare’s histories. believe it or not, this isn’t even the final word count — there are also three interludes that i’d written in 2022. new year’s resolutions include figuring out how the fuck to make this book a reasonable length.

i also redrafted DEARER THAN A FRIEND, my modern queer retelling of shakespeare’s the two gentlemen of verona. i already had a 57k word first draft, but i ended up adding about 20k new words, as well as editing a lot of existing scenes.

FAIR PLAY was the only short story i wrote this year. it’s about a young trans woman who grew up longing to be spirited away from home by a fairy lover — and, when the fey return to her conservative and superstitious city, gets a shot at making her dreams come true. i’m hoping this one will be published someday, but it hasn’t been accepted by any litmags yet, so we’ll see.

other than that, i did a lot of just for fun writing — a bunch of short fics about my ocs in a few different universes, including some collaborative crossovers with my bestie @inkgel's WIPs.

i'd love to see other people's writing wrapped -- feel free to tag me!

[a-still-small-vox]

Fics written in 2023, and their word counts:

The Bridge • FFXV | Promptis | 5,116 words | FTH gift

You and I Kaleide • FFXV | Promptis | 12,626 words | Promptis exchange gift

My Only • The Witcher | Gerlion | 1,714 words

A Ring for Dandelion • The Witcher | Gerlion | 1,798 words

Petals On Your Tongue • The Witcher | Gerlion | 2,954 words

Sleeping Bastard • FFXV | Promptis | 3,658 words | FTH gift

To Last Your Whole Life Long • The Witcher | Gerlion | 2,590 words

Hear My Cry • No. 6 | Nezushi | 794 words

Like The Wind • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,980 words

One Dance • No. 6 | Nezushi | 694 words

A Quiet Evening • No. 6 | Nezushi | 889 words

Lost & Found • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,320 words

The Spark & The Storm • No. 6 | Nezushi | 899 words

The Wanderer • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,689 words

Why Do You Like Me? • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 1,803 words

RE-ROLL • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 12,354 words

The Moonweaver's Child • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 6,567 words

grab your things, I've come to take you home • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 4,231 words

See Through • FFXV | Promptis | 2,834 words | FTH gift

Welcome to the Polycule • Homestuck | KatNepDaveJade | 2,036 words | Homestuck Secret Santa gift

The Siren • No. 6 | Nezushi | 2,493 words | No. 6 Secret Santa gift

Unreleased fics:

Window Of The Soul • FFXV | Promptis | 5,341 words | Book Club Discord Exchange gift

Masquerade Heist • Critical Role | Widomauk | 5,316 words | Tealeaf Tavern Secret Santa gift

Long Shadows • Critical Role | Widomauk | 66,461 words | Super secret upcoming longfic, in beta~

Translations:

Petit fics pour la Semaine de Kaidan 2017 • Mass Effect | multi | 445 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Petit fics pour la Semaine de MER 2020 • Mass Effect | multi | 476 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Le Club des Maris Morts • Mass Effect | Kaidan/m!Shep | 1,347 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Récupération • Mass Effect | Kaidan/James/m!Shep | 1,618 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Fragile • Critical Role | Kimallura | 2,246 words | original by BardofHeartDive

La muse accidentelle • The Old Guard | Andy/Quynh | 2,422 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

Les cicatrices qu'elle portait • Black Widow | Natasha Romanov & Clint Barton | 2,485 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

14,000,606 • Avengers: Endgame | Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes; Steve Rogers & Tony Stark | 4,120 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Toutes mes lignes invisibles • A League Of Their Own | Max Chapman & Clance Morgan | 2,319 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

La Teuf d'Halloween de Billy Batson • Shazam! | Billy Batson & Batman | 3,478 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

Total fics: 24 + 10 translations Total word count: 150,147 + 20,956 (translated)

Specifics:

Best/worst title?

Best: You and I Kaleide, Hear My Cry, Like the Wind, RE-ROLL, & grab your things, I've come to take you home

Worst: See Through, One Dance

I think a lot of the titles were uninspired this year, but those two are the least aesthetically pleasing to me.

Best/worst quote/passage?

Best:

Brighter, richer, a window opening to a world Prompto has never known, a dimension unfolding before him. He is experiencing something for which he has no name, has no language and no words and can’t describe. It isn’t just the visual phenomenon. It is the way his heart, too, is opening. As easily and as freely as a door swinging wide.

The simplest explanation, which is no real explanation, is colour.

And the colour is blue.

And the world is breaking apart, fracturing and wheeling and turning in a glorious, shining ballet. Yet Prince Noctis’s face somehow remains the same, an anchor and a harbour and a refuge. There are new colours in his face and colours in his hair and colour dancing around him which he’ll only later know how to name, peach and pink and black and grey and blue, more blue; pure, vast blue of sky.

(You and I Kaleide)

Why?: Writing the descriptions of the magical kaleidoscope moment in this fic gave me the opportunity to be very creative and artsy. Honestly, I probably could've pushed it even further than I did. But I think this is the fic with the most unique visuals this year.

Best/worst first line?

Best: Caleb knows he’s smart, but he would need a major in psychology with double minors in tiefling and carnie to figure out why Mollymauk pays him as much attention as he does. (Why Do You Like Me?) Why?: Most of my first lines are pretty serviceable. This one is actually clever.

Worst: “H-hello?” (The Wanderer) Why?: Conveying emotion through adding a letter to indicate a stutter is a bit of a cop out. The runner up to this is "“We need a miracle,” Ignis muttered." (See Through) because I feel like that's a cliché thing to say.

Best/worst last line?

Best: Cradled by the arms of his living friend, who time had returned to him, he finally fell asleep. (RE-ROLL) Why?: None of the last lines from this year really stood out to me, but this one is definitely the most interesting.

Worst: Then they dashed out of the alleyway and back into the fray. (The Spark And The Storm) Why?: My last lines tend to have at least some emotion in them. This line doesn't really have any. It's pretty weak.

General questions:

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

I wrote way more than I expected. I would never just expect to write 150K, aha. I especially didn't expect to write one fic a day for a week (which is what I did for No. 6 week), nor did I expect to write a novel-length longfic, which is what Long Shadows turned out to be.

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

Last year I didn't know I'd get into the Witcher games or the Mighty Nein in 2023. I already had a vague interest in the Gerlion/Geraskier ship, but I didn't know I was going to start actually engaging in the fandom beyond having read one novel. And I've always had a vague awareness of Critical Role thanks to my other mutuals, but never had the intent to get into the fandom myself. That one happened, I think, because I got a chance to play my first game of DND this summer, and got interested in other DND stuff in consequence.

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

As always, it's a bit of a toss-up, but I think Long Shadows fucking rocks. I can't wait to share it with everyone. The Bridge, You and I Kaleide, and RE-ROLL are all really good too.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

You and I Kaleide is my most popular by hits. The Bridge is my most popular by kudos. (Both in the FFXV fandom.)

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

It's kinda sucky to roll up to the Critical Role fandom like five years too late, especially with such an investment in Widomauk. The CritRole fandom also doesn't seem to comment much, and never really seems to have done so, which is a shame. But I feel like people do like my stories, even if they're not very vocal about it. ;3;

Story that could have been better?

All of my No. 6 week fics were made via writing sprint, so they're not necessarily the best thought out stories I've ever written. I think they're pretty good for what they are, though.

Sexiest story?

Long Shadows /eyes emoji

You can look forward to TWO sexy scenes in that one~

Saddest story?

The Bridge and Sleeping Bastard have some sad moments. RE-ROLL is kinda about a twenty three hour long panic attack, lol. And Long Shadows has a VERY angsty opening, woof.

Most fun?

Welcome To The Polycule has the most banter and silly lines in it. It's kinda unavoidable with Homestuck fics, because that's just how the characters talk.

Story with single sweetest moment?

Probably You and I Kaleide, which is just romance all the way down. But you could also make an argument for one of the fics in my Witcher 1 series. (My Only, A Ring For Dandelion, & To Last Your Whole Life Long)

Hardest story to write?

RE-ROLL, You and I Kaleide, and Long Shadows had the greatest effort put into them. I took copious notes on episodes 26 and 27 of the Mighty Nein campaign in order to be able to write RE-ROLL. You and I Kaleide has a pretty complicated structure that it took me a few tries to get right. And Long Shadows is a longfic, so of course it took more planning than just a one-shot. I've already written an author's note explaining my process for it, which will be released when the fic is fully posted.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

The writing sprints for No. 6 week were all pretty easy. Come up with an idea in five to ten minutes, then write for half an hour. Maybe a few minutes more or a second sprint. Done.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I wrote Why Do You Like Me specifically to explore why Molly would like Caleb. I can see why Caleb would like Molly. Molly's great. But early-campaign Caleb is, well. An anti-social asshole with purposefully poor hygiene who gets reprimanded multiple times for being dishonest and selfish. Yet, there must be something special about him that's obvious to the people around him and not just to the audience, otherwise this ship wouldn't be as popular as it is. The question I had was what, and this fic helped me explore that.

Most overdue story?

See Through was based on an idea I had in like 2018. You and I Kaleide was also a prompt I had sitting around for a while. This is why I hoard all of my good story ideas - I never know when I might bust one out to write it for some gift exchange - or just because!

I also have been saying for many years that I ship KatNepDaveJade, but I never put my money where my mouth is before to actually write the ship.

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

Lots, actually. You and I Kaleide had a very complicated structure. RE-ROLL used real dice rolls to direct the plot. And Long Shadows starts off with just a huge chunk of unapologetic angst, which is so not my normal wheelhouse. Then there were the writing sprints I just posted. Then The Bridge and Window Of The Soul have premises that are a little risqué, as they deal with themes of suicide and burgeoning sexuality. So yeah, I had a lot of fun flexing my creative muscles this year.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

EDIT AND POST LONG SHADOWS!!!

Work on one of my currently unfinished fics (Perchance to Wake, OFF-Script, or Fateswap Beyond)

*

That’s all, folks! If anyone else wants to do this wrap up like it’s a meme and tag me, go right ahead. Happy New Year!

[thetrashbagswasteland]

2022 Writing Wrapup

Tagged by: @korblez (ty!!)

Total Words Published: 452,803 words 😳

Additional Words Written: I've got 44,851 strewn through like 20 WIPS at this point lmao

Grand Total of Words: 497,654. Yikes. Before 2022 I'd put maybe 100k words down total in my life, so that's a terrifying number.

Fandoms: Honestly, it's just been Mass Effect all the way down lmao

Highest Everything (raw kudos, hits, comments): Project Sunseeker without a shadow of a doubt. Kinda to be expected all things considered but it's still a scary number yaknow?

Highest Kudos to Hits Ratio: Extended Release - the n7 day posted final chapter from Sunseeker that I forgot I'd planned to finish with (oops)

New Things I Tried: Writing! Actually, y'know, putting words down and publishing them! I cannot stress enough that I published the first chapter of Project Sunseeker having never actually finished a multichaptered work in my life and it's been a STEEP learning curve.

Fic I Spent The Most Time On: Instead of saying the obvious one bc it's already been mentioned at great length, let's go with Beyond Familiar Stars bc putting 80k words down simply takes time no matter how well your brain's vibing.

Fic I Spent The Least Time On: I'm discounting prompts and gifts here bc that's not a fair metric imo and makes things sound like they're less important (when they aren't) but Wipe My Hands Clean was written in like... 13 days straight. Yeah, kinda overdid the NaNoWriMo goal there 😂

Favorite Thing I Wrote: Curiosity Is A Dangerous Concept ties with A Little Too Much Like Me here because they're two very different fics but equally fun and off the cuff!

Favorite Thing I Read: Oh boy, this one's a long one. Let's go with: Broken Mirror by @sparatus, and for that matter the entire exdiff universe Interregnum (Species Swap as a whole for that matter) and Friend of a Friend by @otemporanerys Stellar Parallax and Lost/Found by @korblez Hunger Pangs and Controlled Explosions in Chicago and The Citadel Adventures of Castis Vakarian and Alec Ryder by Missjlh and... let's stop the list there y'know, there's only so much history digging I can do lmao

Writing Goals for 2023: Keep up the momentum! I've got the full sequel to Project Sunseeker in its planning stages - Good Men Don't Go To War should at least start within the year, though I doubt it'll be finished within it because it's going to be massive. I'm also looking forwards to putting that down as well as finishing up Beyond Familiar Stars and Follow My Lead; Heart Of A Dancer and Here We Go Again are also on the cards within that same universe though I'm not sure where they're going quite yet.

New Works: Chomp The Champion Varren, Project Sunseeker, Yes, Sir, Tales In The Last Days, The Idealist, The Only Thing I Ask (Love Me Mercilessly), Poison The Well And Take Me Straight To Hell, 'Your Dad Is My Cardio' & Other Torture Tactics From The Desk Of Avitus Rix, Spectre, You Talk Me Into The Best Bad Situations House of Anarchy, Ryncol Tastes Like Ass, A Fraction Of Your Happy Heart, Shatter, Extended Release, Curiosity Is A Dangerous Concept, Wipe My Hands Clean, Beyond Familiar Stars, Follow My Lead and A Little Too Much Like Me. *dies* Is it too late to make my NY resolution picking shorter titles?

I'm like 90% sure everyone I know has already been tagged but... if you haven't and you wanna do it, self-identify at this point!

[the-great-kraken]

28 for the writing wrapped!

i always set goals for myself and never manage to reach them, but here are my writing goals for next year:

-finish first draft and start the second of a fic i've been planning for two years now, i'm aiming for somewhere in the region of 25-30 000 words (i am Slow but super excited to get this out)

- finish a fic i started writing four years ago because im tired of it and just want it to end now (again. i am Slow as hell.)

- write a first draft of my novel and begin building a platform for it on my socials

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

8 & 11!

Thank you for the ask, anon! From this ask.

8. Did you have a word you used too often?

'as' 🤣

11. What was the highlight of your writing/writing career this year?

Omg, I wrote a whole freaking book this year! And when I sent it out for beta reads, some people actually liked it. 😭😭

[afoolandathief]

3, 22 and 29

Hello and thank you for the ask! And sorry for the late reply!

(from this ask game)

3. How many projects did you work on this year?

Uhh, I'm not even entirely sure. First off, every year since 2019 blends into a period of what feels like about four months for me. But while I mainly worked on "Something Wicked" and "Those Horrid, Horrid Things," I ventured into outlining or a chapter or two of an early draft into at least two or three other projects.

22. If your original fiction were an AO3 fic, what would the tags be?

👀

"g/t" "size difference" (Yonder) "blood" "pining" "misunderstandings" "kinks" "implied monsterfucking" (Something Wicked) "hurt/comfort" "gender fuckery" "kissing" "implied kink" "polyamory" (Those Horrid, Horrid Things)

I'm sorry I just had to go with the most unhinged interpretations of my works for this

29. Do you want to try writing any new genres next year?

Not a genre difference, but I keep getting the urge to write an idea I've had for years delving into Greek mythology (involving a self-loathing Hephaestus and an even more self-loathing, alcoholic, bulimic Dionysus who blackmails Heph into helping him get into the underworld to raise a long-lost loved one from the dead and they definitely do not hookup or anything).

[arijensineink]

ari jensine ink 2022 writing wrapped

2022 was by far my weirdest year for writing. 

Honestly, this is less of a “wrapped” post and more like a reflection of what I began to build and rebuild this year, as well as what I did not give up on.

The Wolfena

Putting this manuscript aside for 2 years while I focused on healing my body was the hardest decision I ever had to make. The Wolfena is my heart-story, and the characters in it give me strength, so reaching a place where I couldn’t work on it... wasn’t heartbreaking it almost destroyed me. Tbh if I hadn't found BTS when I did, I'm not sure I would be here.

But this year I was able to pick The Wolfena (and myself) back up. I had a goal for NaNo to rewrite all of Jimian’s chapters, but didn’t accomplish that because I got so focused on my blog/website. Even so, I’m really excited for where the manuscript is headed, and this is going to be a clean rewrite/edit with all sensitivity reader and alpha reader feedback already applied.

What matters most is that I’m organized, and the moment I want to hop back on that WIP it’s ready to go.

Rotten Candy/The Candy King

I started developing these stories both within the last 6 months so they’re super fresh, but I’m somehow proud of what I accomplished in terms of brainstorming and rough drafting for this world though it's minimal. 

Rotten Candy will be the main novel and I have a three characters for it—Cherry, Seujinne, and Mezereon—who I think have huge potential. I'm still working on developing them.

The Candy King is an Ateez (K-Pop) fic I’ll rewrite into original fic and man… I have to say. I think it’s actually something. I haven’t felt so inspired on a rough draft since I started writing again, and I didn’t even realize it was the perfect prequel to Rotten Candy until I was already writing it. A couple of my favorite lines from Captain Hongjoong:

"Feed him to the squids!"

"We need some fuckin' horses."

Fighting For Writing Blog/Medium

Truthfully, my biggest writing accomplishments this year had little to do with fiction. My experience as an SEO Ghostwriter isn’t exactly glamorous, but the tools it provided for me to launch my website and blog were invaluable. 

I set up a project for my blog to write 10 articles based on how to maintain your writing practice and integrate it more deeply into your life, and I accomplished that. I’m in the process of revising those articles right now, and I am beyond proud of them and excited to share them with the amazing writing community I’ve rebuilt around myself in 2022. 

On top of that, I reactivated my Medium account and have been publishing consistently on there. This is just… such a huge accomplishment for me. Again, it might seem small to others, but it means a lot to me. I remember looking at that account a few years ago and thinking “100 followers to the Partner Program? Puh. I'll never be able to do that.”

Now I’m at 142 followers on Medium and counting, and am approaching my first dollar of revenue made from people reading my articles.

2022 - Year of the Phoenix

2022 was all about rebirth for me and my writing. In a lot of ways I felt like I was starting from square one. I have to say, it means a lot to me that others in my Discord server are also working on getting back into writing regularly.

I realized this year that I have no one to place a silver spoon in my mouth, so it’s up to me to polish all the metal in my life until it’s glowing. I got paid to write, I picked my big projects back up, I reconnected with my writing community and made tons of new amazing writer friends, started a blog I’m deeply passionate about, won NaNoWriMo, and submitted my first short story to a pub in 4 years. 

I often refer to writing as my Ikigai, but only now that I’ve committed to it in all facets of life do I truly understand what that means. Some nights I literally can’t sleep because I’m just so excited to work on my book or blog. 

I don’t know what more I could ask for on my way into 2023. 

[merlinsbudgiesmugglers]

2022 Wrapped

Thanks for the tag @ashesandhackles

Post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular),

Rubs and Disappointments - This was the first fic I wrote, it was for the TTB Spring Fling. The prompt to write a rare-pair had me jumping back into my love for Katie & Oliver

The Potter-Granger-Weasley Pool Party Extravaganza - Another TTB Server Fest fic. This was tough, I had two prompts (pool party and lunascope) that I had no idea what to do with, but I'm really happy with what came out in the end.

Mischief Managed - I loved writing Lily Luna and I'm excited to write more of her this year. It's so much fun exploring her as a Slytherin, showing the Slytherin traits that she's inherited from both of her parents, as well as being a little sister whose goal is to use those traits to frustrate her brothers

Remadora Ficlets - I spent about two weeks hooked on these two and these ficlets are what came out of it. I love Tonks and Remus so much, and they have such a messy relationship that it fun to write.

Not So Bad - I really enjoyed writing from Ron's point of view. Especially during HBP when he and Hermione are dancing around their feelings.

your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year

I have a couple more Ted x Andromeda fics to finish and post, looking at Andromeda telling her family and the consequences they face for their relationship. I'm also working on a Dean/Padma fic, and one with Harry and Ginny straight after the war.

your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year,

Writing descriptive language. I have such a clear view of the scene in my head, it's finding the right words to get it down

Working with Beta readers. It's hard as a perfectionist to show an unfinished work to someone but I'm working on that more.

Just writing. Getting the words on the page instead of day dreaming over them.

your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year,

1. Work on writing dialogue well. As it is I hate writing dialogue and do anything I can to avoid it 2. Practice writing in different tenses and different points of view.

and your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year 

ok this literally changes every day as I discover different lines I've written, but here's today's favourite from my Ted & Andromeda fic, Not Tonight. It's more than a line, but I love this little interaction.

Nora turns to her, cheeks flushed, and a sudden, teasing grin spreads across her face. ‘Ted Tonks is staring at you,’ she trills, nodding in his direction with her eyebrows wagging.

(Don’t look.)

Andromeda scoffs, a lifetime of training helping her to keep a mask of indifference. ‘You always think he’s staring at me.’

(Don’t look.)

‘Because he always is!’ She’s right, of course. Glances in the hallways, smiles over tea, a wink as he hands over a pint at the pub after work, his fingers grazing against hers.

(She looks.)

Tagging anyone who hasn't been tagged yet

[akiwitch]

12 18 and 26 for the writing wrapped asks

Thanks so much for the ask!

12. Any unexpected hiccups disrupt your writing this year?

Yeah! The last few weeks have been rough, and I stopped writing entirely a few months ago (and then last light happened)

But we all need rest, so it’s fine!

18. Did you make any writing playlists? Please share.

Oh boy did I

Last Light

Ghost Punch

And that’s the only two I’ll share for now but uhhh I like playlists

26. Participate in any writing challenges, daily exercises, etc?

NaNoWriMo, but it was a little disjointed on my end lol. Working on one project all month because I “have to” leads to burnout, so I work on multiple things

[fedzkun]

5 for the writing wrapped?

5. Favorite line of dialogue you wrote this year?

Pocket!! Sdgdkjl somehow, you’ve managed to choose the hardest question. XD Oh, I think I’ll choose something from the comic that Ravenatural and I had worked on in the Dad For One zine I’ve been in this year. It’s a Steven Universe-inspired comic and I had so much fun with ‘Diamond For One’ making an ABUNDANCE of gem puns…

—

“Your sadness is crystal clear in your eyes. Oh, does this whet my apatite. Did the reveal of your heritage fracture any of your relationships? It gets tiring, doesn’t it? Of how they cluster around you for your brilliance and glory, how they cut your corners to distract from their faults?

“Join me, and no one will again take us for granite. You will no longer be in the rough.”

(From Diamonds For One)

[crestfallercanyon]

5, 9, 17 for the writing wrapped questions!! <3

Hi there!! Thanks for the asks, so excited to talk about the writing year! (can't believe 2022 is almost up!)

5. Favorite line of dialogue you wrote this year?

I answered this previously but here it is in small form:

Truly a favorite single line? "We keep a piece of all the monsters we survive; if this meant that we became them, there'd be no good people left." - Derek, Of All My Crimes

Favorite exchange? “If you’re gonna suggest somethin’ like that to me, then you say exactly what you mean. You tell me what you mean by that, Thomas.”  “You know what I mean,” Thomas insists.  “Shucking say it.”  “You’d have to kill me, Gally. You’d have to kill me.” - Gally and Thomas, Look Who's Inside Again

Favorite 'Monologue'? “Gally follows the rules. He makes life easy for himself. He tabs his Bluebook, he writes out all of colloquies even though he’s recited them a thousand times, hell, he labels all of his clothes so he knows what color they are. And he follows the rules. His house? You should have seen it, Newt. It was warm and taken care of and good. I always thought him like a raw material, stone, the crust of the earth, but that doesn’t give him the credit. He wasn’t born of stone, he has built himself, brick by brick, to be the way he is. ... ... I, on the other hand, am a goddamn disaster. And the worst part? After seeing the way he holds himself, I realize that I’m not even a natural one. I’m no hurricane or tornado. I do this to myself. Over and over and over, I am a self-saboteur, I am my own worst enemy. I can’t get out of my own head. I can’t stop acting on impulse, I get into so much trouble. And each and every night my mind cycles through every stupid thing I said, every stupid thing I did, realizing how many holes I’m going to have to pull myself out of tomorrow. And I try to be better, but I always end the day with more, and I keep counting them until it’s just me, driving myself insane until I fall asleep.”  - Thomas, Conflicts of Interest

9. Most important writing lesson you learned this year?

Reading more really does help improve one's own writing, writing stuff with exact same themes (or even plotline) as previously done is okay and if you want to write it do it, and writing with friends -- even if you aren't sharing your stories -- really does help the creative process and is often much more productive than writing alone even if less total words are sometimes written (thank you word wars in the discord <3)

17. What songs did you listen to while writing?

Depends on the story! Here are a bunch of favs: I Know the End and Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers Shiva and Putting the Dog to Sleep by The Antlers Cold Love, No Vacancy, and Heart by Rainbow Kitten Surprise It's All So Incredibly Loud and The Other Side of Paradise by Glass Animals This December - slow by Ricky Montgomery The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by Birdy (OG by The Postal Service) Something Has to Change by The Japanese House Michael by Remi Wolf We Don't Want Your Body and In Our Bedroom After the War by Stars Sufjan Stevens boygenius (Lindsey Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucien Baker) My Quiet Forest Home from the OST of Octopath Traveler Carousel by Iron and Wine Sylvan Esso most of Remi Wolf's other songs (Woo, Disco Man, and Sexy Villain particularly) Dissolve Me by Alt-J Soaked and Hope is a Heartache by Leon (or any of Leon, but that gets angsty again) Misfit Toys from Arcane Soundtrack (lots and lots of soundtracks) Lots of Still Woozy Lots of AJR Take it Out On Me by White Lies (thank you clod <3) Priscilla by Sea Wolf I Will Light You On Fire by Golden Shoulders And then my playlists for Tmrss will absolutely give me away in the end so y'all will have to wait on that :D

Thank you so much for the ask!!! <3 Here is the original post.

[whileyoureinschoolidothisallday]

For the writing wrapped: I'm curious about 5,8,11 &/or 20 if you haven't answered them!! Hope you had a nice new year :>

Hi nonnie thank you so much for asking these 🥺🥺🥺they're so great!!!!

5. Favorite line of dialogue you wrote this year?

5. Ohhhhhhh dialogue is literally my favorite thing. I can't choose between these two so you're getting both!

Since this is my main fic I talk most frequently about, the first one is from the Age 16 chapter of my dabixreader wip, Bury My Ashes At Sea (previously Dolls and Soldiers), aka Hex!fic:

[Alt text: White text on a black background that reads:

"“Come to think of it, we’re gonna be eighteen in two years. Should probably think about getting you a ring, huh? What d’you want?”

“I’m not listening.”

“You gonna wear a dress or a kimono? I couldn’t care less, you’ll look pretty in either. But if you want the ceremony in a church or somethin’ you better let me know now cause it’ll take at least the full two years to soften dad to it.”

You scoff. “There would be no ‘softening’ your dad to a marriage to me, for a variety of reasons.”"

/End text.]

and the second is from my fic for the game Obey Me--currently on the back burner while I finish the above- Love is A Liar's Game!

[Alt text: White text on a black background that reads:

"OC’s gaze briefly drifted to the demon friend before it fell to the usual target of her phone screen. She popped her bubblegum while she typed. “All hate mail received is subject to a penalty fee of 11000 Grimm. Will you be paying with gold or DP?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

“Fuck you! I don’t have 11000 Grimm!”

“Bummer.” OC shrugged and popped another bubble before speaking to Beel. “Babe, try to keep some of his bigger bones intact. I bet Mammon can find me a buyer.”"

[/End text.]

The rest will be under the cut!!!

8. Did you have a word you used too often?

I always use 'just' too much. I don't even need to look, I know that's what it is.

11. What was the highlight of your writing/writing career this year?

I got my first full request on my original manuscript, Cynical Chaos!!!! That was really exciting! It also ended up being my first rejection on a full lol, but hey, progress is progress and fuck it we ball.

20. Did you make any Pinterest boards, aesthetics, art, etc., for your writing? Share your favorite.

I actually made a lot of moodboards this year, both for Cyn Chaos and my own selfship project I was doing for fun!!!

Again, I can't choose between two. We have my Dabisa one:

and then the one I did for the prologue of Cyn Chaos! I'm trying to make a moodboard for every chapter

(red and blue lol)

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR ASKING ILY!!!!!!!

Send me a number for Writing Wrapped!!!!!

[malinaa]

2022 WRITING REVIEW

tagged: @rosesau @ttimbradford <3

1. number of stories posted to ao3: 27 (±2 bc i updated 2 fics that i started last year) but i reached over 100 works on ao3!!!!!

2. word count posted for this year: 101,410 (technically More bc i wrote ofic but that is obviously not posted anywhere)

3. fandoms i wrote for: marvel (spider-man), dc (batman, superman), pjo, the atlas series, six of crows, the raven cycle/the dreamer trilogy, hp, and goncharov 😭

4. pairings: petermj, petergwen, percabeth, libbynico, kanej, bluesey, blue/adam, clois, gonchandrey

5. stories with the most

kudos: accidental heroism (the batman) 3,357 bookmarks: the jones-watson-parkers (spider-man) 844 but since that was posted last year it's technically accidental heroism again w 640 comment threads: yet again... the jones-watson-parkers with 133 but it is still accidental heroism with 47

6. work i'm most proud of (and why): ummmm idk actually the work im most proud of is my ofic theo and i cannot Show that to u anyway it's bc i have never rly fully revised smth like. overhauled it n all that bc i finally Understood theo's character and it was such a RUSH to work on her fr and ive produced some of my Best Writing To Date!!! for fic tho uh??!??!?!? im pretty proud of most fic ive written this year bc i have tried rly hard ok 😭 usually i can pinpoint a single fic but i think ive written consistently well ???

7. work i'm least proud of (and why): a home for two (spider-man) mostly because i did Not vibe writing it i was literally pulling teeth trying to finish it but ppl seem to like it idk

8. share of describe a favorite review you received: this comment from a fic i posted last year bc "this fic is so PRETTY, literally poem in prose form im weeping. there's such a... melancholic vibe to it. or perhaps nostalgic. just, wow." has stuck w me forEVER!! and genuinely any comment i have even received from ao3 user Fairy527...u will ALWAYS be famous 2 MEEE!!!!!!

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: uh not for fic but i was tearing my hair out writing theo partially because of the content and partially because it is quite literally Difficult to write what's perfect in your head and i haven't even written theo to my own standards ngl

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: the entirety of final goodbye because. Well. who knew i would be writing goncharov fic actually who knew goncharov would even exist fr

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing: ok not to have an ego but there r a fair few bits

Here's the thing about loss: sometimes you grow up and around a person, fitting and stretching and expanding to add them to the patchwork of yourself, and when they leave, there's a scar between both bodies. One here, one gone. An open wound. It's surprising how much time you can spend with someone and still come out the other end empty-handed. (slip of reality | spider-man)

Touching her eclipses his image of Elysium. ANDDDD Annabeth faces her past self, a funhouse reflection of who she once was. Neglect and trauma have warped Young Annabeth into something smaller—into someone smaller. (the annabeth project | pjo)

The Ronan after was broken, a raven of a boy, all hollow-boned. Yearned for flight, yet trapped by a cage of his own making. (the living lynches | tdt)

The very fact of her breathing astounds him for some reason. There are working lungs, a network of veins, a beating, beautiful heart hidden inside her body. She is wonderfully, colossally alive. (a kiss without a kiss | trc)

12. how did you grow as a writer this year: oh i have learned to appreciate writing first person bc of theo <3 and writing a little longer things bc i am a serial 1-2k oneshotter and i have Exceeded that a bit

13. how do you hope to grow next year: perhaps i will Finally finish a multichapter fic jesus christ

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc): seedemma <3 u made me worse as a person. also tangentially em's professor . why has that random man infiltrated my life i've never met him. anyway jack im also kithing u on the mouth btw

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: none that i can point out at the top of my head ! well. except for theo 🧍🏻‍♀️ i gave her too many lysisms which is concerning considering everything wrong w her n her chronic patheticness

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers: new wisdom??? god not rly but here is some OLD wisdom that i feel like other writers shld always listen to... read MORE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!! i swear u can taste the visceral difference btwn someone who writes and reads n someone who writes without reading n like ive read a fair few books this year and it has def seeped into my writing fr

17. any projects you're looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: working on the Novel™ n also attempting to finish all these wips i have left in the grave

18. tag some writers whose answers you'd like to read: ngl i forgot who writes fic im sorry so @bluepinstripes & @ogiroud (who won't see this until jan fr)

[words-after-midnight]

9 writing wrapped

thank you @calicojackofficial!

9. Most important writing lesson you learned this year?

That I can still do it.

Early this year, I finally picked up my main wip again (and started multiple new projects) after several years of not being able to write/losing most of my creative drive and ability following a traumatic experience and subsequently dealing with PTSD. Not feeling able to write or work on my existing stories was by far one of the most difficult parts of this whole experience, and is something I grieved over substantially. I'm so glad that I was finally able to overcome that this year, and returning to my main project in particular felt a lot like coming home. Now, I'm back into writing with probably more intensity than ever - I have some serious time to make up for!

[loki-is-my-kink-awakening]

For your writing wrapped ask game!

16) What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag (and/or most unique!)

17) Your favorite character to write for this year? (I know we can’t chose favorites so I character that was fun/interesting to write for)

18 (relatedly) any character that gave you the most trouble this year?

30 Biggest surprise while writing this year?

Thank you, my beloved, for the writing wrapped ask ❤️

16. What's your most common and/or most unique additional tag

My most common tag turned out to be Drabble because I went through a phase of them in October and November. I still haven't published them all, so that figure (18) could have been higher.

The next most common tags are exactly as I thought they would be: NSFW.

Only recently have I got into writing my own tags, and here are my favourites.

"The most chaotic sex I have written"

"Consent discussed and established because Mobius is a good man"

"John is a weak man like in canon"

"Loki has been good and deserves a treat"

"Staring as a form of flirting"

"Riley has his shit together"

17. Character that was the most fun or interesting to write

Mobius is still the most fun because he's a delightful mix of rigid rule obeyer and mischief merchant. That inner tension is amazing to work with.

I also love writing Eddie Munson and Jaskier for their smart mouths and for how unpredictable they are, too. Just delightful.

18. Character that gave me the most trouble

I tried writing Monsignor John Pruitt/Father Paul Hill at one point and gave up. I just couldn't write from his point of view at all. I don't even know why.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year

How something that should have been a one-shot became a 40k+ fic after discussing it with several lovely witcher peeps. Petals In A Storm became an act of love for Jaskier and a complicated poly love story.

Which also then had me writing my first asexual character and the nerves that rolled off me in writing Sam was intense.

Also, I learned just how hard act twos are.

And, that I am a rebel. Tee hee hee.

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

15, 16, 23?

-verkja

Thank you for the ask @verkja! From this ask.

15. How would you summarize the themes of your work this year in one sentence?

Captivity whump love story disguised as a fantasy novel, wrapped in shiny worldbuilding, a passable plot, and cool magic. 😅

16. Who was your favorite character to write?

Hmm, from my novel, Kadin, my inappropriately funny winged side character was hilarious to write. And a little embarrassing.

Carr is a close second. But all that artfully creative cursing is actually a lot of work 😂

23. Aspirational or actual: Do you prefer self-pub, indie press, trad pub, Wattpad, etc?

Trad pub is extremely tempting. Even thinking about marketing gives me hives, and I lack most of the skills needed to make self-pub less expensive. But realistically, I skirt the edge of what is considered acceptable material in a fantasy novel, and I'm writing a series, so no trad will touch me anyways. And I'm not willing to water things down to be acceptable. So self-pub for the win. Eventually. Maybe. If I can work up the nerve and actually... like, edit my book. 😅