2013 year-end word count closed at:

I will do a slightly less exuberant victory dance than usual because the truth is I missed my goal of 1.5 million words by 50k. Oh well.

and the actual meme…

This year I wrote and posted:
32 stories (or drabble series) for an approximate total of 260,000 words.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?
Less. So much less. But that’s the trade-off with having a busier RL, so I’m okay with it.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
More like a rating. I branched out into explicit sexual content this year, which is not exactly my cup of tea to read or write. I can tell you I was just a little uncomfortable doing it too but I thought I had to give it a try at some point. I have no regrets. It gave a different flavor to my usual storytelling and, I think, was an enlightening experience. For now I will probably stick to the tried-and-true but, hey, at least I can play around in the steamier side of the fandom if I want to!

What’s your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
I Follow. It’s my favorite because it told a story that meant a lot to me on a personal level as well as gave depth to a less-known character. Sam hardly gets any love in this fandom (AOS or TOS). I wanted to explore a ‘what if’ – and that’s what if there were two Kirks working their way through the Academy? How does destiny contend with that? Overall, I was pleased with the result.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
I always have a hard time with this question because I see risk in every story I put out there. The lesson you learn is that people won’t always like what you like, or take a chance on your story, and that you can’t be too hard on yourself when that happens.

From my past year of writing, what was….
My best story of this year:
If I Had to Keep You. It had the perfect blend of humor and emotion and addressed the aftermath of Into Darkness too.

My most popular story of this year (based on comments/kudos):
Fair and Fine. What can I say? It had pon farr sex in it. I’m pretty sure that’s key to being popular. :)

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I write a lot of middle-ground stories that are, on average, liked enough to be favorited a few times. But there’s one story – one super-awesome I have no idea where I came up with this idea but it’s amazing story – that is taking up all my blood, sweat and tears. It’s called The White Horse. I think because it’s a WIP that it isn’t getting a lot of love. But it should. It really should.

Most fun story to write:
Anything in the Holiday ‘verse? If you don’t believe me, go read A Holiday Letter. I guarantee something about this story will crack you up. I was laughing the entire time I wrote it.

Story with the single sexiest moment:
All Fall Down. Spock and McCoy up against a wall. Do I really need to say more? *fans self*

Most “Holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story:
The ending to Forget Me Not. I made everybody suffer terribly and then I made them forget it. That’s actually pretty cruel.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Never Had It Right. This is going to sound weird but do you know how difficult it is make Kirk, Spock, and McCoy not care about each other – not even as sometimes-friends? I am not certain why I attempted to do it, much less why I did it in a 5+1 fic! That said, just because they don’t like each other doesn’t mean they are out-of-character. So when I recall that distinction I can’t help but think there must be one universe out there in which the Triumvirate could never be possible.
…Ugh, that hurts me. Let’s stop talking about it now.

Hardest story to write:
There were a couple of stories that were hard to write this year but the one that stands out the most is The Deepest Sympathy. Sometimes you write a story that is emotionally gutting. For me, this was it.

Biggest Disappointment:
The First Officer. I messed it up. I hate to admit that, but there was something I didn’t do right, or express correctly, and it left readers muddled. So the biggest disappointment is in myself. :/

Biggest Surprise:
The Woman and the House. You know how you just start a little bit of something weird and suddenly it turns into this beautiful, flowing thing? There is a particular type of storytelling I envy, where the narrative is almost like a dream but stark at the same time, and this fic turned out to be a perfect example of it.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
Above Ground. It was meant to be a short background piece for a young Jim Kirk but really reminded me that there’s always a time in our lives when we are innocent. We take that for granted when in truth we shouldn’t. Innocence can be destroyed so quickly:

The truth he did not understand, nor could understand until years later on a small colony called Tarsus IV. When the dead body had a familiar face—a cousin’s face, an aunt’s face, an uncle’s—then it was infinitely more terrible than anything the imagination could conjure. And he would remember in that moment Finnegan staring at him over the lip of a grave, expectant but not expecting fear, asking, “How do you like being with the dead?”

Fic-writing goals for 2014:
There is only one. I must finish my current WIP. Even if it kills me. After that… I’ll probably stop writing sometime this year.

So how was 2013 for you? Did you read/write everything you wanted?

Related Posts:

• 2021 Fic Recap – from October 28, 2022
• 2020 Fic Recap – from February 24, 2021
• 2019 Fic Recap – from February 22, 2020
• 2018 Fic Recap – from January 5, 2019
• 2017 Fic Recap – from January 19, 2018