A Year in Fanfic meme

[cruiscin_lan]

Swiped from mrstater:

1. How many fanfictions did you write? How many fandoms?

A total of 21 completed fics (most of which are flash fiction) and one WIP, all for the Heroes fandom. A chronological breakdown:

October (four fics)
The Best Part About Dating a Speedster (Matt/Daphne, humor/smut, NC-17)
You're Sexy/I Know (Matt/Daphe, pregnancy/kink/smut, NC-17)
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her... (Elle/Haitian, angst/smut, NC-17)
The Middle-Man (Matt/Mohinder/Elle, humor/smut, NC-17)

November (four fics)
Sentinel (Matt/Daphne & Molly, G)
Got Any Change? (Danny Pine, G)
Screwed (Mohinder & Sylar/Elle, I think it's funny, G)
Arthur Petrelli Ships Syelle (exactly who it says, crack, PG-13)

December (thirteen fics)
Partners (Mohinder/Elle, humor/smut, R)
Coriander Eyes (Matt/Daphne, romance/humor, PG-13)
Even More Violent (Sylar/Elle, PG-13)
Greater Distances (Daphne, G)
Not Those Kind of People (Sylar/Elle, PWP, NC-17)
Noah's First Birthday (Gabriel/Elle & Lil' Noah, fluffy to the max, G)
Beyond Repair (Sylar/Elle, angst, PG)
Gabriel Gray's Rules of Parenting (Gabriel & Lil' Noah, G)
Things to be Broken (Peter/Elle, G)
Sylar and Shiraz (Sylar/Elle & Claire, crack, G)
Electrified, Times Seven (Elle/lots of people, smut/angst, NC-17)
Discharges and Distractions (Mohinder/Elle, humor/romance, R)
Indian Burn (Sylar/Elle & others, NC-17)

And of course there's Angel With a Broken Watch, which I started in November and still goes on.

2. Did you enter any new fandoms? Did any tempt you? Did you leave any behind?
Jumped into Heroes, both feet first. Veronica Mars is tempting, but I feel like I'd be so behind just getting into all the fic that already exists.

3. Now don't be shy! Did you win any contests, challenges, competitions, awards, etc.?
This is my kind of question. I won the heroes_contest oneshot challenge "Change" with Got Any Change? and I got third in the drabble challenge "Distance" with Greater Distances.

4. Do you feel like you've grown at all through fanfiction? Do you feel like a better writer?

I certainly feel like a more prolific writer, which is good. The hardest thing about having a life and a job and a routine and everything is setting aside time to write, to think creatively, to do what you really enjoy, and fanfiction has helped me set aside time to do just that. I don't work as much on original writing because I don't have a deadline or people I know who would be interested in reading it, but with fanfiction (especially with challenges and exchanges and stuff) I have something to write and someone to write for, and that gets me off my Wii-addicted ass long enough to put some actual effort into my writing, something I haven't done in a while.

But I also feel that writing fanfiction has helped me especially to push limits on what I'm capable of or willing to write, in terms of style and content. That can only be good for my writing in the future.

5. What would you consider to be the best fic you wrote this year?

I'm really proud of the way Indian Burn turned out. I was really pushing my limits on this one. For one thing, it's longer than anything I've written before, and yet I still think I managed to keep it mostly consistent and everything. I tried incorporating several different genres (gen, angst, smut, fluff even) and I think it all turned out pretty okay.

6. The worst?

Arthur Petrelli Ships Syelle is a little too silly. I feel a little embarrassed when I go back and re-read it now.

7. It might be narcissistic to ask which you think is underrated, so which do you think is overrated?

Noah's First Birthday is too fluffy for me. I can't stand all the cute.

8. Do you have any goals in mind to accomplish in the future?

Someday I want to be able to support myself through writing. Ideally I'd want to be publish the series of YA novels that have been living in my head, but I'd totally be down with writing for quirky blogs or working at Penthouse...

9. What about fic?

I have more goals in terms of reading than writing fic. I feel like I'm late to the party, and particularly in these past few weeks I've fallen behind in reading a lot of what's out there, so I'm constantly playing catch-up.

10. Lastly, what was the best fic and who was the best fanfiction author of 2008?

This is a real toughie. There are so many good fics out there, but I'd like to put one out there that I think maybe a lot of people missed: unreckless's Someone Else's Heart Pumping Someone Else's Blood. It's a Sylar/Elle story told through a different lens, which makes it mysterious and engaging and intriguing. It's also lyrically written and completely unique. While I cannot gush about this story enough, I'll try to wrap it up: it's a harrowing story that's beautifully told. Go read it. Now.

My favorite author has to be dragynflies; her journal has become the one-stop shop for all my Sylar/Elle fic needs. Her fic has such a wonderful scope that no matter what I'm hankering for, I know where I can find it, be it angst or romance or smut. Her writing can move easily between tugging at the heartstrings or being all hot and bothered. She also has a way of writing babyfic that is totally believable and not at all cloying or fluffy. She makes me like babies.

Okay, now anyone else who writes fic on my flist, y'all better take a stab at this meme. I was too lazy to do most of the year-in-review memes, but I think this one will prove to be worth your while!