Month: January 2009

Let the “Year In Review” memes begin! So what if I’m a week late. :D

Books and Graphic Novels Read in 2008
(wow, this is pathetic)

1. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
2. Sex, Time, and Power: How Women’s Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution, Leonard Shlain
3. Persepolis I, Marjane Satrapi
4. Embroideries, Marjane Satrapi
5. Persepolis II, Marjane Satrapi
6. The Gun Seller, Hugh Laurie
7. Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership, Madeline Albright
8. Watchmen, Alan Moore
9. Superman: Red Son, Mark Millar
10. Buffy Season 8: The Long Way Home, Joss Whedon
11. “Backup,” Jim Butcher
12. Dealing With Dragons, Patricia Wrede
13. Searching For Dragons, Patricia Wrede
14. Calling On Dragons, Patricia Wrede
15. Talking To Dragons, Patricia Wrede
16. The Secret History of Moscow, Ekaterina Sedia
17. Butcher Bird, Richard Kadrey
18. Welcome to the Jungle, Jim Butcher
19. Havemercy, Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennet
20. Princeps’ Fury, Jim Butcher
21. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1, Alan Moore
22. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, Eoin Colfer
23. The Middleman Volume 1: The Trade Paperback Imperative, Javier Grillo-Marxuach
24. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 6: Girl on Girl, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
25. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
26. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
27. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 9: Motherland, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
28. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
29. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
30. “Last Call,” Jim Butcher
31. “The Warrior,” Jim Butcher
32. The Warrior’s Apprentice, Lois McMaster Bujold
33. “The Mountains of Mourning,” Lois McMaster Bujold
34. “Curses,” Jim Butcher
35. Nation, Terry Pratchett
36. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
37. The Queen’s Bastard, C.E. Murphy
38. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
39. Turn Coat, Jim Butcher (Jim finished it December 31st! Handy!)

Currently reading The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, and will continue More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman as soon as I remember where I put it.

2008 In Fic

1. (1/25) Feedback. Molly/Carlos.
2. (3/19) A December Memory. Gen. Features Murphy and assorted relatives.
3. (3/19) Explain the Bruise. Molly/Carlos.
4. (3/19) The Long Way. I wrote it as Harry/Murphy, but I didn’t include names. Feel free to read whatever you want into it. :D
5. (3/19) The Key. Gen. Features Molly and Harry.
6. (4/09) Small Mercies. Mostly gen, but with some Michael/Charity. Features the whole Carpenter clan.
7. (5/02) Learning to Drive. Gen. Features Harry and Ebenezar.
8. (5/02) Something is Burning. Features Harry, Elaine, and Justin.
9. (5/24) A Personage of Noble Rank and Title. Gen. Features Morgan and a bunch of fun cameos.
10. (6/01) I Spy. Molly/Carlos.
11. (9/11) The Body. Harry/Luccio.
12. (9/14) Humidity. Gen. Features Harry and Murphy.
13. (9/14) Injuries. Gen. Features Harry.
14. (10/21) Off Guard. Sort of Gard/Hendricks, because I’m a very twisted person.
15. (11/12) The Other Son. Mostly gen, with some Thomas/Justine.
16. (12/20) The Landscape. Part gen, part Amara/Bernard. I’m in the process of revising it.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?
About what I predicted. Less than I would have liked. But then again, I only started writing fic in early 2007, and hopefully I’ll get better and faster at putting my words on paper as I continue to practice.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2008?
I certainly never imagined writing a Morgan-centric fic, as I figured that was Puck’s territory. Guess not, as she hasn’t even bothered to read it. :D

Did you take any writing risks this year? (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.) What did you learn from them?
I created a major original character in Judith and managed to keep her from becoming a Mary Sue! Huzzah! Another major challenge was writing from Hendricks’ terse (and frankly obscene) POV. I wanted to wash out my keyboard with soap afterwards. :D

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?
I’d like to continue to develop my own original ideas and characters for a potential 3D animated short. Or maybe a musical. Or a musical 3D animated short.

My Best Story: I’m torn between A Personage of Noble Rank and Title, The Other Son, and Small Mercies. With Personage, I’m not only really proud of the story on the surface, but it’s so unbelievably chock-full of hidden details you’d go mad trying to find them all. Finally, I’ve written another story with the reread value of Cold Comfort! For The Other Son, I’m head over heels about the soulgaze scene. Whenever I came up with a new visual or some other kind of metaphor to enhance the scene, I was filled with actual joy. As for Small Mercies, I love each tiny moment independently, and strung together, they all make a pretty moving little story.

Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe: The Landscape. Yeah, so I don’t really consider it “done.” Yeah, so I’ve written all over it that I’m in the process of revising it, as the version I posted for Yuletide isn’t remotely polished. Still, I feel like only two people have read it. This is particularly disheartening, as I believe it’s the first non-slash story to be written in the Codex Alera fandom. That’s lame, guys.

Most fun: I Spy. It’s lighthearted and goofy and comfortable.

Most disappointing: Off Guard. I love all the non-sexy parts and hate all the sex, which is unfortunate considering I wrote it for a friend who requested smut for her birthday. And because all the sex stuff is toward the beginning, I don’t think anyone bothered to keep reading and get to the good stuff and the real reason I picked that ship. Alas. (No, Mom and Dad, you will NOT get curious about what I mean by this and read the story. This is off limits! :D)

Most sexy: The Body. Because insight and healing are sexier to me than any smut. Honorable Mention: Feedback, because it’s just so fun and carefree and silly. (A few months after I wrote the story, while smooching with my now-ex-but-then-current boyfriend, he told me to make sure I gave him feedback. It took me a full minute to stop laughing.)

Hardest to Write: Writing the aforementioned hated scenes in Off Guard was like pulling teeth.

Word count: 21,548. Nearly half of this was Personage. :D Not too shabby for a newbie writer who works 50+ hours each week!