Fic Year in Review: 2013

Here we go, the 2013 fic year in review.

( Master List )

( Questions and Answers )

In conclusion: There are way more stories on this list than I would have expected. This was a year for shortfic -- the only story on this list to top 10k words, "Justify the Means", was almost entirely drafted in 2012, and only three others more than 5k words. I think it's a combination of the kinds of challenges I've been doing (Tumblr prompts and bingo cards, which reward writing more shorter stories), and the fact that I got dropped with a couple of big life distractions this summer (sick cat and back injury). More about what it all means, and my plans going forward, when I do my writing goals wrap-up.

December update; goals for January and 2014

Days written: 25/31
Words written: 11,903
Words of fic written: 9,275
Stories worked on: Seven
Stories posted: Five
Words written in 2012: 187,700
Fic words written in 2012: 137,992
Fic words posted in 2012: 149,450

( Graphs behind the cut. )

Specific goals:

( For December and 2013 )

I've been musing about that last missed goal quite a bit lately, most notably here. Why did I miss it? As noted on my 2013 fic in review post, I wrote a lot of stories this year, but they tended to be shorter. Another interesting tidbit appears in those charts: I posted more words of fic than I wrote this year, which I don't think has ever happened before, certainly not since I started tracking words posted. I also did a fair amount of reading, gaming, and especially television watching this year, which I suspect cut into writing time. Certainly this summer and fall, I felt more like consuming other people's creative works than producing my own. Have I been filling the cup, as my old friend Ikon used to say? Or is it just laziness made worse by a need for distraction?

Either way, I have officially decided not to sign up for GYWO this year. I will keep tracking wordcounts, because I like doing that, and I will hold myself to my monthly goals and weekly ushobwri check-ins, but I want to see if I can do all those things without a big giant number goal at the end of the year. It's a worthwhile experiment at least.

Okay, with all that said, goals:

January:

1. Write six days per week.

2. Finish my genprompt_bingo card and write and post at least one story for trope_bingo. I will try not to request the Trope Bingo card until I've finished the Genprompt one, but I make not promises!

3. Write and post the requests from the Journal Prompt Meme. (Many slots remaining!)

4. Do some meta thinking and outlining for the Sherlock Holmes/Iron Man crossover, which has stalled mainly for the lack of a substantial plot. Then get back to working on it.

2014:

1. Keep to personal monthly goals and check in with ushobwri at least three times a month.

2. Substantially post or crosspost to DW/LJ at least three times a week. (Consider whether some sort of schedule or long-term project might help toward this end.)

3. Write and post at least one non-Dragon Age fic per month.

4. Finish An Unlikely Partnership and make substantial progress on Wardens of Ivalice, with an eye to finishing that as well.