March update; April goals

Days written: 23/31
Words written: 12,183
Words of fic written: 7,429
Words written to date, 2016: 27,441
Percentage off getyourwordsout pace: 26%
Stories worked on: Three
Stories posted: One

( Chart madness )

Specific goals:

1. Write at least five days per week, including at least one writing sprint each week. Yes on the days. I didn't do a writing sprint as such each week, but I felt like I did a reasonable job of sustained writing.

2. Complete and publish fic for Wintersend exchange. Success, and reveals have now happened! I wrote a bit of light post-game Merrill/Isabela/f!Hawke, posted to AO3. I'll do a real crosspost soon.

3. Crosspost oustanding fic from Tumblr, fandom_stocking, and Final Fantasy Kiss Battle to AO3. Also complete. I want to crosspost some of those to Tumblr as well, which I'll get on this month.

4. Pull one old WIP out of storage and finish it (or make enough progress that it can be finished in April). I worked some on the Hawke in DAI fic, but I'm not convinced I'm feeling that one -- I have several ideas for it, and am in love with none of them. I also thought hard about the Alice/PotC crossover, but I'm pretty sure I need to watch at least some of the movies again to kickstart it. So instead, I worked on Wardens of Ivalice, and I'm going to move forward with that.

Since it's March, I also want to check on my annual goals:

1. Report monthly wordcounts to getyourwordsout, and share WIP snippets with ushobwri at least once per month. Stretch goal: hit 150k pledge amount. I've been checking in at GYWO, but I think it's time to admit that I'm on hiatus from ushobwri. It was useful to me for a time, but it got to the point where checking in on it felt more like a chore than an incentive. I'll remain a member, because I do enjoy the community, and hope to get back to it someday. As for the stretch goal, it's not looking good, but it's early yet. I've picked up steam each month, and I have hope that this trend will continue.

2. Participate in at least one Big Bang and one fic exchange that I've never done before. I participated in Wintersend for the first time, and found it quite a satisfying experience.

3. Set aside one month to work on Wardens of Ivalice as my main project for that month. Not yet. See below.

4. Participate in at least two journal-writing challenges/projects. I think it's safe to say that signing on at ladybusiness counts for at least one of these. :)

5. Archive all flashfic to DW/AO3 on a quarterly basis. I actually did two rounds of this, one in January (although most of that was fic written in 2015) and once in March.

Not bad, overall. Goals for April:

1. Write an average of six days per week, with at least one writing sprint, with a goal of getting down to less than 20% behind the annual pace.

2. Add at least double the current wordcount (currently around 7k) to the current draft of Wardens of Ivalice, part 2.

And... that's it. I might work on other things, and I do intend to keep posting in my journal and write at least one full post for LB (I already have a topic in mind), but it's time for my Wardens of Ivalice month. Watch this space for meta thoughts and idea wrangling, and wish me luck.

DA2 Fic: "Landlubbers"

Title: Landlubbers
Fandom: Dragon Age 2
Rating: M
Wordcount: 4697
Characters: Merrill/Isabela/f!Hawke, Bethany Hawke
Spoilers: For endgame of DA2
Notes: Written for the 2016 Wintersend Exchange (a lady-centric fanwork exchange for Dragon Age). This is the first time I've participated, and it was great fun. I need to browse more of the other entries.

Summary: After everything goes to hell in Kirkwall, Isabela whisks away her two girlfriends for a life on the high seas. Merrill and Hawke promise to obey their captain and learn to be good sailors -- a promise that lasts until the first time the ship is boarded.

Also on AO3.

---

Isabela stood on the edge of the dock, looking up at the forbidding stones of the Gallows for what she dearly hoped was the last time. "All right, that does it: we're getting out of here. All of us." She turned to face her girls: first Merrill, green eyes wide as she surveyed the damage, and then Hawke, whose face was unreadable. "Captain's orders."

Hawke shook her head. "But-- the mansion, I have to get--"

"Hawke." Isabela circled her fingers around Hawke's wrist, finding the bare skin above her gloves, and Hawke started, turning to face her. "Admit it: there's nothing you need in the mansion. Not really."

Her shoulders slumped in a half-sigh. "I suppose not," she murmured. "But-- Mother--"

"Mother would want you to be safe." Bethany stepped out from Hawke's other side and turned to face her sister. "Even if that means leaving all your physical memories behind." She half-smiled. "We did it often enough, before."

Hawke looked at Isabela, then back at Bethany. "I suppose you're right." She glanced at Isabela again. "The ship's ready, then?"

"Has been for weeks," Isabela replied, forcing a lightness into her voice that she didn't really feel. "Just waiting for some passengers." She turned to Merrill. "How about you, kitten? Do you need anything?"

( 'Everything that means anything to me here, is here.' )