owlmoose | Entries tagged with meta

I will also be sending the following note to the Board of Directors. If you feel that the response has been inadequate, feel free to share your feelings as well.

"As a long-time user of AO3 and a supporter of the OTW, since almost the very beginning, I am deeply disappointed in the Board's response to calls from the membership to make a statement about the ongoing issue of racism, both in our society at large and in fandom specifically. While I appreciate the desire not to speak too hastily, this continuing commitment to silence is not just inadequate, it is harmful, especially to the BIPOC people who make up such a vital part of our fandom community -- and who have been raising these issues for years.

A statement of support and making a commitment to taking long-overdue action to make AO3, Fanlore, and TWC more welcoming spaces to BIPOC is the very least that the OTW can do. Other steps I would like to see include creating a standing Diversity and Inclusion Committee and hiring consultants with expertise in this area. Anything less is a signal that we don't value BIPOC in fandom, and that's not a signal I can get behind boosting."

To learn more about this situation, check out forestofglory's post, which contains the text of the unfortunate* form letter that the OTW is sending to anyone who brings up this issue. Also see that post for lot of links to other letter templates and updates on the situation. I also really want to thank forestofglory for being one of the people who is taking the lead on holding the OTW accountable here.

*to put it mildly

Current Mood: disappointed

So the TV show I finished watching in its entirety most recently was Elementary, and I enjoyed it very well, even the uneven and rushed last season; I started writing up a review that I'd planned to post last week. But beyond the fact that it feels frivolous to be writing about TV at all right now, in this moment it seems even more wrong to share my enthusiasm for a TV show that is, at its heart, a police procedural.

( A few thoughts. )

Current Mood: contemplative

I moved the laptop all the way from my desk to the Poang chair in my bedroom area. (Since I live in a loft, my home doesn't really have rooms as such except for the two bathrooms; downstairs is a living room area and eat-in kitchen, while the upstairs has our bed and dressers in one area and our desks in another. So it's roughly like a bedroom and an office). I read in this spot pretty often, but I've rarely tried to type here, so we'll see how it works out. I think it would be better if I had one of those lap desk things. Maybe I should invest in one.

So, Week 3. Which was originally supposed to be the final week, but I don't think anyone truly believed it would be over so quickly. One interesting thing about moving to shelter in place is that I feel like time is moving faster. I no longer have the sense that every day is an hour and every week is a month. I suspect a part of me spent the first two weeks of March waiting for the other shoe to drop; now that it's fallen, and I have a better idea of what life is going to be like under these circumstances, I can settle in a bit and get on with the new routine.

We had our first virtual Thursday Night Dinner this week, which was fun. I appreciated the chance to talk to people that I'm used to seeing almost every week, and a few who aren't able to come regularly when we meet in person. I'm hoping we can get back into doing it on a regular basis, even if it's not weekly. I also briefly joined in a Zoom call with my dad and his sister, which might be the first time I'd seen my aunt face-to-face, even virtually, since my wedding over 15 years ago. So it's nice to be making connections with people, even though the circumstances are not what anyone would prefer. I'm more of an introvert than an extrovert, but I'm still missing real-life socialization, and I'm sure I'll be really eager for more of it once all this is over.

Current Mood: okay

Days written: 16/29
Year to date: 36/240
Words written: 5,207
Year to date: 11,228

( Charts should have known February would be a tough month )

February goals:

1. Write more than 5 days per week. Yeah not so much. It's been hard to make myself prioritize writing with my new work schedule. Monday Media Musings is an excellent way to keep me on track for at least one day a week. I wonder if I can find a strategy for the other days.

2. Finish that PoI post and write at least one more review longer than a few words on Goodreads. PoI post posted! I wrote a review but it's not going up until tomorrow.

3. Consider what other kinds of goals I might set for myself. I didn't think about this as such, in part because I knew I had a project coming up for March, so there was no urgency. Consider more in the future.

Speaking of March:

1. Write 6 days per week. Yeah, that's pushing myself quite a bit compared to February, but with my project and the fact that I fell behind GYWO pace, I feel like I need to at least try.

2. Write at least two substantial

lady_business posts.

3.

marchmetamatterschallenge: I've been looking forward to this since I first saw it announced in January. It's a project to post meta to AO3, either by writing new meta or cross-posting older work, and I plan to focus on archiving my meta writings from Tumblr. That's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. My goal is to archive at least three pieces a week, which means both identifying posts and editing them. I'll probably bring over some of my LJ/DW posts too, although that's not my top priority.

Current Mood: good
Current Music: An episode of America's Test Kitchen

I just took a whirlwind weekend trip to Boston for my friend A's baby shower. I was on the ground in Boston for less than 48 hours, and the total trip was around 60 hours including travel time, but it was totally worth it to a) attend the shower (especially since I'm unlikely to be able to visit for at least a few months after the baby is born) and b) not have to take any time off work (since I haven't got much PTO saved up yet and have two major trips planned for later in the year). Fortunately I got pretty nice weather, not too cold, just a little rain yesterday, and got to see a bunch of college friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in many years.

Because it was such a short trip, I didn't bother bringing my laptop -- although maybe I should have, because JetBlue now offers free wifi -- and I haven't get gotten in the habit of reading DW on my iPad -- although maybe I should; DW posting on iPad is not the greatest experience, but reading is just fine -- so I've been out of the loop for a few days. It's kind of exciting that I had to skip back 60 posts to see everything! But that still means a lot of skimming so if I missed anything huge, let me know!

Current Mood: happy

marchmetamatterschallenge is a month-long challenge to write new meta and archive your old meta to AO3.

I remember when AO3 was talking about hosting meta but I don't think I knew they had decided to go ahead with it! So this is a great nudge to get my meta saved. In particular, this could be a good opportunity to go through my Tumblr backfiles and pull out anything worth saving -- I think I got most of my fic, but I know there's a ton of meta hidden in there. And maybe even write something new!

Current Mood: excited

The third and sixth challenges are essentially repeats of the Days 5 and 6 challenges from last year, and I'm happy to share what I wrote then again here, because pretty much nothing has changed, although I have some additions below.

Challenge #3: Promote Your Favorite Communities, Fests or Challenges!

Aside from those I shared last year, I'd like to promote one more:

ssrconfidential, an Agent Carter fanwork exchange that typically opens in March and goes live in June. It's a great exchange, with some awesome works, but it's also on the small side and could use more participants.

Challenge #4: Set some goals for the coming year

I've been consistently setting monthly writing goals for exactly a decade, and added in annual goals in 2011. I added in reading goals a couple of years ago, although I'm less sure about those. But I am positive that writing goals have been good for setting and holding to habits, and they've kept me setting down words and participating in fandom even through difficult times. My 2020 writing goals are here, and here are my 2020 reading goals. You can also see my wrap-ups for 2019 in both places.

Challenge #6: In your own space, make a list — anything between one and ten things is a sweet spot, but don't feel constrained by that! - of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, or that you'd like someone to make for you.

1. This is a hold-over from last year, but I still really want this: someone to run a Reverse Bang in a fandom that I participate in, especially Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, or Critical Role. (Or, if such a thing currently exists, a pointer in that direction.) Reverse Bangs are maybe my favorite type of fic challenge, and it's been ages since I've done one.

2. Icons! I have so many new fandoms from the last few years for which I have no or almost no icons. Critical Role, The Adventure Zone, and Arrowverse come immediately to mind.

3. Active fannish communities for any of the above fandoms, especially Arrowverse. That in particular is a fandom I'd love to have more people to chat about with (a desire so strong, I've even considered going back to Tumblr. Please don't make me go back to Tumblr).

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: "Black Mage Master (Vivi's Theme)" - FFIX, OverClocked Remix Album

I had been looking at the snowflake_challenge prompts for the year so far and thinking they were mostly the same as last year's... and then checked back at my posts from 2019 to see that no, so far they're largely quite different. So, let's proceed, and I'll try to get back on the stick.

( Challenge 1 )

( Challenge 2 )

So that's the first two! I'll try to catch up on the rest over the next few days.

Your main fandom of the year? Gotta be Arrowverse, certainly in terms of how much time I spent with the source and thinking about it. I need to find a fannish community around these shows, because I think it would be really fun.

Your favorite movie seen this year? Knives Out. Runner up: Captain Marvel

Your favorite book read this year? The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

Your favorite album or song to listen to this year? Of music that was new to me, the Kingdom Hearts piano solo collections by Moisés Nieto.

Your favorite TV show of the year? Still The Good Place. I'm so sad this is ending.

Your favorite video game of the year? Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, which I liked way more than KH3. (Not that I disliked KH3, exactly, but I had very many issues with it.)

Your best new fandom discovery of the year? That would have to be Arrowverse, although it's not 100% new since I've been watching Supergirl from the beginning.

Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? I wanted to like Kingdom Hearts 3 much more, especially given how long we waited for it. I got stalled on my total canon replay (on the final battle of KH1); I want to pick that up again in 2020 and see how far I get.

Your fandom boyfriend of the year? Brainiac 5, aka Brainy, aka Querl Dox

Your fandom girlfriend of the year? Nia Nal, Sara Lance, Carol Danvers

Your biggest squee moment of the year? That's a tough one. Maybe the culmination of Yasha's most recent story arc in Critical Role.

The most missed of your old fandoms? I dunno, all of them? I miss being active in fandom really kind of at all.

The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to? I did write one Arrowverse fic (Brainy/Nia, natch), but I feel as though I ought to have more ideas in me. Maybe once we're through with the Crisis arc and back to the regular storytelling.

Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year? Wonder Woman 84! And the series finale of The Good Place. But otherwise not a lot -- I've been out of the loop in terms of what's coming out in 2020, and I think I'm good with that.

Current Mood: good

In comparison to previous years, this is going to be pretty sad, but for completeness sake.

( Stories Written )

( Questions and Answers )

In Conclusion

I am seriously thinking about taking a hiatus from fic in 2020 and focusing on non-fiction writing instead. Not that I won't write fic if inspired, and I'll probably sign up for at least a couple of exchanges, and I need to consider whether officially back-burnering "Wardens of Ivalice" is a good idea or a terrible idea. I want writing fanfiction to be fun, not a chore, and it increasingly felt like a chore this year. What that looks like, I haven't figured out yet. Conversation on this topic is more than welcome.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: "A Million Miles Away" - The Plimsouls

I bugged out of work early today, and have no real plans tonight, so time to do my annual end of year memes! Starting with the easiest (which I normally do long before New Year's Eve, but here we are).

Take the first line of the first post of each month, and that's your year in review. (Skipping writing goals posts.)

January: I've been seeing this annual fandom celebration festival around for years, but I've never participated before. [regarding

snowflake_challenge]

February: By now I imagine most of you have seen the "Dreamwidth is for shitposting" February challenge.

March: I realize this is likely a long shot, but is anyone I know going to be on this year's JoCoCruise?

April: I was wrong about

multifandomdrabble -- author reveals were not anonymous, so everything is up today!

May: To the great shock of exactly nobody who has been involved in online fandom for any period of time, Verizon is looking to sell of Tumblr.

June: It feels like I should call this post "my very preliminary thoughts on the Democratic primary", but with something like 25 people running is that ridiculous?"

July: One of my writing goals for 2019 was to write something about all the media I consume: books, shorter fiction, TV, movies, narrative games, etc. [First "Monday Media Musings"]

August: I don't miss much about Tumblr, but it was so much easier to meet people in brand new fandoms there.

September: I have acquired one (1) card for

ladiesbingo!

October: I was good and got my flu shot today.

November: I made a lemon poundcake!

December: Finally, we have our Black Widow movie.

Current Mood: okay

The time is coming where I have to decide whether to sign up for getyourwordsout again. I haven't officially checked in on my goals for the year yet, but I hit 240 days earlier this week, and fell way, way short of my stretch wordcount goal. I've also found myself very uninspired to write any fic, especially the latter half of this year; DW entries and ladybusiness work is a little easier, but I'm still nowhere near where I want to be.

So the obvious question is: where do I want to be? Much as I want to blame this long-term slump on living in the world post-November 2016, the fact is that my creative drive started slipping a few years before that. I've had to adjust to lower levels of inspiration, a decreased ability to concentrate in general, and an unpredictable work schedule. There's a change to that last piece, at least -- I've switched to a 30-hour/week work schedule, which is great for financial stability but it means that I'll have less free time than I've gotten used to having. Then again, maybe that will help. I wrote a lot more and much more consistently when I was still at the art school, despite the fact that I worked at least 40 hours and sometimes more. On the other hand, when I was at that job I felt more free to check in on Tumblr and chat with people during the day. For various reasons, that doesn't work as well in my current organization. I was able to be more active in fandom communities, and that's a huge way I get inspiration for fic writing. I've missed that piece, desperately, over the last couple of years. I enjoy the circle I've built for myself here, but it's not as good for picking up free-floating ideas as Tumblr was, or the old days of LJ. Nothing has come along to replace that creative wellspring, and I'm not sure anything ever will.

All that said, I don't see a good reason not to sign up for the 240-word Habit Pledge again, but I wonder if I should focus on non-fiction writing instead of fiction, at least for the first half of the year. See how it goes. And get serious about scheduling time to write, instead of putting it off and then ending up with no real energy, only a enough time to toss off a few words of a story or a quick journal entry. Worth contemplating, anyway.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Between concert week, social obligations, and lots going on at work, today is the first time in awhile I've had a moment to really sit down and take a breath before rehearsal. So I'm in one of my favorite cafes, and I've ordered one of my favorite beverages -- a cafe borgia; imagine a mocha with an orange wedge dropped in and you've about gotten there -- and I'm going to eat my dinner -- once they bring me the quiche I ordered, rather than the shrimp scampi they tried to deliver -- and then I'm going to write, dammit, because I've barely written a fictional word in weeks and it's about time.

Current Mood: content

To start a major project that has nothing to do with writing in the month of November.

Live and learn I suppose. At least I've made a good start on getting the photos scanned.

Current Mood: contemplative

Well, it is only the second week of the month, and I've already skipped posting three times, plus today barely counts. So I guess now I know that the goal was too ambitious. It's too bad, and yet maybe it's okay. It was a nice tradition for awhile, but it gradually became more of a chore than a fun project. And just because I haven't posted literally every day doesn't mean I should just quit entirely. I'd like to still do as much as I can.

Still, letting go of things is hard. My journal and the community I've built around it is important to me, even as it's ebbed and flowed and changed over the years. That's why I hold on, and why I plan to keep holding on, as long as some journaling community continues to exist. I'm not going anywhere, and I hope none of the rest of you are, either.

Current Mood: contemplative

I wrote a post yesterday, finished and everything, checked the wordcount and then just straight up forgot to hit post.

I've missed posting something every day in November before, but never for a reason quite that irritating.

Of course, now that I haven't posted it, I'm kind of... not sorry? It was a rant about a 6 year old webcomic/blog post which no longer seems worth the level of irritation I was having with it. So maybe I'll save it and see if I feel more like posting it another day.

Current Mood: oops
Current Music: "Driven to Tears" - The Police

I was going to post at least twice a week this month. But then I:

1. Kinda forgot that I made that a goal
2. Went houseboating for the weekend and had basically no internet access, not even a working phone
3. Got sick
4. Started rewatching Person of Interest because if I don't have an epic show watching project going on then who am I, really?

I am determined to write something real about PoI this time, at least, because I was so excited about it when I watched it the first time but then I just kind of left it hanging? So I'm saying this here and now as a way to commit to it. Yes I am.

Current Mood: okay

Ganked from alias_sqbr. "List your top fanfic on AO3 for every year, sorted by kudos." Skipping 2019 because I've posted so little this year so far.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: curious
Current Music: Regina Spektor - "Fidelity"

Although I haven't posted much here recently, I did get two posts up at

ladybusiness already this month!

Mid-Year Reading Check-In, where I look at my progress on reading goals in 2019 so far (not too bad! Better in some areas than others), and share some favorite books.

My reviews of the Hugo finalist novelettes, to go with the novella reviews I posted last month. I plan to get started on the short stories soon, so look for my thoughts on those as well.

Meanwhile I've been busy with social obligations and work all month so far, to the point that I decided to pass on a couple of events I would have otherwise attended in favor of getting today off from pretty much all obligations (except for a trip to the grocery store), and it was definitely the right call. Next week is also shaping up to be busy, so it was good to fortify myself.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: Captain America: The Winter Soldier soundtrack

I have fled a busy work week and now find myself at a cafe near where I'm meeting friends for dinner in about an hour. Coffee: good, pastries: good, not being at work: gooooooood. I'm so glad I don't have to go in tomorrow.

Anyway, so this seems like a good time to work on my three things requests. Here we go!

From

heavenscalyx:

( Pegasus, Unicorn tapestries, Ravens )

From

chase_acow:

( Tribe, Button, Lavender )

Current Mood: good
Current Music: "If You Feel Better" - Emilie Autumn

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KJ

Entries tagged with meta

Open letter to the OTW on the issue of addressing racism in fandom

TV choices

Change of Scenery

February wrap-up; March goals

Trip

Now this looks interesting...

Snowflake Challenge Catch-up 2

Snowflake Challenge Catch-up!

Fandom Year in Review: 2019

Fic Year in Review: 2019

2019 Year in Review

Writing and creativity and goals

Brief respite

Maybe it was a mistake...

Alas, November

Argh!

Once upon a time...

AO3 Stats Meme

Me, elsewhere

More three things meme