["Kaleidoscope" update] Messages / 2008 fic in review

[shimotsuki]

I finished my submission for metamorfic_moon -- almost ten whole hours before the deadline this time. Imagine! I've only just started getting caught up with reading/viewing the other fic and art entries there, but as usual, there is a lot of fantastic stuff.

• Messages (3541 words | PG)
  Tonks has a lot to worry about as Christmas approaches -- her decreasing usefulness as an undercover agent, her father's fate as a Muggle-born wizard on the run, and the fact that her parents and her husband still don't seem to understand each other.

This is probably also a good time to try to get organized. Just what did I actually get up to this year?

2008 Fic In Review

Hmm, looks like twelve fics or chapters (plus one fic revision and a handful of ficlets and drabbles). That's an average of one a month, which isn't too bad, given my glacial writing speed. But Kaleidoscope has about 37 parts planned, and it's only about halfway done after two years (!!), so I really ought to speed things up there a bit! And I'm disappointed that I haven't posted Chapter 4 of Order yet, but see below on New Year's resolutions...

Kaleidoscope (my Remus/Tonks canon-compliant series)

• Stripes [revision/expansion] -- Sirius tells Tonks about the furry little problem
  
• Out of Sight -- Remus sets off to join the pack
  
• Crossing the Threshold -- The wedding night fic! (only it's PG-13, heh)
  
• Breaking Point -- Remus first impresses, and then alienates, his mother-in-law
  
• All That I Am -- Remus comes home after his confrontation with Harry
  
• Messages -- Tonks's DH Christmas, bringing new worries but also good things

Warp and Weft (my self-indulgent R/T denial ficverse)

• A Matter of Opportunity -- Remus faces the first full moon since Teddy's birth
  
• Changing Minds -- Harry and Remus try to make a dent in anti-werewolf discrimination
  
• Commemoration -- Remus and family reflect on the battle, one year later
  
• Centre of Attention -- Nine-year-old Teddy has a ...creative idea for Remus's birthday

All Will Be In Order (Remus, Sirius, Molly -- a chaptered fic leading up to the start of OotP [WIP])

• Chapter 2 -- Molly discovers that helping Dumbledore means working with a fugitive and a werewolf
  
• Chapter 3 -- An important conversation between Remus and Sirius is sparked by Molly's panic
  
• Also, I have to mention hrymfaxe's artwork for Chapter 1!

Marauder-era

• Erosion -- James is a little slow to catch on about what's going wrong in Remus's life

Drabbles and ficlets

• Residue (Voldemort, 1956)
  
• For the Sport of It (Sirius, Marauders, 1971)
  
• Empty Nest (Molly/Arthur, CoS)
  
• Decision (Cedric, Harry, GoF)
  
• Surprise (Remus/Tonks, Sirius, OotP)
  
• Cravings (Remus/Tonks, DH)
  
• A crack!fic canon-denial self-insertion Mary Sue meme, hee: Harry Potter and the Seer of Salem
  
• My first non-Potter fanfic: Light Years (Vorkosigan saga: Aral/Cordelia)

And I suppose I should also consider making some writing resolutions...

Writing Resolutions for 2009

• Finish Order! There are three chapters to go, all partly written. I'm hoping to post Ch 4 by the end of January (fingers crossed).
  
  
• Work on plotting, action scenes, and OCs. A good way to do all three of these at once is to write more of the HBP sections of Kaleidoscope that deal with Remus's interactions with Greyback's pack, so I may try to focus on that part of the storyline for a while.
  
  
• Make as much progress on Kaleidoscope as possible. I don't think there's any way I'll be able to finish it in 2009, but progress would certainly be nice. I have pretty clear mental outlines for the wedding fic, Remus's eventual reconciliation with Andromeda, and some early OotP-era getting-to-know-you adventures, so those may come up first.
  
  
• I have no resolutions about original writing. I really want to see if I can get all the way through Kaleidoscope (and then go back and edit it for continuity) before I try to tackle any original projects, so I've got my work cut out for me for the next couple of years!
  

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Comments

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Wow - you have been productive! And I think you can imagine how happy I am to hear there will be more Order! (I'm not happy that there will be an end to it, mind you, but I'll soon be old enough to realise that that is the way of things). And action scenes! And Remus among the werewolves!! You are not going easy on yourself are you?

Perhaps I should make some artistic resolutions as well... Could be interesting. I'm also thinking about doing that meme again where people can ask for drawbles - that was fun! (Plus I finally finished it when I did yours, and thank you for mentioning it here!, so I can promise more with good conscience)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

It doesn't feel like I've been productive compared to a lot of other people, lol. Especially people with original writing projects... But I really feel like I've learned some things about writing this year, so I'm happy.

If you decide to do the drawble meme, I will be eagerly awaiting what you come up with. :)

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Ah but some of those other people are not working a full-time (and then some) job on the side. :D Or rather writing on the side of a full-time job. And the best part is learning something new.

What comes out of the drawble meme rather depends on the requests, which is why it is fun to do.

Are you enjoying your paid account? I see a lot of new icons popping up. ;)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

You're right, but I'm sure in many cases an original novel project is equivalent to a full-time job, heh. This is one of the reasons I'm not planning on trying any original for a few years...

Are you enjoying your paid account?

Oh, no, not at all. Nor am I enjoying practicing making icons out of stock photos. ;) (I've been wanting a "four seasons" icon series for ages.)

[duck-or-rabbit.livejournal.com]

I love that all your 2008 work has a home in one place for me. It's a reading list. Man, your latest three chapters to 'Kaleidoscope' have been killers. Really, really good stuff to read.

Ngh, the Volde drabble is on the list! I love it when you go all villainy. And your projected projects for 2009 give me happy mushy feelings inside. Love action, love the werewolf culture. I only started reading your writing at the end of 2007 and this new year will be great as your fan. I'm still SUPER enthused about the HP fandom and I want to read your written inventions.

Congratulations on a prodigious year!

ps - have I told you how much I loved 'Messages?' Yeah? Just checking.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

You just know how to make me grin, don't you!

The R/T story has been told so many times by so many excellent writers that sometimes I wonder what I think I'm doing, writing it again -- so it's extremely reassuring to hear that you've been enjoying the "Kaleidoscope" updates.

I love it when you go all villainy.

Maybe I should be concerned about this. Hee.

I'm still SUPER enthused about the HP fandom

I'm glad there's at least two of us. ;) I'm really enjoying the world you're creating for Sirius and his family, and will be eagerly reading as you go on writing.

ps - You did indeed! Thank you! :)

[sspring92.livejournal.com]

wow indeed! Ia m really looking forward to seeing what you have in store for R/T in 2009. I had read your "Order" fic before quite awhile ago. I think it was before I "Knew" you! Really enjoyed the dynamic of Molly being a bit afraid of Remus and Sirius taking offense at that. Can't wait to see what happens next

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! There's so much stuff I want to write -- If only I didn't have to go back to work and could just write fanfic full time... ;)

[merryb87.livejournal.com]

I'll be looking forward to it! I really have to catch up on what you already have for Kaleidoscope so hopefully I won't miss any more updates and what not.

Good luck with all your goals and I sure do hope you can achieve them all. :D

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the good wishes! I'll have to work hard if I ever want to finish "Kaleidoscope," heh.

[mrstater.livejournal.com]

You've had a very productive year! And I'll not have you besmirching your productivity, because you've done all this along with the very difficult task of working a demanding job outside of the home. I don't know how you do it, really!

I've still got to read your Meta fic; I'm slowly making my way through the list, and I always like to save yours for one of the last because I know it'll be a treat to end on. :) I'm looking forward to your next Order chapter, as well!

Safe travels to you tomorrow, btw! Enjoy reading Chalion. ;)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Basically, I skimp on the housekeeping. :P And sometimes on sleep, but I'm trying not to do that anymore (New Year's resolution, heh). Also, it probably helps that we pretty much never watch TV at home. (Of course, tonight at my parents', we watched three back-to-back episodes of "Big Love," and last night we watched a nature documentary and "Brokeback Mountain," and the night before that we caught the end of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" Hee.)

I've still got a lot to read at Meta too! As always, it has been a great event.

And thanks for the travel wishes. I'm looking forward to Chalion. One last fling before reality hits. ;)

[katyscarlett76.livejournal.com]

Wow you did really well in 2008! One a month is really good going when you work full-time as well! I'm hoping to achieve something similar in 2009 so we'll see how that goes.

I've not got to your Meta fic yet, similar to mrstater I'm saving it as a treat!

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Good luck with your own fic plans! I don't get out much in the evenings, lol -- or watch much TV.

I'm still way behind reading at Meta, too, but I'd rather read a few a day and really savor them, instead of galloping through too fast. I'm looking forward to yours -- from the summary, it sounds like it's going to be a warm sweet story. :)

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I'm impressed both by how much you've got done while doing so much with your other ninety pairs of hands, and am sirusly excited to hear there's 37 planned parts to Kaleidoscope! That's my lunchtime reading for the next two years thoughtfully taken care of. ;)

Joking apart, I'm glad to hear in particular about the wedding fic and more Remus and Greyback. In fact, I'm glad to hear about it all as it's lovely to look forward to.:D

Have a good journey back, and I very much hope you get time to read you-know-what about you-know-Caz as I'm bursting to hear what you think. (Though you don't have to run away if you wonder what all the fuss was about, lol.) Oh, and I have a musical report to give when I get a sec, which has got me enjoyably through many a wintry car journey of late...

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Well, that's not 37 more parts, you know, just 37 parts total. ;P Still scares me, though!

I didn't get nearly as many sporadic things done this vacation as I meant to, and I have no idea why, because I seem to have spent a lot of time curled up on the couch doing nothing at all. (Also making icons. For shame.) But soon. I also owe an e-mail, in Japanese, to my friend from China who was a dorm-mate of mine in Japan -- I've been putting off writing to her for something like six months (!!), partly because my language skills have deteriorated to the point that I'm really going to embarrass myself, lol.

I look forward to meeting Caz! If the wireless connection isn't broken in the NYC airport again this time, as it was on the way north, I will log in between flights and let you know how it's going. :)

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

Well, that's not 37 more parts, you know, just 37 parts total. ;P

LOL. Is there not?! No, I did realise, just phrased it so as to suggest I didn't. I'm having one of those not-typa-da-English days (one poor soul over at Meta had a review beginning: This is nice fic), so perhaps I should tackle your Japanese one. I've got a couple of totally inappropriate e-mail phrases memorised from my teenage days when I read Shogun...

I look forward to meeting Caz! If the wireless connection isn't broken in the NYC airport again this time, as it was on the way north, I will log in between flights and let you know how it's going. :)

If not, send Hedwig with a delayed message saying, "What's this rubbish you've got me reading?" ;)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Hi from JFK Airport in New York! ;) I had to walk around the terminal for a while before my sad little laptop could pick up the allegedly free and open wireless signal, but here we are...

Verdict so far: I am in love. (In case you hadn't sussed this already,) I have an enormous weakness for the come-down-in-life, strong-and-smart-but-gentle, can't-quite-believe-it-when-people-are-nice-to-him hero.

And, as I expected from my other experiences with her novels, I am captivated by Bujold's writing. In the beginning, I was trying to analyze while I read -- all that about the gold coin from the soldier, both its physical description and all its implications, had me grinning with delight. But at the moment I am too caught up in the story to remember to pay attention to the writing. ;) I'll just have to read it again when I'm done!

And now that I have eaten my lunch/supper and reported in to you, lol, I must wrestle with my conscience. Prepare for the meeting I have tomorrow with my student, whose current chapter draft I still have to read before I meet with her? Or, back to Caz?

*sigh* I am not a good person. (There's always tomorrow morning at work, isn't there?)

I've got a couple of totally inappropriate e-mail phrases memorised from my teenage days when I read Shogun...

Oh, I loved Shogun as a teenager, too! I was blown away when I took a pre-modern Japanese history class and recognized people -- it turns out that Toranaga and his two predecessors are very transparently based on actual generals from the Warring States period of the 1500s. I don't think there's any real Mariko, though, heh.

Anyway, thank you for the marvelous time I am currently having. :)

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I'll make this quick as you're probably airborne again, but yay!:D I think it's hard not to love Caz, but then I do try to remember I am also predisposed to the Remus-type, and like you was lost in Bujold's writing and the fascianting world she creates here. But I'll say no more so you can make your own mind up.

Prepare for the meeting I have tomorrow with my student, whose current chapter draft I still have to read before I meet with her? Or, back to Caz? *sigh* I am not a good person. (There's always tomorrow morning at work, isn't there?)

You might be in a very good mood come the morning if you've read it... ;) But then I'm a very bad person, who always leaves what she should be doing till the last moment.

it turns out that Toranaga and his two predecessors are very transparently based on actual generals from the Warring States period of the 1500s. I don't think there's any real Mariko, though, heh.

Oh, I loved that book and found it absolutely fascinating, and was very disappointed when I saw the Richard Chamberlain TV version, lol. It's sort of made me want to read it again, though I think it was my dad's...

Anyway, happy flying, Anjin-san!:D

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Still here, actually. I discovered I was having a nosebleed (hazards of dehydration), so I had to sit here with a tissue clamped on my nose for 20 minutes, checking my f-list and requesting drabbles one-handed, lol.

I will definitely let you know what I think once I'm through reading. (I'm deliberately reading slowly so I can savor.)

The TV version of Shogun was appalling. They took away all the cool cultural stuff and just left the sex and violence.

And I'm glad someone else is the anjin on my plane. ;)

Okay -- really logging off now. In a minute. Really.