I Took Part in a Fic Crawl!

November 8, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

(Sorry for the delay in posting this, I got hit by burnout real hard the first week of November. But I’m back to feeling more like myself now!)

When I joined the 118 Discord, I discovered a group of strong and passionate fanfiction writers in the 9-1-1 community, all banded together to help produce some of the best fics in the fandom. They are great to encourage everyone to write and to team up when ever you get stuck. Besides just working on our own projects, they encourage some major community events.

The latest one was a Halloween fic crawl! If you don’t know what a fic crawl is, that’s okay, because I had to have it explained to me day one. A fic crawl is when a group of fics are all written under a similar theme, usually 1-3k words. They are uploaded to a community on AO3, and released anonymously on AO3 on the specific date every 15-20 minutes. People take part by writing fics, but also commenting and kudoing every fic. After all the fics are released, people guess who wrote what fic.

The turnout in both writers and commenters was amazing. I was one of 15 writers, and I think there were at least that many people taking part in the reading/commenting/kudoing aspect as well. It was an amazing experience that I cannot wait to do again.

My Halloween-inspired fic was made to be fluffy and hilarious. I actually wrote the bulk of it when we were watching MindGamers on Discord. The basic premise is that Buck and Eddie are left to come up with a costume for Halloween after Christopher decides to come up with a costume to surprise them. Eddie goes with generic hip-hop dancer (Sean from Step Up Revolution, played by Ryan Guzman, who plays Eddie), Buck goes a different route. The reactions of the 118 were hilarious tor write. I also threw in some other references, such as Christopher dressed as Arthur from Merlin and Chimney as a Dodger player.

The reaction to the fic was great! I got a lot of comments (though not a lot of kudos, but that’s the AO3 algorithm’s fault). On discord, the thread for the fic was a blast. When it came time to reveal, no one knew it was me, and I was met with surprised laughter and screaming for the fic (especially because of the mental imagery of a well-built Oliver Stark dressed as Dylan from MindGamers, when he was less built…). I’m still proud.

I’m really happy that I decided almost at the last minute to take part and complete my fic. It ended up being a great experience from the beginning of the event to the end. If you ever have the opportunity to take part in something like this, go for it!

(And now I have to work on my holiday exchange fic, which I haven’t outlined yet and I really really need to…)

Until next time!

I did a thing! – Blogtober 2021

October 20, 2021October 19, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

I am well aware that the title of this post gives you no context. But I couldn’t help it.

Anyway, clickbait aside, I actually got the courage up to go to a writing group sponsored by my local library!

I’ve been pretty much stuck in a rut lately. The thought of going out has become almost terrifying, because I just worry about making things unsafe for my family. But I was really happy with the requirements for joining this group. We all had to be masked, vaxxed, and also have a negative COVID test, taken within the last three days. Overkill? Maybe, but it actually made me feel safe.

The group was called “Writer’s Workshop: How to Write A Novel in a Month”. Basically, a good intro into working on NaNoWriMo (which will be a topic later on in the month). I was actually both excited and nervous about it, but I decided what the hell.

They held the group outside on the patio, which for my thin Florida blood was a bit too cold (thanks wind), carefully socially distanced. It was a good mix of people, from young high schoolers to some older seniors. Also, there was a good mix of presenting genders.

The moderator did a great job of engaging everyone. She got us all talking about what we hoped to get out of the group, whether we just wanted writing advice or encouragement to complete NaNoWriMo. She made a point to ask what everyone was planning on focusing on, which led us to discover that it was basically every end of the writing spectrum.

We didn’t get to do too much due to time, but it felt good to be working on something original again. It was kinda nice to see all sorts of people come together with a common target. Even just in this introduction meeting, we were encouraging each other.

I signed up to take part in the week “write-ins”, where we will meet up to write and discuss what we’re working on. It’s great when you’re having massive writer’s block and you need to get through it to continue on with what your writing.

All in all, it was a great little experience! I was real nervous and almost backed out, but I’m really glad that I took the plunge and did it. It was worth it, 100%.

It got me got me excited for next month. Another heavy writing month, who could’ve guessed it?

Until next time!

Two Weird Experiences, 24 Hours Apart – Blogtober 2021

October 18, 2021October 18, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Honestly, I’m still trying to understand this one. Over the course of twenty four hours, I had one of my worst experiences in writing fanfic in the last several years, and then less than a day later, I had one of my best.

Let me tell you about it.

Two days ago, I got a private message over on FF.Net, where I don’t post or update anymore. Since PMs also get sent to email, that’s how I knew about it. The message was a request for me to write a fic for this person, in a fandom that I don’t write in anymore, and a pairing that I never wrote for in the first place. I politely declined, saying that I don’t really write for that fandom anymore, and wished them well. Then I moved on, back over to AO3.

Well. That was my first mistake. For the next twenty minutes, I received several PMs, all of which basically said I was every name in the book for not writing this pairing. It was… well, ridiculous. Actually, that’s putting it politely. What I was called and told can’t be repeated in polite company.

My reasons for not writing this type of fic are pretty firm. I don’t like the pairing for a lot of reasons (one character was an adult, the other was a young teenager). The pairing splits up a canon pairing that is pretty much endgame. Oh, and this is in a children’s cartoon. So… Yeah, I’m not comfortable with that, in any way.

I quickly blocked the account (something that AO3 needs to impliment at some point). About fifteen minutes later, more PMs came in, from a different user. Same reterick, same talking points. I wasn’t responding, but they just kept coming.

By the time FF.Net’s Abuse Admins got everything handled, I’d recieved 32 PMs from three different accounts, all spewing the same disgusting comments. The person behind it was IP banned. I don’t exactly know what set them off, but whatever it was, it was pretty brutal.

I’m really not a fan of being treated like crap.

Of course, then you have the flip side. Yesterday around midnight, I posted my next Whumptober fic. I didn’t mean to post it that early, I just accidently hit post instead of save draft.

At 3AM my time, AO3 sends out an email to every user that has posted a story. In it has all the stories written by you, that have received a “kudo” in the previous 24 hours. It’s honestly a smart idea, since I’m now getting approxmately 70 kudos a day thanks to Whumptober.

Well, yesterday at 3AM, I discovered that I already had 24 kudos. That meant at least 24 people had already read my fic. In under three hours. Which to me was insane.

By last night, I’d already cracked 100 kudos and over ten comments, which for me is amazing. Never in less than 24 hours has I received a response to a fic like this. It’s surprising and insane to me. I’m actually really touched.

This really turned around my mindset. Though I knew I didn’t do anything wrong with turning down that guy the day before, it kinda stuck with me all day. Waking up to this yesterday, and getting more and more comments as the day progressed, just really made me feel so good.

So yeah. Two weird moments in my life. Both fanfiction related, but both important to me, because they have shown both sides of the coin.

BTW, don’t be like the first guy. It’s rude.

Until next time!

How Do I Deal With Writer’s Block? – Blogtober 2021

October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that writer’s block is a thing.

As I sit here typing this post, it’s 1AM. I’ve been working on Whumptober stories for about four hours. In that time, I’ve managed to finish one, start another, and plot out two more. That would be great… if not for the fact that I now am only ahead by two stories. Which means, tomorrow, in the midst of doing my Saturday duties (cleaning and laundry), I have to try to knock out at least two stories.

Easier said than done, honestly.

So, for the past week or so, writing has been hard. I just feel like the words I’m putting down on the pages aren’t good. Or if they are decent, I don’t have confidence in them. I’m just feeling drained at writing. Which makes sense, since I feel like I’ve been writing for a month solid right now.

But I anticipated this, which is why I wrote ahead so much.

But how am I dealing with it? Better than expected. Bet you didn’t think I’d say that.

Yes, I’m feeling like I’m behind, but at the same time, I know I’m ahead. I have four stories 100% completed for the back half of the month, not counting Days 16 and 17. I’ve mostly plotted out each story that hasn’t been written (barring one that I have to change, as someone ended up writing the exact thing I was planning on earlier on during the month, and I don’t want to unintentionally copy someone).

But I’m also taking time for myself. I’m watching more One Chicago and making plans for November. I’m finally about to break my PS3 and PS Vita out of their hiding holes as a reward for finishing, but I’m doing planning ahead of time. I’m letting myself be active on Discord, making friends with people across the country and world. I’m part of an active fandom across three sites, and I feel like I have things to contribute. And I’m planning a driving trip into Los Angeles to get away for a weekend day, just to drive through the city.

But I also have ways to get out of writer’s block.

One of the biggest is that I’m not writing my Whumptober prompts in order (unless I’m down to the wire, which I’m not yet). Instead, I’ve put all the remaining prompts in a jar and randomly choosing. Depending on the prompt, I either sit down and write it, or just plan it and return the number to the jar. I’m actually only nine away at this point, and this method has really worked well for me this time. In fact, the only two that I’m being “forced into” writing together are Days 18 and 21, on account that they are basically two chapters. I’m almost done with Day 21 as it is (it’s on my list for tomorrow).

Another thing is, I’m not binding myself to just working on Whumptober. Already once this month I managed to put out a random fic that wasn’t related to Whumptober, which ended up being hilarious. I’m not going out of my way to write something that isn’t Whumptober based, but I’m just letting myself be a bit free.

The final big thing is that I’m not holding myself to any real expectations. I told myself at the beginning of Whumptober that I’d try to finish on time, but if I can’t, I’m cool with that. I’m honestly happy with how much I’ve done already. If I get it all done, then I will probably celebrate. If not, that’s fine. I’ve done my best, and no one can really argue with me on that. I mean, at this point I’ve almost written 30k words. That’s better than I think I’ve ever done. So I’m cool.

Writer’s block used to be a major issue for myself. I’d stress daily about it, make myself feel sick because I wasn’t writing, and then not bring out my best writing. At least right now, I’m happy. And really, isn’t that all that matters?

Until next time!

Fanfic Writer Asks – Blogtober 2021

October 9, 2021October 9, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I was on tumblr yesterday evening after posting yesterday’s Whumptober post when I came across this post thanks to some… inventive clicking. Don’t look too much into that.

Anyway, I saw this ask post and thought, why not? Content right? So shoutouts to ddarker-dreams on tumblr for originally posting this. (It may be a repost, but I’m not looking too deeply into that.)

Because some of these questions address [Fanfic Name], I’ll be using a random number generator to pick a fic. At current, I have published 85 fics on AO3. I’ll be counting from the first published fic on my AO3 account as #1, and the fic I published today as #85.

1. What’s your favorite character(s) to write for?

Right now, I’m loving writing for Buck in 9-1-1. I also like delving into Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) and Booker (The Old Guard)

2. What character(s) do you find the most difficult to write for? Why?

Characters that are very technical or have to be athoratative. For some reason I just can’t. I also have trouble finding Andy’s voice (TOG), though I’m getting better about it.

3. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter?

(#45: Mind Control, The Old Guard, posted Feb 1, 2021)

This was the first Febuwhump fic I wrote, and it’s all one scene. But my favorite part was when I dropped the surprise ending, where Booker says he doesn’t remember anything, which changes basically everything. I’ve developed a quiet love for the surprise or twist ending.

4. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]?

(#30: Here Comes the Magic, Now You See Me, Posted Aug 6, 2013)

This fic was actually a 1sentence challenge, where you write a sentence featuring a pairing to a one or two word prompt. This was the last one I did if I’m remembering right, and I don’t think I left anything out. I just wanted to have a solid 12 1sentence challenges done when I finally finished it.

5. Do you listen to music when writing?

Yes! Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of lofi, but I’ve have a really random mix of music that I bounce around through. Depending on the fic, it could be easier to me to write if there aren’t any lyrics.

6. If you listen to music when writing, what were you listening to when writing [Fanfic Name]?

(#77: Tangled Up, 9-1-1, Posted Oct 1, 2021)

This was absolutely a lofi fic. I got really into listening to lofi while writing fic in the last six months or so, especially while working on Whumptober. Since this was day one of Whumptober, I’m almost certain.

7. What story/headcanons do you feel the proudest of?

I mostly follow what fandom dictates as headcanons. One of my favorite is that Reid didn’t get any help from anyone but Morgan when he was detoxing. It’s something that I’m pretty sure of personally, and I really made that a play in my fics.

8. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi chaptered stories?

Lately it’s been more one-shots than chaptered fics. I’ve been really enjoying only doing snapshots instead of humongous stories. It’s suited my writing style lately.

9. If you had to assign a theme song to [Fanfic Name], which would you assign?

(#5: She Didn’t See It Coming, Push, Posted June 20, 2012)

… I don’t even know. It’s been over ten years since I originally wrote that fic. Probably something sad and dark, considering the end of the fic. Which, by the way, absolutely broke me. I made myself cry.

10. What is the line you’re proudest of from [Fanfic Name]?

(#8: Sun and Moon, Trace Memory, Posted June 20, 2012)

… I had to reread this one. It’s been absolute years since I touched it, or the game that’s associated with it (Trace Memory). But I really love the final line. It’s pretty. (Pretty simple, but whatever. I think I originally wrote this back in late high school.)

11. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

I like writing character introspections. I focus on a specific character and their thoughts. It’s really fun to do, at least in my opinion.

12. Who is your favorite author?

I don’t! I read a lot of different fanfic, and I really don’t have an absolute favorite. There are so many different authors that I love, I can’t just single out one.

13. When did you start writing fanfic?

Technically, back in seventh grade. I was writing fics to keep hold of my grief after my father’s passing. I only discovered what fanfiction actually was in mid to late 2004, when I was looking up some information on the anime Gundam Seed and discovered Fanfic.Net. It was a really weird time.

14. How do you feel about your older work?

I wouldn’t say I’m embarrassed by it, but I don’t consider it great. I much prefer the stuff I’ve been putting out in the past year or so, as my newer style has been more perfected to what I like

15. What is the fanfic you’ve written that you’re most proud of?

There really isn’t just one. There’s a fare few that I really put my heart into . One is my old FusionFall crossover fic, which I loved because of how well I was able to make all the different OCs stand out. There’s also my TOG/CM series, which is a crossover that I never want to put down.

I’m pretty indecisive, honestly.

16. What fanfic tropes do you avoid writing for?

I avoid writing romance scenes that go into smut/spicy. It’s just not something that I’m comfortable with writing. The other thing I avoid is Major Character Death, mostly because I just can’t handle it lately.

17. What fanfic tropes do you gravitate to writing for?

I love to write character whump, and hurt/comfort. But it really depends on what the fandom is and which character I’m writing for.

18. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished?

I do basic editing while I’m writing, such as when I see marked spelling errors. The majority of editing is done when I take breaks or when I finish a scene/story.

19. What words do you think you tend to use the most?

I use a lot of -ly words. It’s something that I’m trying to break myself from, mostly because I think it’s becoming too much of a habit.

20. What feedback makes you the happiest to hear?

I absolutely love hearing about a reader’s favorite part of a story. It actually helps me to know what readers are enjoying so that I can focusing on it for newer fics.

21. Is there an idea you’ve always wanted to write, but haven’t yet?

I have a plot that I’ve been sitting on since I got into 9-1-1, where I’d have the crew from the OG show and the Austin Lone Star crew have to go to New York to a firefighters’ convention type thing, and have them run into some of the cast of CSI:NY. Because I think it would be funny. Maybe some time in November?

22. Do you enjoy making OCs for your fanfics, or prefer sticking to canon characters?

I used to write a lot of OCs, but I’ve lately moved into focusing on canon characters entirely. It really depends on the fandom as to whether or not I need to have an OC make an appearance at all.

23. How much do you stick to canon?

I try to stick to canon as much as I can, though there are some things I do try to avoid. Or, at least in the case of 9-1-1, I outright ignore certain parts of canon (the entire lawsuit arc).

24. Do you prefer AUs with the characters, or sticking to the original universe?

Absolutely the original universe. I like reading certain AUs, but I’m not much of a writer of them. I stick to the OG as much as I can.

25. What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it?

(#73: Digital Memories, 9-1-1/Digimon, Posted Sept 2, 2021)

This is a three chapter fic. I blasted through the first two, then got stuck. What made it difficult was I seem to have trouble with reunion scenes. Having to write a shocked Buck, on top of introducing two new characters, made me have to really sit back and figure out everything. It took a bit.

26. Are titles for your stories easy to come up with?

It depends. When I did Febuwhump, I just used the prompts as titles. This time around, I’m coming up with my own, and it’s a bit of trial and error. Some are coming easy, and others… are not.

27. What time of day do you prefer to write?

Afternoon and evening after dinner. That’s when most of the people on the Discord I’m on are available to sprint. I used to mostly write at night, especially late night, but I’ve mostly broken myself of that.

28. Is there a part of [Fanfic Name] you’re surprised no one has picked up on yet?

(#76: A (Former) Marine…, Criminal Minds / The Old Guard)

In the final scene, I made a point to show Booker and Nile as a couple without flat out saying it. As this pairing in recent days hasn’t been the best received (fandom sucks sometimes), I’m honestly shocked that no one noticed it. It’s subtle, but also blatant. They’re in bed together, damn it!

29. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

I really love actually doing the writing part of the writing process. I usually come up with plots on the fly, not really planning all that much. Of course, I’m actually planning Whumptober so…

30. Do you write down all your ideas? What makes you decide to write one versus the other?

I have a running post on my notes app on my phone that is just basic ideas. When I’m in the mood to do some writing, I look through all of them, then go onto the prompts channel on Discord and grab one of those. Because of course I did.

31. What was the development process of [Fanfic Name] like?

(#81: Internet Lock Out, 9-1-1, Oct 5, 2021)

So, this was what I want to call a rapid fic. I got the idea about an hour after Instagram and Facebook went down earlier this week. I blasted through the idea… and then forgot to post it until after Instagram came back up (boo.) but it was funny as hell. I think I wrote it in 40 minutes? I was sprinting.

32. What story do you think showcases your signature style the most?

Most anything that I’ve written in the the last year. I’ve developed a style with short stories that have an impact. Pretty much everything that has come out in the last year is a great showcase of my new signature style.

33. Have you ever stopped yourself from writing something? Why?

I’ve had this 9-1-1/Avengers Infinity War/Endgame idea sitting in my head since I got into 9-1-1. I’ve actually been actively brainstorming it… and then someone on discord said they had the same idea, and dropped their first chapter, and it was way too close to what I’d been sitting on. So, no story for me for a while at least.

34. Have you felt emotional while writing a scene before? What scene was it?

Pretty much any time I have to make a character cry, I’m probably also crying. It’s a thing.

35. Where’s your favorite place to write?

Up until this past year, I’d say on my bed with my laptop. But now my laptop has basically died, so now I love to sit in front of my desktop. It’s comfy.

36. What fanfic of yours has the symbolism you’re proudest of?

I hate symbolism. I don’t try to be symbolic when I’m writing. Honestly, it’s just not for me. (Which is why I didn’t get into teaching English when I graduated college with my English Degree.)

37. Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

Honestly? Not really. I’m not really a fan of collaboration. I’m totally cool with gifting fics or doing challenges, but I’m not someone who wants to write the same story with someone else.

38. What story of yours are you surprised that people liked as much as they did?

So, one of the fics I wrote for Whumptober is short as hell (just over 500 words). And yet… It’s exploded the night I posted it. So… Go me.

39. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

I’d like to think my dialogue, but that’s subjective. I’m trying to be more true to how characters speak when I’m writing now.

40. What area of writing do you want to improve in?

World building. Because I’ve spent so much time writing in the same fandom, I’ve noticed that I don’t need to world build nearly as much as I used to. It’s something that I want to work on in the coming months.

And that’s it, another random question thing in the bag! Fun fact, I actually didn’t look ahead at any of the questions, so I didn’t even know how many there were. So that made it fun.

Until next time!

So, What Exactly is My Writing Process? – Blogtober 2021

October 3, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Chaos.

Okay, no not really, but there are times it feels like it. I got asked this question a few times, and I figured this would be a fun thing to talk about.

My writing process depends on two things: what are my current distractions, and what is my timeline. Seriously, if one of those two things starts getting crazy, I can guarantee nothing is going to get done (like my review for 9-1-1 5×02, which is still half done, and I need to finish it for tomorrow).

How I start depends on what triggers the idea. Sometimes it’s a comment someone makes, usually a throwaway line in conversation. Other times it’s me wanting to change a scene from a television show or movie, or bring two elements together. And sometimes, in the case of challenges, it’s when I have a prompt and I just sit and stare at it until something hits me.

Once I have the idea, I usually come up with a short summary of what I’m aiming for. This could be a line, or a paragraph. It’s not meant to be overly detailed, it’s just a overview. From this, I’ll expand to bullet points. I wouldn’t call it an outline, but just more ideas. Several of my bullet points are usually related to setting the scene or how characters are feeling.

At this point, I’ve got an idea of where I’m going. So now it depends on the time of day and who is around. If it’s during the early afternoon or evening, there are usually a few people on my Discord who want to sprint. We do writing sprints for twenty minutes at a time, with a bot keeping track of our word counts (we input after each sprint). It’s a lot of fun and brings out the competitive angle. If I’m writing in a sprint, this is more of a freeform writing style. I’ll go back and edit, sure, but I’m not trying to stay bound. (It’s great for Whumptober, I swear.)

If no one is around, I usually just try to expand my bullet points into an actual outline. This is normally for my longer series. Once that outline is significantly set up, I try to write in order, from scene to scene. If I try to write scenes out of order, I usually have to scrap something, because they never line up right.

One of the biggest thing that has helped me in writing is the music I listen to. While I do listen to a lot of music, I’ve found that listening to lofi helps me focus. I can turn on Spotify and play it in the background, and it doesn’t bother me. Also, by using Spotify, I’m not seeing dynamic backgrounds or music videos, which would increase my chance for distraction.

I don’t have a set writing time, meaning that I don’t try to write for two hours a day or something. Instead, I try to write for as long as I want, regardless of quality. It doesn’t matter if it’s the most terrible thing I’ve ever written, it’s words on a page.

I also don’t set a word count, unless required for a challenge. Usually I aim for at least 1K words, but sometimes it’s less. It just depends on what I’m working on, and when the story feels like it is coming to a natural end.

Once I have finished writing a story, I actually save and close out and do something else for a bit. I just let it sit there completely unedited. After some time (15 minutes to a few days, again depending on time), I’ll open it again and give it a quick read through, making mental notes and immediate changes. If I have ink, I’ll sometime print out a copy to hand edit, though that’s not common right now because our family printer basically goes through ink in less than 80 pages.

After the first pass through, I take another break, but this time it is so I can come up with the details I need for finishing the story, especially if it’s a fanfic for AO3. That means title, rating, summary, any and all tags, and any author notes that may be necessary. That can take anywhere from ten minutes total to an hour.

I’ll give it a few more reads before I get ready to post it on AO3. Here is when I do my final read through. When I post the story in the text box, nine times out of ten it initially gets shown with quadruple line spacing, instead of just double, so I have to go through and delete the extra lines. While I do that, I go through the story word for word, making sure that I’ve cleaned up any of the issues and checking for any spelling and grammar mistakes that may have been missed.

And then I preview it, and skim it. And then I post it, and skim it.

By the time a fic is posted, I’ve usually read through it at least eight times, depending on the length. This way I can say I’ve done everything in my power to catch my mistakes.

And that’s it, my writing process, from idea to posting. The entire process, depending on the word count, can take between five hours (if it’s a spec fic or just very short), to two days. I try not to sit on stories, challenge and contest fics notwithstanding.

I hope you all enjoyed this look into how I get my fics written. I’m over on AO3 as RileyMasters if you want to read some fanfic. I promise I don’t bite. Much. I might nibble though, no promises.

Until next time!

Whumptober is Coming!

September 15, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Remember back in February when I took part in Febuwhump, and I didn’t finish until May? It was 28 fics, and I think I completely about 23 before the end of February, and the got some burned out I dragged myself to finish three months later. All were focused around The Old Guard, and I’m still proud of how much I wrote.

Well, I was thinking back to that time not too long ago, and I figured out why I burned out so much, and so quickly. It’s very simple, actually. I was trying to write every prompt on the day it needed to be posted.

By that, I mean that every morning, I’d get up, so my morning routine, and plant myself in front of the computer to write a fic. There was no real planning ahead, no writing ahead, just daily writing.

And I remember how burned out I got. I just didn’t want to do it anymore, but people in the TOG community were cheering us on, and I wanted to complete it for them.

Well.

After that, and all the stress I put myself under, I told myself never again. No big challenges, no bingos, no big bangs. Just writing when I felt like it. And for the rest of spring and all of summer, I stuck to that.

Until.

I was over on the 118 Discord (the 9-1-1 Discord I’m on) when one of the more prolific and well known writers in the community started talking her plans for October. She mentioned that she was debating between Flufftoper, Whumptober, and Kinktober, and she was jumping between the three. This started a major conversation, that started with an explanation of what each event was.

Flufftoper is basically 31 “fluffy” fics in October. By fluff, it means light and soft, no pain or injury or main character death. Just… happy thoughts.

Whumptober is somewhat obvious, I’d you were around my blog in February when I announced I was doing Febuwhump. Basically, it’s the bad stuff. Nothing’s really off limits. The prompts can be taken in lots of directions.

Speaking of taken, Kinktober is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a month of writing NSFW fics. Yeah. That’s it.

Anyway, we all really got talking, and I ended up getting convinced to take part in one of the two options I’d actually entertain (the third was Kinktober. I’m just no good writing NSFW stuff.

So, I did. I committed. I kept checking Tumblr and Discord to see if the prompts, mostly because I wanted to write them down and make everything pretty. It’s not like I could pre-write or anything. No, not at all.

As of today, it’s September 15th. I’ve already have seven of the prompts completed, with one mostly done and one in bullet point form (which is how I plan stories out). My goal is to be at least halfway done by the time October begins, which is a definite possibility. I also challenged myself (again) to try and do one fandom the entire way through. Thus far, it’s worked!

I came up with a fun way to pick my prompts, by the way. I wrote the numbers 1-31 on tiny squares of paper, folded them up, and stuck them in a jar. Every time I finish a fic, I pull a new one. If I don’t have a plot already planned for that number (of which there are a few that I haven’t come up with yet), I put it to the side and pick again until I find one that I can do. Then any “duds” go back in. I know which ones I’m still coming up with prompts for, and I’m actively thinking about them, even when I’m working on a prompt.

So, yeah. In addition to Blogtober, which is when I write a post every day, I’m also going to be doing Whumptober. The stress is real.

Until next time! (Wish me luck!)

So, What is a Writing Bingo?

September 6, 2021September 8, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

[Edit note: Some how this post was published on the 5th, complete, then “unpublished” right afterwards, and then was kinda stuck in limbo, without the last few paragraphs. Sorry about that. This should have gone live on Monday.]

I mentioned in my September Challenge post that I was taking part in the 9-1-1 Bingo. But I honestly just realized that I should explain what that means.

A Bingo is a writing challenge. You’re given a classic bingo-style card with prompts on the various boxes. Some challenges require you to black out the card, while others just want you to get a bingo. Depending on the bingo, you’re able to write a story, create and art piece, make a playlist, or something else. You’re also given a time limit, which is usually several months long.

In the case of the 9-1-1 Bingo, it’s a blackout bingo hosted by the 118 discord. We had the option between a 3×3 or 5×5 sized card, filled with random prompts.

Of course, I ended up choosing the 5×5, because I was feeling overly ambitious that day. That means 24 prompts (and a free space). Luckily the time limit is very generous, running from last April until the end of January 2022.

Here is my bingo board:

As you can see, it’s a variety of different prompts. Some are AU’s, which mean Alternative Universe. Those are either marked with AU, or are alluded to with “Paramedic Buck” (who is a Firefigher with EMT Level 1), “Doctor Chimney” (Firefighter/Paramedic in canon), and “Officer May” (currently a 911 Dispatcher/soon-to-be college freshman). Others are quote prompts, which means that you’re supposed to either use or heavily incorporate the line into your chosen medium. Finally, there are more classic prompts and tropes, such as “Forbidden Love,” “Earthquake”, and “Meet Ugly”.

For me, I’m focusing on writing. The word count has to be above 500 words, and I’ve been hitting that consistently with what I’ve already written. It’s actually been a lot of fun, as the 118 Discord frequently has writing sprints and a good amount of us use those to write.

As of the writing of this post, I’ve posted two stories (for the prompts “playing with their hair while their head’s in your lap” and “Earth to dumbass”), one is completed and I’ll be posting soon (the “painting the house that ends in a paint fight” prompt) and I have ideas for at least three others.

The ones I’m going to probably struggle with are the AU prompts, as I’m not much of a fan of them in the first place. Writing them is going to probably be a test of my patience. The thing about AU’s is I much prefer to stick within the canon of the universe, within reason. Writing full AU’s isn’t exactly fun to me, it’s a test in patience.

Since I don’t have to be done until January, I’m mostly taking my time and working on prompts in between Whumptober prompts (as well as a 9-1-1 Halloween fic that I just remembered I signed up for). It’ll be a while until I’m done, but I’m already happy with what I’ve got.

In short, bingos are fun, and if you have the time, give them a whirl!

Until next time!

I Finished “The Immortal Genius” on AO3! What’s Coming Next?

June 7, 2021June 3, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Back in October, when I started planning for Nanowrimo, I had no idea that the idea I would come up with would take such residency in my mind.

I had a set plan. Five chapters or so, episodic, starting with Reid reviving after dying in Georgia. Then it would have the Guard come to him. The next few chapters would be episode tags, ones where an immortal Reid might have made a difference, in a small way, without changing the overall result. It would end with Reid helping find Booker after the post-credit scene of TOG.

I was all set. And then, I barely wrote anything in November. I was hit by massive writer’s block that left me blank. I managed to post a scene from the larger story at the beginning of December, with the plan to finish the rest before the end of 2020.

Yeah, sure. After last year, there was no way I was gonna finish this project that damn fast.

Febuwhump surprisingly provided me with the tools and vehicle to finish the first part of the story. Ten “chapters” later, all published as singular stories, due to how I was posting for Febuwhump. (Mostly because I hated seeing fics with both interconnected and unconnected prompts being posted as chapters. It bothers me. I know. My own issues.) I told a story I wanted to tell.

Only, not everything.

You see, because of how I was writing the story, in pieces, I never did the episode tags. Specifically, “Minimal Loss” and “Nameless, Faceless”. I also managed to mess up my timeline pretty quickly, establishing the fic first as during a vague time in season seven, then “okay not really, Emily is here, whoops.” I skipped over writing Reid’s first death, instead introducing it during one of his page spanning train of thought scenes that seemed to take over whole chapters. I also skipped establishing why Reid and Andy don’t really seem to connect, but also where he stands with the others (sans Booker and Nile).

And that’s a bit of a problem. If I want to move forward, I need to establish some things. But I also need to set the stage for something else.

With my vague, handwaving timeline, I do have the ability to put a few things into the narrative. After all, I decided to cross in 9-1-1, because immortal!Buck is a concept that I want to play with, fight me. But that plan already had to change, because of an amazing AO3 writer who did a TOG/9-1-1 fusion fic… which ended up killing Buck in the exact same scene I wanted to use. Because great minds think alike. I managed to make it work, actually. Thank you Tsunami, because the timeline of that episode somewhat hurts me, especially since I looked at a map.

So, I now have plans.

I’m worried about adding stories into the series since I’ve already established ten in a certain order. But I also want to get to this new crossover sooner rather than later. I’m taking today to lay in bed and come up with some semblance of an outline.

The current goal is to hit those episodes that I really want to poke at. The reason I think “Minimal Loss” would be interesting is that Reid already spends much of the episode regretting what happens to Emily after she reveals she is an FBI agent during the siege against the religious cult they are in. He plays it off well, but imagine the guilt he’d feel if he was immortal and could have saved her from being attacked… except he had to keep his immortality a secret. It also would play into Reid only having been immortal for a short time at this point, just over a year, in fact. There’s also “Amplification”, which sees Reid stricken down with anthrax. In the TOG fandom, some have decided that the immortals can still get sick or be affected by things like poison, so it would be interesting for Reid to still solve the case, while having to act as though he was going to die, knowing that he’d get right back up if he does. And then there’s “Nameless, Faceless” with Reid getting shot. I think it would honestly be something of a comedy, with him having to pretend that he’s still hurt… after healing like fifteen minutes later. How would that change everything?

While my original plan was to set this as a three to four part fic, I realized a bit ago that it wouldn’t really work out that well. (Plus, I know I’m just gonna get sidetracked, and that’s not about to happen damn it.) Instead, I’m turning it into one long conversation, bookended with scenes from a bar, because I have a title that I refuse to not use, damn it. Plus, this would give me the opportunity to set up for the future. I can also address a couple little tidbits that I really want to poke, including the Malta Wedding, and Andy and Reid’s relationship. Oh, and Quynh’s place in the world. Because that’s important.

I’m about a third of the way down right now, with my notes stretching across onto a second page. Yes, I handwrite notes, while I type my stories. It’s honestly the only way I can keep up with little details.

I’m hopeful to get it done by the end of the week, or at least before any TOG2 announcement that may come with Netflix’s GeekedWeek. (The prayer circles have returned.) I also want to write and finish the introduction of immortal!Buck before Season Five kicks off. Fingers crossed.

Let me know if there’s anything you guys want to see!

Until next time!