Tag: fanfic

Whumptober Wrap Up – Blogmas 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

September 2022 Edit

Hey everyone, before you read this post, I just want to give a quick disclaimer. I was a member of the 118 Discord up until May 2022, when I left due to a… difference of opinion on something that happened in the 9-1-1 fandom and how people might handle it, as well as seeing that the mods had become people I was no longer comfortable with supporting in any way. It’s my personal belief that the 118 Discord is have become a dangerous place and probably will never be a safe place in fandom again, unless you cast aside your ability to have an opinion and only follow their personal opinions and beliefs about this fandom. You can make your own opinions. I won’t be removing the references to that discord from this post, as that would be disingenuous (unlike their handling of many things in fandom), but I want it clear that I do not represent or support them in any way. These fics mentioned here were written before this all came to light. All reference to the discord have been removed from the fics, both tags and author notes. As a added point of clarity, this post has remain unedited beyond this note, a brief note at the end of the post, and the links to the stories. My comments written here do not reflect how I currently feel about the discord or any named members.

Thanks so much for your understanding.

This has taken me an extra five weeks to do… because HOLY SHIT.

When I decided to do Whumptober back in September, I figured it would go the way of Febuwhump. I would be good for about half the month, then taper off and be behind until early December, if I was lucky. But the 118 Discord was absolutely amazing and inspiring, and wow, did I get shit done. In fact, I finished writing everything several days early!

So, my plan is to break this down in a few different ways. I’m not going to talk about every fic that I ended up writing for the challenge, but I will hit on a few that became my favorites. Trust me, there’s a bit to get through.

Challenge Comparison

Before we get into the Whumptober data, I wanted to actually compare it to Febuwhump. Both were month long challenges, but wow did things go differently.

During Febuwhump, I wrote 28 fics between February 1st and May 9th. During Whumptober, I posted 31 fics between October 1st to the 31st. (Technically, I started writing in early September, but the posting dates are what counted.)

My total word count for Febuwhump was 30,373 words, focused primarily around The Old Guard, with several crossovers with Criminal Minds.

My total word count for Whumptober was 41,922 words, primarily focused in the 9-1-1 fandom, though I did cross over with 9-1-1: Lone Star, Digimon, Sword Art Online, The Old Guard, and Criminal Minds.

Now, I will point out that the 9-1-1 fandom is much larger than The Old Guard fandom, which explains why my total hits and kudos are so skewed towards the former. But it is interesting to see that I wrote over 11000 words more, with only three extra days to show for it. But I’m not too surprised.

Most Popular by Hits

The most popular fic I wrote during the month by far is actually one that I’m not happy about. I wrote a fic for day five called “Two Directions,” which is an Anti-Ana fic. Now, I wrote it prior to the premier of the latest season of the show, when the character Ana Flores was nothing more than a cardboard cutout of a character. By the time the day came around to post it, it was the day after the third episode, where Eddie breaks up with her. Now, the fic itself doesn’t exactly paint her in the best light (though it’s nowhere near as mean as several that I’ve read in the fandom). But I’m not exactly proud that I wrote it the way I did. I ended up putting a pretty detailed note at the beginning explaining my intentions with the fic, and how it was written early. I’m glad it was popular, but it’s not one of my favorites.

The next three on the list for top hits are all within about a hundred hits of each other. “Rude Wake Up Call” was written for day two, and it’s the shortest fics I ended up writing, as I was still getting back into really writing. This one is one that I actually enjoyed writing, and it’s one that will soon (hopefully) get a second chapter.

“Maybe He Should Skip Leg Day” was a fun one from day ten, that I really enjoyed figuring out how to make work. I really enjoyed the narrative behind this one, without even trying. I think I wrote this in about two hours? And it worked, without too much trouble. I also did a good deal of research with this one to make it at least semi accurate. Did I succeed? I think so.

And of course, let’s not forget about “The Most Valuable Collectable” from day twenty eight. But I’m going to wait to really talk about that one.

The fifth fic on this list was one that I never expected to get so damn long, but it did. When I started day twenty three’s “Taking Something Precious,” I figured it would be maybe just over a thousand words. I didn’t think I would nearly hit three thousand, with plans for another chapter. I also wasn’t planning on writing SEAL!Buck, but that’s what happened. It was absolutely crazy, and I have to thank the Discord for encouraging me to finish it once I realized where it was going. This one is a ride, and I really want to hop back on.

Most Popular by Kudos

The top two fics for this category were “Maybe He Should Skip Leg Day” and “Taking Something Precious.” Since I already mentioned them, I’m going to move past them.

When I was writing “The Most Valuable Collectable,” I’ll be totally honest, I ended up scrapping it and restarting. I realized the way I wrote the villain was wrong, and would present a commentary that I wasn’t comfortable with. I ended up changing it, and it mostly worked, though I think if I had some more time, I would have done things a little (okay, a lot) differently.

The night before I posted day twenty nine’s “Seventy Hours, and A Moment More,” I felt like something was missing from it. So I jumped into a couple sprints on the discord… and added nearly 1500 words and an entire subplot. What had been this simple little fic expanded into something else, and I’m really happy about it. It was worth all the extra trouble I ended up going through in editing.

“‘No’ is a Complete Sentence” from day seventeen ended up being one of the most talked about fics, both on AO3 and on Discord. Apparently me leaving it where I did was a problem? I have the second chapter mostly written, I just need to sit down and finish the thing. I want May to be strong, instead of some weak character that many of the people in the comments kept portraying her as. This one is one of my favorites, BTW.

Most Popular by Comments

The top fic for this category was “‘No’ Is a Complete Sentence.”

I wasn’t exactly happy with day four’s “Do You See Me?” So much so that I’m considering adding a second part. It deals with a scene from one of the second season episodes, and it’s something that I really thought was going to happen (congrats writers, you got me). But I’ve read someone else’s take on the scene, and it was far better then my own. This is life.

“Left Behind” from day six was… personal. Something that wasn’t addressed in the show was exactly what happened between the end of season two, and the beginning of season three, primarily focused on Buck. When I first saw the show, I assumed that the 118 had his back the entire time that Buck was on medical leave, but I’m not entirely sure that was the case. When I wrote this one, I was pretty stubborn. (My thoughts on this have changed a bit more since writing this fic, and it’s something I want to talk about in a full post one of these days.)

Two fics ended up tied for the fourth position on the list. One I’ve already talked about (“Taking Something Precious”). The other…

When I started brainstorming the prompts for Whumptober, day twenty two was one of the first I came up with. “Hiding Behind a Screen” was inspired by another fic, but I took it in a different direction. I was never a fan of Abby in the show, especially of how her relationship with Buck was shown. When it came to this fic, I thought about it, and her reaction during the final episode of season one. It’s, not very nice to her, but I really did enjoy writing it.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I’ve already discussed every fic on this top five! They are: “Seventy Hours, and A Moment More,” “Taking Something Precious,” “Maybe He Should Skip Leg Day,” “‘No’ is a Complete Sentence,” and “Left Behind.”

Length

Two fics in this category were already mentioned: “Taking Something Precious” and “Seventy Hours, and a Moment More.”

Alright, the first one is kinda cheating, because I did just write the second chapter. But I’m counting it, because I posted it on my birthday. Day twelve’s “I’m Begging You (to Come Back to Us)” is a crossover fic, one of like six I wrote for this challenge. I had a random thought one night on the Discord, and this idea popped in my head and wouldn’t leave. What if Buck decided to play a video game from Japan, and ended up trapped in it. Thanks, Sword Art Online, for not getting out of my head. While it didn’t end up popular, it was actually kinda fun to write a character that had interactions with the main characters of SAO, without actually talking to them. Outsider POV was fun to do in those scenes!

“Just Keep Swimming (Until the End of Time)” from day eleven was a labor of love, because I had to publish a fic before this, which I barely managed to do before Whumptober started. This was the biggest crossover I did, as I tied 9-1-1 into my Immortal Genius series. Having to writing about drowning was… terrifying. I had a plan originally, but someone ended up writing something to that effect, so I had to move it. It’s a whole thing. But I loved this one, and I really want to jump back into this world.

Prior to Whumptober, Sadie from the Discord and I both wrote 9-1-1/Digimon fics in celebration of Odaiba Day. I ended up using day three as the sequel to that fic, and I loved it. “Unwelcome Guests” features more Digimon as well as problematic parents. I had way too much fun thinking about how the different characters would react to Digimon, and it was worth it. This had actually been requested, and there will be a third fic to go with this… someday. That will hopefully feature more of the 118.

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention

These last five are the ones that I really think deserved some more love, because I’m proud of them.

“Gettin’ Taken For a Ride” was a funny but serious take on kidnapping. I trapped Buck inside a trunk and sent him over a cliff. No, that’s not a joke. It ended up being one of my favorites, because I added in the surprise villain in the last paragraphs. This one will be betting a follow up for sure.

Okay, “Revenge, Just Add a Cactus” is seriously just a fic I wrote to tease the hell out of SadieYuki. She has had a tag on AO3 that is “Chase Mackey can Suck a Cactus”, and I just couldn’t help it. The damn thing wrote itself. I wrote most of it in like an hour, and laughed my way through every moment.

“Just a Little Nick” was my required response to Buck getting cut while on blood thinners. This one… I just kinda ran with it. I’m not too happy with it, because it’s been done before, but I got to throw in a joke to Eddie’s cooking. Or lack there of. Speaking of which…

“Cooking is a Public Health Hazard” was my ‘kitchen scene’. Basically, in 5×03, Ana leaves Eddie’s kitchen looking like a bomb went off. It’s insanity to see, if you haven’t. Most of the fandom wrote scenes that made fun of it. I… had a lot of fun writing this one, mostly because the excuses some of the fandom gave pissed me the hell off.

And finally, “Here’s to California Beaches” is my first attempt at writing what the 118 Discord called the pairing “Four Alarm Fire”. Basically, it’s the pairing of Buck/Eddie/TK/Carlos. Together in a poly relationship. I wrote it as pre-4AF, and I had fun with it. Plus I threw in a joke from when I was growing up…

Wrap Up

It’s hard to wrap up 31 fics, especially ones that I really loved working on. This is just a decent sampling of what I wrote, but there are others that are also available on my AO3 page. I’m really happy with how this all came out. In a way, it proved that I can write, and I can write a lot. I felt so good by the end, and I can’t wait to work on more. (Which I’m doing this month).

I hope you enjoyed this wrap up! I’ll absolutely be doing another one at the end of the 118 Advent. (September 2022 edit: Per note above, I will not be participating in any sort of fandom event set up by the 118 Discord. This statement had been stricken through to reflect this.)

Until next time!

Two Weird Experiences, 24 Hours Apart – Blogtober 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!

Fanfic Writer Asks – Blogtober 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

~ 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!

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

~ 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!

The Immortal Genius – Blogmas!

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I spent all November trying to drag this out of my brain where it has been living rent free. This is my NanoWrimo story that failed to exist when I needed it to. I’ve talked about it before, but now I can finally say more.

The prologue of sorts is now up on AO3.

I realized early on that I didn’t want to write a long story. But I also didn’t want to just write one or two short stories and call it a day. I’ve done it before, and I haven’t been every happy with doing that.

I started The Immortal Genius the same way I always do, with a brain dump. By that, I mean I open a new document (this time on Google Drive) and just write whatever comes to mind. I didn’t plan out what was going to open the story, how I was going to structure it, or even where the natural end point was. I just wrote single lines and quick plot ideas. From there I took a few lines and started to plan.

I came up with four plot ideas quickly: Reid’s introduction into immortality, conversations on Malta, the aftermath of Booker’s betrayal, and the family coming back together.

For obvious reasons, I immediately decided to not do that last plot idea yet. Starting a story in the middle is one thing, starting at the end is boring. Instead I tried to start at the beginning, but for some reason, it just didn’t flow. By now, so many people has done stories featuring that Hankel scene in Criminal Minds, and I just don’t think I could do it justice.

So, instead, I decided to combine the first three ideas. Flashbacks and introspection are a thing!

Unfortunately, because I wanted to get it out, I cut my planned last scene with drunk!sassy!Booker and sleepdeprived!Reid discussing a certain someone’s choices of late. That will be apart of the second story, where I also hope to at least have Nile have a conversation with Reid. They have a thirteen year age difference, but I’d really love to write a millennial vs the intellectual, or rather, Ms. Tech vs Mr. Anti-Tech. Because why not.

I would also love to have Nicky and Joe make appearances, but I think I’ll wait until the third part for that. Not that I don’t love our Immortal Husbands, but I’m kinda enjoying making these shorter pieces.

I’m planning on having the BAU make appearances in the next fic, mostly because having Reid be worried on the plane is so much fun. But we will see how it goes. If not soon, they will appear.

I’m also thinking of new plots and looking from prompts to play with. Reid’s been around for about five years now, and there has to have been some times he’s unintentionally joined in on the Guard’s missions. Plus, I want their reactions to some of this more… dangerous escapades. (Liberty Ranch, the Anthrax incident, the Barton incident…) And I really want to have the Guard cross paths with the BAU, but that’ll be later on.

For now, I’m going to take my time. I want to build into this world. And I’m having fun with it. We shall see where this takes me.

Until next time!