inspired by:@dragonnan's response to her interview
Thank you so much for the honesty of your responses, @dragonnan; you have encouraged me to be similarly honest, despite my troubles of 2024.
How many words did you publish in 2024?
The quick answer is "not enough". It's been my worst publishing year ever; only 47,647 words.
What is your greatest achievement this year?
Honestly? Getting through the trials and tribulations of RL with anything resembling sanity and any energy left over for writing.
What are your top three fics you've written this year?
All three of these were WIPS in draft form which I FINALLY managed to finish and post:
What was your biggest pit of despair moment?
It's a toss-up between the five months of every sleep-deprived night spent checking pumps that kept rising ground water from flooding us, and the days spent dealing with our water company about their failure to deliver any form of sewer service. I learned how to deal with piss pots, failing pumps, electrical circuits tripping out our power (and the pumps) and having friends willing to let me shower, wash clothes, and cry on their shoulders. And the other half of the year was spent dealing with the health issues that arose, including a six-week cough, surgery for my husband, and the building works needed to ensure that we never, ever have to go through that again.
I have learned humility. And gratitude. Even when my long-running series- Magpies, Periodic Tales, Got My Eye on You -have not been updated enough (or at all), there are still new readers willing to binge their way through the 3 million plus words of my back catalogue. I learned that my Britpicking posts are appreciated as a resource, even when the fiction-writing gods have abandoned me.
I did years ago but I had no time or energy for it last year. This year, I might make an exception for @jbaillier (if she'll let me) as she launches her new PacRim story, but just grammar/proofreading (smirk- she doesn't NEED anything more!!!) TBH, it's best if people just DM me with specific questions.
What three fics have you read this year that you love?
No, that's NOT POSSIBLE. I can point to three amazing authors who have kept me sane when the fic writing gods have abandoned me.
Beyond them, let me stop and say THANK YOU to the many writers whose works gave me an escape from the horrors of 2024. Without you, I don't think I would have been anything like as resilient.
What ideas are percolating for 2025?
Inferno will be published. We are nearly there with well over 100k now done.
Then I will return to my WIPs- Magpies: Six for Gold, Magpies: Seven for a Secret Never to Be Told, a new Periodic Tale (Nickle), another couple of Crime Scene Haiku, same for Ex Files.
Who do you want to thank?
Most of all, @totallysilvergirl, my co-authoress for her patience, support, and friendship, and for letting me play with her Roberto Zanardi.
And others, so many others. Readers, re-readers, brand new to the fandom readers, and binge readers. Lurkers, commenters, and messagers on tumblr.
WRITERS!!! OMG- so many writers that I cannot begin to list them. Instead of writing 100k plus, I read over half a million words in the fandom.