john_harrison ◾ ◾ Member Posts

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 12:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 13:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 14:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 15:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-14 23:04

trobadora

I don't even know where today went; suddenly it's 11pm again?! Send extra hours - or a TARDIS, please!

Today's writing

Having a lot of trouble focusing today, argh. I made some progress restructuring one of the stories I'm working on, and figuring out the ending for another, but it's all going much slower than I'd like. Not much time left ...

I don't think chances are good for another

fandomtrees delay, but I wish!

Tally

( Days 1-10 )

Day 11:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 12:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 13:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 14:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-13 23:27

trobadora

In yesterday's poll, writing linearly is in the lead with 36%, but 23% of respondents are like me and write bits and snippets all over the place, then stitch them together. Here's how I put it back in 2008:

Backwards and forwards. Roundabout. A paragraph here, a sentence there, a half-scene, a turn of phrase somewhere out of joint. That's how it goes: like a puzzle, one of those with 10,000 pieces, but without much of an idea what the final picture will even look like. You have a few corner pieces, something solid, something to build on, but they may remain unconnected for the longest time. A bit of the picture somewhere in the middle - only it may turn out that it's actually in the upper left corner, once you see how things go together. And yet it does come together; in the end, it all fits, as a puzzle should.

That is the most amazing part: because unlike the puzzle, of course, those random bits of words and themes and structure aren't prefabricated to make sense. And yet they do.

I love writing. :D

Today's writing

Progress across three

fandomtrees treats! (I think those are the ones I can realistically finish, unless there's another delay. Or at least I hope I can!)

(I'm running late, so no question today.)

Tally

( Days 1-10 )

Day 11:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 12:

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

carenejeans,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 13:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-12 22:53

trobadora

In yesterday's poll, third person limited was the most popular POV for writing by far - 89% of respondents like it, whereas only 32% like to write in first person and/or third person omniscient. For reading, there's much less of a gap - 79% like to read third person limited, 68% third person omniscient, and 53% first person. In both polls, second person is by far the least popular with only 16%.

Interestingly, most people have the same POV preferences for fanfic and original fic when reading (63%) or writing (53%)!

And 89% of respondents would like a story from a tickybox's POV. :D

For me, I'm not fond of second person in reading - I've come across no more than a handful of stories I actually liked, and I can't put my finger on what made those ones work for me when others didn't. So I've never tried to write it myself.

With first person, I like it much more in original fiction than in fanfic - unless it's epistolary fic or something like that, or the canon is already in first person. IMO it's already difficult to write first person well in general, to get a character's voice that consistently right in such a close way that it really feels like the character's voice telling the story. But in fanfic, to me first person makes it much more obvious when the author's view of the character's interiority differs from mine, so it often doesn't work for me for that reason.

I've written a bunch of first person stories, almost all for Sherlock Holmes and adjacent fandoms (out of 10 works, seven are in first person) - though not BBC Sherlock; as a TV canon, that's firmly in third person territory for me. *g* And I've tried omniscient POV once (The Finality Problem, Study in Emerald), which was a lot of fun. But the vast majority of what I read and write is limited third person. I really should experiment with POV more!

Today's writing

Progress on a

fandomtrees treat!

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34074

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 26

Are you a linear writer?

View Answers

yes, I start at the beginning and write until the end of the story
9 (34.6%)

yes, unless the story itself isn't linear
6 (23.1%)

no, I write bits and pieces all over the place and then stitch them together
8 (30.8%)

something else (see comments)
3 (11.5%)

tickyboxes are ...

View Answers

neatly lined up one after the other
7 (31.8%)

out of order
5 (22.7%)

beyond such human concerns
17 (77.3%)

Tally

( Days 1-10 )

Day 11:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

china_shop,

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 12:

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-11 22:11

trobadora

How is tomorrow Monday again already?! Someone stole my weekend!

According to yesterday's poll, approximately 75% of respondents think about structure in some fashion while writing. POV sections, parallels and repetitions got the most votes.

As for me, I used to always pay attention to structure especially in terms of parallels and mirroring sections and such, even for very short pieces, but I lost that a little bit in recent years. I need to focus more on that again - I always felt it made things better! But for longer pieces, structure is still a basic part of how I conceive of a story.

One of the most obvious structuring elements is with multiple POVs, and I always try to have them alternate in a clear pattern. For example, my Yuletide fic this year has four chapters, structured by location, and the POV pattern was AAB-BBA:

Chapter 1 - POV A
Chapter 2 - POV A, POV B
Chapter 3 - POV B
Chapter 4 - POV B, POV A

The story is mostly written in close limited 3rd person, but I also started each chapter with a more distant/mythic omniscient POV and then zoomed in on the character.

60% of respondents agree that no poll is complete without tickyboxes. My people! *g*

I haven't been keeping up with Star Trek for ages, but I was curious about the upcoming Starfleet Academy show and looked into things a little. And video reviews aren't usually my thing, but I just watched most of this video, and it makes it sound very promising! Here's hoping.

Today's writing

Instead of working to finish anything, I've started something new. Why, brain, why?

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34070

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22

What POV do you like to write in?

View Answers

first person
6 (27.3%)

second person
3 (13.6%)

third person omniscient
7 (31.8%)

third person limited
20 (90.9%)

other (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

What POV do you like to read in?

View Answers

first person
11 (50.0%)

second person
3 (13.6%)

third person omniscient
15 (68.2%)

third person limited
18 (81.8%)

other (see comments)
3 (13.6%)

My writing preferences for fanfic and original fic are ...

View Answers

the same
12 (54.5%)

different (see comments)
6 (27.3%)

I only write one of these
4 (18.2%)

My reading preferences for fanfic and original fic are ...

View Answers

the same
14 (63.6%)

different (see comments)
8 (36.4%)

I only read one of these
0 (0.0%)

I want a story from the POV of a tickybox

View Answers

yes! ticky that box!
18 (85.7%)

????
5 (23.8%)

NO
2 (9.5%)

Tally

( Days 1-5 )

Day 6:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 7:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

shadaras,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 8:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 9:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 10:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 11:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-10 22:13

trobadora

In yesterday's poll, old WIPs from 2010-14 are the most common, with 2020-2023 next and 2015-2019 right behind! Mine fall into the 2010-14 era too - the oldest ones I still have a reasonable hope of finishing are from 2011. (Which is not to say I don't have older ones - many of them - but they're much less likely to happen unless I hit another intense fannish phase for those fandoms and it coincides with a good writing period ...)

On the other hand, most people worked on their WIPs very recently - 2024-25 got the most votes by far, with 2020-2023 right behind it. Whereas I haven't touched any of those 2011 WIPs since 2017 or so ... *g*

Today's writing

So far I've only written a few sentences - I'm only now sitting down to write, but I wanted to get this post up in a reasonably timely fashion.

(I've been rewatching the first half of Guardian eopisode 9 for our slo-mo rewatch, and taking lots of notes. Still writing up my comments for that post, too - so much fun! :D)

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34065

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 21

Do you think about structure when you write?

View Answers

yes, in terms of POV sections
10 (47.6%)

yes, in terms of rising/falling action
6 (28.6%)

yes, in terms of parallels and repetition
9 (42.9%)

yes, in other terms I'll explain in comments
4 (19.0%)

no, not at all
5 (23.8%)

it's complicated; I'll explain in comments
1 (4.8%)

Do you notice structure when reading?

View Answers

always
4 (19.0%)

sometimes
15 (71.4%)

rarely
2 (9.5%)

never
0 (0.0%)

Must this poll must have a tickybox question?

View Answers

yes, because structurally, all the polls did
9 (45.0%)

yes, because no poll is complete without tickyboxes
16 (80.0%)

no, because there's already a question with checkboxes above
1 (5.0%)

other - I'll explain in comments
1 (5.0%)

Tally

( Days 1-5 )

Day 6:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 7:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

shadaras,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 8:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 9:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

Day 10:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-09 23:06

trobadora

candyheartsex assignments have arrived, and I got what I hoped I'd get!

In yesterday's poll, the majority of people work on one thing at a time when it's for a deadline, but on multiple things at once when it's not. Fascinating!

(Also, in tickyboxes, the majority said they'd tick whichever ones they like. More interestingly, 33,3% of respondents chose "tick them all", but only 11% actually did tick them all. *g*)

For me, I usually have multiple things going no matter what. When I'm in the very final phase of finishing a story, I need to focus on just that; otherwise, there may be a "main" thing I'm working on, but it's hardly ever the only thing. Creativity begets creativity, so the better the writing is going with one thing, the more ideas and snippets my brain produces for other things as well. *g*

Today's writing

Some more

fandomtrees, but also, I had a brainwave and wrote some snippets plus a bunch of notes for an original fic WIP I hadn't touched since 2018. I think my writing brain is starting to function properly again if it's randomly throwing out things like that!

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34063

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 23

My oldest WIP that I still hope to finish was started in ...

View Answers

before the year 2000
0 (0.0%)

2000-2004
3 (14.3%)

2005-2009
1 (4.8%)

2010-2014
6 (28.6%)

2015-2019
4 (19.0%)

2020-2023
6 (28.6%)

2024-2025
1 (4.8%)

2026
0 (0.0%)

I last worked on that WIP ...

View Answers

before the year 2000
0 (0.0%)

2000-2004
0 (0.0%)

2005-2009
2 (9.1%)

2010-2014
2 (9.1%)

2015-2019
2 (9.1%)

2020-2023
8 (36.4%)

2024-2025
8 (36.4%)

2026
0 (0.0%)

tickybox is ...

View Answers

old-school
12 (63.2%)

eternal
14 (73.7%)

something I'll tell you in comments
0 (0.0%)

Tally

( Days 1-5 )

Day 6:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 7:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

shadaras,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 8:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 9:

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-08 22:10

trobadora

As usual (and as I hoped for), fandomtrees has a one-week delay, so now I have a much better chance of finishing more than one thing, heh. Here is the latest admin post with the trees that still need gifts.

Also, candyheartsex sign-ups have closed, and three more people in my fandoms signed up after I had already gone to bed! Can't wait to find out what my actual assignment will be.

Today's writing

I worked a little on one

fandomtrees treat, started planning another, and did some brainstorming for

candyheartsex. It's still all slower going than I'd like, but I'm feeling much better, so there's that.

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34059

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 19

If I have multiple works I want/need to finish by the same deadline, I ...

View Answers

write and finish them one after the other
11 (57.9%)

work on multiple things in parallel
7 (36.8%)

something else
1 (5.3%)

When I'm working on things without deadlines, I ...

View Answers

work on one thing until I finish or give up
6 (31.6%)

work on multiple things in parallel
13 (68.4%)

something else
0 (0.0%)

When I have tickyboxes, I ...

View Answers

tick one
5 (27.8%)

tick them all
6 (33.3%)

tick whichever ones I like
15 (83.3%)

something else
2 (11.1%)

Tally

( Days 1-5 )

Day 6:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 7:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

shadaras,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 8:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-07 22:13

trobadora

The headache is gone today! My head still feels a bit like it's been through the wringer, but otherwise I feel human again. Phew!

Today's writing

Slow to start, but I hope to write some more tonight. And hopefully tomorrow things will be fully back to normal. Fingers crossed!

Tally

( Days 1-5 )

Day 6:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 7:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-06 21:20

trobadora

Third headache day in a row; this sucks. (Today is a bit better than yesterday, but I want it to go away! *kicks it*)

Today's writing

Just a little

fandomtrees work, but I'm really losing momentum here. :(

(I did finish my

candyheartsex letter last night, at least. Now I just have to hope someone requests something I can write ... Sign-ups are still open until tomorrow, btw!)

Tally

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

philomytha,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 2:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 3:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 4:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 5:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 6:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-06 00:06

trobadora

Dear

candyheartsex creator,

thank you so much for writing a story or creating art for me! I've requested and received all of these fandoms before - some I've requested for many, many years, and often with the same prompts, because when I really enjoy something, I immediately want fifty more takes on the same thing. *g* So don't worry about repeating things! I'll be absolutely thrilled about anything you can create about the relationships I requested.

Everything important is in the requests themselves, but if you'd like even more info, general likes etc., here you go.

My AO3 account is

Trobadora, and it's set to welcome treats.

General Preferences

( Likes & Dislikes/DNWs )

Fandoms and relationships

In somewhat alphabetical order - note that some sections are expanded compared to the sign-up form:

Jump directly to:

绅探 | Detective L: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei, Huo Wensi/Luo Fei & Qin Xiaoman
Grimm: Nick/Renard, Renard/Juliette, Nick/Renard/Juliette, Renard & Elizabeth, Renard & Henrietta, Elizabeth/Kelly
镇魂 | Guardian (TV): Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Ya Qing/Zhu Hong, Shen Wei & Ya Qing
Grimm/镇魂 | Guardian (TV) crossovers: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Renard, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Juliette, Shen Wei & Juliette, Nick/Renard/Juliette & Shen Wei, Renard & Shen Wei, Renard & Ya Qing, Renard/Ya Qing
Legend of the Seeker: Cara/Darken Rahl
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Anastasia/Jabberwocky
Sherlock (BBC): Sherlock/Moriarty, Sherlock/Moriarty & Eurus
Time Engraver Crossovers: Time Engraver/Zhao Yunlan, Time Engraver/Jiang Yang, Time Engraver/Luo Fei
天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers - priest: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu
山河令 | Word of Honor: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu & Luo Fumeng
长公主在上 | Eldest Princess On Top: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing

( 绅探 | Detective L: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei, Huo Wensi/Luo Fei & Qin Xiaoman )

( Grimm: Nick/Renard, Renard/Juliette, Nick/Renard/Juliette, Renard & Elizabeth, Renard & Henrietta, Elizabeth/Kelly )

( 镇魂 | Guardian (TV): Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Ya Qing/Zhu Hong, Shen Wei & Ya Qing )

( Grimm/Guardian crossovers: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Renard, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Juliette, Shen Wei & Juliette, Nick/Renard/Juliette & Shen Wei, Renard & Shen Wei, Renard & Ya Qing, Renard/Ya Qing )

( Legend of the Seeker: Cara/Darken Rahl )

( Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Anastasia/Jabberwocky )

( Sherlock (BBC): Jim Moriarty/Sherlock Holmes, Jim Moriarty/Sherlock Holmes & Eurus Holmes )

( Time Engraver Crossovers: Time Engraver/Zhao Yunlan, Time Engraver/Jiang Yang, Time Engraver/Luo Fei )

( 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers - priest: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu )

( 山河令 | Word of Honor: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu & Luo Fumeng )

( 长公主在上 | Eldest Princess On Top: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing )

2026-01-05 22:03

trobadora

Most people find deadlines help them finish things! So do I - but what they mostly do for me is make me start actually working on a thing rather than just noodling around and/or writing bits and pieces. While I do write and finish things on my own, that depends heavily on initial motivation and inspiration - whereas with exchange fics, I often find that when I do start working on something, inspiration comes along anyway. But first I have to get started! - And, well, executive function and all that ... *g*

Today's writing

I still have a headache, and everything is very slow-going, but I'm working on

fandomtrees.

(And also on my

candyheartsex letter, which is almost finished ...)

[No question today because headache.]

Tally

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

philomytha,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 2:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 3:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 4:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 5:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-05 02:00

trobadora

New Year Book Meme, via

calliopes_pen:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 126
3. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.

I'm quoting the sentence in context, just for additional fun:

Schließlich sagte Fidelma in ruhigem und vernünftigem Ton: "Ich bin wieder in Ordnung, Grian. Du kannst mich loslassen."

Definitely happy to take that for 2026!

(The book is Peter Tremayne's Tod auf dem Pilgerschiff - the German translation of Act of Mercy, one of the Sister Fidelma mysteries. I happen to also have the English version in ebook form - there, the paragraph in question reads, "Finally Fidelma said in a quiet and reasonable tone: ‘I am all right now, Grian. You may let go.’")

2026-01-04 21:51

trobadora

Going by yesterday's poll, most people only sometimes know how the story will end when they start writing. I envy the ones who usually do - I used to be like that; the ending was what I started out with, long before I came up with the beginning. But in recent years that's changed more and more: I come up with a fun beginning, and then end up flailing because I don't really know where to take it. /o\ I'd really like to change that again, but I'm not sure how.

Also, most people in the poll said that if they don't know the ending, they'll just write the story until it gets there. More envy! But at least I'm not the only one who can only write bits and pieces until I know what I'm aiming for.

Today's writing

I've been having a headache all day, and if it weren't for

fandomtrees reveals approaching, I probably wouldn't have written more than an alibi sentence. As it is, I worked a little on the treat I started yesterday, and I think I'm figuring out the ending, so it's good that I did.

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34042

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24

Do you find deadlines helpful for writing?

View Answers

yes, they help me write
4 (16.7%)

yes, they help me finish things
12 (50.0%)

no, they only make me nervous/anxious
3 (12.5%)

no, they don't do anything for me
4 (16.7%)

it's more complicated; I'll explain in comments
4 (16.7%)

tickybox is not a writer/has never had deadlines
0 (0.0%)

Tally

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

philomytha,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 2:

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 3:

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 4:

china_shop,

trobadora,

ysilme

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-03 22:06

trobadora

In yesterday's poll, seven people said they never forget to write! I'm so envious, I want to know your secret.

(On busy days, sometimes when I finally have free time, I'm just mentally exhausted, and I remember nothing that doesn't come with dire urgency and a big fat red alert. *g*)

Also, in the tickybox question, "tock" is winning out over either of the "tick" options, and several people each ticked one of the boxes or all three, but none ticked two out of three. Fascinating! :D

Today's writing

I started a new

fandomtrees treat today, and it looks like it's coming together! But I don't know yet how to end it, and as I said yesterday, that's always difficult for me. I'll just have to poke at it some more until I figure it out ...

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34040

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 28

When I start writing ...

View Answers

I usually know how the story will end
8 (28.6%)

I only sometimes know how the story will end
17 (60.7%)

I hardly ever know how the story will end
3 (10.7%)

If I don't know the ending ...

View Answers

I write the story until it takes me there
21 (80.8%)

I try out different endings until I hit on the right one
0 (0.0%)

I can't write more than bits and pieces until I figure it out
4 (15.4%)

I can't write it at all until I figure it out
1 (3.8%)

I do something else, which I'll explain in comments
0 (0.0%)

Tick-tock

View Answers

goes the clock
18 (100.0%)

Tally

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

luzula,

philomytha,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 2:

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 3:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

2026-01-03 03:10

trobadora

I haven't done this meme in a few years, but I thought I'd do it again this year!

My writing year started out strong; then I crashed for a few weeks in March, and by the time I was recovering, it all fell into a ditch due to work-related lack of time and sheer exhaustion. July and August ended up my worst writing months since the start of WED. But I recovered toward the end of the year, even though work picked up again in November, so the end result was pretty good anyway!

Some statistics:

Total number of posted stories in 2025: 12 - one fewer than in 2024; I hope to write more things again in 2026!

Total word count (posted): 88,174 - about 18k more than 2024: while I wrote fewer stories, many more of them were on the longer side. In fact, this is the second-highest amount of words I've posted in a year, only beaten by 2018 with 97,933 words.

Total word count (written): 155,611 - about 6k more than 2024. The last time I wrote more than this was in 2018; I hope to get back there some day.

Highest monthly word count (posted): 30,631 (December) - almost 20k of this is due to

ficinabox reveals being delayed for three weeks; the rest is Yuletide.

Highest monthly word count (written): 57,548 (February) - my best writing month since I started keeping track in a spreadsheet back in 2014! Of course part of that was that I ditched my

highadrenalineexchange fic post-deadline and wrote something entirely new, LOL. Maybe it's no wonder that I fell into a slump after HA reveals in early March. *g*

Most words written in a day: 6,583 (1st March) - the final rush to the HA finish line!
Fewest words written in a day: 1 (9th September) - before my writing started to recover a bit towards the end of the month.

Months I actually posted fic: 6 - one fewer than 2024.

( more meme and numbers )

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

Mainly, I want to write more words than in 2025, finish more stories, and post fic in more months.

◾ Current Mood: contemplative

2026-01-02 21:56

trobadora

Welcome aboard WED, everyone! Glad to see you all here this month, may it be a great one for writing!

It snowed here last night! And unlike the previous time this winter, it was cold enough that the snow stayed on the ground. I really should have gone for a walk, but felt very lazy today and only went out briefly for groceries.

Yesterday's and today's writing

Yesterday, I only wrote a small snippet and made some notes - but they were important pieces: I figured out how to end my

fffx fic!

For this story, I had a great beginning and I knew some thing I wanted to have happen, but until yesterday I was completely unclear about how to end it. And I always struggle with writing when I don't know what I'm writing towards. I find it really hard to write without having an ending in mind! Now I know what I'm aiming for - the story still has a gaping hole in the middle, but now it's just about plotting a course from Point A to Point B. *g*

Today, I poked at various

fandomtrees things, but didn't really make much progress. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive!

WED Question of the Day

Poll #34037

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14

Do you have days when you forget to write?

View Answers

yes
2 (14.3%)

no
7 (50.0%)

it's more complicated than that
5 (35.7%)

Do you have strategies to help you remember?

View Answers

yes, I'll tell you in the comments!
2 (15.4%)

no
10 (76.9%)

it's more complicated than that
1 (7.7%)

I just want to tick a tickybox!

View Answers

tick!
8 (57.1%)

tock!
10 (71.4%)

tick!
6 (42.9%)

When I'm busy, I sometimes forget or just don't find any time/energy to write. So my strategy is to keep a physical notebook on my pillow so I'll be reminded when I go to bed.

The other thing that helps - because I do try to write every day, and don't want to break my streak - is to use alibi sentences with abandon. (Those are the sentences you write just so you can say you wrote something. No matter how short they are, they're still something - and enough of them in a chain can add up to considerably more. *g*)

Tally

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,