Meaningful to me
Dec. 13th, 2023 10:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alchemicinkNext month marks 10 years since I started posting my fics to AO3. (I still can't believe that much time has flown by!) So recently I was thinking about putting together a sort of "greatest hits" post when that anniversary rolls around, to share my favorite fics that I've written so far.
But as I was going through my fics, I realized that a lot of my favorites were the older ones. Looking back at them, the ones I'm extremely proud about were from 2015-2018-ish. Of course, there are some I adore which were posted after that, but not as many.
My impression is that most people generally would feel better about their more recent works, which would reflect an improvement in skills. Don't get me wrong; my older writing can occasionally be rough to read. But what I realized is that I simply enjoyed the subject matter that I was writing about more back that.
I focused a lot more on genfics and friendship fics in those days, with a bit of romance. These days, it's mostly romance stories with the occasional genfic.
I think I've been getting away from what I really loved about writing: character-focused stories. I loved finding a flaw in a character and then sending them on some type of journey (external or internal) as they dealt with that. Occasionally, I did add romance to these stories, but that usually was more of a side-plot to go along with the main one.
Somewhere along the way, I shifted the focus. Probably because my assumption is that most people prefer the romance and won't read the fic otherwise. And probably because I switched to a more active fandom where just about every fan interaction I had was based on shipping. (Looking directly at you, bnha fandom)
Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that my writing is more meaningful to me when it's not bogged down in romance. There's nothing wrong with romance, of course, but for me, it doesn't resonate as much as a genfic where the main character struggles and grows along the way. Basically, my romance fics have less conflict than my other fics, and I think I preferred writing more conflict.
(This is probably all a reflection of my definitely-ace-maybe-aro identity, but I'm not gonna delve into that here!)
With all that being said, I decided that my writing focus for 2024 is going to be mainly on my longer WIPs. There are a few I keep stalling out on because I'm trying to force a focus on romance, and it grinds the plot to a halt. I think if I just give myself permission to write those fics without the pressure of making the leads kiss by the end, then maybe I can actually finish a few!!
Fewer people will read them, but I will be more satisfied with my work.
All kinds of fics are valid, and I love reading a variety of them. But if I want to continue to enjoy writing them myself, I need to get back to the kind that is the most meaningful to me.
But as I was going through my fics, I realized that a lot of my favorites were the older ones. Looking back at them, the ones I'm extremely proud about were from 2015-2018-ish. Of course, there are some I adore which were posted after that, but not as many.
My impression is that most people generally would feel better about their more recent works, which would reflect an improvement in skills. Don't get me wrong; my older writing can occasionally be rough to read. But what I realized is that I simply enjoyed the subject matter that I was writing about more back that.
I focused a lot more on genfics and friendship fics in those days, with a bit of romance. These days, it's mostly romance stories with the occasional genfic.
I think I've been getting away from what I really loved about writing: character-focused stories. I loved finding a flaw in a character and then sending them on some type of journey (external or internal) as they dealt with that. Occasionally, I did add romance to these stories, but that usually was more of a side-plot to go along with the main one.
Somewhere along the way, I shifted the focus. Probably because my assumption is that most people prefer the romance and won't read the fic otherwise. And probably because I switched to a more active fandom where just about every fan interaction I had was based on shipping. (Looking directly at you, bnha fandom)
Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that my writing is more meaningful to me when it's not bogged down in romance. There's nothing wrong with romance, of course, but for me, it doesn't resonate as much as a genfic where the main character struggles and grows along the way. Basically, my romance fics have less conflict than my other fics, and I think I preferred writing more conflict.
(This is probably all a reflection of my definitely-ace-maybe-aro identity, but I'm not gonna delve into that here!)
With all that being said, I decided that my writing focus for 2024 is going to be mainly on my longer WIPs. There are a few I keep stalling out on because I'm trying to force a focus on romance, and it grinds the plot to a halt. I think if I just give myself permission to write those fics without the pressure of making the leads kiss by the end, then maybe I can actually finish a few!!
Fewer people will read them, but I will be more satisfied with my work.
All kinds of fics are valid, and I love reading a variety of them. But if I want to continue to enjoy writing them myself, I need to get back to the kind that is the most meaningful to me.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-14 07:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-15 02:31 am (UTC)I think it was helpful to take a step back and recalibrate what I wanted from my writing. So maybe now I'm on a better track for next year 🤞