(no subject)

ADMIN NOTE: This will be my last post. All other posts will be on my InsaneJournal. You can add my ij feed to your lj here. --The Quitter

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So, I wrote Now The Shining Sun Is Up for hd_holidays. It's a Harry/Draco story about dealing with the long-reaching social and political effects of war.

Although it really needs so much more work, I'm kind of happy with the story. It could've been so much better, really shiny, but as it is it got across the gut of what I really wanted to get across, I think. And that was why I entered the ficathon. You know I hate ficathons and only enter them because I love Lynne and Chrislee. But I've been trying to write H/D for a whole year now, and while I have millions of pieces of things on my comp, I've yet to really spit out one whole thing. For this ficathon I started about five different stories, 30,000 wasted words all told. It was in the last two days I wrote this one, and then the mods of the fest were nice enough to let me send in my second draft (which took another week or so to write, on top of moving) to post. The final draft would've been tighter, with excess talk cut out, and a couple vital moments added--but if I'd've had the time, I wouldn't rewrite this fic, just polish it up a bit. In TKPspeak, that means I'm a bit proud of it.

In other news, it was bizarre being a part of a fest with anonymous gifts, much less in a fandom I'd never participated in. Since no one in H/D fandom knows who I am anyway, I thought it wouldn't make much difference if I was anonymous or not, and that the fest would be a good way to get the story out there without having to wave my arms and say, "look at me!" Makes it weird, though, when people think they know who wrote it. Especially if they think it was mistful, which was flattering and also weird and also worrisome (i.e. I'm inspired by her writing! But am I "inspired" too much?). At any rate, it was pleasing and surprising the way people responded. It wasn't a mega hit or anything, but I don't really think the unpolished nature of the fic merits that. But there were people with really thoughtful comments who really appreciated what I tried to do with the story, which warms the cockles of my heart. (Not the mussels of my heart, though. Or even muscles; that's so purely clinical.) Since I've never participated in a fest like this before, and since I know no one in the fandom, it was weird to watch the comments trickle in--I kept wondering where they were coming from and who they were. Kind of like when I wrote Oroboros, the commenting on which was a surreal experience completely. In other words, I'm glad I did it, even if I've been stressing pretty much four months over it.

So, all five of you who read H/D, pls to be letting me know what you think, if you're so inclined as to read. I'll be reposting it on IJ in the next few days.

Next up is anelith's H/D, which I <3 so much I need to stop talking about it and just finish it!