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enchantedsleeperChallenge #2 for the Snowflake Challenge is:
1) Make a fanvid (not for a challenge/event)
Last year one of my goals was to make a fanvid, and I'm giving myself partial credit for the fanvid I'm making for Festivids which should be done in a few days; but technically the spirit of this goal was to make a vid not for an event or challenge (my other three fanvids were all made for the Good Omens fancon The Ineffable Con) but just for its own sake. So, I'm making it explicit in the goal this year xD
As I mentioned in Part 1, I now have a PC that's powerful enough to fanvid (previously I borrowed my significant other's laptop, as mine is too weak to handle Adobe Premier Pro), so hopefully it'll facilitate more vidding! The next vid I want to make is for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but I have a whole list of others from different films and TV shows, some of which I've been nursing for years ^^
2) Finish and publish any multichapter fanfic (of more than 2 chapters) OR finish a WIP that's at least a year old
I'm carrying this over from last year, because I didn't manage it and I still want that extra motivation to finally complete one of my ongoing multichapter fics. Technically I could accomplish this by publishing a new multichap, but it would be easier to finish an old one (and I have at least 2 that are one chapter away from completion).
Any of these would also qualify as a WIP that's at least a year old, but I will also count it if I finish and post something that's not a multichapter fic but has been lingering unfinished for more than a year, because I have plenty of those lying around, as well xD
3) Archive more fanworks on enchantedsleeper.space
One of my most enjoyable projects last year was starting a little self-hosted web 1.0 style fanworks archive, enchantedsleeper.space, and I've archived a couple of fanfics (and a bunch of mini-meta and fic scraps, which for some reason my brain found more fun, maybe because they're shorter and easier to format), but I still have so much more to archive. I'd like to take part in some fanwork archive directories, too, but right now I don't have enough fanworks in any given fandom to qualify (since it's no good being part of a directory of fanwork archives if you don't have archived fanworks), so I need to work on that!
I could set a more specific goal like "finish archiving works in at least one fandom" but any progress will be good progress (and hopefully I'll add a bunch of fics in multiple fandoms. I just need to get back into the swing of it!)
4) Post consistently to Pillowfort and Dreamwidth
Thanks to the Snowflake Challenge, I've finally set up a blog on Pillowfort and am getting the lay of the land! I've been meaning to poke at Pillowfort for a while, because although I didn't feel like I needed another social presence, I do consistently hear them mentioned in a good way and I'm impressed that they're still over there doing their thing. So I decided to see if it's a thing I'd like to be part of!
I'm also constantly resolving to be more present on Dreamwidth, and while I did way better at that this past year in that I actually made a whole bunch of posts that weren't exchange letters(!), I'm still very sporadically "around" (publishing once every couple of months at best). But I have ideas for posts, I just tend to backburner them and then lose the urge to write them. Maybe with a goal to do this in 2024, I'll make it a priority!
5) Take part in the Sunshine Challenge
Given how much I missed the Snowflake Challenge after it ended, I was delighted to find that there is a "Snowflake Challenge, but for summer" in the form of the Sunshine Challenge! I really wanted to take part, but didn't manage to finish anything (I did have a fic idea that's specific to one of the prompts, so I may yet finish it - since there's technically no time limit to taking part!). However, this year I'm resolving to take part during July itself :D
6) Get Blackout on Comment Bingo
I've taken part in Comment Bingo twice so far (Rounds 3 and 4), and both times I've aimed for Blackout but not managed to fill out those last few boxes. While it's still great to get Bingo and leave any amount of comments on works, I want to see if I can manage a Blackout this year!
7) Finish an(other) original short story
In the second half of 2023 I found myself focusing on original writing for the first time in I'm actually not sure how long... when a couple of cool anthology projects caught my eye. (All being well, I'm going to be published in one of them, a tropey anthology of polyamorous erotica, in the spring!) It was an interesting exercise to go back to original writing (which was my primary focus once upon a time) after years of writing mostly fanfic. ("I have to give people a reason to care about these characters??") Even my writing sample for the anthology, which was meant to be original ideally, was fanfic 😂
In the past most of my original ideas have been for novel or novella-length stories, so writing a short original story also challenged my ability to constrain the scope of my ideas, and it's something I want to do more of. Therefore, in 2024, I want to finish at least one other original short story, either for fun/practice or to pitch to a zine if I'm feeling ambitious.
8) Make a comic
I love comics, and my most dearly-held writing ambition is actually to write for comics. I say "write" because I'm not a strong artist (though I'd like to be stronger), but I'm always coming up with ideas for silly little comics based on things that happened in my life, or funny moments with my nephews, and I also have some ideas for fancomics that don't require too much artistic skill. But it takes me a while, so I tend to sit on them indefinitely instead. xD
However, none of my ideas are going to materialise on their own, so I'm committing to making at least one comic this year, so help me!
In your own space, set yourself some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.I had a lot of fun setting some fannish goals for 2023, so I'm excited to think up my goals for 2024. This post has a Part 1 where I looked back on how I did against my goals for 2023, which isn't a "do or die" thing, but it's nice to see which ones I hit! This year, I wanted to include a couple of not specifically fannish goals, but the focus is still mostly on fandom and creativity. So without further ado...
1) Make a fanvid (not for a challenge/event)
Last year one of my goals was to make a fanvid, and I'm giving myself partial credit for the fanvid I'm making for Festivids which should be done in a few days; but technically the spirit of this goal was to make a vid not for an event or challenge (my other three fanvids were all made for the Good Omens fancon The Ineffable Con) but just for its own sake. So, I'm making it explicit in the goal this year xD
As I mentioned in Part 1, I now have a PC that's powerful enough to fanvid (previously I borrowed my significant other's laptop, as mine is too weak to handle Adobe Premier Pro), so hopefully it'll facilitate more vidding! The next vid I want to make is for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but I have a whole list of others from different films and TV shows, some of which I've been nursing for years ^^
2) Finish and publish any multichapter fanfic (of more than 2 chapters) OR finish a WIP that's at least a year old
I'm carrying this over from last year, because I didn't manage it and I still want that extra motivation to finally complete one of my ongoing multichapter fics. Technically I could accomplish this by publishing a new multichap, but it would be easier to finish an old one (and I have at least 2 that are one chapter away from completion).
Any of these would also qualify as a WIP that's at least a year old, but I will also count it if I finish and post something that's not a multichapter fic but has been lingering unfinished for more than a year, because I have plenty of those lying around, as well xD
3) Archive more fanworks on enchantedsleeper.space
One of my most enjoyable projects last year was starting a little self-hosted web 1.0 style fanworks archive, enchantedsleeper.space, and I've archived a couple of fanfics (and a bunch of mini-meta and fic scraps, which for some reason my brain found more fun, maybe because they're shorter and easier to format), but I still have so much more to archive. I'd like to take part in some fanwork archive directories, too, but right now I don't have enough fanworks in any given fandom to qualify (since it's no good being part of a directory of fanwork archives if you don't have archived fanworks), so I need to work on that!
I could set a more specific goal like "finish archiving works in at least one fandom" but any progress will be good progress (and hopefully I'll add a bunch of fics in multiple fandoms. I just need to get back into the swing of it!)
4) Post consistently to Pillowfort and Dreamwidth
Thanks to the Snowflake Challenge, I've finally set up a blog on Pillowfort and am getting the lay of the land! I've been meaning to poke at Pillowfort for a while, because although I didn't feel like I needed another social presence, I do consistently hear them mentioned in a good way and I'm impressed that they're still over there doing their thing. So I decided to see if it's a thing I'd like to be part of!
I'm also constantly resolving to be more present on Dreamwidth, and while I did way better at that this past year in that I actually made a whole bunch of posts that weren't exchange letters(!), I'm still very sporadically "around" (publishing once every couple of months at best). But I have ideas for posts, I just tend to backburner them and then lose the urge to write them. Maybe with a goal to do this in 2024, I'll make it a priority!
5) Take part in the Sunshine Challenge
Given how much I missed the Snowflake Challenge after it ended, I was delighted to find that there is a "Snowflake Challenge, but for summer" in the form of the Sunshine Challenge! I really wanted to take part, but didn't manage to finish anything (I did have a fic idea that's specific to one of the prompts, so I may yet finish it - since there's technically no time limit to taking part!). However, this year I'm resolving to take part during July itself :D
6) Get Blackout on Comment Bingo
I've taken part in Comment Bingo twice so far (Rounds 3 and 4), and both times I've aimed for Blackout but not managed to fill out those last few boxes. While it's still great to get Bingo and leave any amount of comments on works, I want to see if I can manage a Blackout this year!
7) Finish an(other) original short story
In the second half of 2023 I found myself focusing on original writing for the first time in I'm actually not sure how long... when a couple of cool anthology projects caught my eye. (All being well, I'm going to be published in one of them, a tropey anthology of polyamorous erotica, in the spring!) It was an interesting exercise to go back to original writing (which was my primary focus once upon a time) after years of writing mostly fanfic. ("I have to give people a reason to care about these characters??") Even my writing sample for the anthology, which was meant to be original ideally, was fanfic 😂
In the past most of my original ideas have been for novel or novella-length stories, so writing a short original story also challenged my ability to constrain the scope of my ideas, and it's something I want to do more of. Therefore, in 2024, I want to finish at least one other original short story, either for fun/practice or to pitch to a zine if I'm feeling ambitious.
8) Make a comic
I love comics, and my most dearly-held writing ambition is actually to write for comics. I say "write" because I'm not a strong artist (though I'd like to be stronger), but I'm always coming up with ideas for silly little comics based on things that happened in my life, or funny moments with my nephews, and I also have some ideas for fancomics that don't require too much artistic skill. But it takes me a while, so I tend to sit on them indefinitely instead. xD
However, none of my ideas are going to materialise on their own, so I'm committing to making at least one comic this year, so help me!
no subject
Date: 2024-01-04 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-04 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-04 10:07 pm (UTC)Also, as an indie web enthusiast I really enjoyed visiting your site to see what you had done with it so far. Web design is very fun and I get way too excited about discovering new indie sites to follow. I just love how individual and personal they always feel - something that's hard to find online anymore.
Anyway, congrats on all the goals you hit last year and wishing you the best in completing this year's list! :D
no subject
Date: 2024-01-04 11:28 pm (UTC)I'm so pleased to meet another indie web enthusiast! \o/ Also, omg, your site is great! I love the design (purple is my favourite colour) and it's so cool that you've made shrines as well (I've considered making one myself...) Also, can I briefly flail about the fact that you've written Lois & Clark fic? I so rarely come across Lois & Clark fans in the wild, and never anyone who's written fic before (I know I can find fic of it if I look, but it's serendipitous). I'm sad that I never continued my one L&C fic from 2011, but I've always had that tendency 😅
Thank you for the lovely comment and encouragement!
no subject
Date: 2024-01-05 01:45 am (UTC)Also, thank you so much!! I like to refer to my site as my "science experiment gone wrong" because it keeps evolving in both good and awful ways lol. My shrines are currently my favorite project over there. They started out as simple little pages where I gushed about my favorite characters and fandoms, but most of them started slowly growing into little mini-sites of their own. That's why they're currently not accessible through the main site; had to take them "offline" so-to-speak as I work on revamping and finishing them. My favorites right now are the B-Westerns shrine and the Librarians shrine, but they're obviously nowhere near finished yet. (Also not mobile-responsive, which is another reason they're not linked to the main site right now.)
Sorry, I get way too excited when it comes to this topic XD. Coding is by far my favorite new thing I learned this past year. Someday I'd like to get good enough at it to set up a place where I can post web page layouts and designs for people to use. If you ever want to chat about coding/indie web stuff, your site's progress, or any of your fanvidding stuff, you're always more than welcome to give me a yell.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-07 04:02 pm (UTC)I hold out hope that I will finish all my fics one day - maybe if I do a L&C rewatch...
I am super on board with getting excited about website building :D Posting layouts and designs for people to use sounds awesome, too, I'd love that! I really want to trick out my site with more fun 90s web artefacts like badges and banners, but I'm focusing on getting the fanworks up first XD I'm always down to chat about coding and fanvidding, that sounds awesome! I actually just finished my vid for Festivids and so I've got one or two posts in mind about that...
Thoughts
Date: 2024-01-05 10:12 am (UTC)I put archiving on my goals list too. Consider
>> But I have ideas for posts, I just tend to backburner them and then lose the urge to write them.<<
Try writing down the topics. Then when you have a little spare time and energy, check the list. It's easier than trying to think of something good on the spot.
>> I love comics, and my most dearly-held writing ambition is actually to write for comics.<<
That sounds awesome. I've written a few short ones. It's not so much a thing I can do on purpose as a thing that sometimes randomly pops into my head.
If you haven't found it yet, I highly recommend Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (and his other books). I use this excerpt of the Six Layers all the time.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-01-09 04:48 pm (UTC)High five! It just so happens that someone over on Pillowfort also recced me March Meta Matters, and yes it looks great! I'm already looking forward to March ;3
Try writing down the topics. Then when you have a little spare time and energy, check the list. It's easier than trying to think of something good on the spot.
Definitely - I quickly learned the hard way to write my ideas down, because they do just 'go'. The problem I have is that I have this initial surge of enthusiasm around writing a post, but if I don't get to it in that time window, I'm less excited to write it and tend to think, 'Maybe this doesn't need to be a post...' or, if it was something timely-ish, 'It's too late to write this now...'
I'm not sure what the secret is to cracking that, as I'm the same way with fic. But it's nice to see how writing posts begets more post ideas, and suddenly I have a much longer list. Even if I don't get to all the items on the list, I still have plenty to write!
That sounds awesome. I've written a few short ones. It's not so much a thing I can do on purpose as a thing that sometimes randomly pops into my head.
If you haven't found it yet, I highly recommend Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (and his other books).
That's cool! And oh yes, I love Scott McCloud's books. 'Writing for Comics & Graphic Novels With Peter David' was my first brush with books about comic writing, and after that, I quickly got onto Scott McCloud through recommendations and bought 'Understanding Comics', 'Making Comics' and 'Reinventing Comics'. I should give them a re-read. I now have a small collection of books on making comics, some of which I haven't read yet, like 'Comics and Sequential Art' by Will Eisner.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-05 10:49 pm (UTC)I want to say that I'm in awe with your project of an independent archive for your stories, and I love the old web aesthetic. I'd like to do the same; I managed to publish a website for my longfic (not to host the fic, just "useful resources"), but I'd still want a personal website/archive, especially for all the things I don't think are "enough" for Ao3 (although I should definitely overcome my fear of posting drabbles, heh).
Most of all, congrats on getting published! Even if it started off as a fanfiction, it's such a great accomplishment! (Writing original fiction is something I'd like to do as well, and I think that fan events are still a great source for inspiration.
Good luck with all your goals!
no subject
Date: 2024-01-09 05:02 pm (UTC)100% post your drabbles to AO3, because I've posted mine and it felt really good! I even posted my teeny-tiny up-to-500-characters Mastodrabbles and got some amazing comments on them from other Murderbot Diaries fans. At the same time, I get it; there are some things that my brain just wants to be ephemeral and not a "real" fic, like the Starship Iris Matrix AU I threw on Tumblr. Personal archives are great for that ^^
And thank you also for the congrats! <3 Duck Prints Press is a publishing press specifically catering to fanfic writers, so I do recommend it if you're interested in putting some original fiction out into the world. There's also Ofic Mag, which I haven't submitted any fiction to but I published a non-fiction essay with them last year about my fandom 'origin story'. And they're cool to know about even if you don't want to submit!
no subject
Date: 2024-01-21 10:57 am (UTC)I want to post everything, but at the same time I fear that they're going to be annoying for tag followers/subscribers/whatever. Oh well. On the other hand, maybe it'll be better once I'm finished with the longfic.
Thank you for the links, I didn't know about either initiative and these are very interesting ones!