When I did this last year, I wrote, "All in all, an adequate but not very exciting showing. I'm reasonably pleased with what I wrote; but I had a hard time getting fingertips to keyboard."

This year I wrote the same number of stories as last year, i.e. fourteen. A number of these were fairly short, including all five of my Yuletide fic. On the other hand, I did quite a long story for the Worldbuilding Exchange; and I think that my FK Fic Fest story, which touched on things that recalled the months after my mother died, turned out well—though some passages took a fair bit out of me.

Sadly, only two stories were Forever Knight, largely because I was the only person requesting it in most exchanges—even Yuletide this year, for which it's always been a hardy perennial. Similarly, I only wrote two stories based on Mary Renault's The Charioteer: the Renault Exchange didn't run again this year; and it's another fandom not much requested, except for Yuletide. On the other hand, this year I wrote several stories for the CW Arrowverse series, particularly The Flash. I've watched those shows since they started, but really only got into them—especially Flash and Legends—a little over a year ago. In addition, I wrote the usual miscellany of odds and ends, some of which are in fandoms that I've never written in before and likely never will again. Yuletide, in particular, always generates a few intriguing rarelit prompts, not to mention weird nonce fandoms. (I mean, battle snails?!!!.) I had fun with those little Yulefic.

Unfortunately, I have to admit the last part of what I wrote last year remains unchanged. Actually getting down to write was sometimes quite difficult. All of the stories were written for gift exchanges: the deadline was very helpful in, eventually, getting my fingertips dancing over the keyboard. Having someone else depending on me to write for them drives me to duty. Fortunately, once I do actually get down to writing, things generally come more easily. It's the getting started....

So doing gift exchanges gets me writing. On the other hand, there's a negative side: one's energy is taken up with writing to other people's prompts. I have a backlog of plot bunnies; and some of them would need fairly long stories to do them justice. Yes: I have a touch of writer's block. Some of that—though only some of that—comes from prompts that I find it hard to come up with an idea for, which in turn leads me to find RL reasons to do anything else but start writing. That I have finally had bookshelves installed in my mother's old bedroom and been shifting boxes round and unpacking means that there's always something else I can justify doing.

At any rate, last year I did Chocolate Box, the Worldbuilding Exchange, Exchange at Fic Corner, Everywoman, Trick or Treat, and Yuletide, as well as picking up a pinch hit for the new Multifandom Trope Fest. Plus, of course, FK Fic Fest: it's now my only fandom-specific exchange. This suggests that I should maybe sign up for fewer gift exchanges, and instead look for treats and pinch hits. Inspiration + deadline may result in less procrastination. For example, the long story I did for the Worldbuilding Exchange was actually an idea that I'd been working out for several months before I signed up. Obviously, I was fortunate in its matching my recipient's wishes. However, if I pick and choose prompts related to stories I already want to write, perhaps I'll be able to get more plot bunnies winkled out of the warren.

Mind you, I do still have an absurd amount sorting and unpacking yet to do around here. Moving in with my mother started five years ago; and she died three years ago. This seems a never-ending process. Then again, I've had two households' worth of goods to reduce to one. It's maybe not so surprising that it takes time.

The last few months have been complicated by the demise of my PC. As a result, I'm using my mother's old laptop. Eventually, of course, I need to buy a new computer; but, as I have other calls on my resources, I'm putting it off for now. As I still haven't put Filezilla on the laptop, I haven't made webpages for the stories written recently. So those stories have only one link.

The list:

• "Price above Emeralds" (website, AO3)
  
  • DC's Legends of Tomorrow, 386 words, 27 January, written for sperrywink in Chocolate Box (chocolateboxcomm)
    


• "To Perfect Her for the Taking" (website, AO3)
  
  • Forever Knight, 572 words, 14 February, written for monicawoe in Chocolate Box (chocolateboxcomm)
    


• "Truth and Lies" (website, AO3)
  
  • The Flash, 431 words, 14 February, written for sperrywink in Chocolate Box (chocolateboxcomm)
    


• "Stopped Cold" (website, AO3)
  
  • The Flash, 17,708 words, 24 March, written for rivulet027 in the Worldbuilding Exchange (worldbuildingex)
    


• "Gone Where the Goblins Go" (website, AO3)
  
  • Forever Knight, 5192 words, 24 June, written for purselover2 in FK Fic Fest (fkficfest)
    


• "Hot Buttered Crumpets" (website, AO3)
  
  • Narnia/Alice in Wonderland crossover, 5004 words, 13 July, written for artemis1000 in Everywoman (everywoman)
    


• "DePiction" (website, AO3)
  
  • Swallows and Amazons series, 3543 words, 26 August, written for elennare in Exchange at Fic Corner (fic_corner)
    


• "Dear Dad" (AO3)
  
  • M*A*S*H, 1759 words, 24 October, written for blueteak in Trick or Treat (trickortreatex)
    


• "Rogue Kiss" (AO3)
  
  • The Flash, 4919 words, 10 November, written for sandrine_shaw in Multifandom Trope Fest (multifandomtropefest)
    


• "Deckle-Edged" (AO3)
  
  • The Charioteer, 1699 words, 18 December, written for sunsetmog in Yuletide (yuletide_admin)
    


• "Joust on Vellum" (AO3)
  
  • Medieval Manuscript Illuminations, 1123 words, 24 December, written for oneirad in Yuletide (yuletide_admin)
    


• "Quandary" (AO3)
  
  • The Charioteer, 1087 words, 25 December, written for deliarium in Yuletide (yuletide_admin)
    


• "The Dapple Flows into the Dawl" (AO3)
  
  • Lud-in-the-Mist, 1156 words, 25 December, written for moon_custafer in Yuletide (yuletide_admin)
    


• "Flight at Christmas" (AO3)
  
  • Mrs. Pollifax series, 1145 words, 25 December, written for philomytha in Yuletide (yuletide_admin)