Whoa secret oneshots and event thoughts
Nov. 29th, 2023 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jajalalaSo I finished a big longfic awhile back and have been in a break period. Specifically a break period from posting, I am still writing, but am mostly building up a new multichapter and an original story on occasion.
However... it turns out I have two oneshots in the wings that kind of snuck up on me. One of them is for a zine that's been puttering for awhile, I've had the oneshot finished for awhile but then put it down for ages until I realized it was due recently and finally went through to edit.
Then another is something that popped up recently--I joined an exchange event as a cheerleader/pinch hitter bc I was busy, but I still liked the theme and wanted to keep an eye on it... Well a mod reached out to me just a few days after I finished that final chapter of the big multichapter, and I was like "Whoa perfect timing a bunch of freetime just opened up"... and so I wrote 75% of a oneshot in a nice little flurry, and just recently went through and wrapped up that last 15% for a full draft.
Now I'm sitting pretty on two just-about complete oneshots like "Whoa! These popped out nicely." Though it's going to be a bit before I can "release" them.
Last year I participated in a bunch of fandom events and burned myself out. Plus the event structures were sometimes frustrating/disappointing... especially a lot of bangs that required one to be reliant on a partner of some sort, which meant maneuvering with someone else's schedule, and sometimes ending up delayed on posting due to others having stuff going on... and sometimes having mods that checked out and didn't follow up on deadlines etc so sometimes me/my partner/everyone was stuck in a lurch? It felt like the worst kind of group project, but where these people presumably VOLUNTARILY signed up for things but were often flaky or got busy and checked out entirely.
However there ARE other event types. I did a few exchanges that I found nicer, since even tho in theory the mods had to wrangle making sure someone made a gift for me, all I had to worry about was making sure I made my gift for a person by the deadline. And currently one of the events I'm involved in is a small free digital zine that's a nice vibe. I'm excited for a final product where I can see the work of some others with similar tastes/themes, but I can just focus on doing my contributing piece.
There was also a "fic fight" that a server of mine did that was a nice structure. It was kind of a free-for-all where a bunch of people posted various prompts and others just chose what they liked and wrote. That server's taste ran a pretty specific direction that didn't align with my current taste, but there were enough people that were interested in some of my niches that I was able to write two things for it (Plus I got some very lovely fics gifted to me!). It was lower pressure in that you could do as many or few fics as you wanted and just post as you went.
And the most recent thing that cropped up for me was that exchange pinch hit... which was really fun to take on last minute tbh! I'm usually a pretty quick writer, and my current life is (usually) stable and not crazy busy, so I can usually set aside a few weeknights or a weekend to iron out a oneshot if I have a concept.
Back in high school theater, I was the person the drama director usually asked to take on additional roles when students dropped out for whatever reason, since I was pretty responsible and could memorize my lines and deliver a solid performance even on a shortened timeline. Pinch hits make me think of that vibe, where I just get tossed into something last minute and commit, and I get to be sort of the "last line of defense" to make sure something goes off without a hitch.
And even though a pinch hit comes with a short timeline, I also feel like it's more flexible? Like even though it might be like "Oh you only have two weeks to write this!" you also get to decide "Hmm can I do this in two weeks?" and can say yes or no depending on if something has recently made you busy. Unlike if you signed up originally and procrastinated and realize you got too busy and want to back out now but it feels too late.
An exchange in general is fun due to the prompts--I think a little structure, both in deadlines and the subject that you need to write about, encourages creativity. I've found that the oneshots I write for them tend to get me a lil out of my comfort zone or encourage me to take a chance on odd pairings/tropes/subjects I wouldn't normally write about... which overall I like for expanding myself.
So thesis statement: I shall continue to be a little picky about events, lean away from bangs, and maybe focus in on more pinch hit opportunities for exchange themes I like. To me I think that encourages the best kinds of oneshots for me... even though multichapters are still highkey my favorite type of story to write, an occasional oneshot is refreshing.
However... it turns out I have two oneshots in the wings that kind of snuck up on me. One of them is for a zine that's been puttering for awhile, I've had the oneshot finished for awhile but then put it down for ages until I realized it was due recently and finally went through to edit.
Then another is something that popped up recently--I joined an exchange event as a cheerleader/pinch hitter bc I was busy, but I still liked the theme and wanted to keep an eye on it... Well a mod reached out to me just a few days after I finished that final chapter of the big multichapter, and I was like "Whoa perfect timing a bunch of freetime just opened up"... and so I wrote 75% of a oneshot in a nice little flurry, and just recently went through and wrapped up that last 15% for a full draft.
Now I'm sitting pretty on two just-about complete oneshots like "Whoa! These popped out nicely." Though it's going to be a bit before I can "release" them.
Last year I participated in a bunch of fandom events and burned myself out. Plus the event structures were sometimes frustrating/disappointing... especially a lot of bangs that required one to be reliant on a partner of some sort, which meant maneuvering with someone else's schedule, and sometimes ending up delayed on posting due to others having stuff going on... and sometimes having mods that checked out and didn't follow up on deadlines etc so sometimes me/my partner/everyone was stuck in a lurch? It felt like the worst kind of group project, but where these people presumably VOLUNTARILY signed up for things but were often flaky or got busy and checked out entirely.
However there ARE other event types. I did a few exchanges that I found nicer, since even tho in theory the mods had to wrangle making sure someone made a gift for me, all I had to worry about was making sure I made my gift for a person by the deadline. And currently one of the events I'm involved in is a small free digital zine that's a nice vibe. I'm excited for a final product where I can see the work of some others with similar tastes/themes, but I can just focus on doing my contributing piece.
There was also a "fic fight" that a server of mine did that was a nice structure. It was kind of a free-for-all where a bunch of people posted various prompts and others just chose what they liked and wrote. That server's taste ran a pretty specific direction that didn't align with my current taste, but there were enough people that were interested in some of my niches that I was able to write two things for it (Plus I got some very lovely fics gifted to me!). It was lower pressure in that you could do as many or few fics as you wanted and just post as you went.
And the most recent thing that cropped up for me was that exchange pinch hit... which was really fun to take on last minute tbh! I'm usually a pretty quick writer, and my current life is (usually) stable and not crazy busy, so I can usually set aside a few weeknights or a weekend to iron out a oneshot if I have a concept.
Back in high school theater, I was the person the drama director usually asked to take on additional roles when students dropped out for whatever reason, since I was pretty responsible and could memorize my lines and deliver a solid performance even on a shortened timeline. Pinch hits make me think of that vibe, where I just get tossed into something last minute and commit, and I get to be sort of the "last line of defense" to make sure something goes off without a hitch.
And even though a pinch hit comes with a short timeline, I also feel like it's more flexible? Like even though it might be like "Oh you only have two weeks to write this!" you also get to decide "Hmm can I do this in two weeks?" and can say yes or no depending on if something has recently made you busy. Unlike if you signed up originally and procrastinated and realize you got too busy and want to back out now but it feels too late.
An exchange in general is fun due to the prompts--I think a little structure, both in deadlines and the subject that you need to write about, encourages creativity. I've found that the oneshots I write for them tend to get me a lil out of my comfort zone or encourage me to take a chance on odd pairings/tropes/subjects I wouldn't normally write about... which overall I like for expanding myself.
So thesis statement: I shall continue to be a little picky about events, lean away from bangs, and maybe focus in on more pinch hit opportunities for exchange themes I like. To me I think that encourages the best kinds of oneshots for me... even though multichapters are still highkey my favorite type of story to write, an occasional oneshot is refreshing.
no subject
Date: 2023-11-30 01:16 am (UTC)I like picking up pinch hits too, for all the reasons you mentioned :)
no subject
Date: 2023-12-01 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-11-30 06:27 am (UTC)I think the only way to understand what works for oneself is to try out loads of different things so imo you''re doing everything right!! :D :D Happy writing and fandoming!
no subject
Date: 2023-12-01 12:43 am (UTC)Thank you!!! I'm having fun :D
no subject
Date: 2023-11-30 03:57 pm (UTC)I still believe it was the right decision for me but I've written less fan fiction this year than in prior ones and found myself filling that 'hobby' time with other things.
That's the long way round of saying I totally get your thesis statement. It's all a matter of finding your comfort level.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-01 12:45 am (UTC)But sounds like you've got plenty of other things going on other than writing fic, plenty else to fill in the time!