Meming it for Yuletide
Oct. 15th, 2024 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daisyninjagirl My friend Morbane is sharing a meme where you list your five most popular stories, and also your five most favourite stories, which got me thinking about how some of the stories I'm most proud of had quite a small readership. That's the bonus of amateur writing - your primary audience is yourself.
Here goes...
Most Popular:
My Favourites:
I think the lessons I have to learn from this are that I'm most popular when I'm writing in the Regency period, and that I have a fondness for writing crack. Welcome Yuletide 2024!
Here goes...
Most Popular:
"A Step Not Taken" - Persuasion by Jane Austen
What if Anne Eliot fell at Lyme instead of Louisa?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21952003
This is my most popular Yuletide story, and most popular Jane Austen story, by a lot. This was a Yuletide treat - I'd been so struck by a suggestion in the recipients letter that I had most of the scenes laid out in my head before I did any writing, and got to spend the few days before Christmas speed typing the whole thing out. It isn't often the writing flows like that, but it's jolly good fun when it does.
What if Anne Eliot fell at Lyme instead of Louisa?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21952003
This is my most popular Yuletide story, and most popular Jane Austen story, by a lot. This was a Yuletide treat - I'd been so struck by a suggestion in the recipients letter that I had most of the scenes laid out in my head before I did any writing, and got to spend the few days before Christmas speed typing the whole thing out. It isn't often the writing flows like that, but it's jolly good fun when it does.
"The More Loving One" - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
What if Colonel Brandon Elinor Dashwood instead of Marianne? What if they were both in a love triangle with Edward?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27933280
Another 'what if' story written as a treat. The thought about how the three of them would and could make married life work out for them was so compelling, that I ended up spending a year writing the back story for this short story.
What if Colonel Brandon Elinor Dashwood instead of Marianne? What if they were both in a love triangle with Edward?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27933280
Another 'what if' story written as a treat. The thought about how the three of them would and could make married life work out for them was so compelling, that I ended up spending a year writing the back story for this short story.
"Novels and Navigations" - A Civil Campaign by Georgette Heyer
Married life between Jenny and Adam. Celebrating marriage as a partnership, especially the partnership of the Crofts in Persuasion.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17013972
My recipient that year asked for married life in A Civil Campaign and also the Crofts from Persuasion, so it was a no-brainer, really. Jenny was canonically keen on the Austen novels, and it felt so right that Adam would read the next one to her.
Married life between Jenny and Adam. Celebrating marriage as a partnership, especially the partnership of the Crofts in Persuasion.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17013972
My recipient that year asked for married life in A Civil Campaign and also the Crofts from Persuasion, so it was a no-brainer, really. Jenny was canonically keen on the Austen novels, and it felt so right that Adam would read the next one to her.
"Five Times the Childlike Empress Wasn't Really There" - The Never Ending Story and friends
The Childlike Empress has some time to kill while Bastien and Atreyu get their act together.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8973598
The recipient had asked for something meta, and I got to thinking about what the characters who are Quest Objects get to thinking about, and here we are. I can't really explain it better than the story does. Also, I was always really struck by a comment David Bowie made about the Goblin King secretly wanting to be down the pub, but his annoying minions had stolen a baby again, so he had to go and sort it out. (Secretly in my most favourite stories, as well.)
The Childlike Empress has some time to kill while Bastien and Atreyu get their act together.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8973598
The recipient had asked for something meta, and I got to thinking about what the characters who are Quest Objects get to thinking about, and here we are. I can't really explain it better than the story does. Also, I was always really struck by a comment David Bowie made about the Goblin King secretly wanting to be down the pub, but his annoying minions had stolen a baby again, so he had to go and sort it out. (Secretly in my most favourite stories, as well.)
"The Affair on Strigoi St" - The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
Ivan is sent on a very special mission to Athos.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/285916
This is my first ever Yuletide story, from when you could still write for the Vorkosigan books. It tickled me to send the most sexed up and resolutely heterosexual character off to Athos to have adventures and, well, it seemed logical that Athos' exports would include a thriving market in specialty porn and... there you go. I think I quite enjoy writing overwrought love affairs.
Ivan is sent on a very special mission to Athos.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/285916
This is my first ever Yuletide story, from when you could still write for the Vorkosigan books. It tickled me to send the most sexed up and resolutely heterosexual character off to Athos to have adventures and, well, it seemed logical that Athos' exports would include a thriving market in specialty porn and... there you go. I think I quite enjoy writing overwrought love affairs.
My Favourites:
"A Well-Made Play" and "Dispatches from the Front" - Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer
Married life for the characters, a bit of light kidnapping, and the Battle of Waterloo.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637038
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802068
I think the prompt for this had something to do with Hildebrand's goal of writing for the theatre, at which point I read about the idea of a 'well-made play' and the idea just took off. The characters' voices were so big and clear in the first story, that after I finished the adventure plot for Gareth, Hester and Hildebrand, I ended up writing a more serious secondary story for Amanda and her Neil.
"On Bigness" - the Zhuangzi
Episodes from the life of Master Zhou
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079148
I'd recently been reading through the Zhuangzi and really enjoyed its sense of whimsy and turning things on their heads - and all the musing on respective size. I really loved writing this.
"The Maracas are a Metaphor" - Matthew Bourne's short works
Why would the man stealing clothes be stealing clothes...?
https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyNinjaGirl/works?fandom_id=82380987
You really have to see the Pissoir Duet to understand what this story is about (I'll wait): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZre1jDHqD4
I think if you want to get into the essential Why of what the mariachi band thinks about everything...
It's just...
There were these other also very steamy short works also starring Richard Windsor.
It just had to happen.
The requestor left the comment "everyone has that distinctive steamy air of overwrought masculinity." I feel so seen. ;-)
Married life for the characters, a bit of light kidnapping, and the Battle of Waterloo.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637038
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802068
I think the prompt for this had something to do with Hildebrand's goal of writing for the theatre, at which point I read about the idea of a 'well-made play' and the idea just took off. The characters' voices were so big and clear in the first story, that after I finished the adventure plot for Gareth, Hester and Hildebrand, I ended up writing a more serious secondary story for Amanda and her Neil.
"On Bigness" - the Zhuangzi
Episodes from the life of Master Zhou
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079148
I'd recently been reading through the Zhuangzi and really enjoyed its sense of whimsy and turning things on their heads - and all the musing on respective size. I really loved writing this.
"The Maracas are a Metaphor" - Matthew Bourne's short works
Why would the man stealing clothes be stealing clothes...?
https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyNinjaGirl/works?fandom_id=82380987
You really have to see the Pissoir Duet to understand what this story is about (I'll wait): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZre1jDHqD4
I think if you want to get into the essential Why of what the mariachi band thinks about everything...
It's just...
There were these other also very steamy short works also starring Richard Windsor.
It just had to happen.
The requestor left the comment "everyone has that distinctive steamy air of overwrought masculinity." I feel so seen. ;-)
"She's young, O god, she's young" - The Lady's Not For Burning by Christopher Fry
1400, either more or less, or about an hour later.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765375
I wrote this in verse, about where the errant protagonists spent the night after they saved each other from death, and from life. It was hard work, and so very satisfying. I loved writing in Thomas Mendip's voice, especially when he's teasing Richard.
"The Three Ernests" - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Multiple impersonations and confusion over a letter.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/43593223
I have no excuses, I just really enjoyed writing it.
1400, either more or less, or about an hour later.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765375
I wrote this in verse, about where the errant protagonists spent the night after they saved each other from death, and from life. It was hard work, and so very satisfying. I loved writing in Thomas Mendip's voice, especially when he's teasing Richard.
"The Three Ernests" - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Multiple impersonations and confusion over a letter.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/43593223
I have no excuses, I just really enjoyed writing it.
I think the lessons I have to learn from this are that I'm most popular when I'm writing in the Regency period, and that I have a fondness for writing crack. Welcome Yuletide 2024!
