2021 year in writing (part ii)

[moonrusts]

part two of my little 2021 writing reflection.

the fic that should've gotten more attention?

very honestly speaking i don't have one that i think so, given that each one of my fics got far more attention than i anticipated they would get and i'm absolutely blown away. maybe heart on sleeve, head in chest simply because it's one of my personal favourites but it doesn't match up to a few of my other, more talked about fics?

favourite thing someone's said about your writing.

oh. oH. mint takes this, hands down. "every new thing you write, i see you grow as a writer." i cried that day and even today that's what keep me pushing past comfort zones and attempting things i usually would've shied away from. mint is one of the biggest motivations and inspirations behind my writing this entire year.

biggest writing grievance?

the inevitable lull between brainstorming/planning to actual execution. most of the fics i write are things that i wish existed for me to read, very self-indulgent. and so, i spend a lot of time daydreaming about them. i have SO. MANY. fics planned out completely and i know everything that happens, but don't have a single word in the doc. fic writing is tiring, and for someone who gets way too many ideas and finds it hard to stick to one until it's done, that's one of the hardest parts for me.

wip you're most excited about

honestly, academia has my brain completely knackered to the point where i no longer even get or have the energy to entertain ideas. but if there's one idea i want to bring to life at some point, it's the "do you exist if nobody remembers you" chenji wip i've been dreaming about for months now. here's some snippets from the 2k i have written for it.

project you're happiest about finishing?

definitely floating in a fallen sky! one of my most ambitious and longest projects to date!

oddly specific tags you've used for your fics?

#i'm basically tenderhearting don't judge me #my chenji brainrots are unstoppable im a force of nature #writing this fic dragged me to hell and back i am no longer the same person #jaem has a back tattoo for Reasons #sometimes purple haired chenle can be something that can be so personal #jisung goes through moral dilemmas in france because that's what you do ig #nerdy agatha christie fanboy zcl bc i CAN

can you tell i have fun with my tags?

process moodboard (pick four pictures)

1. chenji do something. anything. anything at all like literally posting two very different pictures 5 minutes apart.
   
2. my sanity and brain go mush.
   
3. i need to write this i nEeD tO WrITe tHiS I NEED TO WRITE THIS FCK
   
4. i suck i can't do this but i will think about it for eternity. i have a moodboard, playlist, pinterest board, bullet journal page. i have everything but the fic and it is time to give up.
   

rinse and repeat

a fic you the absolute most with, one you wrote simply for yourself. you didn't have to go that far but you wanted to.

love come 'round WINS this round by a landslide i wrote the whole damn fic because i needed to type purple haired chenle into existence and to this day it remains to be one of my FAVOURITE works of all times. i really wrote a whole almost 10k bc i wanted to wax poetic about his lavender hair i am UNHINGED but i am FREE.

writing is hard. what kept you going this year?

the community, chenji, mint, moon and the nutmegs !!!!!!, escapism, hyperfixation, CHENJI, the urge to find a way to let my thoughts out into the wild, wonderful wonderful wonderful comments, and self-indulgence.

and that's a wrap. if you stuck around for the whole thing, thank you! this was such a necessary and fun reflection (and there's a lot not written among the lines you see that came from a place of such fondness and gratefulness that i was unable to put into words. writing was an anchor for my in 2021, and it brought meaning into my life and i'm super grateful for the people i've met and the memories i've made through it which vocabulary failed me here when i tried to express. i'm so grateful for everything and here's to hoping i find my way back to it someday.


see you on the flip 🍳 side!

Comments

[miltokki]

aeri why are we literally the same person when it comes to process and coming up with EVERYTHING except the actual written fic. but then again we are not the same at all as you actually got things DONE. *stares in shame at the last thing i published being in june*

and the most important thing is that you're growing as a writer with each completed work. that carries so much more weight than being an industrial-sized writing machine that publishes something new yet stale every week.

also your "do you exist if no one remembers you" snippets look SO FCKING GOOD it's like mmmhh lemme eat that all up. (note that i am not pressuring you in any way to continue writing it or anything... just a message of appreciation)

and why is your writing literally better than the last five real life published fiction books i've read???

you're brilliant aeri keep going!!

[moonrusts]

LYS omg it's been so long love! jahskjdf lmao thank u for relating to my writing struggle. idk what i was one for the first few months of the year bc i haven't written a WORD in the last 3-4 so i'm in the exact same boat as you (at least you have writing plans. my writing goal for 2022 is literally to. write. ONE. thing.)

you flatter me so much omg im in tears ????? i will have you know you're an equally amazing writer, and your ability to write long fics AND short fics with nuanced scenarios is amazing! i still think of spilt wine and wilted roses at random times and get daggered in the chest.

(omg you're kidding me, ma'am you need to read better published books bc my writing doesn't compare to published authors in the slightest i actually feel so ??!??!! about these snippets. what've you read recently?)

you're also so brilliant lys i'm so excited to see the stuff you're working on this year! love you 💗