2012 Writing Retrospective and What's Coming in 2013?

[Kitsune Inferno]

So, two real topics to this thread. Reflect on what you and others wrote in 2012 and Give us a little tease about what you plan to do and hope to see in 2013!

2012 in Retrospective
Personally, this was a good year. I managed to get about seven chapters of Spirit Wolf and six chapters of Concerto di Ali complete. That's not only more than what I've put out most years, it's probably my strongest year of writing yet. From the Prologue of CdA to the emotional climax of Spirit Wolf, I think this year, I really bookended myself with strong, powerful scenes that really define each respective work. :) I'm really proud of how both stories are shaping up, and I'm really blessed and humbled to have such consistent and amazing feedback from everyone here.

Outside of Spirit Wolf, I've done a little more side-writing than normal. Starks and Recreation, Crystal Reaper, DURIAN, and my random furry stories have been fun to play with, and other unreleased works have helped me grow and become more versatile as a writer.

Also, 2012 has brought with it a LOT of new writers and talent to the section. Mumbling, Keo, Nex, Supernova, to name a few, have brought new and exciting pieces to the section, and favorites like Yukino and Stargazer are still going strong. Ultimately, I wish we could've had as explosive a year with the Bi-Weeklies/Monthlies as we did last year, but shit happens. shrug I'd say we've got a nice batch of stories going, but hopefully we'll get more in 2013. :)

I think it's important to write a lot, because experimenting leads to experience. This year, I've done that, but not enough. Concerto is now over two years old (though the current iteration is only about a year old), and Spirit Wolf is getting there soon. If I want to see these works published and myself continuing to bigger and better things, then I'll need to step it up and write more in 2013…

What's Coming in 2013?
My keywords for 2013 are "finish what you start" and "expand and experiment".

"Finish what you start" is self-explanatory. My goal is to complete Spirit Wolf this year. I'm targetting July for it to be complete 100%, though if my more aggressive writing habits actually pay off, I may get it done sooner. Whatever the case, if I am still writing Spirit Wolf in 2014, I'm probably just not cut out for this.

Concerto di Ali is a much, much larger beast. Whereas SW is hovering at its halfway point, CdA is still in the opening chapters of the FIRST book. :\ So, in that case, "finish what you start" entails me just finishing up the opening chapters and FINALLY introducing all of the focal characters (two more are in the wings). Of course, I plan to get further than that, but baby steps.

D.U.R.I.A.N. should be finishing up the Gekkorp Arc very soon, but the wheels for the next arc are already set into motion. 2013 should see THAT arc coming to a close as well, hopefully. :)

Tinier projects will get some resolution, of course. I might finish up and release all the Season 1 chapters of Starks and Recreation, but that is not a priority.

"Expand and experiment" is a wholly different philosophy and will see me more actively taking part in other modes and forms of storytelling. Already, I have plans for a webcomic, cartoon, video game or three, more short stories, and a lot more artwork! Why so much? Expanding my horizons and stuff. I've got a new goal in my life that involves all kinds of media and being proficient in lots of different storytelling styles is critical.

Expect the new stories sometime early in the year. As for some teasers, the webcomic will be a story I've hinted and teased at a lot in the past. The animation is going to be a really surreal and intense experience grounded in actual real life events that happened to me. ^^ And finally, one of the video games will be set in the Concerto di Ali universe, which goes directly against something I once said in the conferences, but plans do change. ^^

Now then, what do I want to see from y'all in 2013?

Uncle Kenny: Words per minute. I want Thriller Blend. I want Tellus. I want them all in large doses. Inside of me. Right now.

ChesCa: I feel like Yukino is wrapping up, so I definitely want to see how that one ends. I also want to see more Bound, or perhaps something new entirely? Surprise me, buddy!

RPGJay: I want to see more from you in general. Your scripts are always so silly and fun to read that I can't stand that GREASER's been on the downlow for like ever.

Shuhan: You disappeared! D: Write lots and lots more! You're getting better and your work is always so fun and energetic. Get back here buddy!

Crossword: Like Yukino, I feel like Stargazer is approaching its end and I hope to see that this year, as well as some hints about what's coming next from you! :)

Mumbling: Keep pushing out that Chimera Phase! This is probably my favorite story of 2012, so do NOT leave me hanging!

LaCaSiNa and Nex: I feel like, as horror writers, you can learn a lot from each other and I really hope you guys pay attention to each other to see what kind of influences each of you can have on the other. :) Not to mention more writing of course.

Insider: You disappeared too. :( I want more writing from you! You've got this distinct voice no one else can imitate! Bring it back in 2013, okay?

Kylor: Hurry up and make your triumphant return, okay? More Dastardly Two or something new, it does not matter.

Smudger, Brennen, and other prospective writers: Threads! FEED ME THREADS!

So yeah, what did you all think about your work in 2012 and what are you hoping to do in 2013?

[Crossword]

Having just finished typing up my first draft of Stargazer's latest chapter, I have to say that I'm a little astounded that I've spent just over a year-and-a-half on it. That's the longest I think I've ever committed myself to any sort of project, ever. It's definitely been a learning process, and looking back I like to think that there's been an improvement between chapter 1 and chapter 21.

That said, I'm not even close to done with it. As I've mentioned several times in the thread, I have a whole new arc that's coming soon, and going beyond that I have more story ideas for Trident and the Stargazer world. I don't know how long it's going to take to get to them all, but I want to get as much of it written as possible.

[Supernova122]

Ah~ I can only really look forward to 2013. I mean, this year, I got the idea firmly in my head of what I want to write right now, but I've got little done on it other than fleshing it all out in my head, with nothing to show for it on paper bar a few maps, a prologue-in-need-of-reworking, and a few scraps of writing including a scene from a chapter to be scrapped and a scene from a chapter to be moved. That said, I hope to have something by the end of the year for the monthly.

Hopefully I'll be writing more in 2013 and actually read everything everyone else is writing ^_^

[ChesCa]

Hrm, here goes I guess:

2012:

Yukino: VERY good strides and I am almost done. Sadly like last year winter just seems to sap my energy, but once I hit my stride again you can expect it to come to an end next year.

DLS: Oh my God I've been HORRIBLE with this story D'8. I really, REALLY want to finish the second act at least and do something special for the final act. It's near the climax and everything.

TC: This has been the most progress I've made in a story by far, which is pretty damn good for a story meant to be my guinea pig. That little movie I did was my greatest triumph. 8') TC is certainly shaping up to be its own mammoth reward but I've never found a better vessel to pour my love of games and comedy and shit into one batch.

Bound/Booga Boogie Christmas Story: I need to work on both of those. They're just on the backburner until Yukino and DLS free up space for time.

Everyone else: Nothing much to say except I love getting more and more stories.

2013:

Yukino: Finish it, then revise a final draft (mostly minor touches) to get ready to submit to a publisher with help from my IRL writing group.

DLS: FINISH THE SECOND ACT!!…then work on the third to be done in one go.

TC: This one is a behemoth. It'll keep going but now my new goal is to make better page structure and finish a little something I have planned.

Everything else: I'll work on BBCS a little bit at a time for next Christmas, Bound may or may not be my next project but only because I do have another one in mind. Same universe as Yukino, different country.

Everyone else: Keep writing!

[Jazzy Jinx]

I have my regrets with this year. I'd say that… aside from maybe 2011, this was my least productive year for writing yet. My writing climaxed in 2010 when I produced 46 chapters + extras on another site (at an average length of only about 4 pages each per chapter with 10 pages per special, totaling an approximate 204-210 pages of written work) and then stagnated over the past two years.

I attempted to make a resolution for 2012 but failed to follow through. However, I do take my resolutions very seriously and have decided to modify my 2013 resolutions in order to offer more tangible goals which I believe I'll follow through on. The way I work, the more concrete and "schedule-oriented" my goals are, the more likely I follow through on them to precision. And my resolution this year is to write 1 page per day that I'm not working off-shore.

Since there's no way to tell how many days I'll actually be working, I'll go ahead and use the maximum of 365 days and minimum of 1 page per day and say that I could potentially produce 12 issues of Thriller Blend (issues being 30 page installments containing 2 chapters each; so the equivalent of 24 chapters and the approximate conclusion of the first story arc). Usually, whenever I write a page I'm enticed to continue further and usually end up writing anywhere between 2-4 pages in actuality. That's why I produced several chapters in 2010, released in 4 page "burst" installments.

To anyone that actually knows me throughout my life, they'd know I've actually written a lot in the past and my time on this site is a really unfortunate stale moment in my life. I have no idea why my passion and writing has stagnated and have been struggling with it the past 2 years but I'm fairly certain I'm getting back to my roots and becoming more passionate again. And with the very tangible goal of 1 page per day, you guys can probably expect, at least a few chapters.

–-

For people I was impressed with this year, I have to give major props to LaCaSiNa and Mumbling2 for producing what I thought were the most interesting stories of this year. And then I also have to give major props to Kitsune Inferno for producing what I thought were the most engaging stories (with the most enticing emotional effects). And of course, to ChesCa for his peerless dedication to both his work (written, animated and drawn) and our community, with his consistent readership and reviews.

For me, personally, Kitsune and Cuddles are the hallmarks of this section (as well as Crossword for his obvious dedication to his own work) and continue to inspire me day by day. They set examples for me that I consistently wish to live by and live up to, in all of my inadequacy.

I could speak endlessly on how much silent impact this community has had on me and would just like to say that I respect each and every one of you and will continue to support your efforts in writing and in life. This is inclusive of everyone that participates in our section… and even just the silent observers. Compared to other sections, we may still appear to be just another quiet niche, but we continue to grow in size and mature with each passing day... and I'm proud to be, even if it's just small, a part of that.

Thank you, guys.~

[Mumbling2]

Not sure if I'm happy with my progress this year or not. On the one hand, I only wrote 25% of what I planned with Chimera Phase. On the other hand, without this community it would have been pretty close to 0%. It's unfortunate that I lost all motivation during the late summer and early autumn, but I think I've started getting back on track.

I'm also pleasantly surprised that my work has been well received and gotten some valid critiques at the same time.

Here's to looking forward to 2013.

[LaCaSiNa]

..::~2012~::..

Uh, what did I do? Aside from Under Our Ground I wrote one chapter of Garbled Sanctuary, which is… not much. 2012 was a weird contrast for me, because I was super busy with work during the summer and otherwise just plain lazy. It's amazing how good I am at putting off something I deeply love. Anyway, in the end I'm proud that I actually came up with a new story that wasn't fanfiction. UOG is far from being adequate in what I want to achieve with it, but dammit if I'm not having a hell of a lot of fun creating it. That alone makes this a good year for me.
,;-2013-;,

The reason why I can't really say anything about what I'm looking forward to from my fellow writers is because… I'm really bad at following everyone else. That is something I definitely plan to change, since there's so much stuff worth reading here. My special shout-out goes to Kitsune: thank you for some of the most refreshing and funny conversations I've had past year and for having a really good taste in music. I admire your writing abilities, passion, attitude and enthusiasm. Keep up the fantastic work!

As for me? The number one thing I want to do is finish UOG. It's not going to be a huge sprawling story, so there will only be about a handful of chapters to come. I'm also going to edit the first chapter into something more tolerable. Getting a chapter or two of Garbled Sanctuary done too would be great. I most certainly haven't forgotten about it and still harbor a profound love for it.

I dunno if any of you remember this, but at some point I talked about how I wanted to do a text editing video. I actually completed one already and, as it turns out, it's fun! I won't be posting it until I complete the third chapter of UOG and it's boring and horrible and nobody probably cares, but I'd like to keep doing stuff like that.

I've also been thinking of doing writing prompts based on music. It's mainly meant for my tumblr blog, but if I decide to expand one of those it could become an entry. As some of you already know, I'm a huge fan of instrumental/ambient music and it's pretty much my main source of inspiration. In these prompts I would pick a song, jot down what comes to mind while listening to it, listen to it again and drawing from my notes write a short story. I have a soft spot for self-contained short stories, so combining those with my love of ambience and soundscapes could prove to be a very interesting experiment.

@Uncle:

For people I was impressed with this year, I have to give major props to LaCaSiNa and Mumbling2 for producing what I thought were the most interesting stories of this year.

Oh Kenny, you flatter me. I appreciate the kind sentiment, however~

[Wooden_Giraffe]

At first I was hoping to double my efforts writing wise, but then I realized that would only be two chapters. So here's to tripling my efforts!!!

[Shuhan]

Well, 2012 brought with it for me an interesting wave of inspiration. From writing a couple new stories to even starting the infant stages of writing a comic~
I didn't write as much as I could have, but yeah…I don't really have an excuse.

For now, here's what I plan on doing 2013:

Crystal Promise: Unfortunately, this one escaped me as of late. I actually know how the story will end, it's just writing the journey to get there. For now, this one will be shelved so I can at least try to focus on others that I actually have been planning for.

Tattered Journal: This is my pet project and I have many ideas for it. Mainly, I'm thinking of nixing the journal writing style as the main focus so I can actually write properly. As a journal entry, it's very constrictive on how I can depict certain scenes (fight scenes, conversations, etc.). However, I'm not totally abandoning the journal style, that will pepper the in-between chapters, much like Entry 3.5 was. We will learn more about the group behind Kitsune and what plans he has for our nameless hero. Stay tuned

Average Day: I also am planning on continuing this one as well. My job has been a wealth of stories and I just gotta share them…however, it won't just be about my actual job experiences later on, stay tuned~

Shushu's Corral: Let's look at facts, I haven't drawn anything for a while. My work schedule and family life have kind of eaten up most of my drawing time, but I want to at least draw a few more characters and then start a written story that will transition into a full fledged comic.

I look forward to this year, bring on the writing!

[Keo2309]

Hmm, 2012 ehh? Wasn't a great year for me writing wise, although I had a bit of a music boom, somewhat. I did complete my first official short story named Circles, which I submitted on here and some of you may have read. I did a few other works, a parody bit, some fanfiction stuff, and the beginning of what I thought would be an engaging novel; all of which I bored of before finishing, lol. Planning wise though, I got everything together for the universe I'm trying to create, which ultimately I plan on setting every single on of my novels (hopefully too be soon written) in, so there's that.

Coming for 2013 though…

Well, I have a goal to finish my first mixtape first. That should take up a good chunk of January, but I've been ramping up my production rate so I get things done pretty quickly. We'll see though, we shall see. As for writing... I have a few short stories dancing around in my mind that I want to finish. I also want to get a weekly, bi-monthly, or perhaps monthly series started up on here and see where it goes from there. I have to re-evaluate Horizontals 8's to make it fit in with the changes I've added to it's universal setting. Other than that, I just really want to get something done. Like someone mentioned earlier, I'll probably make a resolution of 1 page per day and see how that goes. I also want to submit some short stories to magazines, on-line blogs and such things to finally get paid for my work. So... here's hoping for a great 2013. Same to you all as well. This community has helped me progress a lot, let's keep up the work.