Pen's Nest

MTYG authors being now revealed, I can see it was Hurricanemegan who wrote my wonderful story, Barking Mad. She also wrote my 2007 story, Year of the Bull, so she obviously knows exactly what I like! Thanks again - xxx!

My own story, The Pussycat and the Porcupine, written for Jacie, was supposed to be C-Bass with a side of Chris/Howie, a reward for Chris playing Cupid for his friends. However, Chris took over a bit (he does that) and it ended up being definitely a two-pairing story, and given the structure, C-Bass was probably the second pairing, even though I hadn't intended it that way. I had quite a struggle writing it, and probably rewrote from scratch every section in the first half of the story at least once, but by the end I knew where it was going—and the puppies arrived, and then Howie came up with the porcupine idea (so I had to go back and make Chris more prickly) and it all worked out.

The writing experience was quite a contrast to last year, because my recipient, like me, didn't ask for anything very specific. I remember my wrath last year because my recipient asked for post-apocalyptic vampires, which it would never have occurred to me to write—yet it was a great challenge to do something so different from what I generally do. This year's recipient request was more general (I didn't really get enough cuddling into the story, I think), and while in many ways that makes things easier, it also means I had to think 'what shall I write?' rather than 'how shall I write this?'. A different experience.

So I'm thinking, perhaps next year I should give a specific prompt? Hmm, except that I've been really lucky with MTYG stories so far—only my first SeSa year was disappointing, back in 2005, since then I've had a really good run of stories received, so maybe my requests are fine...

What do you prefer your recipient to do? Is it easier or harder to write for someone you know quite well? And who else has had a specific request you found *very* challenging?

rikes guessed my story correctly, so—what do you want me to write for you?

Okay! Remix authors are revealed! I am pleased to have got three correct guesses - even though there aren't that many stories, it's still awfully hard to figure these things out, so I shall preen for a moment.

I had a feeling withdiamonds wrote the lovely dragons-eye version of my 'If You Want to Fly', The wind beneath my wings remix, not least because in the three previous years when I've done this challenge, the remixer has picked one of my earliest stories. I suspect they look at the vast list of stories (over 100, now!) and recoil in dismay, then start at the top and work through until they find something they can use! But as IYWTF was written in 2007, it's a fair bet that someone choosing that one was already fond of it, which I know Donna is. And it's such a lyrical retelling, a view of themselves as parts of an eternal cycle, instead of Clena's very down-to-earth, day-to-day reactions. Don't tell anyone, but I get a bit wet-eyed reading it. Lovely.

I wonder if anyone guessed that I wrote the passed day will shine Upon my pillow, the remix of Vera's "The Commons of Sleep"? It feels like a not-me story, and actually, quite a lot of it is Keats—the original was inspired by a poem by Robert Graves, which I couldn't find, so I substituted my own favourite poet and stole a bunch of phrases about sleep and hands, including the title. It was a strange process, because I started out thinking I'd make it a sort of vampiric thieving, that all the hands touching JC were stealing something from him while at the same time, he got something (inspiration?) from them. I don't know what happened to that! I ended up 'translating' the story from then to (approximately) now, which was very interesting to do, and trying to keep a 'poetic' feel to it with more intense language than is usual for me.

So. Remix. If you haven't read the stories yet, do! There are some cracking ones in there (plus, it's an opportunity to revisit some jolly good stories you haven't read for a while). And if you frequent still_gay you *have* to read what chalcopyrite did with her internet stalkamix. Don't forget the feedback!

Yay for MTYG! And a wholehearted THANK YOU to everyone who made it happen, with particular approbation for archie_gremlin, who probably doesn't even read the stories... The rest of you lovely peeps have the pleasure of knowing that you occasioned more than 80 fresh new popslash fics, and of reading them!

Anyway. ( My experience this year )

Yes, story authors are up, and I'm fascinated to see who wrote what. I guess the least surprising is that it was Merry who wrote 'Buoyancy'.

Mine were The Little Dustbuster That Could and The Sprinkle Fairy. Happily nobody guessed these, so I owe no ficlets. Many thanks (again) to beta readers nopseud, joyfulseeker and msktrnanny. If you want material to mock me for months, you can go behind the cut and read the sequence of woe... but it's mostly for my own reference. Meanwhile, thanks for the feedback - I will reply properly tomorrow!

( DWNOGA, the saga, in which there is Much Gibbering and Whining from Pen )