Holiday Fic Exchanges... what's good to read?

[mijan]

Allow me to fix this post to what it should have been:

Please rec me some fics from the holiday exchanges.  I've seen the recs lists that are posted on some of the more prominent journals, and I've read quite a few of those recs, but I'm still seeking more.  I have limited time (I work two jobs), and I'd like to get the maximum enjoyment out of the limited time that I have for reading fics.

Most of you know my preferred pairings, but I'll read anything CLEVER... plotty, unique, or just really well written/executed.  Even the "usual tricks" written well would be good. 

Tell me what you liked, and why, and give this poor, desperate, overworked fangirl some extra reading fodder.

Thanks!

Comments

[anathema91.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's the worst fic in fandom.
Even taking different tastes into consideration, I find that hard to believe.

Having said that, I'm extremely biased because Eclipse is one of my all time faves, so maybe you're right. ;-P

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL... I'm glad you like it! Of course, there are Harry Potter fans who even think that JKR has written a few mediocre books in the series. You can't please everyone all the time. You're lucky if you can please some people SOME of the time. If you write with the intent to make everyone love your work, you'll fail. If you write something that YOU will love, or something for a specific audience (or in the case of the fic exchanges, one specific person), then you can only hope to please that audience. If other people happen to like it, then that's a bonus!

Take Eclipse, for example. I wrote that for myself. My intended audience was people who didn't believe that Harry/Draco could feel like it came out of canon. It was for people who wanted PG-13 fic, not smut. I had plenty of people say that they thought the boys should have had sex. I've had people tell me that they should have snogged sooner. I've had people tell me that the kiss at the end ruined it. And I've had one girl in particular tell me how much she HATED my characterization of Draco, (She likes her Draco suave, sexy, and wearing leather pants.), and that it's one of the H/D fics she can't stand. It's okay... I wasn't writing for her. She can read the Draco Trilogy.

The authors in the fic exchanges were writing for a specific audience - their recipients. If they pleased their audience, then that's what matters. Pleasing OTHER readers is just a bonus at that point. I'm hoping to find fics that might please ME as well as just the specific recipients. But just like people review my PG-13 fic and ask why there's no sex, I can look for fics that weren't written FOR me, and ask if there's something better.

You can't please everyone. But you can please yourself. (In more ways than one.) :D

[anathema91.livejournal.com]

If you write with the intent to make everyone love your work, you'll fail.
I agree wholeheartedly. I write for me. I always have. It's cheaper than therapy. The exception, of course is holiday exchange fests, but this year's HD_Hols is the first time I've dared to participate. It was interesting to write for someone else. I think I liked it. It definitely made me more diligent.

And I know it won't necessarily appeal to everyone, but frankly, I don't care. :) If it puts a smile on my recipient's face, then my job is done.

And it's so true about people's tastes. One of my favourite things about Eclipse was your characterization of Draco. And at the time, I actually had no issues with leather pants!Draco. I even enjoyed a few fics that featured him in that style. It really didn't fit with my vision of Draco from canon, but at that point, I was just happy to see some fic in which Draco was more than a bit player. (that's how I fell into the HD side of fandom to begin with.)

I've since become much more picky, but that's mainly due to people like you and furiosity, who actually managed to write a Draco who was IMO much more in line with canon, and now I'm spoiled. I'll still read fics featuring a less canon-like Draco, but I don't enjoy them nearly as much! I think that's why I love Eclipse. Because even more than 2 years later, I can read it and still love it, whereas some of the other fics I read and loved back then kinda make me cringe now...

BTW, I've read some good fics in the exchanges that I'll try to link to when I get home from work...

Oh, and pleasing yourself... never a bad thing! ;-)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Yeah, that one girl in particular said that my Draco was horribly out of character, and she considered leather-pants!Draco to be IN character. To each her own, yes?

I like writing for other people, too. And even when we write for ourselves, when we POST fics, that means we're writing them for others, too. I write things that I enjoy reading and writing, but if I'm going to post them for public viewing, I'll make sure I'm giving it my best effort. Some people excuse lousy grammar, tons of typos, and horrible writing by saying, "Well, I write for MEEEEEE! So nyeah!" And my response is always, "Then why did you post it and ask people to read/review?" (Bear in mind, the people who do that are NOT the people who read/write in this LJ circle. Think more in terms of FF.net.)

[anathema91.livejournal.com]

LOL! You gotta love the people who don't quite grasp the difference between fanon and canon...

Oh man, the bad grammar people drive me crazy! I don't care how good the premise of a fic is, bad grammar or bad spelling leads to a big ol' click of the back button for me! It's one of my pet peeves.

And personally, I just don't understand why someone would want to post something that wasn't a positive reflection of themselves. I guess we're just the anal types here!

[anathema91.livejournal.com]

I made a post of my fest favourites so far: here

But if you don't wanna go look at that, then I'll also say that as of tonight my absolute favourite fic so far is:

Rise from the Ashes (Teddy Lupin/Cedric Diggory)

It's sooooo amazingly good. So beautiful. Funny in spots, heartbreaking in others, but utterly and completely satisfying. (and no you don't have to build up emotional strength to read it.)