write like you need it to survive

22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?

Fest - as narrowly defined - no. I tend to find fests confusing and overwhelming, so I steer clear.

Big Bang - yes! For the first time this year, I actually managed to align a long story I was writing with the submission window for a Big Bang. It felt a little bit like cheating, since Jigsaw had been in progress for a long, long time when I realized I could get it into stargate_summer, but it was a really fun experience having other writers to commiserate with, to say nothing of getting omg awesome art for my story!

But my ongoing favorite fest-y (festive, if you will) challenge-y thing is, of course, Yuletide! I've done Yuletide nearly every year since its beginning (2003-2006, 2008-2010), and I adore everything about it--secret-giftyness, terrifying deadline, obscure fandoms, my Christmas-Eve-night and Christmas-morning ritual of sneaking as many stories as I can between site slowdowns and my family wanting to actually celebrate together. This past year, 2010, was my favorite so far, possibly just because it's the most recent and I have more fun with it every year. I wound up writing three stories this year, my assignment (Not Alone in the Dark, which as far as I know is one of the only two stories on the internet for Susan R. Matthews' Under Jurisdiction series) plus a couple of Yuletide Treats (The Most Important Meal and Sex on a Frozen River Mayhem, which could not be more different while both being more or less linear narratives in English). I do not know how on earth this year's Yuletide will top the awesomeness of slashing Jack Harkness and Mayhem, but I have faith in the Yuletide magic. And I am already working on my list of offers/requests.


( All 30 questions under the cut )