Shortcuts Roundup
Jan. 26th, 2019 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
argentum_lsHighlander Shortcuts was a wild ride this year.
In general, I'd done almost no writing at all this year. Somehow I thought getting my Shortcuts assignment would fix that.
It didn't.
Eventually, the deadline arrived--as they always do--and I had nothing. Not even a solid idea. I'd mentally turned over some premises about Methos and Amanda going on a heist; Duncan and Amanda running (unknowingly) into Methos in the 1920s, with Methos positioned as Pinkerton to their bank robbing; and even the three of them playing an escape room (yes, I was getting desperate). But I couldn't find the story in any of the premises.
Then, suddenly, I did. Nothing about it was the kind of story I would typically write or, indeed, would've thought to write under any other circumstances. But, given the time pressures involved, I now had no choice but to go with it.
Unfortunately, the short timeline to write in meant several jokes I wanted to include had to be cut because I couldn't get them properly shaped in time. This now creates a conundrum because, while I typically edit stories after posting, this story (very surprisingly) went over well in the exchange, and now I don't know if I should go edit those changes in or not. But, oh, that last line bothers me in all its placeholder-ness, and I really want to fix it.
I wrote Highlander: the Game foradabsolutely - 3240 words - A mistake Methos makes comes back, with a twist.
and I received:
The Snake Oil Job - 2446 words - Sometimes, Immortal guys make the best dead guys - crossover with Leverage.
This is not a complaint. It was brilliantly played, and I'm still agog at how perfect it was. You see, my author this year wasidelthoughts, my friend and beta reader extraordinaire. She's also not really an active Highlander fan. I sucked her back into the fandom with the "Something Called" crossover, and then coerced her into signing up for Shortcuts last year because doing things with friends is always more fun than doing things alone. Last year, we also specifically requested not to be matched to each other because idel needed me to beta for her and to hold her hand as she navigated a canon she hadn't viewed in twenty years. When we signed up this year, it didn't occur to either of us to request not to be matched again. I guess I assumed that the request would carry over from last year. It didn't. As it turned out, she was assigned to me.
But, she spoke not a word of that. From the moment of assignments, she told me she was matched to someone else. Then, through the writing period, we both supported each others' difficulties with finding a story. As she's had ongoing Real Life issues for a couple years now, it wasn't surprising to hear about them continuing to be an issue. At the last minute, she told me she had to bow out of the exchange. Again, not surprising, though always sad when RL gets in the way of fun fan stuff.
Story went live. I was blown away because it's a prompt I've been throwing to the wind for years, and it was a perfect interpretation of it. Idel and I waxed about how great our gifts were. She continued to not give a single hint about who the writer of my story was.
Then the reveals happened.
And I realized just how good idel is at this whole subterfuge thing!
What a great surprise!
In general, I'd done almost no writing at all this year. Somehow I thought getting my Shortcuts assignment would fix that.
It didn't.
Eventually, the deadline arrived--as they always do--and I had nothing. Not even a solid idea. I'd mentally turned over some premises about Methos and Amanda going on a heist; Duncan and Amanda running (unknowingly) into Methos in the 1920s, with Methos positioned as Pinkerton to their bank robbing; and even the three of them playing an escape room (yes, I was getting desperate). But I couldn't find the story in any of the premises.
Then, suddenly, I did. Nothing about it was the kind of story I would typically write or, indeed, would've thought to write under any other circumstances. But, given the time pressures involved, I now had no choice but to go with it.
Unfortunately, the short timeline to write in meant several jokes I wanted to include had to be cut because I couldn't get them properly shaped in time. This now creates a conundrum because, while I typically edit stories after posting, this story (very surprisingly) went over well in the exchange, and now I don't know if I should go edit those changes in or not. But, oh, that last line bothers me in all its placeholder-ness, and I really want to fix it.
I wrote Highlander: the Game for
adabsolutely - 3240 words - A mistake Methos makes comes back, with a twist.and I received:
The Snake Oil Job - 2446 words - Sometimes, Immortal guys make the best dead guys - crossover with Leverage.
This is not a complaint. It was brilliantly played, and I'm still agog at how perfect it was. You see, my author this year was
idelthoughts, my friend and beta reader extraordinaire. She's also not really an active Highlander fan. I sucked her back into the fandom with the "Something Called" crossover, and then coerced her into signing up for Shortcuts last year because doing things with friends is always more fun than doing things alone. Last year, we also specifically requested not to be matched to each other because idel needed me to beta for her and to hold her hand as she navigated a canon she hadn't viewed in twenty years. When we signed up this year, it didn't occur to either of us to request not to be matched again. I guess I assumed that the request would carry over from last year. It didn't. As it turned out, she was assigned to me.But, she spoke not a word of that. From the moment of assignments, she told me she was matched to someone else. Then, through the writing period, we both supported each others' difficulties with finding a story. As she's had ongoing Real Life issues for a couple years now, it wasn't surprising to hear about them continuing to be an issue. At the last minute, she told me she had to bow out of the exchange. Again, not surprising, though always sad when RL gets in the way of fun fan stuff.
Story went live. I was blown away because it's a prompt I've been throwing to the wind for years, and it was a perfect interpretation of it. Idel and I waxed about how great our gifts were. She continued to not give a single hint about who the writer of my story was.
Then the reveals happened.
And I realized just how good idel is at this whole subterfuge thing!
What a great surprise!
