sholio: Autumn leaf frosted at edges (Autumn-frosted leaf)
Once again we have the semi-annual poll about whether you want to be on or off the writing filter that I suddenly remembered I had. It's mainly for talking about my original writing and the business aspects of being a writer.

If you're already on the writing filter, the post just before this one should be a (locked) writing filter post. No problem with getting off the filter at any time; it won't affect your access otherwise.

(If you don't already have access and want on the filter, I'll grant access to new people at my discretion. It doesn't hurt to ask again later if I decided not to give you access once; sometimes it's just down to how I'm feeling about having new people on board.)

Results are hidden, so only I can see who voted for what.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 54

I am on the writing filter and I want OFF.

Please take me off!
0 (0.0%)

I am not on the writing filter and I want ON.

Please add me!
12 (100.0%)

I thought I was on the writing filter but I can't see the post you're talking about.

Please check my status!
4 (100.0%)

I just want to click something.

I clicked! :D
39 (100.0%)

sholio: Jack and Peggy from Agent Carter (Avengers-Jack Peggy)
... that I might be thinking about holding an impromptu prompting fest.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 34


When would a good time for such a fest be?

View Answers

Right now! I would love the distraction!
9 (26.5%)

This weekend? I'm too busy/distracted right now; give me a couple of days.
8 (23.5%)

Later than that, please! I'm busy with All The Things but would like to play later on.
10 (29.4%)

Any time at all works for me.
12 (35.3%)

I don't want to participate, so I'll just be watching from the sidelines!
8 (23.5%)

sholio: pen and ink drawing of the four main Biggles characters (Biggles-team)
Based on a discussion elsewhere ... I got to wondering how most people store their digital photos. What do you consider the primary storage for your photos?

Mine are on my computer, although the recent ones are also on my phone, but I would say my main photo archive is the folder where I've been downloading first my digital camera photos and then my phone photos since 2004. Does this make me a hopeless digital Luddite? Let the poll reveal all! (The answer is almost certainly yes. Though I realize DW skews somewhat older by internet standards, so I might be surprised.)

Feel free to tick multiple boxes if you have more than one primary photo storage location or it's changed over time, but I'm mostly curious where you consider the current home of your main photo archive.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 90


Where do your photos (mostly) live?

View Answers

Posted to social media; I don't have other copies
1 (1.1%)

On my phone
44 (48.9%)

In some form of cloud storage
42 (46.7%)

In a photo manager program that syncs across devices
9 (10.0%)

On my computer hard drive or an external drive that attaches to it
63 (70.0%)

As physical prints; I don't store them digitally at all
3 (3.3%)

An unholy mix of old phones, defunct social media, sites I can no longer log into, and a million other places such as God and nature never intended
12 (13.3%)

I don't know/I don't take photos/I cannot be photographed because the camera will steal my soul
5 (5.6%)

You failed to mention an important one I will mention in the comments!
2 (2.2%)

sholio: airplane flying away from a tan colored castle (Biggles-castle airplane)
Which of my WIPs should I work on this week, o flist?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 34


You may pick up to 3!

View Answers

Flies East AU with extra h/c
12 (35.3%)

Sakhalin AU with extra h/c
11 (32.4%)

Sequel/missing scene for someone else's fic (also with h/c, shock)
7 (20.6%)

Something for one or more bingo squares
14 (41.2%)

A longer fic with plot (and probably also h/c)
16 (47.1%)

Extremely fluffy ship fic
6 (17.6%)

Extremely fluffy gen or gennish teamfic
15 (44.1%)



You may notice I'm being cruel and not only limiting people to 3 choices, but not giving an "out" this time. You must pick at least one if you vote! CRUELTY I KNOW.
sholio: A stack of books (Books & coffee)
I've read quite a lot of books in the last few months, but I haven't written anything about any of them. Thus, a poll.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 71


What do you think I should do? (Choose as many as you like.)

View Answers

Write individual posts for whichever books you have definite thoughts on.
38 (53.5%)

Write a single summary post for all of them with a brief paragraph or so per book.
21 (29.6%)

Summary post, but themed, so a few books at a time for a given type of book.
34 (47.9%)

Move on, life is short.
9 (12.7%)

I have a different suggestion which I will make in the comments.
4 (5.6%)

I just want to click on something.
23 (32.4%)

sholio: airplane flying away from a tan colored castle (Biggles-castle airplane)
I finished a draft and got the book off to beta/edits today. Now I am pondering what to do with my day off tomorrow. (It will definitely involve fanfic.)

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40


What shall I write?

View Answers

Try to finish some WiPs
17 (42.5%)

Write h/c ficlets for Febuwhump prompts
5 (12.5%)

Write SUPER ANGSTY self-indulgent h/c (rape recovery, evil mirrorverse character, things like that)
20 (50.0%)

Write really fluffy self-indulgent h/c (character gets a hug, etc)
18 (45.0%)

Write self-indulgent mildly kinky porn
16 (40.0%)

Work on Airdrop treats
5 (12.5%)

Look at long-ignored inbox prompts
8 (20.0%)

You should write something else I will mention in comments
1 (2.5%)

sholio: a red cup by a stack of books (Books & coffee 2)
Edit: The poll is now closed, as I feel I have enough new people for now! There will be other opportunities to get on.

I'm planning to do more chitchat about writing in 2024 - this would be general neepery about plotting, market research, ad strategy, how my books are doing, etc. and I'm creating a locked filter for it. This would be in addition to my typical posts on it, so you won't miss out on those if you don't join the filter. This is just for extra levels of nuts-and-bolts talk, including details on word count, my writing schedule and authorial to-do lists and other things of that nature. Lurking is fine. You can join if you're just curious.

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 76


Do you want to be on this filter?

View Answers

Yes, please add me!
72 (100.0%)

Would you be (potentially) interested in a Facebook group for this as well?

View Answers

Yes or at least maybe
12 (19.4%)

No, definitely not
42 (67.7%)

Depends on other factors, like how busy I am
8 (12.9%)



If you don't already have access, I can add you, with the caveat that misbehaving or sharing private information outside these posts will get you kicked out.

(I've left the setting that makes poll answers visible turned on, in case who else is on the filter is relevant information for some people. If you want to be added *without* being visible on the poll, DM me.)
sholio: (Horseman)
Are you doing anything special this November, o Flist?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 59


My November plans include ...

View Answers

NaNoWriMo
4 (6.8%)

One of the smaller NaNo writing challenges (name in comments if you like)
7 (11.9%)

Frantically writing FIAB
6 (10.2%)

Frantically writing something else
13 (22.0%)

Working on Yuletide
21 (35.6%)

Doing my own personal writing/art challenge (discuss in comments?)
11 (18.6%)

Doing that clean-your-house-in-November challenge
11 (18.6%)

Decorating for a holiday (specify in comments?)
4 (6.8%)

Something else which I will discuss in comments
11 (18.6%)

sholio: Peggy, Jack, and Daniel from Agent Carter (Avengers-Agent Carter OT3 2)
I had a discussion on this topic maybe 5-6 years ago, I think, which introduced me to the interesting and startling realization that some people just do not like this thing that I like. This is obviously completely valid, but since there are a number of new people around now, I think it's time for a repeat just to check in on changing tastes and whatnot.

The question is: If you like h/c, do you like h/c with groups, or just with two people?

My shocking realization in the previous discussion was that many people do not, in fact, like group h/c, which is one of my favorite types! (Obviously all opinions are valid here.)

By group h/c, I mean things like: two or more people taking care of the hurt person, the canon's central team/group protecting someone, the person realizing they're accepted into the group *as* the comfort, the whole group/team getting hurt together, and that sort of thing. Many people are very specifically into h/c just with their ship or two particular blorbos, and introducing more people to the dynamic makes it not fun anymore. I support this as a completely valid choice and do indeed read a lot of h/c of the "two blorbos" sort, but how do *you* feel?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 88


Do you like h/c with a group of caretakers?

View Answers

Yes, I like it
37 (42.0%)

No, I don't like it
2 (2.3%)

I like it in certain specific circumstances
24 (27.3%)

I never thought about it before and therefore don't know how I feel yet
18 (20.5%)

Your binary options cannot contain my complex thoughts! (Elaborate in comments.)
4 (4.5%)

I have no opinion/just want to see the results.
3 (3.4%)



Feel free to elaborate or discuss this in comments!

Edit: Cursed once again by DW's inability to edit a poll once you've posted it, I just want to mention that 'all hurt together' is also a valid option here, not just groups with one person hurt. Actually it'd be interesting to know if that makes a difference.
sholio: text reading My Dashing Nemesis (Biggles-nemesis)
Via [personal profile] snickfic:
What's one of your favorite shippy moments for your ship? Why do you love it?

This poll is definitely for useful reasons of helping me figure out which one(s) to talk about and not because I just wanted an excuse to think about all my favorites.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18


Best Biggles/EvS shippy scene?

View Answers

"He had never seen a finer example of wild humanity."
3 (16.7%)

Bickering over who gets the last boat ride off the island in Hatchet.
2 (11.1%)

Sharing last cigarettes in Foreign Legionnaire.
2 (11.1%)

"How time flies when I am with you!"
4 (22.2%)

Admiring Erich's dashingness as he saves his worthless henchperson and gets trampled by a wild boar in the process: "That was very like him."
2 (11.1%)

"Von Stalhein smiled a curious smile that always gave Biggles a tingling feeling down the spine."
5 (27.8%)

"I know you won't shoot an unarmed man." (turns his back on gun-wielding Biggles)
2 (11.1%)

"For a long time you were the one bright star in a gloomy sky."
7 (38.9%)

Serenading Biggles with a violin and then arranging to meet him in the gents' toilets afterwards.
3 (16.7%)

"Naughty!" (as Erich shoots at him through a door) + leaving him a token of affection (the tie)
1 (5.6%)

Going back under heavy fire at the end of Looks Back.
1 (5.6%)

*hears an airplane, any airplane* "Ah, Bigglesworth is here."
1 (5.6%)

Erich calls Biggles (at his private, unlisted number) to warn him off; immediately wild horses could not have dragged him away from this case.
2 (11.1%)

Biggles absolutely *losing it* at Erich's Soviet handler for swearing at him.
8 (44.4%)

Erich shows up at a jewelry auction where he's wanted by the law for no apparent reason other than chatting with Biggles.
0 (0.0%)

Ordered to kill Biggles, instead saves his life and gets sent to Siberian work camp hell.
6 (33.3%)

Erich puts on a fake beard, slips a coded note under the door, and invites Biggles to lunch for definitely 100% work-related spy reasons.
2 (11.1%)

You have forgotten the best shippy moment which I will tell you about in comments.
0 (0.0%)

sholio: blue and yellow airplane flying (Biggles-Biplane)
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 32


Which of the following tropes needs to be written for Biggles immediately?

View Answers

Handcuffed together
18 (56.2%)

Only one bed
10 (31.2%)

Head injury/concussion
7 (21.9%)

Fainting after pushing yourself too hard
12 (37.5%)

Trapped in an elevator (or equivalent)
8 (25.0%)

Forcibly addicted to a drug
9 (28.1%)

Suicide attempt
4 (12.5%)

Let me teach you how to [play an instrument/fly a plane/shoot a gun] by touching you a lot for entirely necessary reasons
11 (34.4%)

Graphic depictions of hugging
8 (25.0%)

Von Stalhein's bonkers spy disguises deserve their own ticky box, y/y?
12 (37.5%)



Feel free to elaborate upon your answer in comments. :D

(Not all of these are necessarily Biggles-and-EvS ideas; I think some of them would be amazing for EvS and Algy, for example.)
sholio: Autumn leaves (Autumn-leaves 1)
I kinda like doing start-of-month posts with a little bit of resolution and planning. Let's see if I can keep it up.

To start on a cheerful note, signups are open at H/C-Ex!

I didn't do a single Fandom 50 post last month. I will try to do one a week this month! And I also have a number of recently read books and such that I haven't posted about yet. And I did plan to do some aviation posts for Biggles fandom as well! In December and January, I posted to DW almost every day, and I really enjoyed it. I'd like to manage something like that for March as well (assuming it doesn't draw too much focus away from writing - but in January, it didn't seem to). Anyway, I have plenty of things to post about.

February kind of fell down a hole (got sick, spent a lot of time in book revision hell, etc) but one thing that happened was that somewhere mid-month I decided to change my overall professional theme/goal for 2023 from "reliability" to "sustainability." It's related, but it also has to do with working on healthy pacing, giving myself time off, setting realistic expectations for myself and so forth. I feel like I really leveled up on my reliability goals last year (sticking to a project until I see it through, getting more accurate on my writing timing projections so I can set more accurate preorders, working on a series until I finish it, etc); I now feel like I can set up a preorder and feel confident in myself to hit the target as long as it's far enough out, which I did not feel AT ALL confident about as recently as 2 years ago. So maybe now I should look at combining that leveled-up ability to finish things with flex time and playtime and taking time off. I set my own deadlines, for the most part, and I don't want to be crushed by them. I need days off and vacations and hobbies and fun just as much as someone who works a regular day job. But it's not JUST taking time off! It's also using my work time better, so I'm not taking 4 hours to do a 1-hour job because of continual procrastination and/or getting distracted by shinier projects.

One change I made sometime last year, that is turning out to be AWESOME, is taking the first couple of days of each month for rest, reflection, and paperwork. This has helped hugely with not having a giant paperwork mess to deal with for tax time this year; I've been updating and organizing it as I go, so it's all in order this year! Who knew.

Let us end on a poll. What are your March plans?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 37


In March, I hope to:

View Answers

Start a new fun project
6 (16.2%)

Write a fic
18 (48.6%)

Set a goal
7 (18.9%)

Go to a new place
5 (13.5%)

Do some socialing
10 (27.0%)

Sign up for H/C-Ex
7 (18.9%)

Sign up for something else
2 (5.4%)

Do something else which I will tell you about in comments
8 (21.6%)

The dilemma

Feb. 6th, 2023 10:22 am
sholio: Chess queen looking horrified (Chess piece oh noes)
I went to bed last night all fired up to get to writing the chapters I still need to write on the next Keeley book - and woke up with my head filled with a full-fledged plot for a Biggles fic in which EvS is ordered to honeypot him for blackmail purposes.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 64


What do YOU think I should do today?

View Answers

Write the first book chapter.
2 (3.1%)

Write the Biggles fic.
17 (26.6%)

Alternate working on both, with Biggles as a reward for good behavior.
45 (70.3%)

Write something else I'm going to tell you about in comments.
0 (0.0%)

sholio: Carol Danvers with Monica (Avengers-CM Carol Monica)
Here we are almost to the end of January and I haven't done anything for Fannish 50 yet. Honestly, I thought I'd find it easier to come up with things to post about. I think I'm going to cheat by brainstorming a bit in the form of a poll.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 77


What are you interested in having me post about? (Check all that apply.)

View Answers

Favorite hurt/comfort tropes
42 (54.5%)

Favorite narrative tropes in general
52 (67.5%)

Talk about a fandom I'm not into anymore
19 (24.7%)

Old nostalgic favorite canons from the 70s/80s/90s
38 (49.4%)

Pick a book from my bookshelf I haven't reread in a long time, read, and post about it
36 (46.8%)

Repost some of my older-and-offline or never-posted fan music videos
18 (23.4%)

Biggles!
21 (27.3%)

MCU or some subset of it
14 (18.2%)

Comics
10 (13.0%)

Wax nostalgic on a topic of my choice
38 (49.4%)

Set up some scenes with action figures and post pictures of them
17 (22.1%)

A provocative (or non-provocative) opinion on any fandom topic
44 (57.1%)

A favorite scene from something I want to talk about
36 (46.8%)

Suggest something in the comments that you want me to talk about (now is your chance!)
2 (2.6%)



Feel free to elaborate on your answers in the comments.
sholio: Chess queen looking horrified (Chess piece oh noes)
Sooooo apparently I am writing not just one but THREE Daniel Blackland fics for various squares on my h/c bingo card. (Full disclosure: one of them was written a couple of days ago but on hold because it involved a point of canon in a book I hadn't read yet ... and a good thing I waited, too, since I was completely wrong about it.) So I now have one finished, one mostly finished, and one that's only an idea at this point but is going to be very short.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 49


What's my best course of action here, hive mind?

View Answers

Post them all, full steam ahead, thus terrifying everyone following you into thinking you've completely switched fandoms AGAIN
22 (44.9%)

Post them staggered in between finishing up WIPs and/or writing h/c bingo squares for your other current fandoms
3 (6.1%)

Post them with impunity, but wait a few days so some of the people you've recced the books to might have had a chance to read them yet!
12 (24.5%)

It really doesn't matter; do what you like!
29 (59.2%)

sholio: sun on winter trees (Default)
If only I had known before I married him. :(

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 65


What is the proper way to care for cast iron cookware?

View Answers

Wash, wipe dry, oil
26 (40.0%)

Wash and allow to air dry at its leisure like a BARBARIAN
7 (10.8%)

You are both wrong and I'm going to tell you about it.
13 (20.0%)

Well, your first mistake was cooking in cast iron in the first place.
19 (29.2%)



He insists that it's bad for the iron to oil it before it's completely dry because otherwise it traps water underneath the oil layer, but I can't see how that could possibly be worse than letting it RUST. My lot in life is to find rusting cast iron cookware lying about the kitchen on a semi-daily basis and oil it back to health, like the Sisyphus of skillets.

ETA: Tone is always hard on the internet, but I hope it comes through that this poll is flippant and I don't actually think it matters all that much. The thing I love best about cast iron is that it is literally INDESTRUCTIBLE and couldn't care less if you let it sit around and rust or oil it immediately, whether you use soap on it (his way) or no soap (my way, although I have slowly come around to the Way of Soap). QED: the fact that we've been doing this for 20 years and the cast iron is still exactly the same regardless of which of us is in charge of it. The point of the poll is that there is no point. All of that being said, oiling it is obviously the right way and I am glad so many of you agree that he is WRONG.
sholio: glittery Christmas ornaments (Christmas ornament 2)
I signed up for [community profile] fandomtrees! (My "tree" is not up yet since I just signed up on the signup post.) This fest is this year's answer to the sadly defunct Fandom Stocking. Signups close on Fri, Dec. 4 at UTC 23:59. Go sign up so I have more trees in my fandoms to treat! :D You can also sign up with non-fandom "fandoms" such as recipes or music recs.

[personal profile] snickfic is running a no-frills friending meme! If you would like some new friends on DW, go find some!

2020 short story recs from [personal profile] sophia_sol for your reading pleasure!

I'm not doing the December posting meme where you ask people to contribute topics, because I have enough trouble writing about things I already want to write about lately. Instead, I think I'll do my own version of it, which is to ask which of the things I've been thinking about making posts about that you want me to talk about, and try to write about those. This way maybe I'll manage to unload some of the drafts I've been kicking around in my head.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 83


General topics you might like to read about?

View Answers

Thoughts & feelings on Torchwood
20 (25.3%)

Thoughts & feelings on Iron Fist/Defenders/Ward/etc
22 (27.8%)

Thoughts & feelings on other movies/TV/books
38 (48.1%)

Opinions on politics
15 (19.0%)

Books I've read lately & liked
67 (84.8%)

Books I've read lately & hated
48 (60.8%)

Writing-related meta
35 (44.3%)

Self-publishing & related topics (launching a pen name, genre tropes, etc)
34 (43.0%)

Interesting links I have encountered lately
45 (57.0%)

Fanwork recs I haven't been posting
48 (60.8%)

Another topic you know I'm interested in and would like me to write about (remind me in comments)
2 (2.5%)

Specific posts I have been contemplating that you might like to read?

View Answers

My thoughts on T. Kingfisher's horror novels
35 (44.9%)

The left is really dumb about messaging and here's why
29 (37.2%)

Rereading Philip Jose Farmer's World of Tiers and finding it surprisingly good
14 (17.9%)

Meta on Ben's character arc from Heavy Time/Hellburner
6 (7.7%)

Results of my experiment in sending out a short story a week to my mailing list
39 (50.0%)

Getting back into Torchwood fandom after a decade and general thoughts on that
22 (28.2%)

My opinions on Daniel's role in Agents of SHIELD
21 (26.9%)

Watching The Expanse and my thoughts so far
25 (32.1%)

Political links I've been saving
4 (5.1%)

Everything you learn in school about propaganda is probably wrong
50 (64.1%)

The post I completely forgot about but will remember 5 minutes after posting this poll
33 (42.3%)

sholio: Peggy, Jack, and Daniel from Agent Carter (Avengers-Agent Carter OT3 2)
I was reading about a Bermuda Triangle shipwreck tonight, and it occurred to me that:

a) It would be fun to write something set in or around the Bermuda Triangle.
b) It would work about equally well for any of the various set of characters hanging out in my head right now.

And so ... a very useful and important poll.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 60


Most likely to get lost in the Bermuda Triangle?

View Answers

Danny and Ward
12 (20.0%)

Team Torchwood
26 (43.3%)

Peggy, Daniel, and Jack
27 (45.0%)



Feel free to elaborate in comments.

A poll

Apr. 29th, 2020 11:09 pm
sholio: sun on winter trees (Default)
Let's say someone you're following on AO3 decided to put a bunch of their older fic on AO3 and so you get a whole slew of notifs.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 103

You find this large pile of notifications ...

Annoying
11 (10.8%)

Useful
39 (38.2%)

Worrying
0 (0.0%)

Depends on whether it's a fandom I'm into
35 (34.3%)

It's your account, do what you want!
68 (66.7%)

My response cannot be contained in your ticky boxes.
13 (12.7%)

If someone does this more than once, would you unfollow them?

Yes/probably so
2 (2.0%)

No/probably not
71 (69.6%)

Depends on if I'm into the fandoms.
24 (23.5%)

Other?
5 (4.9%)

Do you wish AO3 gave users the ability to turn off notifs on backdated fic?

Yes.
15 (14.7%)

No.
17 (16.7%)

Could go either way, but notifying them that it's backdated would be nice.
49 (48.0%)

No opinion.
21 (20.6%)

sholio: sun on winter trees (Default)
I clicked on this article because of the mention of "nude" shopping - disappointingly, they are referring to vegetables, not people - but I went ahead and read it because it was interesting, and I got to this part:

A new refrigeration shelving system for displaying fresh fruit and vegetables was installed along with a process known as 'misting' to help keep items fresh.

... and I thought, wait, is that not a thing everywhere, those water sprayers to keep vegetables moist? Every grocery store I've shopped in since I was a kid had those ... I thought. Or is that only a thing we need here because it's so dry? It's the fact that the article's author felt a need to explain it that made me think these might not be so common as I had always assumed. I always assumed it was basically universal but now I'm curious.

Obviously this would not apply to places like farmer's markets where you have fresh produce in baskets and bins, just to grocery stores with a produce section.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 211


Does your local grocery store have water misters to keep the produce fresh?

View Answers

Yes, always
88 (41.7%)

No, I've never seen that
43 (20.4%)

Some do/some don't
77 (36.5%)

I never noticed
3 (1.4%)



Feel free to elaborate in comments.

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sholio: sun on winter trees (Default)
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