Creativity Comes Back to Life!!

Ahem hem.

An announcement:
They said it couldn't be done. They said it was a sign of the impending apocalypse! They said it was IM POSSIBLE. (Who are 'they'? Maybe it's better not to ask. ;)

What are we talking about? The next chapter of The Shadow of the Past!!! Now, understand, this isn't a trolling-for-review-bait post. (Not that I ever want to discourage anyone from reviewing, but it's really not. ;) No... this is a miraculous day that seemed like it would never,ever come. You see, the last time this fic was updated was on June 8, 2012. It's a looooong story as to exactly what happened next, but basically, Anise's creativity took a nosedive that summer and kind of never exactly came back. There were moments of hope, there were fics, there was endless work on an original book, but it just wasn't the same. And the last chapter of Shadow kind of came to symbolize this issue. It just seemed impossible that the next chapter could ever exist.

AND NOW, IT DOES. :) This is a very important symbolic thing.

Because there's a lesson in this for all of us. Do you have an abandoned fic that you were SURE was dead forever? Did you decide that you just couldn't ever write anything creative again? Don't give up!! You can find that lost creativity. It's still there, waiting for you! :) So my challenge to everyone who has been having problems with writing is this: go back to something you left unfinished at a very difficult time. Pick it up again. Just start writing. Don't worry about whether it's good or bad. And you, too, will find your creative soul. :) And if it involves D/G... post it here.

A Brief Site Interruption on the 27th...

Hey all,
Here's a quick heads' up:
There's a scheduled security software update on our server host.

(this is snipped from the email we were sent...)
The maintenance date is: Sat, Feb 27, 2016

Maintenance window is: 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM EST / 5:00 – 7:00 UTC

The downtime is expected to be 15-25 minutes.
Kind Regards,
Namecheap Support Team

So that'll be... wait... I get confused EVERY time I try to figure out time differences... ;)

Nine pm to 11 pm PST. Um, I originally thought it was the other way. In fact, I was thinking two to four am. Um... okay, we're going to talk about something else now. Or talk amongst yourselves. ;)

Happy D/G Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, and thanks for being an FIA fan! :)

Delay on the help tix...

UPDATE:
We are now back up to speed on the help tix, yay! :) Many thanks to IDreamofDraco.

Hey all,
So the leader of my f2f writing group just decided that the first meeting of the new memoir group was going to be a LOT sooner than we all thought... and guess who was volunteered to go first. O.o. This means that I have 20,000 words that need to be in on Saturday at the latest. So basically, that's why we're behind on the support tix! ;) I'll get to them on Sunday.

The Holidays Are Over! :)

And the archive is open for submissions again. Yay. :) I have to turn in 20,000 words of a piece for my regular critique group by the 9th, so that's it for now. Happy Post-Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

And here's the D/G Xmas Pic! :) There are also a lot more on the FB page. As always, click on the smaller version to see the larger one.

Happy Holidays!

Hey all,
So... FIA is having its annual Holiday Break, from today until... I'll have to look up what it was last year, but I want to say until the 12th Day of Christmas (Epiphany, if you celebrate that kind of thing; Picking Another Stupid New Year's Diet day, if you don't. ;)Either way, it's January 5th.

So what does this mean? It means that we don't take submissions in the story queue, basically. HOWEVER... if you're authorized to skip the queue, you can still publish your fics or new chapters thereof. So that doesn't mean that there won't possibly be some new stuff. :)

And here's some really good news! We raised enough money in the fundraiser, YAY!! Thanks to all of FIA's amazing members and especially the donors for making this possible. Also, I never realized just how international our membership was until I had to convert all those different kinds of currency on Paypal. (Still not exactly sure what some of them are...)

So have a Happy Holidays/Christmas/Hannukah/Winter Solstice/Festivus whatever, and we look forward to another great FIA year!

Halfway There on Fundraising!

Hey all,
Yep, it's true, we are HALFWAY there!! YAY!!! We just have to push a little harder to reach our fundraising goal for the year. There are some really exciting things in the works... I can't tell you all of them because I don't know for sure yet... but trust me, they're exciting. ;) If you haven't donated yet, please think about contributing whatever you can... because remember, FIA couldn't exist without YOU!

It's fundraising time again!

So... it's that time again!

Yep, the yearly hosting dues are due soon, and we need to raise just $100! This is less than we’ve EVER had to raise before, and if everybody pitches in, the fundraiser will go fast. I love this site, I keep coming back to fanfic no matter what else I’m writing, and FIA will always be important to me. Help us keep it going for another year. We have a lot going on… the Allfics FB page just opened, we’re getting lots of new fics and new members, and I’m *tentatively* thinking about the next fic exchange in February or March of 2016. So let’s keep FIA alive and make it happen!

Here's the Paypal address to send donations to: dgfics @ gmail.com The reason it's not clickable is that this is just ASKING to get spam. So, once again, cut, paste, and remove those spaces, and send $ off to Paypal... dgfics @ gmail.com Paypal accounts are easy to set up, but if you don't want to, we'll figure out something else. Just msg me here.

And thanks again for being an FIA member!

The Allfics Facebook Page-- Open At Last!

Here’s the announcement: after unavoidable delays, I am opening the Allfics Facebook page!



WHAT: A new FB page for the community of fanfic writers and readers sharing and discussing original writing. Fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, cookbooks… we cover it all. And yes, fanfic writing too. That’s why it’s allfics. ;)



WHERE: The
Allfics Facebook Page



WHY: Because lots and lots and lots of fanfic writers are also writing ofics. We find something special in the process of reading and writing fanfic, and for our community, it’s D/G, although a lot of us are also in other fandoms. But our original stories also need to be told, and we need to support each other in our original writing (and reading).



OKAY, BUT WHAT IF I’M NOT A WRITER? This is for readers, not just writers! I would LOVE love love to see original writing from the best fanfic writers. This is how to find original writing by authors where you already KNOW you like their writing because you like their fanfics. Also a good way to encourage authors to finish fanfics... ;)

WAIT, WEREN’T YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR? Yes. We also have a complete Allfics Wordpress page and forum set up last year, and those will be open eventually too. I spent *untold* amounts of time on them, so believe me, they will. But because of the issues with members not being able to join from certain email addys, I kind of got discouraged and put it all on the back burner for a while. Then I realized that FB could be the way to go. You really can’t break FB.



WHAT DO I DO NOW? Come on over to the page! Like and start posting and reading.
Personally, I’m going to start with my NaNo project, but you can come over and discuss whatever you’re working on! See you there!!

Of best-laid plans and car crashes... O.o.

Hey all,
So... the PLAN was to open the Allfics FB page today to provide a place for fanfic writers to discuss their ofics, share experiences, and talk about the writing process.

That was the PLAN, anyway...

Then a car accident happened.

:(

So it's not getting done today. I'm thinking Tuesday for sure, though.

This gives people more time for ideas! :) It's important to look on the bright side of these things...

Let's talk about reviews.

Reviews. Yep. We're going to talk about reviews today.
(puts arm around readers to prevent them from escaping)

I'll start out by admitting that I've been really bad about r and r'ing in the past several months. A lot has been going on... I've in the middle of writing my memoir... I've been working with legislators in my state to pass Right to Try laws... the family business is incredibly busy... blah blah blah, sound of the smallest violin in the world...

But I realized that if I'm going to continue to be committed to this site, this fandom, and this genre of writing, then I NEED TO GET BACK TO READING AND REVIEWING. Sorry about the capslock. But I do need to, and I am, and I have a major backlog that I WILL get to.

So here's the deal... if I can r and r, then so can you. Yes, you can. Authors tell me again and again lately that they look at the numbers under their fics and see several zillion readers...and very few reviews. SOMEONE is reading and not reviewing here.

So here's my challenge: review.

Your review may look like this.
"That's the most amazing portrayal of a Draco/Ginny/giant squid triangle I've ever seen! A full page of incredibly detailed reasons why!"

Or it may look like this:
"That was good."

The first one is obviously more popular with authors than the second one. But both of them show that you care. And that's important. Leave good reviews. Leave critical reviews. Leave reviews torn from the depths of your souls. Leave reviews that you typed in between looking at new cat videos on cuteoverload.com. Leave happy reviews; leave sad reviews; leave joyous reviews; leave depressing reviews. LEAVE A REVIEW. And I will too. :)

FIA in an academic paper!! And YOU can participate. :)

Hey all,
So I've talking about something exciting that was going to be announced soon... and HERE IT IS, YAY. We have an amazing opportunity that just came up. Here are the details—I hope you all get as excited about this as I did. ;)

Bhamini, a grad school student majoring in Media and Cultural Studies, has been shipping D/G since she was nine and discovered the Internet. She's a little older and a little wiser now - wise enough to be writing a paper on the D/G fandom and the writers in it. Basically, she wants to hear about you, why you love this ship, and how you write it! If you want to help with academic research into what makes us awesome, write her an email at ginevra.malfoy192 @ gmail.com. She can't wait to hear from you!

(Note from me: you'll have to cut and paste and take out the spaces in that email addy. Making it clickable here is kind of an invitation to spam bait.)


Here are some questions that can be a good starting point. Feel free to add info or thoughts that aren’t here.

What inspired you start shipping D/G, when the canon gave us so little to go on?

At which point did it become a part of your life?

Did canon Ginny ever disappoint you? The fanfic I've enjoyed always has a far more badass Ginny than in the books. Similarly, did canon Draco? How do you think he compares to fanon!Draco?

Did the fact that D/G never played out in cannon ever bother you? Did you ever *really* expect it to happen at all, and if so, in what way?

How do you feel about writing fanfic vs. "original" fiction/nonfiction?

Do you find the distinction between them problematic (especially since some fanfic universes are entirely original?)

How does writing fanfic relate to writing your original work?

When writing sexytimes into the otherwise sterilized HP universe, particularly graphic ones or PWPs, what's your motivation?

If you have a fan following of your own, how that feels?

Do the people around you IRL know you write fanfic? If so, how do they react?

Add any personal details you'd feel comfortable sharing about your age/sex/marital status/etc. This isn’t required.

Hint hint hint from me: we can also discuss these fandom questions and many more right here!! ;)

Lots happening on the FIA FB page...

Hey all,
I'm going to post much more about this in a couple of days, but here's a quick note: we are doing a LOT more with the FIA FB page now. I highly recommend joining it if you haven't already. There's a new snippet of *Malfoy In a Glass, Darkly*! Also our very own idreamofdraco posted a snippet of The Dating Charade! And there's a pic of her new kitten named Draco. MAXIMUM CUTENESS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. The point is, there will be much more about this, but for now... you need to head on over and check it out if you haven't already. :)

There's a link in the lower left hand corner of the screen, but here it is again: FIA on FB!

Yes! I'm still alive!!

And that's always good. :) It's been pretty crazy around here lately, and I KNOW... we're really behind on answering support tickets. If anyone reading this is wondering why they never got an admin reply, that's why. But it will happen. Yes, oh yes, it will. Meanwhile, a plot bunny keeps nibbling at the door. It involves Ginny at Colin and Justin's wedding. :)

ETA! YES! Miracles do happen! I just finished the long slog of going through all the support tix. It's done for now!

Of Correct Email Addys and Overzealous Spam Filters

Hey all,

So... two housekeeping type things.
1.) Please, PLEASE keep your email address current with the site! We tried to contact an author lately and were unable to because her email addy was dead/outdated/etc etc etc.

2.) For some weird reason, a couple of authors have been having issues lately with submitting chapters that did not go through. We've narrowed it down to a filter on content suddenly being very overzealous. While we've always had this, it's apparently decided to kind of go over the top lately.

Here are three words that have ALWAYS been taboo: lynx, curl, python. (No, I don't know exactly why.)

BUT... the new thing is that the filter seems to be starting to catch terms that a spam filter would normally use. For example, one fic recently kept getting caught on SOMETHING unidentifiable, and the amazing Myanceris figured out that it was the phrase "mail order bride." O.o. I think that it's best to avoid anything that you would immediately think would be in a spam email... both words and phrases, I don't know... here are some obvious ones:

Viagra, Cialis, camgirl, income from home, online degree, Avoid bankruptcy, increase traffic, Xanax, Vicodin, weight loss, Multi level marketing.

Here's a good list of spam terms: The Ultimate List of Email Spam Trigger Words.

So whatever you do, don't write a fic about Ginny curling up with a python and her pet lynx while she works on her online degree and tries to convince Draco to get into a multilevel marketing scheme. ;)

Now I kind of want to write a fic that has all those terms in it... ;)

Anyway, those are two things to keep in mind!
And believe it or not, I haven't forgotten about another fic exchange. But I'm getting VERY busy with my nonfic writing. So I'm thinking closer to the end of the year.

As always, leave any questions, comments, and thoughts! :)

Unauthorized reposting

A site called ebooks-tree.com grabbed a bunch of my stories off here, probably with a bot, and reposted them to their site without permission. Authors here should check whether they also had their stories stolen and submit a DMCA complaint to take it down if they don't want them there.

NO net access for the last TWO WEEKS!!

Hey all,

Yep, that's right... I'm in the middle of moving, and for various reasons mostly involving evil cable companies, I have been netless for TWO WEEKS NOW. (The horror... the horror...) Anyway, if you're wondering why I didn't answer your ticket/etc., that's why!! I have a couple of hours at a PDX bar with wifi because my writers' group is meeting here... so I will catch up as much as possible!!! Thanks for your patience. :)

SECOND Valentine's Day Art! Yay!

Here it is, a smaller version. This one was FUN. :) it's been CRAZY around here lately... I'm moving this month... but I'm still determined to keep up on the V-Day art. :)

The First Valentine's Day Art!

Yes, the first piece of D/G Valentine's Day Art, but not the last! Yay! :)

So FFN's D/G Forum fic exchange is going on right now-- and all the fics are great! Except, well, mine. It's really not. If it ever makes it onto FIA, it will be quite the rewritten and re-edited version, because as it is now... it's not very good at all. Just take my word for this. I can't tell you which one it is, either, so I can't warn readers away from it... Still, I recommend all the OTHER fics, because THEY are good!

FIA Open for Submissions Again!

Hey all,
Yep, the holidays are officially over, and FIA is completely and totally open again. There WOULD be cool art for this occasion, except that I'm working on a Valentine's Day piece. A kissing booth is involved. :)

ETA: One other thing: I'm working on the date for the 2015 Fic Exchange. YAY! I'm not the biggest fan of having it over the holidays in any way, shape, or form, which is why we didn't do it at the same time as last year. Also, FFN has been having theirs (up by mid Feb!) And yes, because I'm completely insane, I'm writing a fic for that exchange. I REALLY think that spring is a better time for ours. So I'm thinking of April 1st as a starting date. :) I think I'll have a poll question about this, too.

Happy New Year!

A very happy new year to everyone! Best wishes for lots and lots of exciting creativity (esp D/G related. ;)

Happy Holidays! And Yay!

NEW NOTE:
Anyone who donated and wants a gold star on their profile, just ask! :)



Happy holidays again, and YAY GO US!!! We raised all the money we need for another year of FIA! You are all amazing! :)

LOTS of things!

Hey all,

1.) FIA is now taking the yearly holiday break. :) New submissions will open again on Jan 6th. UNLESS you can skip the queue, and actually, you can keep right on submitting fics in that case. AND... and and and...

2.) Here are all the things you can still do during these two weeks:

-- Read and review fics
-- Post fics if you're authorized to skip the queue
-- Send me an email/msg/or post on the Help page in order to sign up as a member
-- Read and post on news items (and there WILL be some new ones during the break)
-- Write new D/G, esp. using info from the new Draco background essay we now have direct from JKR! Who knows... I might even post a ficlet. ;) (ETA: I am completely insane. I've planned out and outlined THREE short interlocked fics inspired by the essay. Canon compliant, which I don't write a lot of.)

The amazing dykeadellic has posted the two part essay on the new FIA tumblr page, which is a good segue into...

2.) Here's The New FIA Tumblr Blog. Go and read. NOW.

3.) Have a very merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hannukah/Solstice/Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest/whatever! :)

And as always, thanks for being FIA members and D/G readers.

Holiday Break Closing Dates!

Hey all,

So we've decided on the dates for the annual holiday break: Dec 22nd to Jan 5th. This gives people a couple of extra days to submit any fics they'd like to get in before 2015. :) And don't forget, anyone who wants to manually register should just contact me. And again, Happy Holidays to all!