#I think maybe because I banged out the 80k novel in a month

[mari-beau]

Guess who just finished writing her 58k+ fanfic?!

Just need to give the final chapter and epilogue an edit and it's good to go.

[dkgwrites]

Great to See You Writing Again!

I recently posted a fic which received nothing but love (thank you kind and gentle readers), but it also received a lot of comments from folks who were “glad to see me writing again” or "happy that I was back”. It made me go back through my fics to se how long it had been and what I had posted.

In May, I posted  fic with twelve very short chapters (because I made it for Insta, originally) which was around 18k. Then I signed up for a zine (which I ended up helping to mod) and a Big Bang. Those both had reveals in October.

Zine fic: around 5k

Big Bang fic: around 82k

That’s 87k to be written in June - September (posted in October). For December, I did a prompt challenge of 12 fics in 12 days.

Holiday challenge: around 41k

Then I wrote a short fic in January which got me so many statements (and again, everyone was so kind, so this is not meant to disparage anyone) that left me confused.

January fic: 9k

So between the months of June to January (it was a little under seven and a half months),I posted around 137k of fanfic. That’s close to two full-length novels. I also worked full-time and helped to get a zine out.

Now, I’ll ignore job details, life, and the pandemic, but I’d like to address how long it actually takes to write a fic. If you’re a writer, you’ve posted a new chapter and on the same day gotten a comment of “update soon”. (If you’re a reader, please don’t do this. I’m on bended knee. Forever remove that phrase from your vocabulary.) I don’t think readers have a sense of how long it takes to create that piece of storytelling.

I write fairly quickly. When I’m on a roll, I can write around 1k an hour. That means the words are flowing, and I’m well-versed in a subject. If I need to do research, you can tack on another 1-3 hours per thousand words. Let’s look at an 82k pieces (which for me was an art heist au, so I had to do a ton of research on art, thefts, museum security, etc.). Outlining also takes time. This all happens before you start to write the story. I’ll say that fic was about 160 hours of work to pick a realistic and round number. If it was my FT job, that would have been four (4) weeks to get to a first draft. It still needed to be revised and edited. That probably took another eighty (80) hours. So 240 hours of work, and let’s assume I worked on it twenty (20) hours a week. That’s twelve (12) weeks or three months... if I’m on a roll and because I write quickly.

As a reader, maybe you devour an 82k fic in a day, but that was three months of work in my life if things are going well. Sometimes, a day of writing is watching a blinking cursor and then going back and reading earlier parts that you wrote to try and find the last drops of inspiration like the conditioner in a bottle left upside in the shower. Readers, this is not meant anyone to be put off on commenting. If folks didn’t want to hear from you, they wouldn’t post their work. However, I think we need some transparency in the process.  In traditional publishing, authors put out 1-2 books (a novel length being around 80k) every 3-5 years. These people are getting paid to do so, and it may well be their FT job.

Fic writers love their fandom. We are willing to tap our fingers sore to add to the creations. Love them in return with a comment like “I loved this” or “this line was my favorite <quite a line>”. If you feel so included, write them whole paragraphs (which they will read again and again like a secret love letter). Please, communicate with your favs, but now that you know the time that goes into it, consider your words. We’ve spent a lot of time considering ours.

[ironheart-stony]

Novel Length | Stony Fic Recs

Long chaptered fics with delicious slow burn and world building. 

Last updated 4/2/2017. THERE’S MORE LONG FIC RECS - Part 2 IS HERE 

Fics over 50k words.

My Son, My Sun by Wordsplat | T | 70k | superfamily

Just before the events of Iron Man, a baby is left on Tony's doorstep. He wants nothing to do with it at first, but his time in Afghanistan changes his mind and Tony vows to become a better man for his son's sake.

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy | T | 62k | comicbook office!au

Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD.

This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man.

Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain

The Ghosts of War by scifigrl47 | M | 60k | historical!AU

Steven Rogers never wanted to be king, but he knows his duty, and he does it well. Lord Tony Stark, the king's appointed consort, does his duty as well, even though he'd enjoy his duty more if it actually involved sleeping with the king. As it doesn't, he's just resigned. The war that made Steve king and cost him nearly everything may be over, but a meeting of old enemies might stir up some ghosts none of them are prepared for.

Truth Behind Masks by scifigrl47 | M | 98k | identity porn

Steve Rogers has plenty of friends. He just doesn't know two of them are the same man.

That's just how Tony Stark/Iron Man likes it. Until he comes to regret it.

One More Troubled Soul ♥ by sara_holmes | various | 61k | wintersoldier!steve

And Tony realizes that working out who the Winter Soldier used to be and who he is now are two entirely different things.

Slipping off the Page into Your Hands by Sineala | E | 68k | soulmates!au

Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve's problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony's problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth.

I wanted to fix this (but couldn't stop from tearing it down) by missbecky | E | 50K

A visit from a Reed Richards from a parallel world convinces Tony and Steve that they must do whatever they can to prevent their world from falling into Civil War. They can save the world…but at what cost to themselves?

Like Coming Home by missbecky | M | 75K | universe crossover, 616

After a tragic accident, Steve is given a chance to go back in time and deliver a warning to Tony in the hope of avoiding their fate. Something's gone wrong, though, because this is not his world he's ended up in. And that is definitely not his Tony who's planning to delete his own brain.

Sometimes your second chance isn't at all what you were expecting.

Stay With Me (home is where your mind is.) ♥ by sara_holmes | M | 67k | multiverse

Where Steve doesn’t quite die, ends up stranded in the multiverse and would quite like to know how the hell so many versions of himself ended up sleeping with Tony Stark. Well, that’s going to make things a tad awkward when he gets home.

Relativistic Heat Conduction ♥ by BlossomsintheMist | E | 69k | AOU, H/C

Age of Ultron-based, but not entirely canon compliant. Written for the 2013 Cap-Iron Man Reverse Big Bang. Ultron has attacked, obliterating most of the world's superheroes and resistance in a matter of hours. The remaining heroes band together and share what strength they have to get through it, to survive, and defeat Ultron once and for all. Steve Rogers grieves in the wake of the disaster and the heroes' defeat, and no one knows if he will be able to provide the leadership they need--but Tony Stark isn't about to let him slip away that easily.

If We Never Got This Second Chance ♥ by Pookaseraph | M | 50k | time travel, superfamily

When Tony and Steve’s son from the future, Jake Jensen, arrives at Avenger’s Tower, the two of them are forced to confront some hard truths: Tony that he might not actually become a horrible father, and Steve that he might not be able to set aside his discomfort with sharing a child with another man. When they both get a second chance at a first try at fatherhood, it’s up to the two of them to learn from their own future's past.

His Fate Will Be Unlearned by scifigrl47 | M | 94k | canon divergence

Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name.

Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940's, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he's not sure he's glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He's beginning to suspect that there is no escape.

Boston College is on the T's Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

This time tomorrow (where were we?) by dorcas_gustine | E | 85k | Marvel 616

Tony goes to see Wanda, and suddenly Steve is alive and there are Skrulls! Or maybe Tony is just going crazy. Nothing happens in this fic, until the very end. Seriously. There's a lot of talking, mostly at inopportune moments, Tony's views on the acceptable gifts to give people are slightly different from everyone else's and he spends more time than would seem necessary being (half-)naked. What else is new?

And We Are Giants by CapsicleRogers | M | 68k | pacificrim!au

When Captain Steve Rogers wakes from an injury-induced coma, a lot has changed in the battle against the Kaiju. There are new Jaegers with new pilots, new advances in the study of the beasts, even new rules in the Shatterdome. It’s starting to seem like they’re finally ready to defeat the monsters once and for all, but first Steve must learn to get along with his new team of pilots. Especially the troublesome Tony Stark, who’s proving to be harder to deal with than the Kaiju problem itself.

Upon Waking by Winterstar  | E | 80k | serious injury, PTSD, angst

A story of recovery. In a world without superheroes, Tony Stark, the disinherited son of a billionaire, goes to Afghanistan as an embedded media star, only to be held hostage for months until he’s rescued. During his recovery, his therapist Doctor Bruce Banner prescribes an unusual treatment; volunteer work at a rehab center. He meets an eclectic assembled group including a vet who thinks he’s Thor, a physical therapist who might be a spy, and an all American hero, Steve Rogers. It is Steve Rogers, the soldier in a coma, who captures his interest and, eventually, his heart.

Fics over 100k words

Say When Verse ♥ series (9 works) by ann2who | E | 328k | MCU

A series rewriting MCU verse, beginning with an alternate version of Iron Man 2, in which, instead of Natasha, Steve got assigned to help Tony while the genius was slowly dying of Palladium poisoning. Continues there in unfolding Steve's and Tony's journey through acceptance, trust, and eventually love.

In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury)  ♥ series (7 works) by scifigrl47 | various | 343k | MCU

Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony's got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he's pretty sure that he's going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy's still a little spotty about what is 'clean' enough to put on an open wound. The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick.And some things shouldn't be a chore.

Blue Lips, Blue Veins by romanoff | E | 300k | growing up, friends to lovers, slowburn

Tony Stark is Iron Man.

Before that, he was an man with bigger heart than brain. Before that, he was an asshole with a bigger mouth than sense. And before that, he was was a scared little boy. Not that it matters. Stark's always have had iron in their backbone.

Will of Iron, Heart of Glass ♥  series (3 works) | M | 104k | AI!tony

Tony has been held by Stane since his escape from Afghani terrorists, marked dead in the eyes of the world while Stane is free to use his mind, inventions, and company as he sees fit. Tony feels there's nothing he can do and has resigned himself to death to save those he loves. That would be when JARVIS lets Captain America stumble into his old lab.

Steve has been wandering Avengers Mansion in the steps of a ghost, seeing empty spaces, and recurring oddities that mean nothing to anyone but him. He doesn't know who left them, or why the ghost lingers. It isn't even until he enters a dusty lab that things start to fall into place as he meets Anthony, a computer program named for its creator Anthony Stark.

Deep in the Heart of Me ♥ by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar) | E | 257k | modern/non-power!au, ptsd, parent!steve

There were days when the realization that he was someone’s father made Steve's head hurt, but mostly he was grateful that he could trust his instincts, because apparently Peter was what had been missing from his life. Yes, he still had lingering, unresolved issues from his time in the Army, and sure, he had what Bucky annoyingly referred to as a criminally untapped ass, and no life outside of work and Peter, but Steve was okay with how his life had turned out because of trusting his instincts.

Unfortunately, those same instincts had straight up betrayed him by going absolutely haywire upon being exposed to Tony Stark.

A Higher Form of War ♥ by sabrecmc | M | 292k | historical/royalty!au

Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

Basically one of those bodice-ripping romance novels I don't read (ahem) but with far more gay.

The Captain and His Courtesan by Winterstar | E | 189k | space au

A story of revolution.Captain Steve Rogers is just trying to pay off his debt to SHIELD, carting cargo from the Rim worlds to the Inner Belts in his bucket of bolts ship, the Howling Commando. He keeps a low profile and makes sure his crew is safe and happy. But the universe has a different plan for the once highly decorated Captain of the Honor Guard. The universe drops a Courtesan by the name of Tony Stark into his life. The Captain doesn't like it, but Bucky convinces him that providing transport to the most elusive Courtesan in the Guild could be their ticket to freedom. His crew from the engineer with anger management issues to the pilot who may be a beautiful but deadly assassin wants him to take the commission. What ends up being a simple commission puts his crew in jeopardy and could change all of humanity, because the Courtesan is not really just a pretty face and the Captain of the Honor Guard can fall in love far too easily with a man of conviction - and Tony Stark is a man of conviction.

Newborn series by Ilerre | M | 109k | infidelity, body modification, read all warnings

It all started when they stopped trusting each other.

Power and Paradox by The_Kinky_Pet | E | 221k - WIP | MCU set in BDSM verse

“Billionaire, genius, engineer, philanthropist, submissive.  Yeah, submissive.  Any questions?”

OR

Yet another BDSM-AU.  

The Limitations of Wax ♥ by RayShippouUchiha | M | 175k - WIP | MCU with fem!toni

So Jarvis is the one who pulls her up onto her feet, presses a tool into one hand and a book into the other and tells her to create. Tells her that if the numbers and the shapes and images in her mind hurt so bad then she should build them, should give them form so that they can finally leave her alone.

Jarvis is the one who finally teaches her how to breathe.

Or

Toni Stark grows up with the tale of Icarus swirling in the back of her mind. Instead of taking it as a precautionary tale about hubris and overreaching she decides it's more about the limitations of wax.

Years later when she builds herself wings of her own she makes sure to build them out of better material.

Go Ugly Early by just_another_tinker | E | 156k - WIP | mob!au

He’s The Captain?

This was not good. This was so not good.

There were theories of course, of what The Captain would look like. Most followed the typical Hollywoodesque belief that he was some version of the Godfather, sitting in a dark room with a cigar, commanding his forces with a flick of his wrist. There were even some that even thought that The Captain was not one person, but a whole network of people with eyes and ears everywhere.

The blonde Adonis in front of him was definitely not what Tony was expecting.

Of course, in the end it didn’t matter.

There was a reason no one knew what The Captain looked like.

Because anyone who saw his face never lived to tell the tale.

Sins of Omission by Kiyaar | E | 155k - WIP | dark, torture, skrulls (be warned: this hasn’t been updated since 2013)

A Post-Civil War, Pre-Secret Invasion AU where Steve is dead, Tony's a mess, and everything sucks.

In which Tony deals poorly with Steve's death, falls off the wagon, sees ghosts, and misses a lot.

Oh, and the Skrulls are about to invade.

Indelible ♥ by Penumbren | various | 104k | dimension travel - marvel noir/616

When an experiment goes awry, Tony thinks he may have found an answer to his problems and Steve faces something he's been avoiding for a very long time.

Pulse, Beat, and Measure ♥ by Sineala | E | 134k | hero worship, marvel noir/616

Two men. Two worlds. Life during wartime. 

Holding Out for a Hero ♥ by Wordsplat | T | 100k | medieval au

When Tony was a prince and Steve was his manservant, they were young and reckless and hopelessly in love. But an attack on Tony's life convinces Steve that he can't protect Tony, so he leaves in the dead of night to train until he can. Ten years later, Steve returns to the kingdom a strong and able knight, but his king is both furious and broken-hearted. 

Proof Positive by MegaraNoelle | T | 362k | superfamily, getting together

Tony is no stranger to paternity claims from his female conquests, there's a system in place for them. But when one of the tests actually comes back positive, he makes a rash decision to not tell anyone about it, not even Pepper Potts. All Mary Parker wants is for Tony to spend a little time with their son. Tony has a lot to think about in his life now, how he wants to run his company, how his life is going to change with the arc reactor, and what he's going to do about his son, Peter. Then, the Avengers Initiative pops up, and in waltzes his childhood hero, and enemy, Captain America.

It's All in the Mind (14 works) by inukagome15 | T | 332k | MCU verse mutant!tony

The adventures of Tony as a mutant; how he learned to accept himself and his subsequent growth into his own. Hijinks ensue.