B2MeM '13 - A conclusion

[B2MeM - Back to Middle-earth Month - is a Tolkien fandom event sort of thing every March. If you couldn't care less about my fannish exploits, feel free to skip this entry.]

I know that some people on my f-list had a hard time with this year's B2MeM challenge and felt that it was a bust. I'm not writing this post to laugh in your face, but in order to put my positive experience out there, too - after all, it's so depressing if nobody who had a succesful month talks about it.

So here goes: For me, it's been a triumph. (I'm sorry, but there it is.) I wrote - well, finished - 15 fics, including some I began for last year's Bingo bash and never expected to finish, sewed one dress (well, I'm still working on the embroidery, but never mind) and painted one picture. On the written stuff - mostly ficlets and short stories, but hey, 15 different pieces, woo hoo! - I got over 50 reviews, which is normally what I get in, like, two years? And they were not just left by kind friends, but also by strangers! Including people who don't commonly read Silm stuff!
So yeah. Triumph.
The best thing is that this year, I really got into a relaxed but efficient writing mode. Last year was sheer madness, and I started stuff left and right without aiming to (ever!) finish any of it; this year was a lot more laid-back and altogether healthier. With the result that once April came around, I was still ready to write (rather than, as is normal, just being glad that it was over for the time being), and indeed produced three more fics that I hadn't expected (Well, one of 'em is unfinished and will probably remain so for a while... Anyway!). I even got to a point where I wrote stuff and found it fit for publishing with only minimal editing! (Well, I'll probably re-read it in a couple of weeks and think AAARGH NO THIS IS TERRIBLE HOW COULD YOU PUT THAT ON THE INTERNET, but... oh well.)

Now I hope this mood lasts; I have, after all, various WiPs that beg for attention (one of which is soon going to be translated into Russian, apparently? I'M SO EXCITED!). And then there's the original (... for a given value of 'original') NaNo, the latter half of which I have to rewrite, and it's only half the story anyway.
So, there's still a lot to do, and (hopefully!!!) less computer time as the gardening season finally begins.
But for the time being? I'm feeling accomplished, actually proud of a couple of these stories (SHUT UP, INHERITANCE IS PERFECTION), appreciated, relaxed and productive.

Which is nice, for a change.
In conclusion: Triumph.