Here are my Hanfic stories in alphabetical order, each with my own personal comments about the story.
Damn It
This is the very first Hanfic story I ever really “put out there.” I had another Hanfic site prior to Damn It, but I had always been afraid to advertise my writing anywhere. But then I got the idea for this story, started writing it, and knew that I was ready to really become a part of the Hanfic community. This story will always hold a special place in my heart. Esme is, I think, one of my strongest female main characters, and I love the relationship that developed so naturally between her and Zac. There were twists in this story that were so damned hard to write because it broke my heart to mess with the relationship I had become so attached to, but in the end, they were the right moves for the story.
Echoes of My Life
I tend to really shy away from writing about anyone in Hanson’s life except for, well, Hanson. But, I stepped out of my comfort zone for this one story and wrote about Taylor’s fictionally disintegrating marriage for the 2008 Spark Inside Challenge. The structure is a bit different, giving little defining moments from four months sandwiched between a scene that takes place months afterwards. I tried to convey the conflicting emotions Taylor was experiencing well, and in a very short amount of time. It’s really more a story about him than anything else, how he handles things and whether or not he made the right decision.
Falling for You
When Lauren and I were writing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do for our 2009 Spark Inside Challenge story, I came up with the idea to give a modern twist on boy-meets-girl, and everything fell into place from there. This story was a lot of fun to write, and really explored what one of the guys (Zac, in this case) would do if they felt they weren’t meeting the kinds of girls who would really like them for who they are. In this day and age, online dating is a huge presence, and with the anonymity you can choose while using those sites, we couldn’t help ourselves and had to explore what would happen if Zac signed up for eHarmony. I wrote the four chapters from Zac’s POV and had a great time really getting into his scared, paranoid head. Lauren wrote the chapters from Kennedy’s POV and I think that together, we wrote a great little story about taking the search for love into your own hands.
Fallon
I started this story years ago and wrote four chapters. I had always planned to finish it, because I thought that it had promise. But when I decided to stop writing Hanfic, it got pushed into the Unfinished pile. But, it didn’t like being there and wouldn’t stop yelling for my attention until I finally gave in to it. A story that wants to be told must be listened to, after all. Julianne is a different kind of female protagonist for me, a bit more like Tumbling Down‘s Cameron in her toughness, and a bit like You Irritate Me‘s Kinsey in her stubbornness, but there’s definitely something special about her. I’m looking forward to continuing to explore her as I work to finish this story. And, this is my only Isaac-focused story, which has been very exciting for me as well. It’s about time, I say.
Fine, Fine Line
This is a story that was pushed to the Unfinished pile for a very long time, but that I have made the decision to finish! The sequel to Tumbling Down, a story that started out with so much of myself tied in it became painful to write, I started this installment when my feelings for a certain boy were still steeped in pathetic unrequitedness. But, I’ve moved on. Therefore, I can now give this story the completion it deserves.
Hear Me
After starting Damn It and Tumbling Down, I was ready to try my hand at something from the drama realm, and this story certainly threw me headfirst into the genre. This story is complete AU with neither Zac nor Isaac in sight. It involves Taylor and his best friend, Ada, in the wake of a self-inflicted near-tragedy that was intended to have taken Taylor’s life. I wanted it to be raw and realistic, examining all of the thoughts we, as human beings, have in those moments of despair, hurt, and blinding confusion. My heart hurts a little every time I read this one, and I’m quite proud of the way it turned out because I think I accomplished what I set out to do.
If I Don’t Kill Him First
Becca and I have been friends since 2007 and got to be so by writing our first collaboration, Standing In The Shadows, together. We’d both been out of the habit of regularly writing Hanfic for quite some time when all the madness surrounding the release of “Shout It Out” began. We both became newly re-energized and inspired and we decided that we really needed to do another collaboration. And so, If I Don’t Kill Him First was born. We’re having a ton of fun writing and planning the story! I’m really enjoying writing Taylor and Josie and can’t wait to bring them all the way to the end.
Revelations
Oh, Revelations. I am prouder of this story than any of the others I’ve ever written because of the way I characterized Taylor. He was so real to me as I was writing him, I wanted to reach out and give him a hug. I have no idea how the idea for this story materialized in my brain, but as soon as it did, I knew I had to write it. But, I wanted to be sure that I did it right. I wanted Taylor to be realistic, to be believable. Somehow, the characters in this story all took on bigger-than-life, quirky personalities and I had so much fun writing each and every one of them, no matter how annoying they were at times. Even though I know some people are squicked by slash, I wanted anyone to be able to read this story and sympathize for him and to buy into this very AU scenario. What would happen if one of the guys thought he was gay? This is my own little speculation.
Standing In The Shadows
Becca contacted me early on in my Hanfic writing days and asked if I wanted to collaborate on a story. I was a big fan of Becca’s writing, so I was thrilled at the prospect and loved the story idea she had. This is technically a Hanfic since it includes Zac and at times, Taylor, but it’s much more a coming-of-age tale about two teenage girls, Misty and Bailey. I wrote all of the chapters from Misty’s POV and I love her so much. It was so much fun to write about this (I hope) incredibly relatable girl and her crushes and first kisses and self-conscious high school experiences. We did some things that were pretty out there in this story (randomly including Zac Efron, for example… What? He’s pretty.), and it was simply because we had such a blast writing it, we went with every idea we had, and it all worked out so well. It also spawned a sequel, Where I Belong, that will remain unfinished.
Starter
This story was born out of a drabble that very randomly popped into my head one night. I wrote it down as fast as I could and somehow, the entire plot came together perfectly. Writing Taylor was a lot of fun in this story. Cocky to an extreme, he spends most of the story trying to earn the attention of a forty year old woman who is using every ounce of self-control she has to ignore him. It’s a game of cat and mouse involving a ridiculously over-confident Taylor and a self-assured Quin, and getting them to the last chapter was quite a ride. I wrote this story for the 10 in 10 Challenge, and it wound up being comprised of twenty short chapters alternating between Taylor and Quin’s POVs, giving the reader the chance to see the reasoning behind both main character’s actions.
Taylor Hanson Must Die
The idea for this story didn’t come naturally. I desperately wanted to sign up for the Hanfic Genre Challenge, but just couldn’t come up with a plot that fit into one of the categories. Then, I remembered a conversation I’d once had with several of my Hanfic friends about a similar plot and the whole thing came together. It’s definitely done in a style I’m not used to writing in, and it could probably do with a rewrite. But, I think it’s a fun story that definitely sounds worse than it is based off the title. If you know anything about me, I’m sure it’s that I might wish many, many things for Taylor Hanson, but harm is not one of them. Not by a long-shot. 😀
Tumbling Down
I started this story while pulling heavily from a ‘relationship’ I was drowning in. Naturally, the story morphed and grew into something much bigger and vastly different than my real-life connection, but parts of it were still painful for me. So much so that even though I started a sequel (Fine, Fine Line), it will remain forever unfinished. But, Tumbling Down is a story about a very strong girl who’s only weakness is the impossible Taylor Hanson. I think most people can relate to desperately wanting someone they can’t have, even though they know it’s not good for them. Cameron makes a lot of really bad choices, but I enjoyed writing her slowly growing throughout the story, no matter how stubbornly she had to be drug to change by those who care about her.
What’s Your Flavor
This project is an extension of You Irritate Me. As YIM takes place during only a few months in the lives of the main characters who have grown up together, I found myself constantly craving the chance to write extra moments from past, present, and future. A novel-length venture only allows you to include so much, after all. So, I created a prompt table and started writing. Included are stories from when the characters are kids, after YIM is finished, and a few moments that took place in between chapters in the story itself. Basically, this has allowed me to write all of the backstory I want without bogging down YIM with all those details that can drive a reader insane. Plus, it’s been a lot of fun creating the mentioned childhood memories into short stories all their own.
Where I Belong
Where I Belong is the sequel to Standing in the Shadows and transports us six years into the future. Misty and Bailey are in college, and the way things were at the end of SITS is not how things are at the beginning of the sequel. Becca and I really wanted to finish their story, but it got pushed to the back of our minds and now that we’re both pretty much finished with writing Hanfic, it will never be finished. But, we got through a lot of it and anyone who enjoys SITS will certainly enjoy its sequel. Becca and I enjoyed every second of working together on these stories and I really think that shows in our writing.
You Irritate Me
I wrote a version of this story years ago complete with a ‘The End’ and everything, but something didn’t feel quite right about it. I loved Taylor and Kinsey (then Josephine) and their insanely messed-up ‘relationship’ so much that I decided to rewrite the entire thing. This story became so much more than I ever imagined. It was a true thrill watching the reader responses for each chapter, and finding that everyone was enjoying reading the story just as much as I was enjoying writing it. It was born out of some pretty heavy Hanfic cliches, but I did that on purpose. I even mention that in the story itself, owning up to it, because it was my intention to give a fresh spin on them. There was so much to put into a story that involved a lifetime of memories and experiences, that I started a related side project, What’s Your Flavor, to give myself the opportunity to write all of the little moments that I came up with, but that didn’t fit into the story. Kinsey and the guys think that their relationships are defined at the beginning of the story, but when they all move into a condo in NYC, everything changes. These characters allowed me to write in the comedic style I love and making them interact, especially the volatile Taylor and Kinsey, was a blast.