jlh | Two writing memes.

Post the first lines from your last 20 stories. Do you see any patterns?

Since I decided (a) not to count drabbles and (b) to count chaptered fics as one story, this actually takes me all the way back to the beginning of 2007.

1. "God," Ryan said, breathless, "I couldn't wait to get you alone."

"Nice to hear you calling me by my proper title," Simon murmured.

2. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

3. It was an unusual Friday because Ryan had slept in.

4. Ryan Seacrest has been teaching English at Hughes High for four years, and now, because of a retirement, he's been assigned the AP classes.

5. On Saturday, Simon came home, and it was brilliant and fantastic and like everything falling into place, not even awkward because they'd seen each other so much over the hiatus but still, it wasn't here, it wasn't LA, it wasn't this house.

6. If you'd asked Chris about it later, his only response would be, "Man, it was 1970." Which was true.

7. When it happened, it was more sudden but less life-changing than Barney had thought it would be.

8. It had taken them much longer than Harry had thought it would to find the house.

9. "So I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Blake asked.

"I can't wait," Chris said.

10. I know, I know, the whole thing is ridiculous. Absurd. Criminal, even. But just go with me here. It ends well.

11. The problem was, Seamus realized, that he'd forgotten all about it.

12. "Good morning Mr. Lewis!"

"Pasha, Pasha," Blake Lewis replied, "how many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing good about mornings?"

13. The great thing about having a friend who is very wealthy is that when you need to go to Europe, he just sends his plane for you.

14. Ryan was in the booth, doing voiceovers for that night's news, when he glanced down at the vibrating Blackberry to see one of the 19E office numbers come up.

15. Text, Ryan to Simon, 9:15amPDT/5:15pmBST:
ha u cld me darlin on air. u owe me now!

16. “Hello.”

“Where have you been?” Ryan asked, not turning to look at the man whispering into his ear.

17. As with so many things, Ginny Weasley filed her insistence on losing her virginity in her own bed at The Burrow under “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

18. Hermione was peckish.

19. When we went down to Miami for the auditions for season two, I was on top of the world.

20: Kenny Rogers was right: you gotta know when to fold 'em. Or maybe it was don't take your love to town. Duckie wasn't big on country music.

Hmm. I use dialogue a lot, but that's something we all already knew. I don't often set the scene, but rather sort of plunge right into whatever's going on, especially someone's emotional state. Or, I talk about it as if in retrospect. Well, at least they aren't all the same sort of thing; that's somehow comforting.

Works-in-Progress! Or, just works-not-yet-posted:

1. Massive Ryan/Simon AU, with a cast of many, and also femslash. About 2/3 done, and I'll start posting it when it is done because the plot is complicated so I wanted it to all hang together and get some final polishing before I post it.

2. EWFS sequel. Which is now half done! I also want this done before I post it.

I write these two back-and-forth, one chapter of each a week pretty much, though I had a bit of a block and didn't write much for a couple of weeks.

3. My story for the Maiko fic exchange, which is almost done.

4. I have another story done, an Idol story that isn't Rymon, that's finished and I'm just waiting to post, but some other things need to happen first.

5. A really old Draco POV story about being a Weasley in-law and learning to cook or something that just never really came together and I think I'm pretty much going to let die.

6. After the EWFS sequel: finish the Seamus/Dean stories for