Is it just me?

[dripping_cherry]

Or do prompts we find difficult to work with somehow push us to produce better writing than those we get all excited about? It seems to always work that way for me. The fics I've dreaded having to write the most, namely Abandoned Destinies, Let the Dead Lie, and Sweets on Fire have turned out to be the most recc'ed. The last two are also my personal favorites.

All three of those have one thing in common: they began as fest assignments that made me go, "Why did I sign up for this?" As I started to write, though, they slowly grew on me. And when they were finished, I was able to say, "Wow, this is actually decent."

And then there are those prompts that I go all gaga over, like this year's Smoochfest (finally submitted it last night). I turn the prompt over and over in my head and think it's going to be so much fun to write and so good when it's done. But all that ever makes it into the page is crap, and I end up wanting to delete my LJ and hide in a corner somewhere because people will be hitting the back button in less time than it takes to say badfic.

Anyone else have this problem?

Comments

[nursedarry.livejournal.com]

That is SOSOSOSOSO funny you said that! I re-read Abandoned Destinies last night and I can't tell you how much I LOVE that fic! It's one of my favourite all-time fics, and I could see from your notes what you said about the prompt. And I LOVE how you worked with it.

[drippingcherry.livejournal.com]

Heee, I'm glad you like it!

[sirona-gs.livejournal.com]

YES. Funnily enough, I too had it with this year's Smoochfest. And my personal favourite own fic comes from a prompt that made me go, Say what now? And it was an exchange, and I couldn't change it, and I struggled so much to come up with a believable plot... It ended up being my most read one.

[lokifan]

Yep, I do!

And Sweets on Fire is AWESOMESAUCE and should be recced forever :)