DCC Stuff

[prisoner_24601]

The new DCC Challenge is open for voting. Thank you so much everyone who submitted or gave suggestions on how to spice up and improve the contest. I really appreciate everyone's comments, help and submissions.

I, however, am a loser and did not manage to make my own challenge deadline. *facepalm* I tried no less that four different story ideas, none of which ever got off the ground. I finally hit on a good solid idea that I thought I could follow through with far too late to make the deadline.

I hate it when that happens. I can't tell if it was the mood I was in, or if the story ideas needed some work. Does that ever happen to any of you - where you think you've got a solid idea and then a few paragraphs or pages into it, you realize that it's just not working?

Comments

[athenaprime.livejournal.com]

It happens all the time, and especially with longer stories. Some ideas aren't meant to be more than a vignette, or a single scene. Something's telling you then that either plot, characterization, theme, or some element that makes up a good story just isn't there. Sometimes, if you just shelve it and come back later, you can see what's missing, and revise. Other times, you just have to acknowledge that the idea was just too underdeveloped for a full piece.

But in those latter cases, chances are that three years later, you'll find a home for that idea in an altered state and dressed up completely differently than your original intention. Sometimes the Girls In the Basement need that much time to send up something workable, or only time will give you the perspective and skillset to make the idea workable.

Producing quality writing "on spec" as it were is a talent that takes a lot of practice to get good at. Some writers like to turn up their noses at "work for hire" work, but it takes talent and skill to produce to someone else's specifications, and in time constraints that are often too short for a decent writing and revision process.

Fiction writing is a strange and slightly mental state in which to exist. Whoever it was, they were right when they said, "you don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps." :D

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I do - I just put them aside in case they might come in handy later. Sometimes it's annoying though because they still buzz around but every time I go back to them they still don't work.

After working on various dueling circle challenges, I definitely have respect for on demand writing and work for hire stuff. Hell, the DCC's are pretty broad, writing something with super specific requirements that aren't yours would defitely take skill and discipline.