WIP Challenge Day 21, Monday

[sylvaine]

Writers, how's it going?

~ fantastic!
~ pretty good.
~ eh, okay.
~ what is this writing you speak of.

Are you

~ writing?
~ editing/revising?
~ researching?
~ betaing?
~ giving your muse a rest?

Discussion topic:

Do you write for challenges? Obviously you're writing for this challenge, but what about challenges with a deadline - say, big bangs, yuletide, that kind of thing. Does the pressure of having a deadline, and, in the case of yuletide, a recipient, help or hinder you?

Comments

[sylvaine]

Today I'm just concentrating on getting my homework done, sigh.

I've never written anything for a challenge to date. I might, in the future. One thing I won't do though - definitely not for a long while yet at least - is sign up for any kind of exchange challenge. Because I don't like my writing enough to want to gift it to someone.

[sharpiefan]

I'm not a writer, I've never written a word... Oh.Oops. Yes I have. *hides pile of WIPs and looks innocent*

And yes, I do write for challenges. My longest fic was originally a challenge fill - only I hadn't finished it and had to write something else in a hurry for the deadline.

I find that having a deadline concentrates the mind wonderfully. I've signed up for the perfect_duet's annual Advent Calendar again so I've got about three weeks to come up with something for that - and I haven't a clue what to write, which is par for the course for me. I've just closed an anon kink meme, which prompted me to write me first actual fic for... months ages.

I think that knowing people are expecting me to come up with something by a particular day does help in writing. If I don't have a deadline, it can take me ages - I had a prompt from someone once and it took me something like three years to write it - which just doesn't happen when I know I have to post something by a specific date. It's too easy to allow distractions in otherwise.

[jagnikjen]

No writing yet, as my day just started. :) But I am hoping to get some words down here shortly. (I'll post an update later.)

Aside from this challenge, I've participated in one exchange in all my years of fic writing. Actually, it's still going on. Submissions are now due, so posting should begin soon. I've also written for land comm challenges.

The exchange fic was tough because my recipient was very vague and loose with her request, and since I'm no good at plotting, it was difficult for me to come up with something. So FYI to those participating in exchanges: give as much info as you can: pairings, characters, plot ideas, quotes, genre, etc., etc., etc. And if you truly don't care you can also say that you'd be happy with anything else the author might come up if they are otherwise inspired by the information provided.

Land comm challenges were easier in that while we were given requirements, a min/max word count, and a deadline, the rest was up to us. We didn't have to really please anyone but ourselves. (And our fellow participants because entries were anonymously put to a vote.)

[littlebutfierce]

No fic today. Just... brain kind of burned out at the moment, I think.

I do write for challenges -- I did Yuletide & another year-end exchange last year, & I did Kaleidoscope this year (& also poetry_fiction). Having a deadline does help me -- my last help_japan fic has been malingering for months b/c of the lack of deadline. ;_; But OTOH I write lots of fic w/o a deadline, so I dunno, really.

I do get excited about having a recipient! Nervous, but also really I like crafting something as a gift.

[lilly_c]

It's going okay I guess. I'm about to start writing actually, even though I've been awake since silly am today. What's a couple of hours more to type up what I wrote in one of my psych lectures today.

I do write for challenges, this obviously, and also a few over on LJ (prompt_in_a_box, writers_choice, lawandorder100). I'm writing a fic for a big bang at the moment.
There is some pressure involved with writing to deadlines but sometimes it helps to just get something written and posted in the space of a couple of weeks or months, depending on the challenge.
I actually feel more pressured and to an extent hindered when I know there's also a recipient (e.g., a ficathon) because even when they are very specific with what they want, there's always that element of 'I could have done it better myself' from them. That's just my experience of writing for ficathons though.

[bay_alexison]

Haven't gotten started with any writerly stuff at the moment due to unexpectedly away from home most of the day, but I might get something written after I eat dinner (enchiladas being cooked in oven, waiting for them a while longer oi).

I had written for a few challenges like Big Bangs and fic exchanges and the deadlines does feel a bit intimidating but I'm able to get a story done well in advance, leaving me some time to do some edits.