In a way, I find that the more limiting the challenge, the better my writing. The best fic I wrote (IMO) was written as part of a Lyric Wheel challenge that had a rather specific theme assigned along with the lyrics.

It's odd, because I hear that this week brought out some steller drabbles

It did. But there were a lot of pastiches, as well. I got very bored with the scattershot nature of it. Also, the list was yanked from a West Wing site. Fine for West Wing, not for me trying to see where I could take Jenny, or Joyce.

Or, for that matter, "All of Chewbacca's Dialogue in the Comic Book Version of The Empire Strikes Back"?

Andrew faced with things he can't talk away.

But this presupposes that I know or care about Chewbacca's etc yada fishcakes. Or that I read comic books. And I don't. That's what I meant when I said they seemed aimed at a very specific lifestyle, or set of interests. I don't read comics, or hang out on ebay drunk or sober, and I haven't seen my sixth-grade grammar book in nearly forty years. That's the part I meant about it being for a younger set of writers.

So I passed. But I genuinely miss Princess Twilite and wish she was back and running the drabble challenge.

Also, the list was yanked from a West Wing site. Fine for West Wing, not for me trying to see where I could take Jenny, or Joyce.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. McSweeney's is the web/print zine Dave Eggers edits or finances or whatever. I'm not an expert on either it or the West Wing, but AFAIK one has nothing to do with the other. I can see where some of the titles might be more 20something oriented, but there were a couple hundred on the list and 68 that people used, so I don't think it's fair to say they *all* were.

If what you're saying is the same titles were used in a WW challenge, plenty of challenges for different fandoms have used the same theme, so I'm not sure how that's relevant.

I guess I don't get how the fact one theme didn't inspire *you* shows the community is going downhill.

One I liked, but never wrote, was like "Letters from The Dead" or something...a message from the grave thing.

Plei, BTW, I wouldn't mind a title challenge; that wasn't what bugged. Anytime something like a song title or whatnot comes up, I'll be right there. I love that idea. Thing is, just one title at a time; I don't want a "pick one of these fifty and use that one" thing. See below.

Lyra, re WW, it was what I remember slashgirl saying - a series of lists from a West Wing site. Am I remembering that wrong? I definitely could be. It's been a long four days and they ain't getting any shorter.

"Letters from the Dead" - was that in this week's list? If I'd seen that, I'd have done one. But I scanned the first batch and saw drunken ebay bids, sidewalk ettiquette (how in hell is that word spelled, BTW? It looks wrong no matter how I type it), names to subsitute for "yesterday" (which produced a cute drabble, actually), Chewbacca, etc. And passed. Other thing about lists, I don't want to be sent off to hunt for something suitable. I'm writing the thing, but only after someone hands down the theme.

One of the things I like about a single theme or notion is watching how many creative paths get taken from a single notion. "Choose one of these seven bazillion titles or lists and write a drabble", to me, not only doesn't achieve that, I kind of don't feel the wide variety and the "you pick one" fits the concept. The way I understood the drabble challenge from the time I first saw it, the person in charge offers a theme, a notion, a concept, a word, and everyone writes to it.

Moot, though. Challenge should be closed or closing. I just hope we get back to something I can deal with next week, is all.

Nah, that was an old one...I've seen it in tons of fandoms, though. But that was before I lowered myself to do more than read. I'm hoping at this point that the ;) is implied.

it was what I remember slashgirl saying - a series of lists from a West Wing site. Am I remembering that wrong? I definitely could be.

I looked up the challenge message, and she does say the idea came from "tww100," which I totally read over because I had no idea what it meant, but it probably is the West Wing. The list itself is not from fandom at all.

I *like* the "write something based on one of these five billion ideas" challenges, cos I can't do the specific ones -- I can never think of an idea that fits. So I guess I'm the exact opposite of you in this way. I'm not at a point yet where I can reliably write 100 decent words for any situation, so I need some latitude to play around.

Agree that the point is moot, anyhow. I hope the challenge next week works for you.

Yes, tww100 is the drabble community for The West Wing.

I should try one, someday, but sheesh, talk about "How to say nothing in one hundred words." Somebody might finish their coffee.

But this presupposes that I know or care about Chewbacca's etc yada fishcakes. Or that I read comic books. And I don't. That's what I meant when I said they seemed aimed at a very specific lifestyle, or set of interests.

For me, it's enough to know that Chewbacca is a character from Star Wars, and that Andrew is Star Wars Geek Boy, but I think that's just a different writing approach.

The list of lists [link] has some really good ones, but my main issue with the challenge this week is that it wasn't drabble-inspiring for me. Things like "Profile of Two People Who Held My Jobs Before Me" would be a good New Slayer examination of Buffy and Faith, but would beg for more than 100 words, for example. "Featured Menu Items at the Existentialist's Café "? Angel fic.

"Some Reasons I've been Fired"? Wesley. "Items Discovered in Boxes of My Grandmother's Things" screams First Slayer. None of them scream Drabble.