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.

Cerea: out of curiousity, how many of "Titles of Unwritten Essays Jotted down While Living in Prague in the 90s" were there?

I don't think the First Slayer's grandmother had boxes, truth to tell. Wasn't she basically pre-history?

I never made it as far as "Two People Who Held Jobs..." just because there were too many damned titles. I felt as if the person in charge was trying to get me to do their thing for them: I don't want to designate the topic, because the whole reason I write the things is as a self-disciplinary tool. If I'm also picking the topic, I don't get inspired, I just get resentful.

I don't think the First Slayer's grandmother had boxes, truth to tell. Wasn't she basically pre-history?

I was thinking more of the First Slayer as Buffy's spiritual grandmother, and the box/bag of random mystical stuff she got from Wood.

Hopefully, they'll get back to themes, or to a certain situation. Most improv/challenge lists I've been on go back and forth between those and title challenges.