[ SECRET POST #3478 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3478 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 28 secrets from Secret Submission Post #497.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

I'm curious about people's writing experiences, especially how they pick or come up with a prompt from a recipient's letter or optional details. Or, what issues came up while you were writing? Have you done a treat? What caught your interest? Have you written something you usually don't? Tried to emulate an author or character's voice? How did it go?

Discuss the writing element of your exchanges here.

Re: Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

I usually need a prompt of some sort, even something as vague as "I'd like to read more about X," so I tend to only offer fandoms that I can come up with an idea for in case I get someone who doesn't leave any prompts.

I'll treat if I have time after turning in the main assignment and I saw a prompt that instantly gave me an idea - I tend not to grab something and wait to come up with a plot because that's too stressful for me.

Re: Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

I did my first Yuletide last year and wrote several treats, which I treated just the same as my recip fic. I don't really know how to answer, though? I mean, they gave a prompt that inspired me and I wrote something.

The people I wrote for mostly weren't like "write about character X. The end." They were more like "write about X in a situation like this." Or "explore this theme better than the source did."

Re: Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

My first exchange asked for a character study. I initially was going to write a fic set later in canon and was outlining that while I reread the canon but as I was rereading, I realized it wouldn't work. I set the fic earlier in canon and it was actually a nice little piece.

My next exchange produced my favorite fic. It was a nice m/m fic (my favorite) getting the couple together with a magical kingdom plot going on. I actually had a ton of ideas for this couple but this one seemed the most doable in the timeframe. I was writing almost to the last minute, a problem I have a perpetual issue with as I cannot accurately determine how long a story idea will really need in terms of words. I got 4 lovely betas though, and they really hammered out all the kinks. Probably my best work.

My next exchange was for someone who gave me nothing to work with. It was a threesome and I agonized over what to do. I thought I'd love to have the freedom to write anything for an OT3 but it was SO hard to pick something. I think the fic is alright but I feel a little soured on it because I didn't get the feeling the recipient really liked it. I put a lot of work in it and again wrote a long, plotty fic so that was a little disappointing.

For the same exchange, I picked up a pinch hit. It was the only one I've ever picked up. It languished on the PH list for pretty much the whole exchange and I knew the pairing but I didn't want to commit while still writing my main assignment. But, a plot bunny bit me and this one was actually a manageable size. I finished it in a day, and it's the most popular thing I ever wrote.

My last exchange was another one with vague details and I wasn't sure what direction to go in. I finally settled on a domestic getting-together fic with some character introspection. It's been well received but I don't know if it's a great fic. It's so hard to write passionately when there's so little to go on and I have a deadline. I really need something to get the juices going right away, but not so detailed that I feel boxed in. It's a tricky road to navigate. I'd love to know if my prompts are inspirational, too vague, or too detailed.

Re: Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

Once I ended up with a recip who only gave a pairing for a fandom specific exchange, and it was like, the biggest pairing in the fandom so I was pretty stressed. LUCKILY they liked what I came up with (and apologized for not giving me any prompt even though I didn't mention anything about it, so maybe it was an oversight?)

Re: Exchanges

[(Anonymous)]

This year, I participated in Supernatural Summer Gen. It was the first time I've done a fic exchange. For me, picking which prompt I wanted to write was the hard part; five of the six prompts were ones I wanted to do. (The sixth was a crossover with a movie I have ZERO interest in watching.)

I finally went with one that was, literally, close to home; I could set it in a particular tourist destination in my hometown. I couldn't exactly go to Cold Oak, North Dakota, to do research, but I could wander around that neighborhood for a couple of hours, and try to see it through Dean Winchester's eyes.