I'm of two minds about the existence of challenge comms.
I find they do provide inspiration, but they're also a distraction. I often find myself setting aside my "projects" to perform in a challenge comm. If I needed the inspiration, it'd be one thing, but I don't. Instead, it riles my competitive side (and I AM one competitive bitch when things get down to it) and I get distracted from what I was originally doing.
People start out challenge comms pretty gun-ho, but after the shine wears off, there's a few devote churning things out while the
Some of the challenge comms are useful for honing skills -
temps_mort immediately springs to mind, but many of them are repetitive. I think the whole "30 themes" challenge comm has gotten a bit out of control. It's like everyone wants to own one - honestly. I'm reminded a bit of RPs - everyone starts on so they can get their favorite characters.
I won't be a hypocrite and say I'm not one of those who loses interest. I've gotten to the point where I'm trying to ignore the latest "rages" of fanfic... though honestly, a part of me is tempted to start a "The Bet" challenge comm. Wouldn't that be COOL?
Yes, I understand how they spring up, but they really divide my energy.
As a side note, I've decided that the one sentence fic thing needs to be kicked. It's like poetry (haikus). It's an art form I will never appreciate. We really do have no attention spans, and "vogue ficcing" is something I'm trying to avoid.