16
The writing prompt generator I built broke down after 3 weeks
I spent last month coding a random plot generator for short stories, and it crashed hard during a critique group session when I tried to demo it. Turns out my code couldn't handle duplicate genre tags and just froze up. Has anyone here had a writing tool or trick fail on them right when they needed it most?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
wrenwilson19d ago
...and honestly, is a glitchy plot generator really that big of a deal? I mean yeah it sucks when stuff breaks mid-demo, been there with a flashcard app that deleted my whole vocab list right before a test. But in my experience writing tools are like kitchen gadgets, some work great for a while then crap out. Your genre tag issue sounds fixable with a quick code tweak, not a total meltdown. Maybe just have a backup plan next time like a paper list of prompts in your pocket, old school but it wont freeze up.
2
julia28619d ago
@wrenwilson I have to push back a little here. Calling a botched demo a "total meltdown" feels like a reach when the real issue is just poor planning. If a writer relies on one glitchy tool to save their whole presentation, that's on them for not testing it thoroughly beforehand. You mentioned flashcard apps failing before tests, which is a perfect example - who doesn't learn to have a backup after that? A printed list of prompts or a saved offline file would solve this without any drama. We've all seen kitchen gadgets break, but we don't blame the toaster when dinner burns.
3