Do you find that the stories that come easily to you are your better ones? Or are the ones you agonize over a higher quality?

Hmmm. Well, the ones that flow early on are the ones that tend to be more organic, and the plot flows from the events in the story instead of being laid out in advance. I think it shows in the quality of the narrative. However, I've agonized over some of those stories in the *editing* phases, so...I'd say it's a combination of both, that produces some of the best stories.