2007 Survivor Literotica: Planning & Plotting

[CrimsonMaiden]

The category is already called Novels and Novellas. It would stay the same category and any story that fits within those three definitions would fit in it. She only gave the three different ones to show that the longer stories (novellas and novels) would have the option of breaking into chapters of 8,000 or more words.

You can still write multi-chaptered stories (of any length as long as each chapter meets minimum lit requirement) and put them in any other categories. This proposed change is only for the Novels and Novellas category so no one can write 750 word chapters for that particular category since the definition of a Novella is a longer work. It will also reward those people by giving them higher points for submissions to that category.

 

[Boxlicker101]

The category is already called Novels and Novellas. It would stay the same category and any story that fits within those three definitions would fit in it. She only gave the three different ones to show that the longer stories (novellas and novels) would have the option of breaking into chapters of 8,000 or more words.

You can still write multi-chaptered stories (of any length as long as each chapter meets minimum lit requirement) and put them in any other categories. This proposed change is only for the Novels and Novellas category so no one can write 750 word chapters for that particular category since the definition of a Novella is a longer work. It will also reward those people by giving them higher points for submissions to that category.

That sounds okay, although maybe the minimum should be longer. Writing a 12,000 word novelette is no problem.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Like Crimson said, this would only apply to the Novels and Novellas category.

Some people put the break point of when a short story becomes a novelette or novella at 7500 words, others put closer to 20000. As we're dealing with online stories, and reading on a computer screen is more tiresome than on paper, I think it would be better for us to have that break point closer to the lower rather than the higher alternative: two complete pages, bleeding into a third. That would put the minimum close to 8000 words (I'll need to check exactly what that number would be). If we go for a higher number, like the 12000 Boxlicker suggests, it would mean 3 whole pages, bleeding into a fourth. But wouldn't that be too much for many readers to go through? I'm just asking, I never posted a story with more than 3 pages, nor have I posted anything to this category, so I don't know how these things affect readership.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I am not referring to Selena Kittyn, by the way, who is an outstanding author, and deserves to win this year.

I'm not anywhere near to the 1st place winner Boxie I tried to keep up, but ain't gonna make it...

Oh, BTW, Colly entered "The Spy Who Wore Petticoats"--it's 22 LIT PAGES long--as one entity in Novels/Novellas in Survivor this year. She didn't want to split it into chapters, for the sake of the story... and it won the January Monthly contest if I remember correctly...

 

[Boxlicker101]

I'm not anywhere near to the 1st place winner Boxie I tried to keep up, but ain't gonna make it...

Oh, BTW, Colly entered "The Spy Who Wore Petticoats"--it's 22 LIT PAGES long--as one entity in Novels/Novellas in Survivor this year. She didn't want to split it into chapters, for the sake of the story... and it won the January Monthly contest if I remember correctly...

Kittycat, I just now went to the scoreboard to update my own score. You are in first place, with 447 points and the author in second place has 388. That's not an insurmountable lead but it is a pretty solid one. Everybody in the top five has filled all categories so nobody will suddenly come up with a big score, unless they have been holding back stories and will submit them at the last minute.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Kittycat, I just now went to the scoreboard to update my own score. You are in first place, with 447 points and the author in second place has 388. That's not an insurmountable lead but it is a pretty solid one. Everybody in the top five has filled all categories so nobody will suddenly come up with a big score, unless they have been holding back stories and will submit them at the last minute.

The author in 2nd hasn't updated his scorecard, luv... he's way ahead of me! Do a search for "decayed angel" and "stories submitted in the last month" and you'll see what I mean... I can't keep up with those numbers!

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

But wouldn't that be too much for many readers to go through? I'm just asking, I never posted a story with more than 3 pages, nor have I posted anything to this category, so I don't know how these things affect readership.

It just really depends. You lose some readers who don't want to read that long of a story and gain some others. I think the majority of readers who read that category expect longer stories, but an author might not get all of their regular readership because of the length. For me, that category has some of my lowest views, so it speaks that fewer read there.

 

[Chante_De_Lezil]

Question perhaps?

Hello everyone. I am new to this board and am curious on what exactly this survivor thing is and how one goes around to participate in it? Is it a story of erotic fantasies, aspirations or what?

Please enlighten me!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

The Survivor Contest is a game where you get points for each new story or poem you write, submit and have accepted at Literotica between January 2nd and January 1st of the following year.

The objective is to write as many new and original stories and poems in as many different categories listed on the main story index in the course of the year as possible. In addition to the points you earn for each submission, there is a structure of bonuses that increase as you fill more and more categories with more and more submissions.

 

[bourbonslut]

OK, this makes more sense. I do agree that longer doesn't mean better, by the way.

So, what if:
- For the Novels and Novellas category only, there will be a required minimum of 8,000 words for submissions to be eligible for Survivor. This means that Novelettes (7500-17500) can be submitted all at once as a single submission, or in two chapters at the most; Novellas (17500-60000) can be still submitted in two to seven chapters at the most; and Novels can still be submitted in seven or more chapters.
- The first ten submissions made to the Novels and Novellas category are worth double points (6 for the first submission, 2 for each subsequent submission until the 10th, 1 for each submission after the 10th).
- Immunities used in the Novels and Novellas category are scored the same way as in all other categories (2 points).

Would everyone agree with this?

Yes...while I may be inspired someday...making this mandatory and non-immunable may knock me out!

While I was disappointed in myself for not getting as far as I'd like this year, as personal difficulties interfered, I'd like to thank the mods for keeping me notified of my immunities and taking on this daunting task! And congrats to all the authors who stuck it out (so to speak)!

I hope to try again in 2007 - hopefully my only excuse will be me being lazy!

Happy New Year!

 

[Chante_De_Lezil]

The Survivor Contest is a game where you get points for each new story or poem you write, submit and have accepted at Literotica between January 2nd and January 1st of the following year.

The objective is to write as many new and original stories and poems in as many different categories listed on the main story index in the course of the year as possible. In addition to the points you earn for each submission, there is a structure of bonuses that increase as you fill more and more categories with more and more submissions.

Thank you very much!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I know that the consequences won't be felt until the tallying of points, on January 4th, but are there any thoughts about the changes that were made to immunities for the 2006 edition? Everyone still thinks the dynamic cap is fair and should continue in 2007?

 

[Boxlicker101]

I know that the consequences won't be felt until the tallying of points, on January 4th, but are there any thoughts about the changes that were made to immunities for the 2006 edition? Everyone still thinks the dynamic cap is fair and should continue in 2007?

I agree with the limit on immunities. This is supposed to be a test of writing, not a test of luck. I also like the idea of changing the points for the Novels and Novellas category as proposed.

I do have a questionm though. I am still working on a nonel, which will have about 72,000 words, spread over about 12 chapters. Yhese chapters would not be long enough for the new guidelines but they come at natural breaks. I don't like the idea of padding them to at least 8,000 words and I don't like the idea of re-ordering them so they are longer. Would I still be able to submit this under the older guidelines?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I do have a questionm though. I am still working on a nonel, which will have about 72,000 words, spread over about 12 chapters. Yhese chapters would not be long enough for the new guidelines but they come at natural breaks. I don't like the idea of padding them to at least 8,000 words and I don't like the idea of re-ordering them so they are longer. Would I still be able to submit this under the older guidelines?

If we go ahead with this change to Novels and Novellas, it will only be affecting a submission's eligibility for Survivor, not Literotica's guidelines themselves. So, everyone can still continue submitting 750-word chapters to that category - they just won't be considered for Survivor.

I agree that padding your chapters to whatever we decide the minimum should be isn't very healthy, but you can always group them in pairs, no? Not altering the order, just submitting two chapters together: My Novel Ch. 05 & 06

 

[Boxlicker101]

If we go ahead with this change to Novels and Novellas, it will only be affecting a submission's eligibility for Survivor, not Literotica's guidelines themselves. So, everyone can still continue submitting 750-word chapters to that category - they just won't be considered for Survivor.

I agree that padding your chapters to whatever we decide the minimum should be isn't very healthy, but you can always group them in pairs, no? Not altering the order, just submitting two chapters together: My Novel Ch. 05 & 06

I certainly wouldn't pad them by 2,000 words per chapter. I might make chapter breaks at different places, but I don't really like that idea either. Submitting two chapters together, as you suggest, is a possibiity but that will make the entries about 12,000 words, half again as much as I need. I will look the chapters over and decide what to do with them.

It may sound strange, considering the novel will be a 72,000 word stroke story, but I do have a certain amount of literary integrity.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I'll try to find out how Lit breaks pages so that we can have a more precise idea of how many words we're talking about.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I'll try to find out how Lit breaks pages so that we can have a more precise idea of how many words we're talking about.

it's an average of around 3500 words per Lit page...

 

[Boxlicker101]

it's an average of around 3500 words per Lit page...

I think it would be a certain mumber of lines. If a page includes a long conversation with mostly monosyllabic responses, it would be a lot fewer than 3,500 words. If the paragraphs are long with mostly small words, it would be more that 3,500 words.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

It has to do with bytes per page, Laurel says, so there's no definitive answer. I'll just have to try to determine an average word count the old fashioned way, and then round it up upwards.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

How about just setting the word limit and having everyone declare what their word count is on their scorecard for each submission to that category? (since it seems it might bleed onto the next page for one person but maybe not for another depending on the length of the words)

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I just finished doing a word-count of 10 different stories, and the average for two whole pages is between 7000 and 7450, so I feel tempted to set the minimum, nominally, at 7500 words, and then simply verify if the stories have two full pages, bleeding into a third. According to those numbers, it will be possible to have a story with slightly less than 7500 words with those two full pages, but I'll just consider it close enough. No need to be absolutely rigorous, I think.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

How about just setting the word limit and having everyone declare what their word count is on their scorecard for each submission to that category? (since it seems it might bleed onto the next page for one person but maybe not for another depending on the length of the words)

And yes, that would work.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I went ahead and started the 2007 Rules and Registration thread, so that people can start signing up. Keep in mind that we're still discussing the changes to the rules, though.

Speaking of which, could you read those rules, specifically in what respects to the Novels and Novellas change, and see if the wording makes sense?

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

I think you wrote out a good explanation of the rules.

I have a question. . . I didn't do this with any of my stories, nor would I ever, but when you say "original and new" would that count as folks who write a story in 1st person then take the same story and switch it to Second or Third person POV . . .as original?

Like I said, I personnally wouldn't do this and have NO intention of doing it. But I am curious as to how something like that is viewed.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I think you wrote out a good explanation of the rules.

I have a question. . . I didn't do this with any of my stories, nor would I ever, but when you say "original and new" would that count as folks who write a story in 1st person then take the same story and switch it to Second or Third person POV . . .as original?

Like I said, I personnally wouldn't do this and have NO intention of doing it. But I am curious as to how something like that is viewed.

A story like that would not be eligible for points, unless the change is so radical that it turns the story into something else altogether.