"One Night in XXX” Story Event: Official Support Thread

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Wow. 20 votes overnight and went from 4.9 to 4.47. Looks puzzled. How can this be? Rotflmao

Huh. I too got exactly 20 votes overnight. And my score dropped. Weird.

 

[NotWise]

Huh. I too got exactly 20 votes overnight. And my score dropped. Weird.

I got no votes at all last night and, oddly enough, the score didn't change.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I found an anonymous comment waiting for me this morning, and suspect the author might be following this thread. If you are reading dear Anonymous Commenter, know this: I agree.

The ending is kind of abrupt. I wrote to point X, and then I kept writing, but I was getting all bogged down in tedious beuracracy and mechanics. My ending was dragging. This was supposed to be a fast paced story and the end was anything but. I realized that the story was essentially over at point X, and all I was doing after that was book keeping. So I backed it up to point X and I ended it there. I chose abrupt over tedious.

If I had more time, maybe I could have split the difference. Ah well.

Thanks for reading, Anon. And thanks for taking the time to comment. I truly appreciate the time you put in to consider my story.

 

[rescatooor]

I had a nice feedback email this morning. It was by someone who used to live near Foxton some years ago and he was thanking for the sentimental journey back to the neighborhood.

It brought a smile on my face, not going to lie.

 

[rescatooor]

Huh. I too got exactly 20 votes overnight. And my score dropped. Weird.

I don't know how many votes I gained but there was literally just a sweep. Possibly you will see it soon too. I lost six votes and my score bounced 0.1 to 4.75. Yay.

It's my highest rated story thus far and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I don't know how many votes I gained but there was literally just a sweep. Possibly you will see it soon too. I lost six votes and my score bounced 0.1 to 4.75. Yay.

It's my highest rated story thus far and I'd like to keep it that way.

I lost 11 votes and jumped from 4.47 to 4.67.

And received a lovely anonymous comment telling me that my dialogue sucked.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Nice to see the sweeps revealing how readers really feel. Wonder if yesterday’s roller-coaster will start again?

I’d bet our trolls cheat at solitaire. It’s the same sort of mentality - the insistence that reality should be changeable to meet their own personal wishes. It’s almost universal in young children, but most of us grow out of it.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I lost 11 votes and jumped from 4.47 to 4.67.

And received a lovely anonymous comment telling me that my dialogue sucked.

Ditto more or less. It’s funny watching.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

Ditto more or less. It’s funny watching.

Been down and out with bronchitis this week. Real Life Sucks. So I haven't been following the ratings or comments until today.

If somebody has been sweeping up the 1* elephant droppings, bless you my child. That is a mostly thankless job, but I do appreciate it. All three stories now currently wear their little HOT lapel pins proudly.

Comments have been coming including this gem:

There's no College Station in this story
Seriously, if you're gonna use the name of a place you need to include that place in your story. There are no B/CS places in this story, there is no sense that you know anything about or ever even set foot in Aggieland. Shame on you, you have failed to meet the pretty minimal requirements for this Story Event.

I could be wrong, but the first two rules seem to pertain here:

1. The story title has to be “One Night in XXX” where XXX is a city or town.
2. The city or town can be real or fictional, but if it’s fictional it has to be in an existing published book or movie.

It doesn't say that "Thou must describe the locale in such detail that a casual reader will recognize the landmarks" or am I reading the rules wrong?

Anyway, I have been in College Station a number of times and have spent time on the campus of A&M. It just didn't seem important to the story to detail whether it was the West Campus Library or the Sterling C. Evans Library. Mr. NitPicker completely ignored the fact that both libraries close at 9PM. The rendezvous time in the story.

Anyway, I had a good time writing these. Thanks to Chloe and all who supported her in bringing off this event.

I'll leave with a comment that was posted on "One Night in Chloe":

Ha!
The mistress of this Night in XXX genre has been immortalized! Tres bien!

james

 

[NotWise]

Comments have been coming including this gem:

The comment probably had no effect on your other readers' take on the story, but I figured you would get that comment if you didn't throw in enough detail. It seems inevitable, Aggies being Aggies and all.

 

[rescatooor]

It doesn't say that "Thou must describe the locale in such detail that a casual reader will recognize the landmarks" or am I reading the rules wrong?

I actually understood the exercise as being specifically centered around space so I kind of understand the criticism. It's why I threw in some more place-specific description into my story. Especially since the place's name is in the title.

Of course you have to take some liberties (in my case it was reimagining the place as it might look today) so minor changes can't be avoided, especially if they serve the plot.

But yeah, I haven't read your story as of yet. But in my opinion, this is something I might've criticised you of, if you had truly neglected to describe the place. And readers feel so smart in recognizing the landmarks! I bet one or two may have even left you a star or two more, if you had indulged them.

It's not a competition anyway, though, so all that shouldn't matter too greatly. Sometimes you have to bend a few rules if it gets you with the story you want to deliver.

 

[PennameWombat]

I actually understood the exercise as being specifically centered around space so I kind of understand the criticism. It's why I threw in some more place-specific description into my story. Especially since the place's name is in the title.

Of course you have to take some liberties (in my case it was reimagining the place as it might look today) so minor changes can't be avoided, especially if they serve the plot.
<snip>

I chose a rather well-known location for my story, Las Vegas. Even people who haven't been there have likely seen plenty of views ('CSI' for just one!)

I did much as you did. My story is a post-apocalyptic setting around and in a specific section of the city. I described, but did not name, some key existing landmarks since I wanted it grounded in something readers would recognize and we were supposed to use a real or established place. Thus, some of this was definitely required.

I chose not to name these because it didn't fit the flow and I took them as familiar to most readers.

But, a key sequence is set in a fictional derelict casino that I did name. I did that because I wanted the readers to have some question about the exact time, date and condition of the world at the time of the apocalypse (the cause is, to a degree, described, but not enough to tell readers the why, exactly how, when, etc.)

Also, like CSI always used fictional casinos and hotels, avoids anyone at the real casinos hunting me down and beating me with a 2x4 (I hope).

Anyway, as I chose such a prominent location I've been curious about any comments. So far, only a single, quite complimentary anonymous comment <blush> that didn't apply to my location choice.

I read the 'Emberverse' series by S.M. Stirling, which was largely set in and around Portland, Oregon and the broader Willamette Valley, where I lived for 20 years. His geography was more or less there, but nowhere near precise. I've kind of wanted to ask him how many of his choices were mistakes and how many were deliberate fuzzing of things for plot purposes.

 

[gordo12]

I have to admit to being annoyed.

45 stories
45 authors
countless hours spent

Not even a mention of the event on the front page. It's still showing the previous Beyond event.

An event, which by the way, got a second roll through a few days later after it was originally posted. The stories & announcement showed up on the hubs for the second time. Never seen that before.

No reflection on Chloe BTW. She deserves the credit for stepping up for these events.

 

[KeithD]

I think the Web site spent more time/effort on sweeping these stories than it normally does for its own contests. I think that was putting effort to what, as observed by what was discussed most on this thread, was the most important aspect to the authors. This wasn't a Web site program event. No reason why it should be given all of the treatment a regular Literotica themed contest gets.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I'm starting to think mine is never going to be posted.
Submitted it late, on the 24th, it sat there until the 27th and I decided to go ahead and take off the tag for One Night In XXX since it was so late, resubmitted it on the 27th and it's sat at pending since then.
Really thinking I'll just delete it from here because it may never be posted.

Editing to say, it's never been posted. When I first submitted it while it was still pending I decided to go ahead and take off the tag for One Night In XXX since mine was late and not really a part of the story event. SO I sent it back to draft, took out the tag and resubmitted it on the 27th. Still pending.

 

[rescatooor]

I think the Web site spent more time/effort on sweeping these stories than it normally does for its own contests. I think that was putting effort to what, as observed by what was discussed most on this thread, was the most important aspect to the authors. This wasn't a Web site program event. No reason why it should be given all of the treatment a regular Literotica themed contest gets.

I beg to disagree. These events cost nothing to Laurel, yet she's the major beneficiary since it brings an influx of new stories on the site that might otherwise have never existed. By giving it minimal visibility, she discourages authors from putting events like these together as well as authors from participating in them.

As for sweeps, I don't know. While I discussed them, I would've preferred more visibility.

 

[KeithD]

I beg to disagree. These events cost nothing to Laurel, yet she's the major beneficiary since it brings an influx of new stories on the site that might otherwise have never existed. By giving it minimal visibility, she discourages authors from putting events like these together as well as authors from participating in them.

As for sweeps, I don't know. While I discussed them, I would've preferred more visibility.

Fine. We disagree. If you don't think Laurel had to put special effort into this Web site non-programed event, you're not thinking too hard. I think Literotica did just fine with this. And, as I said, what I observed was far more sweeping than with a Web site-sponsored contest. And, again, if you don't think special collection and listing, special announcing, and sweeping involve special effort by Laurel, I don't think you are thinking too hard.

 

[rescatooor]

Fine. We disagree. If you don't think Laurel had to put special effort into this Web site non-programed event, you're not thinking too hard. I think Literotica did just fine with this. And, as I said, what I observed was far more sweeping than with a Web site-sponsored contest. And, again, if you don't think sweeping involves special effort by Laurel, I don't think you are thinking too hard.

Thank you for being so accepting of my opinion.

 

[KeithD]

Thank you for being so accepting of my opinion.

A bit more than you are with mine. I noted that it was fine we disagreed. You continue to gnaw at it.

The "no extra work" response available to an overworked Laurel is "no" to requests to support author-generated writer exercises. Bite her hand on this and that's the response that's deserved.

 

[gordo12]

Fine. We disagree. If you don't think Laurel had to put special effort into this Web site non-programed event

Keith, the Beyond the Wall event was also a non-programmed event. As was the Geek event, The Australian event and others. All of whom got a front page listing.

Maybe just be an oversight. But a lot of people put a lot of effort into this and those efforts should be recognized by the major beneficiary of the work freely given.

Right now my mind is going with oversight.

Edit: It may be that Laurel is overworked and unable to handle this in which case the right answer is a no to future events. At least we all understand that.

 

[KeithD]

Keith, the Beyond the Wall event was also a non-programmed event. As was the Geek event, The Australian event and others. All of whom got a front page listing.

The fact that there are so many of them pretty much explains why highlighting them is being ratcheted down. Maybe those who want more service here should send checks. I'd be happy if they'd just clean up the nonfunctioning features they've had here for over a decade.

This particular exercise was Chole's brainchild. Does she want to complain about the service Laurel gave to it?

 

[NotWise]

More visibility would have been nice. As it was, the stories got little more exposure than they would have without the event. My entry is still my least-viewed story, and it's likely to stay there.

The ratio of votes/view is very good. I suspect the ratio might be high because a large proportion of the readers are authors themselves. Does anyone else see that? Probably your story would have to be in a low-traffic category to get the effect.

Laurel did a lot of sweeping on the event stories, and I'm glad she did. I assume she did it because someone mounted a voting campaign against the stories in the event, which is something I haven't seen in contests.

The last sweep I saw was on the morning of 4/26, but I think other stories may have been swept after that.

 

[gordo12]

The last sweep I saw was on the morning of 4/26, but I think other stories may have been swept after that.

LW got swept in the afternoon for all the good it did. The little shits were right back that evening before I got sick of it and took away their right to vote or comment.

We keep tipping them off in these threads so as soon as the sweep is finished...

 

[SimonDoom]

The fact that there are so many of them pretty much explains why highlighting them is being ratcheted down. Maybe those who want more service here should send checks. I'd be happy if they'd just clean up the nonfunctioning features they've had here for over a decade.

This particular exercise was Chole's brainchild. Does she want to complain about the service Laurel gave to it?

I haven't noticed any complaints by Chloe.

Rescatoor's comment does raise the question whether an event is worth the effort, from the site's point of view, if it's not going to be given more visibility. As it is, with this event, Rescatoor is right that there's almost no visibility for this event from the average reader's point of view.

Maybe that's not a bad thing if we just ratchet down expectations and see this as nothing more than a fun way for authors to compare their efforts in writing about a common theme, without much expectation about added visibility.

I'm going to assume that Laurel is stretched pretty thin right now and only so much can be asked of her.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm starting to think mine is never going to be posted.
Submitted it late, on the 24th, it sat there until the 27th and I decided to go ahead and take off the tag for One Night In XXX since it was so late, resubmitted it on the 27th and it's sat at pending since then.
Really thinking I'll just delete it from here because it may never be posted.

If you submitted it as an "Edited" post ("resubmitted" seems to mean removing the original) it may take a while. The longest I've seen personally was about ten days.