Pink Orchid: Story Event for Women-Centric Erotica - Official Support Thread

[NotWise]

I reached the last scene in mine and didn't feel like diving in quite yet. I want to get it done in time to enter the Valentine's contest, but that still leaves me some time.

I've been working on the thing on-and-off for months without ever re-reading the whole thing. Instead of diving in, I decided to read from the beginning. So far, so good. Maybe there are a few too many words in the middle.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Thanks Omen and Juan - I've messaged you.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

Got mine uploaded. Doing final checks and read throughs. Hopefully get it in a fit state for Feb 1.

Been working on this one for a long time, but glad to say, the event pushed me to finish it.

Quite long at 28,000 words, but I do like to waffle between the dirty bits

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I've submitted my story. Thanks to Omaneinen and KumquauQueen for beta-reading.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

KumquatQueen, not KumquauQueen. Sorry about that.

 

[Lifestyle66]

...
I wonder, as I plan my story, how much a woman can be empowered by a man.

"Empowered" is one of those terms which I consider misleading.

Authority can be given to someone to "empower" them or make them more confident. But anything which can be given can be taken away. So, it's a double-edged sword, and not a desirable action to create a strong character.

I prefer my female protagonist to BE in control and take charge, rather than waiting for permission from others.

I have my own story ready for this contest, and the main female character will come across as overbearing, controlling, and manipulative. But it's how she sees life: Don't ask for control, take it!

 

[stickygirl]

'Empowered'
authorize, license, entitle, permit, allow, sanction

I agree, it does smack of something to be earned and given instead of it being a right.

In the context Notwise used it (and it's really for him to explain ) I suspect there's a certain irony in his use of the phrase

 

[NotWise]

'Empowered'
authorize, license, entitle, permit, allow, sanction

I agree, it does smack of something to be earned and given instead of it being a right.

In the context Notwise used it (and it's really for him to explain ) I suspect there's a certain irony in his use of the phrase

I agree with Omenainen that, in this context, no-one can grant empowerment. It's a trait that the woman has to learn.

That said, the term is also used in a political context -- especially in emerging economies -- and that has different meanings related more to voting power and economic self-determination.

I finally wrote to the end of my story, so I can say it will be ready for the Valentine's Day contest as well as the Pink Orchid event. I have a few days left to finish things off.

 

[SimonDoom]

"Empowered" is one of those terms which I consider misleading.

I think it's an open-ended word that can mean many things.

In the context of an erotic story focusing on a female character, "empowerment," to me, means a process in an erotic story by which the female character undergoes some change that leaves her feeling that she's more than she was before the process. She might feel wiser, or bolder, or stronger, or smarter, or sexier. She might feel appreciated, or perhaps more accurately appreciate herself, in a way she didn't before.

I tend to think of it as a gain that she acquires through choice and volition, rather than by something being granted to her by another. It's not the erotic equivalent of a job promotion.

I think it's possible for an "empowerment" story to be ironic or paradoxical. A woman can feel legitimately "empowered" by engaging in her first experience as a submissive in a BDSM relationship, for example.

I have so many stories in the works I don't know if I'll get one done for this event, but I'm curious to see what people come up with. Right now I'm just trying to get my Valentine's Story done. Maybe I'll enter that one in this event as well if I finish it on time.

 

[NotWise]

I think it's an open-ended word that can mean many things.

In the context of an erotic story focusing on a female character, "empowerment," to me, means a process in an erotic story by which the female character undergoes some change that leaves her feeling that she's more than she was before the process. She might feel wiser, or bolder, or stronger, or smarter, or sexier. She might feel appreciated, or perhaps more accurately appreciate herself, in a way she didn't before.

I look at it a little more simply. Femaie empowerment is the ability and the willingness of a woman to make her own decisions in her own best interest.

That is in contrast to the traditional state in which a woman defers decisions to someone else and/or suppresses her own needs in favor of someone else's.

My story is also somewhat different from what you anticipate. The female character is a mature, independent woman, and the story is about how she deals with an emotional challenge to her independence.

 

[stickygirl]

I'd say empowerment in the context of erotic stories is when the woman demonstrates she knows it takes more than sex to make her life fulfilled ( no pun intended ). Good sex is just one facet of a rewarding life and I don't think one can compartmentalise career, social contact, family ... and sex. Good sex is dependent on all the other parts of her life being in balance or else sex is just 'masturbation', with or without another person. You can have a great shag, fab sex, but if in the morning your job is still shit - then that's what I'd call masturbation. If sex becomes a distraction, like drink or drugs, then you're missing the point about feeling empowered.


I don't deny that a hot erotic story serves a function, but it ought to be more than wank fodder. To write 15k words with the sole aim of getting people off is kinda sad.

 

[NotWise]

Why so down on masturbation? It's a good alternative for women who don't want to depend on someone else for gratification.

 

[stickygirl]

Why so down on masturbation? It's a good alternative for women who don't want to depend on someone else for gratification.

Maybe I should give it another go?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Maybe I should give it another go?

Lol. 750 words, stickygirl, no more, no less .

 

[HeyAll]

Is anybody's story pre-approved for Feb 1st?

 

[Lovecraft_lore2]

Is anybody's story pre-approved for Feb 1st?

Yes, my 750 word story was approved last week for Feb 1st. My 750 word last year and Halloween story also got approved weeks in advance.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

Is anybody's story pre-approved for Feb 1st?

Yes, for two days now and duly published this morning.

https://literotica.com/s/terms-of-repayment

 

[YDB95]

Mine is published. Looking forward to reading the other ones!

 

[Lovecraft_lore2]

The first batch of stories are posted. I am reading the terms of repayment now. There is a lot of plot.


I'm glad we have all month, I have a second much longer story I am still working on writing. Trying to have a long scene of clueless men mansplaining women's menstrual cycles to a group of women. It is hard to get the tone right. I want to poke fun at men for mansplaining things they could not possibly know about.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

Here's the link to the Pink Orchid tag page. It may be the easiest way to keep track of the entire list of stories.

https://tags.literotica.com/pink orchid/

 

[PennameWombat]

Just submitted my combination Valentine's+Pink Orchid story. I think it works quite well for the former, but it might be a stretch for the latter...

I have a second for this event, but right now it'll be toward the end of the month to get it done. I'm trying hard, since I think it's a stronger fit than the first one.

 

[NotWise]

Here's the link to the Pink Orchid tag page. It may be the easiest way to keep track of the entire list of stories.

https://tags.literotica.com/pink orchid/

The event doesn't require authors to tag things with "pink orchid," so that list might not be complete.

 

[NotWise]

Just submitted my combination Valentine's+Pink Orchid story. I think it works quite well for the former, but it might be a stretch for the latter...

I have a second for this event, but right now it'll be toward the end of the month to get it done. I'm trying hard, since I think it's a stronger fit than the first one.

Mine's almost ready to go to Valentine's+Pink Orchid, but it's the opposite. It's pretty well-suited for the Pink Orchid event, but it's a stretch for Valentine's Day.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Got helpful feedback on an increasingly-long draft, which mostly explained why I had my feeling that the structure just wasn't working.

But I got inspired to do a shorter story that will work for this, which I'll get back to after I submit another short story that I've just whipped up for Valentine's. It was going to be 3k, then 5k, and is about 6.5k words, but for me that's short. The one for this event I have to decide if I add extra scenes or not, but I've got more time.

Eventually I'll get this long story done. Turns out I can write a porn scene easily off the top of my head, but emotions and motivations need months of percolation through my mind.

 

[yowser]

The event doesn't require authors to tag things with "pink orchid," so that list might not be complete.

This is true. In past contests/challenges the appropriate tag would get automatically added, but not in this case. At least one entry (mine) does not appear on the list.

For anyone with an offering not yet submitted, I suggest adding the tag.