The Annual Halloween Contest Is Coming!

[Rumple Foreskin]

Heck...I'll take a shot at it...now I need to put on my thinking cap. Last time I was sandwiched between RF and Ogg...not a bad place to be.

Oh, be still my throbbing--heart. Of course, it almost gave me a simplex (I'm way too dumb to qualify for a complex) when you kept telling folks you hadn't had such a sexually exhilirating experience since the last time you shuffled a deck of cards.

But seriously folks, while you and Og and I were elbowing for the low spot on the toem pole, Gauche came from out of nowhere to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (and the three of us).

Rummple Foreskin

 

[jessy19]

Ok to submit my halloween story do i just do it regular like I submit all my other stories or is this themed story different type of submission? I'm sorry I'm so new to this. If some one can help I'd be most grateful *s*

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Ok to submit my halloween story do i just do it regular like I submit all my other stories or is this themed story different type of submission? I'm sorry I'm so new to this. If some one can help I'd be most grateful *s*

Don't sweat being new, Jessy. We all started out as virgins-some just got over it faster than the rest of us. At the beginning of this thread, in the first post, the one by Laurel, (see, I'm trying to keep it simple ) you'll find all the rules and regulations.

If you check them out and are sitll confused, not an unusual condition for a first time poster, you might leave another post here asking for a more detailed explanation and a how-to.

And welcome to the board.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[jessy19]

Yes I would like a more detail step by step please???

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I might try one, although I have never entered a contest before. I will see what I can whip up tonight, maybe lightening will strike

-Colly

 

[raphy]

I'm guessing you submit it as normal, but put "HALLOWEEN STORY CONTEST 2003" in the Notes field of the submission form...

Of course, I've never actually submitted a Lit story yet, so 'as normal' doesn't actually mean much to me. But I'm sure it does to the rest of ya.

Raph, helpfully. Or not.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Yes I would like a more detail step by step please???

Okay, we'll start with the basic rules for posting a story, go over the special "guidelines" for this contest, followed by some hand-holding, and then end with a hint or two. RF

1. Sign up as a Literotica Member. Remember, your author name will be public, so choose your pen name with this in mind.

2. Be sure your story has a sexual theme, unless you are submitting to the Non-Erotic category. Chose a title and a category. Note: We reserve the right to edit the title and description.

3. No sexual activity involving bestiality (you can write stories about supernatural beasts like ghosts, unicorns, werewolves, etc.) or underage persons will be considered. For the purposes of this site, the minimum legal age is 18.

4. We do not currently accept submissions under 750 words.

5. All manuscripts must be submitted as via the site scripts as Word files (.doc), text files (.txt) or Rich Text Files (.rtf), or pasted into the submission form. If your story uses bolds ot italics, you will need to submit it as a .doc or .rtf.

(You may submit via email, but your story will be considered & posted much, much faster if you submit through your online profile as described in our FAQ. Important Note: If you DO submit via email, you MUST follow the instructions for doing so in the FAQ. If you simply send us a story via email without following the procedure, your submission will be ignored.)

6. Run your manuscript through a spell checker and then read it over for anything the spellchecker missed before submitting. This should eliminate the majority of errors which might cause a manuscript to be rejected.We expect submissions to come to us ready for the public. Stories with obvious spelling and grammatical errors are poorly received by readers. Even spell-checking your work with a software program can make the difference in whether readers like or dislike your work. If you're looking to further polish your piece, we strongly encourage you to contact one of our Volunteer Editors.

We encourage both seasoned and first-time writers to submit their work, and do not expect grammatical and structural perfection in every piece. We expect that as you post stories and apply the suggestions from readers and Volunteer Editors to your work, your abilities as a writer will be honed.

7. Please break your story into reasonably sized paragraphs. Reading on a screen is different from reading from a book or magazine, as the flicker from computer monitors is tiring on the eye. Excessively long paragraphs are hard on readers' eyes.

8. If you have specialty formatting requests, such as the need for bolds or italics in certain parts, PLEASE LET US KNOW in a note at the top of the story. Otherwise, all special formatting will be stripped from the stories before posting.

9. No HTML links or web addresses are allowed within stories.

10. Manuscripts are copyrighted in the name of the author. This means you must be the author of any story

--

To these, Laurel has added the following "guidelines" for the Halloween contest.

- All contest stories must be submitted via our online form. If you are a WebTV user or have difficulty with the form, follow the instructions here.

- Author must put the phrase "HALLOWEEN STORY CONTEST 2003" in the "Notes" field of the submission.

- Story must have a Halloween theme. Please don't just submit a normal story and simply dress the participants in costume or throw in a black cat. That would not be in the spirit of the contest, and readers & voters would probably punish you for your trickiness.

--

The mechanics of posting are as follows:

1. At the bottom left cormer of this page, click, "HOME"

2. Half way down the HOME page, click "Stories & Pics"

3. Near the top of the next screen, click "Login"

4. Near the top left corner of the next screen, click "Submissions"

5. In the center of the next screen, click "Submit a Story"

6. The instructions on the next screen are pretty clear. But at the bottom of the screen is a small "notes" box. This is where you're supposed to write "Halloween Story Contest 2003".

--

Hints:

a. Your story should be formatted single-space with a hard return between the paragraphs.

b. Always preview before clicking on "Post".

c. If your story is long, all of it may not show up on the preview, but the screen will still give you a chance to check on the formatting.

d. NEVER, EVER, under penalty of death or worse, ask anyone here at the Author's Hangout how long it'll be before your story shows up with the other entries. This is especially true if MathGirl is around.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Thanks for the hand holding RF. One question, I finished up my submission idea and should be ready to post sometime today. My question is are their categories within the contest category or do you just submit it to the contest and not worry about what category you would normally submit it too?

-Colly

 

[damppanties]

Thanks for the hand holding RF. One question, I finished up my submission idea and should be ready to post sometime today. My question is are their categories within the contest category or do you just submit it to the contest and not worry about what category you would normally submit it too?

-Colly

Colly,

You do have to choose a category. I think it won't let you submit otherwise.

One question though: You finished writing a contest story in one day?

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Colly,

You do have to choose a category. I think it won't let you submit otherwise.

One question though: You finished writing a contest story in one day?

That is a little imtimidating, isn't it, DP?

Colly, DP is right about the category business. All stories submitted to Lit must have a category designation. But for purposes of the contest, it doesn't matter which one you pick. About half the ones already posted are in Erotic Horror, but there are also Erotic Coupling, Group Sex, Loving Wives, plus a Fetish story by Og and if mine slips by Laurel, there'll be one in Romance.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Dp,

Ya, it's done. Only about 12 word pages. I only decided to enter earlier tonight so I didn't have anything more substantial worked up to use as a base and had to go from scratch. When I start revising tomorrow I might get another page out of it, there are some spots where I feel a little more description might help, but over all I think it's done.

I only get votes sporadically so if I want enough to qualify ( I think someone said 50) I'll have to get it posted ASAP.

Luckily the one I had pending from the story ideas forum was accepted today

-Colly

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Rf,

Thanks, my story is lesbian, hopefully it will get acepted. I am going to take a stab here and guess that knocking out a short story in five or so hours is a rareity?

-Colly

 

[damppanties]

I am going to take a stab here and guess that knocking out a short story in five or so hours is a rareity?

-Colly

Yes.

For me, it definitely is. How I envy you!

Ya, it's done. Only about 12 word pages. I only decided to enter earlier tonight so I didn't have anything more substantial worked up to use as a base and had to go from scratch. When I start revising tomorrow I might get another page out of it, there are some spots where I feel a little more description might help, but over all I think it's done.

What did you mean by only 12 word pages? There's nothing only about writing 12 word pages in one go.

Oh Man!!! This is the second time today that I'm so amazed.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

My usual submission runs in the 30 to 40 word page range. I like to build some background and develop characters when I write. I tend to write in fits and starts, when an idea seizes me it isn't unusual to go 20 to 25 pages before my muse abandons me. I type as I think, so my stories end up with a lot of odd constructions, almost like I am telling the story rather than writing it.

Being a hard core insomniac probably helps too

For this one I tried to come up with a good costume pairing, got a flash of inspiration, ran off to the web to get all my details down, then took off.

I wish I could say it awlays comes this easy, but I can't. There are times when I go for days and can't make anything come. When the inspiration to write does come I try to make the most of it, thats why I keep ten to fifteen stories going at any one time. Often I can finish three or four during one of my "hot" periods. Then when I am cold I go back and make minor corrections, revisions and look for typos.

This one came so easily it was a dream to write, hopefully I don't wake up in the morning and wonder what the gibberish on my screen was supposed to mean, I have done that on occasion too

-Colly

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Rf,

Thanks, my story is lesbian, hopefully it will get acepted. I am going to take a stab here and guess that knocking out a short story in five or so hours is a rareity?

-Colly

Colly,
To be honest, I'm not sure. Og tends to write great long pieces so I'd imagine he works with a certain amount of speed. I've been re-writing and revising for so long, I've just about forgotten how much of a first draft I can knock off in any given period of time.

I've finished two novels that were about 85,000 words each. My short stories tend to be on the short side. Anything over 5k is unusual for me. Just for the old-fashioned hecky-darn of it, my Halloween contest story is only 900 words (the Lit minimum is 750). That's barely a preamble for some folks.

Rumple

 

[Just-Legal]

(For those who've seen it, I can offer Solace, comfort, or even a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster to remove it from any braincells it's stored upon, 10 points to who guesses the book in which that drink is mentioned, and the author.)

Medi, that's from The HitchHikers Guide To The Universe by Douglas Adams.

DON'T PANIC!



*runs awaaaaay from the Silent Hill-ness... no more Pyramid Head! Pleeeeaaasssee!*

 

[Colleen Thomas]

RF,

The only time speed really matters is in college when you have 2 hours to do an essay

While my short stories go long I can't even begin to imagine trying a novel lenght work. Congrats on finishing something that substantial

-Colly

 

[oggbashan]

Colly,
To be honest, I'm not sure. Og tends to write great long pieces so I'd imagine he works with a certain amount of speed. Rumple

I have written one story in a hour, then edited it for another hour and submitted it.

It was rejected. It was a few words under the 750 word limit. Revising and resubmitting took 20 minutes.

My normal stories take weeks, months or years. Many of my earlier submissions were written before I joined Literotica.

Then there are the 50 or so uncompleted ones. Sigh.

Og (who was one Halloween story posted and is going back to continue the other short (for me) one.)

 

[jessy19]

Thank you very much RF I should have known all of this by now. After all I've submitted 39 stories by now lol

I just wasn't so sure if the contest stories were entered differently. They are not as i see, you just have to put that it's a contest entry at the bottom box. Oh i'm such a dummy. *s*

 

[oggbashan]

Oops

My first contest entry "Hannah and Kay" was posted today.

I expected few and low votes because it is my usual length.

However so far it is doing well.

Get your entries in now, please. People actually read and VOTE on the contest entries.

Og

 

[oggbashan]

Progress Report

You can read the entries already posted here

Og

 

[golgotha]

Long live Halloween

I was thinking of a one-on -one with Jack Skellinton and Sally but Tim Burton would probably sue my ass. Pity because Sally is might fine despite or inspite of her stitches. So I'm doing a Pumpkin day special instead... Will send it in soon

Love is the Law, Love under Will

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Okies, got mine submitted. It's titled Gangster's Ball.

Good luck everyone!

-Colly

 

[raphy]

I might actually have something to submit! Yay!

Quick question, for any night owls... Would a straight erotic-horror/vampire type story be valid for the hallowe'en contest?

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

I might actually have something to submit! Yay!

Quick question, for any night owls... Would a straight erotic-horror/vampire type story be valid for the hallowe'en contest?

I hereby quote, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" aka: Laurel.

"Story must have a Halloween theme. Please don't just submit a normal story and simply dress the participants in costume or throw in a black cat. That would not be in the spirit of the contest, and readers & voters would probably punish you for your trickiness."

Of course, what are the odds any of your stories would ever be considered "normal?"

Rumple Foreskin