The Halloween 2024 Official Contest Support Thread!

[Fatdog25]

I'm just wondering if folks will think it's too Halmarkey, Lifetimey.

It can't be any worse than mine...

 

[SamBomb]

Question? Is there are a bump in readers when you submit a contest story?

 

[Fatdog25]

Question? Is there are a bump in readers when you submit a contest story?

Yes. There is often an increase in followers as well.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I've noticed a few more followers and a bump in favourites on older stories during a comp.

 

[SamBomb]

Awesome. Motivation to finish my story!

 

[FreyaGersemi]

Question? Is there are a bump in readers when you submit a contest story?

There can be. Usually there is. But there have been a couple of mine that get about my usual number of views. I think the category matters. I usually post in pretty popular categories and have a few loyal readers, so if a contest entry goes into a less popular category, then it would get less readers.

But you can expect more readers, in general. I think the biggest bonus is that it exposes you to new readers and if those readers like your story, you may see a bump in followers and views of other stories.

Personally, my favorite part of writing a contest entry is that I get to explore themes outside of my normal stories. You don't have to, but I figure why write what I always write when it's for a special occasion? I get to stretch out, venture into uncharted territory (for me, at least), and surprise readers with something unusual (again, unusual for me).

 

[Nellymcboatface]

From what I can tell the category is dominated by badly portrayed succubus stories, vampires, and less subtle horror than ghosts, and I think the readers lean more towards the H than the E in the category title. I had two long ones that did very well when I posted them in 2014/2016 and both were violent and gory.

Hmm...
After the in-depth discussion on p1 about the `Erotic Horror' genre, I'm concerned my story may be better in 'fantasy' or 'non-human'...
The day after I pushed the publish button on Summer Lovin, I overheard a chance comment between two goth colleagues at work... Which got the creative juices working. Fingers hit the keyboard once again, and it is now way beyond that idea...

It includes a 'nice' demon Futanari, Vampires, werewolves, supernatural and a grand (hopefully) bloodbath at the end...
Although until then it's quite soft and bit of a `coming of age' thing...
Baring in mind I'm already 16,000 words in and nothing has been killed (or staked) yet, but it is laying the ground....
It does include romance and sex between the futanari and humans...

So would it be better placed elsewhere?
I'm not familiar with any other genre than my usual ones, so I am stretching the old brain matter..
(And yes, I know I can't win - But... This story is too good and so much fun to write, I just don't want to shelve it for a year.)

 

[FreyaGersemi]

It includes a 'nice' demon Futanari, Vampires, werewolves, supernatural and a grand (hopefully) bloodbath at the end...

Aside from placing a gay male romp in the Loving Wives category or a plain vanilla sex story in the Fetish category, I think you would be splitting hairs. Personally, I think what you're describing qualifies as Horror (especially the grand bloodbath), but we'll see what others think...

 

[Bassytian]

I was originally going to back out of submitting a story for this contest due to my story becoming more of a depressing story and having little to do with Halloween in all honesty. But, I have inspiration for another one that will take place on the holiday itself. It will be a sexy Halloween themed comedy.

Like with the other one, it will feature entirely new characters in a modern setting. I may still submit the first one but it may not be for the contest.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

I doubt my entry will be the most depressing story ever on Lit, but it'll be a definite contender.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Mine's cooking now, and really starting to boil. Public stripping, groping, nudity, anal and then pegging in a Halloween sex club...you know, one for the whole family to sit down and read together. Halloween has only relatively recently become more popular in Australia...and I love it!

 

[TheRedChamber]

From what I can tell the category is dominated by badly portrayed succubus stories, vampires, and less subtle horror than ghosts, and I think the readers lean more towards the H than the E in the category title. I had two long ones that did very well when I posted them in 2014/2016 and both were violent and gory.

You say that, but all I know is that they did not go for my story in which his girlfriend's vagina tried to eat him.

Not at all.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

You say that, but all I know is that they did not go for my story in which his girlfriend's vagina tried to eat him.

Not at all.

So, do we need a special vagina dentata story contest to give the boys nightmares?

 

[TheRedChamber]

So, do we need a special vagina dentata story contest to give the boys nightmares?

While I'm all in favour of more VD stories...no wait, that's unfortunate...while I'm all in favour of more vagina dentata stories, lining them up in a contest rather takes away from the suprise which is the very heart and soul (and teeth) of any good dentata story.

 

[Wineandcheese]

Mine’s finished. This is my first Halloween story, and I’m curious to see how it fares. There’s no blood, gore, monsters, or dentata. I’m wondering if readers are hoping for more scare factor than I’m providing.

 

[lovecraft68]

You say that, but all I know is that they did not go for my story in which his girlfriend's vagina tried to eat him.

Not at all.

Keep in mind that although there are a lot of female readers, its still more of a male audience and many men are easily squicked and put off and how dare you put a penis in danger.

 

[StillStunned]

You say that, but all I know is that they did not go for my story in which his girlfriend's vagina tried to eat him.

In Soviet Russia, pussy eat *you*!

 

[Voboy]

I’m wondering if readers are hoping for more scare factor than I’m providing.

Some will, some won't; it'll find its audience.

Mine's not EH at all. It's just a foursome that takes place in conjunction with Halloween events. No biggie.

 

[MrStill]

Another Australian here who doesn't quite get Halloween but gives it a go each year. Looks like we're almost a sub-genre, maybe in need of our own category.
Last year's entry was a supernatural pirate story which seemed to go down all right.
So the entry I am working on this time - it centres on an Australian who doesn't know what Halloween is...

 

[Rustyoznail]

Another Australian here who doesn't quite get Halloween but gives it a go each year. Looks like we're almost a sub-genre, maybe in need of our own category.
Last year's entry was a supernatural pirate story which seemed to go down all right.
So the entry I am working on this time - it centres on an Australian who doesn't know what Halloween is...

I wrote https://literotica.com/s/the-ghost-of-benanee with the intention of holding it for the Halloween comp, but I got impatient and put it in the Pink Orchid event. It was set in outback NSW over the unofficial Melbourne Cup long weekend, which coincidentally was Halloween.

It features a ghost...

 

[Bassytian]

I'll submit my original entry and my other one after all, so I'll have two. I know what category to put the second one into but I'm stumped on the first. My main character is human and sleeps with a character who isn't. I don't know if that's enough to qualify for the Non-Human category, but it's not scary enough for the Erotic Horror one either.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I'll submit my original entry and my other one after all, so I'll have two. I know what category to put the second one into but I'm stumped on the first. My main character is human and sleeps with a character who isn't. I don't know if that's enough to qualify for the Non-Human category, but it's not scary enough for the Erotic Horror one either.

Non-human, possibly scifi if they're aliens.

 

[Bassytian]

Non-human, possibly scifi if they're aliens.

Ah, I see. Thanks!

 

[Rustyoznail]

It's a toss up with those two. Strictly speaking, aliens would naturally be non-human. It depends on how the overall story evolves and what the main thrust of the story is. FWIW, my usual process is story, title, tag line, then category.

 

[Northstar4695]

I'm going to get something entered in this one! I wasn't planning on the Halloween contest this year because the only idea I had required way more writing than I thought I could get done in time. Well, on Saturday night I had an inspiration for a short scene. I didn't have Halloween in mind, but I started writing it and it flowed well. A few thousand words in, I realized I was writing a Halloween story without meaning to. I had to go back and change some things, but I'm well on my way to an entry. I was excited about the idea, but now I'm very excited. It's not as long as most of my other stories, but I hope the readers will agree that it's hot.

These contests are a huge motivator. Without a deadline, I dither and get nothing published. Summer Lovin' got me back out there after ten months. I'm riding that momentum into Halloween and have a winter story already forming. It's making me happy to be back.

I hope you are also finding your muse and motivation to pick up the pen.