The now fully official Author’s Hangout Halloween 2025 competition support thread

[Actingup]

The votes keep flooding in:
View attachment 2573807

Unfortunately the last one was from someone who hated my story, or dislikes me, or was having a bad day perhaps. Whoever it was: I hope you are feeling a bit better about yourself for expressing your feelings.

That person? That person is the first victim in your next horror story. Never fuck with the narrator, as one of my better characters says.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Got a question about content warnings on top of stories -

How important do you personally feel they are, as a reader? In this contest for instance, did you read a content warning and gratefully noped out, or do you usually skip them, or do you even decide you can vote on the story based on the content warning alone without reading the rest?

I think they're irrelevant, completely unnecessary. I'll occasionally include one, but all it really is, is my way of saying, "If you don't like the way I'm writing this story, fuck off now, I'm not interested." I work on the basis that my readers are adults and can make a decision to back click if they don't like the story, and leave it at that.

 

[DEFCOM5]

@EmilyMiller, what is the reference for today Lily and Emma picture?

 

[StillStunned]

@EmilyMiller, what is the reference for today Lily and Emma picture?

Not wanting to speak for Em, but at a guess:

 

[DEFCOM5]

Not wanting to speak for Em, but at a guess:

View attachment 2573822

I think you got it! Good old Scooby!

Thank you!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Not wanting to speak for Em, but at a guess:

View attachment 2573822

@DEFCOM5

 

[StillStunned]

@DEFCOM5

Phew! Glad I wasn't just lost in my usual fantasies of redheads and big-boobed women with glasses.

 

[Erozetta]

Got a question about content warnings on top of stories -

How important do you personally feel they are, as a reader? In this contest for instance, did you read a content warning and gratefully noped out, or do you usually skip them, or do you even decide you can vote on the story based on the content warning alone without reading the rest?

I've only included a content warning on one story. It included a suicide and domestic violence with implied rape. It was based on some real events in my life, so I thought the warning was appropriate because I didn't hold back on any aspect and it read very real.

I've decided not to put that story back up anywhere. It was one I wrote to clear my head anyway.

 

[old_prof]

I've only included a content warning on one story. It included a suicide and domestic violence with implied rape. It was based on some real events in my life, so I thought the warning was appropriate because I didn't hold back on any aspect and it read very real.

I've decided not to put that story back up anywhere. It was one I wrote to clear my head anyway.

My only content warning is for a suicide as well.

 

[Erozetta]

I have jokingly included a content warning for faux 2nd person narration on Reddit before, though.

 

[StillStunned]

I have jokingly included a content warning for faux 2nd person narration on Reddit before, though.

You mean like my sig?

 

[Erozetta]

You mean like my sig?

View attachment 2573838

similar.

 

[yowser]

237 stories on the 'official' list. This is a current 'snapshot' several days after the submission deadline but it's possible a late entry or other correction could change the count. The 'list' does not include audio entries.

Offerings from 201 authors, 22 of them double-dipping with 2 or more stories (including one with 8 entries)

26 total categories, unsurprisingly Horror is the big gorilla with a whopping 51 stories, almost a quarter of the total.

Runners up include:
21 Incest
20 EC
19 Sci-fi
17 Non-human
14 GS
12 LW
11 Non-con
10 Lesbian
8 Romance, EV
6 Gay Male, Mind control
5 Mature
4 BDSM, First-time, Trans
3 Celebrities, Crossdressing, Fetish, Humor
2 Interracial
1 each in Anal, Non-erotic, Toys

Nice work authors, some good tales here.

 

[dreams_in_words]

...
6 Gay Male, Mind control
5 Mature
4 BDSM, First-time, Trans
3 Celebrities, Crossdressing, Fetish, Humor
2 Interracial
1 each in Anal, Non-erotic, Toys

Nice work authors, some good tales here.

And a spooky bat in an oak tree.

The list kinda felt like a sexy Halloween version of 12 days of Christmas

 

[WendyTrilby]

In the crowded field of stories for this year's Halloween contest, I decided to add more material. My very short (2 LE pages) story called Not Today Satan made it in at the last minute, and it's been well received. As I said, it's a quick read and was a chance for me to return to writing humor.

If you know my other works, this is far less intense and also my first foray into the Romantic category. Based on the reception, I plan to spend a lot more time in this category. So, read it if you like.

So, there's my pitch for you to read my story. Now, to kill two birds with one stone.

I have a question that isn't for this thread, but some of the savvy LE writers here can answer it for me.

I like to make pulp book covers for my stories, or sometimes movie posters. I don't include them with the actual stories because I don't want to get kicked to the Illustrated category.

1) Can I include a single picture (like below) in my story and keep it in a category like Romantic or Erotic Couplings?

2) Should I create an illustrated "story" that is just a compendium of my pulp art and update it as I publish?

Any help would be appreciated, and my apologies for hijacking this thread, but I'm confident several of you all have the knowledge I seek.

- WT

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Is that rule posted anywhere? I haven't seen it.

We've been told by Laurel and the AH_Mod not to discuss it.

 

[Soixenta]

In the crowded field of stories for this year's Halloween contest, I decided to add more material. My very short (2 LE pages) story called Not Today Satan made it in at the last minute, and it's been well received. As I said, it's a quick read and was a chance for me to return to writing humor.

This has been on my to-read list.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Got a question about content warnings on top of stories -

How important do you personally feel they are, as a reader? In this contest for instance, did you read a content warning and gratefully noped out, or do you usually skip them, or do you even decide you can vote on the story based on the content warning alone without reading the rest?

I don't believe in warnings.

 

[caleb35]

As of today, I'm in the bottom third of the list in rating (4.23), but in the top half for favorites and in the top third for views... so, go me, I guess

 

[EmilyMiller]

As of today, I'm in the bottom third of the list in rating (4.23), but in the top half for favorites and in the top third for views... so, go me, I guess

This has been a really weird comp. It’s always good to treat them as something of a lottery, just a bit of harmless fun. But Halloween 2025 has been a lottery with a meth problem.

 

[EmilyMiller]

In the crowded field of stories for this year's Halloween contest, I decided to add more material. My very short (2 LE pages) story called Not Today Satan made it in at the last minute, and it's been well received. As I said, it's a quick read and was a chance for me to return to writing humor.

If you know my other works, this is far less intense and also my first foray into the Romantic category. Based on the reception, I plan to spend a lot more time in this category. So, read it if you like.

So, there's my pitch for you to read my story. Now, to kill two birds with one stone.

I have a question that isn't for this thread, but some of the savvy LE writers here can answer it for me.

I like to make pulp book covers for my stories, or sometimes movie posters. I don't include them with the actual stories because I don't want to get kicked to the Illustrated category.

1) Can I include a single picture (like below) in my story and keep it in a category like Romantic or Erotic Couplings?

2) Should I create an illustrated "story" that is just a compendium of my pulp art and update it as I publish?

Any help would be appreciated, and my apologies for hijacking this thread, but I'm confident several of you all have the knowledge I seek.

- WT


View attachment 2573899

You can associate images with series pages, as per:

https://www.literotica.com/series/se/coleoidphilia

You could have ‘series’ with just one entry and use the series page for this.

 

[yowser]

1) Can I include a single picture (like below) in my story and keep it in a category like Romantic or Erotic Couplings?

2) Should I create an illustrated "story" that is just a compendium of my pulp art and update it as I publish?

Any help would be appreciated, and my apologies for hijacking this thread, but I'm confident several of you all have the knowledge I seek.

One question to consider up front is 'How' you are creating your art. AI (or AI assisted) work is disallowed, images need to be under your control or with permission of some sort, such as CC content.

 

[talemestories]

But, as @MelissaBaby said a few posts above, it can make a big difference. Really no one knows until the announcement who is going to get a prize. I certainly thought I was out of the running for the Nude Day event.

Most interesting. New guy here so bear with the questions, please.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Most interesting. New guy here so bear with the questions, please.

Please don’t waste your time trying to understand how comps work. There are so many random factors at play that it’s essentially a black box that spits out three random stories at the end. Best to just enjoy the comps for what they are, a communal event that normally brings in more and more diverse views (less so in this one for reasons unknown).

 

[Actingup]

Tip for newbies... if you're interested in understanding how the end-of-competition sweeps affect your scores, now is a good time to download your story statistics. You might see the number of votes decrease and your scores change (up or down, but usually up) on several stories (not just the competition stories), particularly those published since the last competition ended. There is usually a series of sweeps, with any dramatic changes likely to happen right at the end as the mysterious process of deciding the winner occurs.

Also, just a reminder that if you try to game the system to cut other people down, you will be torn apart and eaten by ravenous demonic beasts sporting 6 cm fangs and 30 cm cocks. That's right, US-based authors: you will be masticated in metric.