The Official Authors Hangout Winter Holiday 2023 Contest Support Thread

[Nellymcboatface]

That is already an impressive list.
Good luck everyone.
I'm working hard to finish in good time for a change but I fear I won't !

 

[joy_of_cooking]

Would it be on-theme to submit a story that's very "winter" but not really "holidays"?

I wrote a non-con story about a woman stuck sharing a hotel room due to a huge snowstorm that closes the roads and grounds all flights. Winter is an important plot point. Holidays, not so much.

Although I'm not above making the hotel play horrible Christmas music if that helps.

 

[Duleigh]

Last Holiday is live. It has 800 views and 30 votes, which might be the best virew/vote ratio of any of my stories. Maybe 5k words is a sweet spot?

Score is good so far. No comments.

5 to 6K is a good short story length, perfect for a quick "stroker" but if you're looking to spin a tale it's barely enough for an opening scene.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

5 to 6K is a good short story length, perfect for a quick "stroker" but if you're looking to spin a tale it's barely enough for an opening scene.

Well, let me know what you think, if you decide to read mine. A stroker, it is not.

 

[StillStunned]

5 to 6K is a good short story length, perfect for a quick "stroker" but if you're looking to spin a tale it's barely enough for an opening scene.

There are plenty of writers who can tell a tale in 5000 words.

 

[Duleigh]

There are plenty of writers who can tell a tale in 5000 words.

Let me clairify, by tale I poorly stated what I was thinking. I refer to a sweeping tale, novella and novel etc. I've been living in 50k stories this year and they feel size restrictive because of all the ideas rattling around in my nugget.

 

[KeithD]

5 to 6K is a good short story length, perfect for a quick "stroker" but if you're looking to spin a tale it's barely enough for an opening scene.

Tilt. There are few mainstream contests that will take a short story longer than 3,500 words. A stroker is more under 2,000 words.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

@Rustyoznail

When I first read it, it made me more emotional than I'd felt reading a story for ages. That hasn't changed.
Thanks Belle.

I think this is the nicest comment I've ever gotten on a story.
Thank you, Russ.

 

[Devinter]

The (un)Lucky Girl is now published - a story not only about the chilling embrace of winter, but about the importance of having someone by your side during the darkest of seasons in your lifetime. About daring to love - and daring to live - before it's too late.

 

[TheDok]

Would it be on-theme to submit a story that's very "winter" but not really "holidays"?

I wrote a non-con story about a woman stuck sharing a hotel room due to a huge snowstorm that closes the roads and grounds all flights. Winter is an important plot point. Holidays, not so much.

Although I'm not above making the hotel play horrible Christmas music if that helps.

Why don't you set it as a woman trying to get home for Thanksgiving or Christmas?

 

[joy_of_cooking]

It's a good idea but I'd rather not submit for this event than rewrite the story that much. It's okay. I made the decision to write the story first and find a venue later.

By the way, I quite liked your three days of summer story.

 

[BBlaketbv]

Would it be on-theme to submit a story that's very "winter" but not really "holidays"?

I wrote a non-con story about a woman stuck sharing a hotel room due to a huge snowstorm that closes the roads and grounds all flights. Winter is an important plot point. Holidays, not so much.

Although I'm not above making the hotel play horrible Christmas music if that helps.

A according to the rules 'winter weather' seems to be enough to qualify.
My story is very light on christmas stuff, but the winter weather (snow storm) is the main cause of the events in the story.

I don't think you need to change your story too much to make it work.
One simple line like
"Every year we try to spend a night in a fancy hotel before the christmas holidays."
Then you would have winter weather, and some sort of tradition around christmas time.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Would it be on-theme to submit a story that's very "winter" but not really "holidays"?

I wrote a non-con story about a woman stuck sharing a hotel room due to a huge snowstorm that closes the roads and grounds all flights. Winter is an important plot point. Holidays, not so much.

Although I'm not above making the hotel play horrible Christmas music if that helps.

Since Jingle Bells and Walking In A Winter Wonderland and Frosty the Snowman aren't really Christmas songs, I don't see why not.

 

[Duleigh]

It's a good idea but I'd rather not submit for this event than rewrite the story that much. It's okay. I made the decision to write the story first and find a venue later.

By the way, I quite liked your three days of summer story.

I'm submitting the story of a winter holiday on a different planet in a different universe, so obviously it's not Christmas or Hanukkah

 

[Duleigh]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

 

[StillStunned]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

I'm working hard on my second! Nearly 3000 words in, and not even one sex scene.

 

[KeithD]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

My second one posted today. My third one will be submitted on Sunday.

 

[Voboy]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

I've got two up.

One is experimental, the other slightly miscategorized. They are performing in accordance with those factoids.

 

[Publius68]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

33,000 words in one story is enough for me for one contest! Besides, I really like mine, and I'd be afraid to not measure up.

 

[Devinter]

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'm getting ready to publish entry #2. Anyone else adding two stories to the contest?

Probably not this time around, though I technically did start one that is half-finished. I like the story I've already submitted though, so I will likely leave it with just one entry, and get back to finishing some reader requests and on-going series. Might sprinkle in some festive holiday themes into some of those though, without adding them to the competition!

 

[Duleigh]

Story #2 just got submitted. Andi's Dream-A Blizzard in Buffalo.
Trapped in a cabin with a man she barely knew. What could be more seasonal? Right?

Hey, it's Buffalo! What more do ya want?
​

 

[Candy_Kane54]

One more scene to finish, a final edit and I'll be ready to submit my one and only entry.

 

[Duleigh]

WOW! My #2, Andi's Dream-A Blizzard in Buffalo went up in 24 hours!

 

[memorable_event]

I submitted an entry for this contest on Nov 12 and it was published the following morning. Meanwhile, I submitted two installments of another series on Nov 11 and as of today, they are still waiting to be published. Are the Lit folks giving priority to the contest entries? I've never had to wait this long for a submission to be published.

 

[Duleigh]

I submitted an entry for this contest on Nov 12 and it was published the following morning. Meanwhile, I submitted two installments of another series on Nov 11 and as of today, they are still waiting to be published. Are the Lit folks giving priority to the contest entries? I've never had to wait this long for a submission to be published.

I've gone up to 2 weeks waiting for a story to publish, and waiting for edits to go up can go months. There are several events going on right now so give them a full week before sending Laurel a gentle, polite reminder.