Valentines Day Contest Support Thread 2025

Duleigh

Just an old dog
Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Posts
6,093
The Christmas decorations are almost gone, and stores are being swathed in pink. Hearts, flowers, ribbons, and cherubs armed with bows and arrows (I never trusted those guys)

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE VALENTINES DAY CONTEST!

You can begin submitting on (or before): January 10
The last day to submit is: February 6 at 11:59pm EST
Winners will be announced on: February 13 how sweet


Here's the rules:
  • All submissions must be stand-alone stories created for this contest theme.
  • We will allow authors who have won in our monthly contests within the last 6 months to win in this special contest. However, if you have won a prize in one of the last two special contests, you are not eligible to win in this one. (I'm still going to enter, just because I'm that romantic)
  • A story has only to accrue 25 votes to be eligible, rather than the 50 required for the monthly contest.
Author must copy and paste the phrase "VALENTINES DAY 2025" to the "Notes to Admin" field of the submission (quotes are not needed).

Again -- PLEASE do not forget to put the EXACT phrase "VALENTINES DAY 2025" IN THE "Notes to Admin" FIELD - NOT the description field or anywhere else.

Submissions must have a Valentine's Day theme: i.e. Cupid, soulmates lost and found, high quality chocolate gifting, etc. Be creative! Please don't just submit a normal story that just happens to contain red roses. That would not be in the spirit of the contest, and readers (aka voters) will likely punish you for your trickiness. (They really will) Give true romance a shot, believe me - it sells!


Bring your questions and comments here, we're all here to help each other!
 
Here's your chance to use up those romantic Christmas story ideas that you didn't get to use - the weather is the same between Christmas and Valentine's day, and it's almost impossible to get a dinner reservation on those two days. On Valentines the restaurants are booked up in advance, and on Christmas they're closed.
 
I was thinking of posting a story in Mature for Valentine's Day 2025, a category I've never published in before.

While there is a 30 year age gap between the two main characters (older man, younger woman) which fits Mature, the story is serious in nature and more about their difficult life experiences leading them this point in their lives than actual sex.

Does anyone have experience of the Mature readers and what they tend to like and don't like in stories? I've read comments there and they seem the hardest to gauge. If they for the most part just want to see sex between couples with age differences and this to happen fast, I'll probably move it to Romance or Erotic Couplings where serious stories seem to do better.
 
I was thinking of posting a story in Mature for Valentine's Day 2025, a category I've never published in before.

While there is a 30 year age gap between the two main characters (older man, younger woman) which fits Mature, the story is serious in nature and more about their difficult life experiences leading them this point in their lives than actual sex.

Does anyone have experience of the Mature readers and what they tend to like and don't like in stories? I've read comments there and they seem the hardest to gauge. If they for the most part just want to see sex between couples with age differences and this to happen fast, I'll probably move it to Romance or Erotic Couplings where serious stories seem to do better.
One of my most popular stories is a May/December romance (that turns into a Mafia hit piece) It started out as a 750 word story that the readers enjoyed, and I stretched it out to 30k words which the readers really enjoyed. I eventually stretched it out to 90k words and published it.
 
Sweet, I've already got my entries largely written and hopefully I can submit them on Day One. Mine are going to be Valentine's Day follow-ups to my stories "The Alluring Stranger" and "Snowed Incest".

I was going to do a third non-erotic entry that focuses entirely on romance, but it's based too much on my own practically non-existent romantic history and is more wish-fulfillment than anything. Quite frankly I'm not inspired when I try to work on it. Maybe I'll write it some day, but not for this contest.
 
I'm about 9k words into my third attempt at a VDay story. I had hopes for the other two, but nope. This one's better, though it won't win: it's about a serial killer who only strikes on Valentines Day.

Does anyone have experience of the Mature readers and what they tend to like and don't like in stories? I've read comments there and they seem the hardest to gauge. If they for the most part just want to see sex between couples with age differences and this to happen fast, I'll probably move it to Romance or Erotic Couplings where serious stories seem to do better.

Mature has long been a great category to write in, especially for this contest: the readers don't need romance, and don't need HEA, but they like it when stories have heart and depth and emotion. They don't mind a long story, either. Based on your description, I wouldn't hesitate to place it there.
 
I have a WIP from last year: "Valentine Day, Lust Demon". It's about the same demon as in "Lust Demon's Orgy". I'm not sure I'll get round to finishing it, though. My desire to meet deadlines and write to a schedule has shrunk like a fat man's willie in a mountain stream.
 
I'm about 9k words into my third attempt at a VDay story. I had hopes for the other two, but nope. This one's better, though it won't win: it's about a serial killer who only strikes on Valentines Day.



Mature has long been a great category to write in, especially for this contest: the readers don't need romance, and don't need HEA, but they like it when stories have heart and depth and emotion. They don't mind a long story, either. Based on your description, I wouldn't hesitate to place it there.

Thanks Voboy, I'll give it a try.
 
Does anyone have experience of the Mature readers and what they tend to like and don't like in stories? I've read comments there and they seem the hardest to gauge. If they for the most part just want to see sex between couples with age differences and this to happen fast, I'll probably move it to Romance or Erotic Couplings where serious stories seem to do better.
Mature is one of the best categories, I reckon. For a start, your readers are mostly adults themselves, there's none of the tribal bullshit and squick management you see in other categories.

In my experience, they love slow burn, enjoy age gap stories (June December), but also enjoy December December stories. They can handle doom and gloom, whereas Romance I think want more candle lit dinners and happy endings.

They're an appreciative lot, too - high Vote counts and they'll comment more willingly than elsewhere.

My category of choice, to be honest.
 
I wrote a December December story in the Mature category and it seemingly did well so not all of them need be May December stories. Spoiler alert: in the end everyone died but they had years of happiness in the meantime. Not a Valentine’s Day story, however.
Until Death Does Us Part?
I'll spruik my own December December story (more September September really, the protagonists aren't waiting for Death's knock on the door):

Dear Helen
 
@Duleigh - I have a 1k word story posted from Male Lead perspective and wanted to write the same story from female lead perspective as well. This will not be a sequel to the previous story and I plan to write it as a stand-alone with no reference to the previous one.
Does this work under contest rules? Or I am better off with a brand new story idea?
 
@Duleigh - I have a 1k word story posted from Male Lead perspective and wanted to write the same story from female lead perspective as well. This will not be a sequel to the previous story and I plan to write it as a stand-alone with no reference to the previous one.
Does this work under contest rules? Or I am better off with a brand new story idea?
YI like that idea, it shows creativity. You can try, the worst they can say is no. I had a similar problem with a story and Laurel demanded that I rename it to something that didn't resemble the first story. If you're worried about it being rejected, I'd go with a brand new story and save the alternate perspective for after the contest
 
Hmm. I have a couple April Fool's I've been working on - one is nearly done, but feedback thinks it doesn't really work for the category. It could work as a Valentine, maybe.

I've fitted stories into Valentines at the last minute before. One placed in the Valentine's contest despite only adding the Valentinity the day before submission. Last year's scored well, but those bastards in Gay Male didn't vote often enough to let the story qualify (I think it would have been pipped for 3rd place even if it had got 25 votes in time).

So don't be too afraid of the warning that readers will be unimpressed if you retrofit some red roses onto a story - a couple paragraphs of effort can suffice!
 
LOL, this one is going to be tight! Got so far in, wasn't happy, so hacked it apart and started again. Will he get it done? Can make a cliff hanger out of that alone! I hope you all had a decent Christmas break and New Year. Currently trying to write whilst getting over one hell of a NYE party!!! :sneaky:
 
Got so far in, wasn't happy, so hacked it apart and started again. Will he get it done? Can make a cliff hanger out of that alone!
You and I are on the same track. Decided to trash the entire concept and go with some ideas that have always worked for me in the past. Let's see if I can make some magic...
 
You and I are on the same track. Decided to trash the entire concept and go with some ideas that have always worked for me in the past. Let's see if I can make some magic...
I think I need to find a very large coven of witches to work enough magic to save me this time. :rolleyes: Will give it my best shot, suspect I'll be late to the party though.
 
Looking at my unfinished stack of stories: three 750 word stories, the final chapter of Andi's Dream, The last10,000 words of my new Alan Scarlett novel, all of my Valentine's Day story, and the entire Stormwatch series is demanding a massive re-write.

I'm going to be busy today, uff da!
 
Looking at my unfinished stack of stories: three 750 word stories, the final chapter of Andi's Dream, The last10,000 words of my new Alan Scarlett novel, all of my Valentine's Day story, and the entire Stormwatch series is demanding a massive re-write.
Funny enough, I feel better now having seen your post!:ROFLMAO:
 
I'm trying to figure out if I have an issue with the story I'm writing for the V-Day challenge.
I have this draft novella I'm working on called "My Sister's Wife," about a guy who has the bad taste/fortune to fall in love with his sister's lesbian wife while he is getting her pregnant. the story is like 1/3 done. However, when I started thinking about the V-Day challenge, an idea with these 3 characters popped fully formed into my head. It's set on v-day, and Jake decides to do something nice for his sister and her wife since he has no plans for V-day.

The problem I'm running into is that I'm giving away 90% of the story line of "My Sister's Wife." Will it still be worth it to write MSW if I post this story?
 
The problem I'm running into is that I'm giving away 90% of the story line of "My Sister's Wife." Will it still be worth it to write MSW if I post this story?
They will be two different stories, published at different times, presumably some time apart. I doubt readers will even notice or care.
 
I'm trying to figure out if I have an issue with the story I'm writing for the V-Day challenge.
I have this draft novella I'm working on called "My Sister's Wife," about a guy who has the bad taste/fortune to fall in love with his sister's lesbian wife while he is getting her pregnant. the story is like 1/3 done. However, when I started thinking about the V-Day challenge, an idea with these 3 characters popped fully formed into my head. It's set on v-day, and Jake decides to do something nice for his sister and her wife since he has no plans for V-day.

The problem I'm running into is that I'm giving away 90% of the story line of "My Sister's Wife." Will it still be worth it to write MSW if I post this story?

I agree with EB. Nobody will ever know or care.
 
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