Valentines Day Contest Support Thread.

[Duleigh]

So, now I'm not sure again!

What's not to be sure? If you have characters you love, and a 'universe' you love to place your character in, and you have an original idea for a story, go for it. If you want you can close out by saying "If you like XXX and YYY you can read more of their adventures in ZZZZZZ" and put in a hyperlink to that story. Folks here do stuff like that all the time.

why?

It's a lot of work creating an original story. It's even more work creating believable characters with individualized character traits. We like to concentrate on the original story and place characters we know and love in the story. The reader will see how comfortable you are with your characters and vote accordingly.

RULE #1 - HAVE FUN

Now go write something and make us proud.

 

[Trionyx]

A universe of characters is ok. Make sure your story isn’t simply another chapter, though. It has to be a standalone story and you might get pushback if you don’t clarify who’s who in the story. Don’t expect information given in other stories to be known by a new reader. Otherwise it will appear to be part of a series. Good luck.

 

[Duleigh]

A universe of characters is ok. Make sure your story isn’t simply another chapter, though. It has to be a standalone story and you might get pushback if you don’t clarify who’s who in the story. Don’t expect information given in other stories to be known by a new reader. Otherwise it will appear to be part of a series. Good luck.

You get pushback regardless. I submitted Happy Hogswatch! for the winter holidays and a member of my "Fan Club" saw that there were two characters in common with a previous story and started shrieking like a school girl with her hair on fire. That's just something you have to put up with.

 

[AchtungNight]

If people are upset that I use my recurring characters as I usually do, I will gladly submit my story as not part of the event. But it will still be stand alone, just building more of an existing universe.

Thinking of calling it “I Hate V-Day.” Then I’ll shame the holiday while celebrating love. Main point- concentrate on the celebrations every day over the cash grab of V-Day and make it stand out less. Heh.

 

[Fatdog25]

My first pass is done. I'll wait a few days, run it through text-to-speech, edit one last time, then submit to go live when the contest opens.

It's the first thing I've been able to finish since my Lit 25 story in early November. It's been arguably my most successful story.

Everything I've tried to write since then has sucked. I guess we'll see how this one does.

 

[FreyaGersemi]

What's not to be sure? If you have characters you love, and a 'universe' you love to place your character in, and you have an original idea for a story, go for it. If you want you can close out by saying "If you like XXX and YYY you can read more of their adventures in ZZZZZZ" and put in a hyperlink to that story. Folks here do stuff like that all the time.

Well, I'm new here and someone commented that I couldn't do that. But you seem to be an authority, so...

RULE #1 - HAVE FUN

I have been and I will continue to do so!!!

Now go write something and make us proud.

I will write something! Thank you.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I asked that question last week.

The response I got:

Yes, by all means! Many authors (including me) use existing characters in an existing universe that they built, often with great success because they are familiar with the characters. Heads up - make sure you include proper exposition to explain to new readers who these characters are. Duleigh

So, now I'm not sure again!

A standalone story has a beginning, a middle, and end, and doesn't require exposition from a previous "chapter" and doesn't conclude in a next "chapter".

The characters in your Freya-verse are robust enough to do that, regardless whether they're in other stories, and you know how to wrap a single story up so it's self-contained. Stop dithering and get on with it!

 

[Duleigh]

Well, I'm new here and someone commented that I couldn't do that

You tell them to come talk to me. You have permission to use your characters in any original fashion that you propose. Except with young children, we're not going to have any of that.

 

[Priscilla_June]

I asked that question last week.


The response I got:

Yes, by all means! Many authors (including me) use existing characters in an existing universe that they built, often with great success because they are familiar with the characters. Heads up - make sure you include proper exposition to explain to new readers who these characters are. Duleigh

So, now I'm not sure again!

I think what Troinyx and Duleigh are saying are two different things. Yes you can have characters in multiple stories in multiple competition, but no, you cannot have a chapter of a series in a competition if it is not stand-alone.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

About 90% drafted. Original scope has drifted a bit but now fits the theme better (older couple celebrating also now help get young couple back together).

However, after a fascinating afternoon on the internet attempting to research effects of vigorous sex on Black hairstyles (if abrasion against cotton pillowcases when sleeping is an issue, surely getting fucked is worse?), I've requested a beta reader in the Editor's Forum. Will see if anyone bites. This is what I get for picking my characters by simply using the next hot person walking past in the street.

 

[EmilyMiller]

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE VALENTINES DAY CONTEST!

You can begin submitting on (or before): January 12
The last day to submit is: February 7 at 11:59pm EST

OMFG! I haven’t even put fingertip to phone screen yet .

Em

 

[madelinemasoch]

Can you submit the story for the contest before January 12?

 

[Duleigh]

Can you submit the story for the contest before January 12?

Yes. make sure that the magic words appear in the Notes to Admin
VALENTINES DAY 2024
(Without any quotes) and it will be posted on January 12th

 

[Trionyx]

OMFG! I haven’t even put fingertip to phone screen yet .

Em

Now, young lady, just what have you been doing with that fingertip, anyway?
BTW, trying to write an entire story on a smart phone boggles my mind. My hat's off to you.

 

[samhasstories]

Now, young lady, just what have you been doing with that fingertip, anyway?
BTW, trying to write an entire story on a smart phone boggles my mind. My hat's off to you.

Same. I get annoyed just typing a text.

 

[StillStunned]

Same. I get annoyed just typing a text.

Me too. But I have fat middle-aged-bloke fingers. Presumably some of us have daintier digits.

ETA: Dainty Digits would be a great name for a female Raffles-style crook.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Now, young lady, just what have you been doing with that fingertip, anyway?
BTW, trying to write an entire story on a smart phone boggles my mind. My hat's off to you.

32k words is my longest (or 62k words if you include all three parts of Coleoidphilia). @StillStunned is right. My bf has big hands as and says he couldn’t write how I do. And I do make a lot of mistakes.

I’ve got an external keyboard, but I often write opportunistically - in gaps between other stuff - so it’s mostly fingertips on screen.

Em

 

[StillStunned]

My bf has big hands

I'm imagining him with four very long fingers on each hand (not including thumbs), and things suddenly become clear...

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm imagining him with four very long fingers on each hand (not including thumbs), and things suddenly become clear...

That’s funny

 

[StillStunned]

That’s funny

 

[Devinter]

Every time I sit down to 'upgrade' and 'edit' my Valentine's Day story it just gets more and more perverted. It started kind of cute and by now it's.. Questionable at best. But at least there's a few days left until the 12th, so perhaps I can still salvage it.

 

[Norway_1705]

750 and Valentine. In "notes for Admin" I write two codes on two lines, right?

 

[MelissaBaby]

Every time I sit down to 'upgrade' and 'edit' my Valentine's Day story it just gets more and more perverted. It started kind of cute and by now it's.. Questionable at best. But at least there's a few days left until the 12th, so perhaps I can still salvage it.

The 12th is the beginning of the submission period, not the end. You have until Feb. 7th.

 

[Duleigh]

750 and Valentine. In "notes for Admin" I write two codes on two lines, right?

Right. Keep in mind that it may not show up until February 1 however because that's the opening of the 750 word event. I had that happen to me when I submitted a story to a contest and a challenge. I lost a couple of weeks of exposure for the contest.

 

[Norway_1705]

Thank you always kind Duleigh. I know I write too badly to win something, two weeks of exposure are not the problem, the problem it's my and my silly ideas. Thank you so much