Winter Holiday 2024 Contest Support and Seasonal Story Discussion Thread

[FreyaGersemi]

Why would you use tags to find the contest stories? The contest page makes this year's stories pretty accessible.

Because you can view stats like rating score and views. These are not (and rightly so) available on the contest entry page.

 

[NotWise]

Because you can view stats like rating score and views. These are not (and rightly so) available on the contest entry page.

OK. The tags save you one click.

 

[FreyaGersemi]

OK. The tags save you one click.

One click to get to the story, then one click back. Then repeat for all of the stories. Then an author can see where they stand in the contest.

I was just giving a possible answer to your question about why someone might use the tags, that's all.

 

[AlexFourways]

Why would you use tags to find the contest stories? The contest page makes this year's stories pretty accessible.

In addition to what has said.
Partly because it has been suggested that authors put that tag in.
Secondly, a reader might fancy looking for 'Valentines Day' stories and using that search will find all tagged stories, irrespective of year. I'd rather tag and be found than not and be missed. There are a maximum of 10 TAGs avaliable so shouldn't be a problem. YMMV

 

[NotWise]

Curiosity is a reason for tracking your standing, but the final sweeps change the standings so much that your standing during the contest is usually not your standing after the contest. Then, as soon as the results are announced, the standings change again.

I kindof expected Laurel to add the stock contest tag to mine, but she didn't. In the past she's added the tag where I already had 10 tags, so she bumped one of my tags to do it. For stories in author-sponsored events, I'll use the event tag. The event page may not appear for a long time after the stories are posted, and the tag is a way for the participants to find other stories in the event. That's not essential in the contests since the contest page is up the whole time.

This time around I used all 10 tags, including "holiday" and "christmas", so maybe that's why she didn't add the contest tag.

She's also prone to adding "romance" to my tags, and at least once she bumped one of my own tags to add it. This time I added it myself.

 

[Not2Pervy]

Not2Pervy's Temptation Road Trip is doing fine despite starting at the end of Summer with a quick conclusion that 'just happens' to be when the male MC returns home at Christmas. (final few paragraphs after 6 pages) so 'Go For IT!'
Mine The Druid's Winter Solstice Gift doesn't happen at Christmas* either, because they hadn't invented it in 2600BCE!

*I have read, more than once, that based on when the census was undertaken, when people would have the time for travel and the sheep still being on the hillside we should be celebrating Christmas at the end of October. But Yule and Saturnalia were already times of celebration (cf my story for why) and the Church thought that it is easier to rebrand than to abolish them! [I reserve the right to be (proved) wrong. YMMV et al]

Probably nobody cares, but I don’t think it’s quite accurate to characterize my story as one that simply had a holiday ending tacked on. There is a heavy theme of the importance of family, and repeated references to Christmas as key in the character’s lives and family development. Also important events occur at Thanksgiving, not only at Christmas.

 

[Erozetta]

One click to get to the story, then one click back. Then repeat for all of the stories. Then an author can see where they stand in the contest.

I was just giving a possible answer to your question about why someone might use the tags, that's all.

The downside to this is using the tag and sorting by score gives people the top stories to vote down. If your story isn't tagged it could run high the whole contest because it's a lot of work to click through every story and the bombers are lazy.

 

[AlexFourways]

Probably nobody cares, but I don’t think it’s quite accurate to characterize my story as one that simply had a holiday ending tacked on.

Apologies N2P for my simplification of the story for the purposes of illustration.
Possibly a mixture of my reading speed, mild dyslexia and right pondian vocabulary meant I didn't catch the references as most other readers have.

 

[Actingup]

The downside to this is using the tag and sorting by score gives people the top stories to vote down. If your story isn't tagged it could run high the whole contest because it's a lot of work to click through every story and the bombers are lazy.

Yes. Unfortunately the bombing is real, as we all know, even if the worst violations are picked up. Incidentally I don't think this is just about tags - it's about the text as well. So if you haven't used the tag but you've mentioned 'Winter Holidays' in the story preface, this should pick it up (and it seems to produce a reasonably good but not entirely accurate list).

https://search.literotica.com/?query=Winter holidays&period=1 week&sort=vote&page=1

 

[DukeofPaducah]

I know sex with minors ist verboten, but does anyone know whether a minor discovering someone
In flagrante delicto ist güt? Like junior walking in on dad boning the neighbor lady?

 

[Rustyoznail]

Nope. Not allowed.

 

[TheLobster]

Just finished with mine, at a modest (for me) length of 15k.

And it's up now! Definitely not shooting for a contest victory, as it's in the oft-perused and not super highly rated I/T category:

Jiggle All The Way
What's a better Christmas present than his sister's big boobs?

 

[AlexFourways]

UPDATE
My story count of published stories - 11th 14, 12th 26, 13th 31, 14th 36, 15th 43, 16th 47.
So 14 + 12 + 5 + 5 + 7 + 4
Will be interesting if there is a late surge or have all the presents been delivered?

I have made a (small) rod for my own back (with extra flail) and would stop the flagilation but have been told NOT TO!

 

[AlexFourways]

I know sex with minors ist verboten, but does anyone know whether a minor discovering someone
In fragrante delicto ist güt? Like junior walking in on dad boning the neighbor lady?

Nope. Not allowed.

Duke, See https://www.literotica.com/faq/publishing/publishing-guidelines and from there https://www.literotica.com/resources/content-guidelines and first bullet point. If vital, you could have a child ask their mother "Why was Mrs Smith doing excercises with Daddy in the basement?" "What do you mean?" "Well they came out and she was shocked to see me but Daddy said. "Oh, didn't expect you home, we were..." And she added. "Doing excercises." But even that may raise an eyebrow.
Better for Mrs Smith's arrival and departure to be caught on a doorbell camera coming/going down the side path to the back-door (nudge nudge - wink wink. Say no more!) with possibly her clothing in later dissaray - old trope of skirt caught in panties, or Mrs Smith holding something looking like panties. Idea not copywright, but I might use it one day!

 

[DukeofPaducah]

Duke, See https://www.literotica.com/faq/publishing/publishing-guidelines and from there https://www.literotica.com/resources/content-guidelines and first bullet point. If vital, you could have a child ask their mother "Why was Mrs Smith doing excercises with Daddy in the basement?" "What do you mean?" "Well they came out and she was shocked to see me but Daddy said. "Oh, didn't expect you home, we were..." And she added. "Doing excercises." But even that may raise an eyebrow.
Better for Mrs Smith's arrival and departure to be caught on a doorbell camera coming/going down the side path to the back-door (nudge nudge - wink wink. Say no more!) with possibly her clothing in later dissaray - old trope of skirt caught in panties, or Mrs Smith holding something looking like panties. Idea not copywright, but I might use it one day!

Thank you for the suggestions.
The premise is a holiday celebration gone off the rails and I’m looking for a way to wrap it up.
At the moment I’m thinking a young explorer reports he’s discovered Santa being ‘checked for ticks’ by someone else’s wife.
The reality is he’s ’Porky Pigginng’ it.

 

[AlexFourways]

Thank you for the suggestions.
The premise is a holiday celebration gone off the rails and I’m looking for a way to wrap it up.
At the moment I’m thinking a young explorer reports he’s discovered Santa being ‘checked for ticks’ by someone else’s wife.
The reality is he’s ’Porky Pigginng’ it.

How about he sees Santa go into a (bed or the bath) room and can hear noises, he thinks Santa is stuck in the chimney and needs help, but the door is locked so he calls on adults who knows who Santa is and who else is missing. They send him to his room with candy and go and break into the room (in the UK the room might have a lock and key - if very old, a bolt, if newer, or a turnbuckle bolt that has a screwdriver/coin slot on the outside, or a bolt that needs a splined 'key'. Take your pick! And you are welcome!

 

[DukeofPaducah]

How about he sees Santa go into a (bed or the bath) room and can hear noises, he thinks Santa is stuck in the chimney and needs help, but the door is locked so he calls on adults who knows who Santa is and who else is missing. They send him to his room with candy and go and break into the room (in the UK the room might have a lock and key - if very old, a bolt, if newer, or a turnbuckle bolt that has a screwdriver/coin slot on the outside, or a bolt that needs a splined 'key'. Take your pick! And you are welcome!

I like the way you think.
The setting is a party gone off the rails. Santa is cross-eyed drunk from too much firewater and is taken advantage of by a nympomaniac. Santa had delivered gifts of tiny flashlights to the kids earlier who were exploring dark corners of the venue. Hoisted by his own petard as it were, but not if transgressing the rules.
It’s not integral to the plot. I’ll muddle through eventually.
Cheers
DoP

 

[AlexFourways]

I like the way you think.
The setting is a party gone off the rails. Santa is cross-eyed drunk from too much firewater and is taken advantage of by a nympomaniac. Santa had delivered gifts of tiny flashlights to the kids earlier who were exploring dark corners of the venue. Hoisted by his own petard as it were, but not if transgressing the rules.
It’s not integral to the plot. I’ll muddle through eventually.
Cheers
DoP

OK, so Santa and the nymph go into the basement / attic and then a room off the main bit, switching off the lights behind them. One or more of the kids explore the dark basement / attic and hear the noises, including mention of 'Santa'*, and finding the door locked, rush off to find adults.
*the noises and any words except Santa must be unintellible to the kids - you might get away with 'belt is stuck'.

 

[TheLobster]

There's always something magical about posting a contest story in I/T:



So far it's got 16k views and 124 votes in a little over 12 hours, and even the rating is not too shabby at 4.77. It does feel like early Christmas

 

[Actingup]

UPDATE
My story count of published stories - 11th 14, 12th 26, 13th 31, 14th 36, 15th 43, 16th 47.
So 14 + 12 + 5 + 5 + 7 + 4
Will be interesting if there is a late surge or have all the presents been delivered?

I have made a (small) rod for my own back (with extra flail) and would stop the flagilation but have been told NOT TO!

I've been keeping some numbers out of interest too... I'm interested in the way that views and votes change with the number of stories. More on that later perhaps, but I think that with some curve fitting you could probably make a rough prediction on what the number of stories will be by end of the contest.

 

[Inkent]

I think I may win a medal for a "marmite story" - it's loved or hated as per comment examples!

"Sorry a lovely story, but for me Not in the spirit of the contest. Separate it from the contest and you would get 5, now unfortunately 1. This was a story happening over the year, not specifically bound to the holidays."

or

"Sometimes a bit *too* fairytale like in a “It’s a Wonderful Life” way (Bailey?), but overall nothing nicely done, and the evildoers get theirs in the end. Nothing wrong with fairytales though is there. 5*"

 

[Actingup]

I think I may win a medal for a "marmite story" - it's loved or hated as per comment examples!

"Sorry a lovely story, but for me Not in the spirit of the contest. Separate it from the contest and you would get 5, now unfortunately 1. This was a story happening over the year, not specifically bound to the holidays."

or

"Sometimes a bit *too* fairytale like in a “It’s a Wonderful Life” way (Bailey?), but overall nothing nicely done, and the evildoers get theirs in the end. Nothing wrong with fairytales though is there. 5*"

You know, if you gave readers a button that blows up the author's home and family, puts poison in the drinking water of their village, and spreads anthrax across their country, some of them would use it on the basis that they don't think the story fits the category or contest. Even if they lived in the same village. Thanks goodness most readers are not like that and a great number are very supportive.

(by the way thank you @AlexFourways and @Fatdog25 for comments just in, which belong in the latter category - much appreciated!)

 

[Voboy]

"Sorry a lovely story, but for me Not in the spirit of the contest. Separate it from the contest and you would get 5, now unfortunately 1. This was a story happening over the year, not specifically bound to the holidays."

That might possibly be the silliest comment ever. Lol.

The difference between 5* and 1* has nothing to do with plotting, pace, characterization, mechanics, word choice, or anything else, and everything to do with a contest theme...

Yeah. Lol.

 

[WriterPerson314159]

Submitted my story, “Christmas Connection” today. 46,500 words. I hope someone, anyone reads it.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Submitted my story, “Christmas Connection” today. 46,500 words. I hope someone, anyone reads it.

WP, add a link to your stories in your signature. It makes it easier for people to read them.