Winter Holiday 2024 Support Thread

[AlexFourways]

My entry False Gossip has been up for 24 hours. It's been getting reads and votes which is great. The ending is somewhat ambiguous which is kind of my thing. But I thought, for once, I had left enough breadcrumbs this time. However, one comment - which was kindly signed - asked for clarification. And one always assumes that one comment = probably plenty of other readers.

So do I spell it out in a reply? Or do I leave them guessing? Help!

If it is signed, then you can click on the name which will take you to their home page and from there on the top line there is their name ( follow ) (✉) and the envelope has the floating tag [ Contact Author ] and you can DM them. Note you can also see if they are an author and whether they have shared a bio which may help with the reply. YMMV but it saves spoiling the breadcrumbs for others. Also, if I ever want to comment on a story, but think it might be a spoiler, I use that route instead of the comments for all to read!

 

[summer_reine]

Thank you for the inspiration to write a new story! I've never entered an official contest here before. Is there a suggested word count for best results? I was working towards 5k words but it's developing a little more than I planned. My muse is determined to make it closer to 10,000 words. Is that too long?

 

[AlexFourways]

Thank you for the inspiration to write a new story! I've never entered an official contest here before. Is there a suggested word count for best results? I was working towards 5k words but it's developing a little more than I planned. My muse is determined to make it closer to 10,000 words. Is that too long?

Others will have their own advice, but I think the right length is the one needed for you to tell the tale without short changing the audience or labouring the story.

Mine is 10k mark but still 3 pages, so not frightening to the time constrained reader. - If you haven't got them by the end of page 1 you have lost them, even if there is only 10 lines on page 2!

An incomplete or rushed narrative is likely to lose points, one that loses engagement will suffer as people won't finish and might jump to the end to down mark in frustration that they have 'wasted their time'.

Mind you 15k or even 25k words can be like time - fly by if you are having fun - or drag like a rainy day if you are not!
As ever YMMV!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Thank you for the inspiration to write a new story! I've never entered an official contest here before. Is there a suggested word count for best results? I was working towards 5k words but it's developing a little more than I planned. My muse is determined to make it closer to 10,000 words. Is that too long?

I don't recall a novel getting a win, but I could be wrong. I picked up a 3rd with a 30k romance story, so longer stories are fine. As Alex said, don't rush it and make it complete. I made that mistake on a different story and rightly got hammered with the score and comments.

10k or 3 Lit pages is a good length.

 

[TheLobster]

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

Since the first post doesn't mention it, what tags do we use to make it easier to find the contest stories? "winter holiday" and "winter holiday 2024"?

 

[AlexFourways]

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

Since the first post doesn't mention it, what tags do we use to make it easier to find the contest stories? "winter holiday" and "winter holiday 2024"?

I did the latter, but have learnt that it's better to use the official list as the Halloween hit rate was about one in three as it is a recommendation, not a requirement. For that reason I'm not bothering trying to monitor the ratings. Also, as I suspect I had an early 1 bomb I know my rating is (assuming it was and will be swept) either 4.56/32 or 4.68/31!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well, I found my song for "The Christmas Mass of the Order of the Blessed Magdalene" - and still writing away! So many mortal sins!!!!!!

 

[Voboy]

I just submitted my first Literotica poem into the Holiday Contest!! If you've been reading any of my stories, then I'm sure that you can imagine just how wacky, silly, and off-the-wall it is. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Awesome!

I've never posted a poem to a contest, but when I post a "normal" poem it often takes weeks. We'll see what good the magic of Holiday Contest 24 brings!

 

[FreyaGersemi]

I've never posted a poem to a contest, but when I post a "normal" poem it often takes weeks. We'll see what good the magic of Holiday Contest 24 brings!

Oh, well. At least it should post before Christmas!! I was wondering because the contest rules keep saying "story" this and "story" that. Maybe poetry isn't even allowed (which would be fine with me -- I have a story already submitted). That's what I get for playing fast and loose with the rules, I guess!! I'm used to my life being utter confusion and chaos all the time. Thankfully, I have a solid family to keep things in control!!!

 

[NotWise]

I don't recall a novel getting a win, but I could be wrong. I picked up a 3rd with a 30k romance story, so longer stories are fine. As Alex said, don't rush it and make it complete. I made that mistake on a different story and rightly got hammered with the score and comments.

10k or 3 Lit pages is a good length.

xelliebabex's Her Fairy-Tale Life won the 2017 Valentine's Day contest with a length approaching 70k words or 19 Lit pages. In my book, that qualifies as a novel. She has more than 5K followers, so that probably helped.

I expect there are other examples.

 

[OffNSFW]

xelliebabex's Her Fairy-Tale Life won the 2017 Valentine's Day contest with a length approaching 70k words or 19 Lit pages. In my book, that qualifies as a novel. She has more than 5K followers, so that probably helped.

I expect there are other examples.

The Great Gatsby is... what, 50k?

 

[NotWise]

The Great Gatsby is... what, 50k?

47K according to Mr. Google.

 

[Actingup]

The Great Gatsby is... what, 50k?

Would be good to come in less than these ones though. I still remember the day I finished reading Les Mis. I cried, I laughed, I gave it a five star rating, but geez I wish it had been shorter.

 

[Wark2002]

Does the winter contest - or all contests, for that matter, include poetry?

 

[MrStill]

I still remember the day I finished reading Les Mis. I cried, I laughed, I gave it a five star rating, but geez I wish it had been shorter.

Did Victor publish it all in one go in Novels and Novellas or did he publish it in chapters in, I guess, Erotic Couplings?

 

[AlexFourways]

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

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

 

[oneagainst]

Got mine in. A lonely night on the night manager desk of the hotel, just before Christmas. Entry went into the Toys category... I believe that's number 20 in the categories list for me.

Oh, and there's an AI up to no good, for good measure.

 

[AlexFourways]

View attachment 2426542
Would be good to come in less than these ones though. I still remember the day I finished reading Les Mis. I cried, I laughed, I gave it a five star rating, but geez I wish it had been shorter.

That is a list of books. My sister, who had several (self) published works advised me that:-
Short stories are up to about 30k words and would be publised in a book of several.
Novellas are 50k words and up.
Novels are 70k words and up.
Obviously long Novels are considered to be books.
I would note that Lord of the Rings is in 6 books, within 3 volumes plus appendicies. So 3 volumes of average 188k each of two 'books' average 94k. So basically written as a set of 6 longer novels, but never sold that way (AFAIK).

I also understand that Novel was coined as a term for a new type of fiction that was shorter than the likes of the above and then not so short stories that could be published as a thin paperback were little novels, or novellas. (But I reserve the right to be wrong.)
YMMV etc!

 

[Fatdog25]

I just posted Deal is a Deal in I/T. Neglecting possible rejections, it's my first story in a year and a half. It's been fun to write, but we'll see how it goes. Being in I/T, I can expect a lot of views and votes, but not a competitive score.

Wow.

Just...wow.