Halloween Contest Support Thread

[past_perfect]

My scores went down after the sweep, and from the looks of it, I won't be in contention for any of the prizes, but am still doing well enough and getting a lot of positive response to my stories to feel really really chuffed. Even my old stories got a bit more exposure this way.

 

[oggbashan]

I agree with past_perfect.

I submitted a story, Nylon Overall, a couple of weeks ago. It had few views and fewer votes. It was a fetish story so has limited appeal, but my Halloween entry has already had far more exposure than Nylon Overall.

Jeanne submitted a new Laundry Tale a couple of weeks before Haunted Shawl. Haunted Shawl has attracted as many votes in days as the other Tale got in weeks, although neither has reached 10 votes yet.

Entering a themed competition helps get readers or at least views for the entries, and exposure for other stories.

Unfortunately, as we know, it can also attract trolls.

Og

 

[Munachi]

the thing is i very rarely experience much exposure for my older stories with a contest. maybe the views go up, i don't count them, but votes or comments very rarely do... well maybe people read my contest story and then because of that make sure not to click any of my other stories...

 

[cupatea]

cupatea

Do you enter this contest by just submitting what you write. Once you earn 25 votes your in? In other words how to do you enter your stories into this contest? This is my first time to enter any contests at this site and I'm lost.

 

[PrincessErin]

.....

 

[Boxlicker101]

When you submit a story just put in the notes section at the bottom that you want it to be submitted for a contest. Then when it is posted it will also be put on the page with all the other contest entries.

If you already submitted the story I think you can just pm Laurel and she can change it (I think).

Erin

Instead of the PM, it might be easier and faster to resubmit an edited version of the story, and include the information in the notes section. You don't have to make any changes except for the note at the end.

 

[DeeZire]

In other words, when you resubmit your story, in the title box of the submission form, you put the title of the story, followed by EDIT. In the notes box put 'Halloween Contest 2008'. The resubmission would knock your story to the back of the line, but the contest note puts it to the front of the line.

Keep in mind, for the contest, your story should have a Halloween theme, whether it's scary, or costumes, or whatever.

 

[jeanne_d_artois]

Last Place?

My Halloween entry Haunted Shawl has a whole 7 votes and a rating of 3.00.

I think I would be making the running for Og's Last Place (tm) Contest if he hadn't disqualified me just because I'm his nom-de-plume.

Anyone scoring lower than me?

7/25 x 3.00 = 0.84

Jeanne

 

[PrincessErin]

.....

 

[oggbashan]

Introduction for new contestants and reminder for the rest: Last Place (tm) Contest

Authors' Hangout Last Place (tm) Contest

Rules for Last Place contest.
****

Order for coming last:

Lowest voted rating for a genuine attempt at a story multiplied by number of votes if less than 25 divided by 25.

So - if rating is 3.00 but only 12 votes the score would be

3.00 x 12 / 25 = 1.44

If rating is 3.00 but more than 25 votes, the rating stays the same.

I suggest ignoring number of reads except as a tie breaker when least number of reads would *win*.
****

Since the 'winner' actually wins nothing, it is pointless to cheat. To enter, all you have to do is declare your rating and votes at the time the real contest is decided.

Participation is entirely voluntary.

Og is banned from entry for life because he finds coming last too easy and is a past multiple winner of last places.

For the last place contest, 1 votes are very valuable and 5s are bombs.

Og (whose decision is final unless you all gang up on me)
__________________

 

[oggbashan]

Haunted Shawl has reached 9 votes with one PC (thank you past-perfect!).

But a rating of 3.44

Og for Jeanne

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

My scores went down after the sweep, and from the looks of it, I won't be in contention for any of the prizes, but am still doing well enough and getting a lot of positive response to my stories to feel really really chuffed. Even my old stories got a bit more exposure this way.

After reading your first story, I find that hard to believe!

I've only started reading the entries. Tonight is my last night of class, then I have off for a week. I'm hitting the Survivor contest hard this week, and I'll get to take time to read these entries. A week of porn! LMAO Er, I mean "erotica." There, I feel much better about that now.

 

[RaLaWrites]

I'm not sure how I'm doing in terms of my chance to win, since this is the first contest I've participated in.

I currently have two entries. One has a rating of 4.30 with 110 votes, 35,000+ views and 4 public comments.

The other one has a rating of 4.44 with 63 votes, almost 17,000 views and 11 public comments.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

Ok, fill us in... how did you get so many votes???

 

[RaLaWrites]

Well, the first story was put up earlier than I asked. Everyone was supposed to put "HALLOWEEN CONTEST 2008" or something close to that in the note box, right? I guess I submit it too early even though I put that in the note field because it got posted before October 1st. I started a thread in the story feedback section of the forum asking for feedback on my halloween entry, but someone noted that if it's a halloween entry, why is it up earlier than scheduled?

I asked if it was too late for me to fix it, but apparently someone saw my thread. The next time I signed into the author's area it said last submission: 10/01/2008 and was pending. In the time that it was posted, it got some thirty votes. The other seventy was after it got re-posted.

As for the second story? That's only been up since the fourth and only took about a day to be posted. All 63 votes happened over the course of the past two days or so.

 

[past_perfect]

Haunted Shawl has reached 9 votes with one PC (thank you past-perfect!).

But a rating of 3.44

Og for Jeanne

Well, it deserves to do much better than that, I really loved it - but as I said, I might be one of a select few who gets a hard-on because of historical accuracy and really outstanding writing. I'm going to be quite busy in the next couple of days, but if and when I find time, I am definitely going to read up on Jeanne's stories ...

 

[past_perfect]

After reading your first story, I find that hard to believe!

I've only started reading the entries. Tonight is my last night of class, then I have off for a week. I'm hitting the Survivor contest hard this week, and I'll get to take time to read these entries. A week of porn! LMAO Er, I mean "erotica." There, I feel much better about that now.

Well, that one is one of two that made it past the 25 vote barrier with 29 votes and a score of 4.66 so far. The romance is doing a little better with 210 votes and a score of 4.79. All of them got an H though, and I am really really chuffed about that.

 

[Munachi]

hm all the stories i am reading so far are very long so i haven't read many yet, but am slowly working my way through the list...

 

[PrincessErin]

.....

 

[past_perfect]

I'm surprised your story votes aren't higher. I read both your stories and loved them. Hope with a sweep your score goes up.

On the same note, does anyone know around what score you need to win? What was the score for last year's winner - 4.6, 4.9?

Just curious

Erin

4.9 and above usually. Hehe, apparently I am doing too well, I'm in the middle of a troll attack.

 

[RaLaWrites]

I'm surprised your story votes aren't higher. I read both your stories and loved them. Hope with a sweep your score goes up.

On the same note, does anyone know around what score you need to win? What was the score for last year's winner - 4.6, 4.9?

Just curious

Erin

Aw, thanks. I'm glad you liked them. I've actually been reading some of the entries and they are really good.

I just checked and my scores went down, actually. lol

One went from a 4.46 to a 4.40, the other went from a 4.38 to a 4.26. Anyone know what the vote was, to cause it to go down that low? A part of me is afraid to ask.

 

[past_perfect]

Aw, thanks. I'm glad you liked them. I've actually been reading some of the entries and they are really good.

I just checked and my scores went down, actually. lol

One went from a 4.46 to a 4.40, the other went from a 4.38 to a 4.26. Anyone know what the vote was, to cause it to go down that low? A part of me is afraid to ask.

Welcome in the club, you've just been trolled - could be anything from one to three, depending on how much effort they put in (how many hits). I've been hit with threes - those are usually not swept off, so that was kind of vicious.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I don't know how you guys get that many votes and PC. My story was posted early on Oct 2, and now has 53 votes and four PC, all complimentary. It did pretty good at first, as far as the score goes, but then picked up a couple of one-bombs. One of these was swept. Judging by the changes in the score, I must be getting a lot of fours. Can't really complain about that, but they hurt anybody's chances of winning anything.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

I just checked and my scores went down, actually. lol

Well, you're not alone. My score went down today... and it sucked to begin with.

 

[jeanne_d_artois]

My score?

I don't think I'll look at it again.

Very few votes, two PCs - thank you past_perfect and Munachi - and the rating has crawled slightly above 3.00.

Og is still trying to finish his second entry before he goes on holiday - to France so that he can top up his wine cellar and chat to the locals.

I wish I was going with him.

Jeanne