The Official Authors' Hangout Summer Lovin' 2024 Contest Support Thread

[TarnishedPenny]

The Preacher and the Chocolate Lady is up and the hate mail is rolling in already.

You folks who write for LW take S&M to a new level.

 

[OffNSFW]

I have one scene to go.

The problems:

1. It is nearly act-length.
2. It's a sex scene.
3. It's THE sex scene.
4. I enjoy writing sex scenes, but I find that they take a while and a lot of work.

I think I'll get it in on time, but who knows how long it'll take.

 

[Duleigh]

You folks who write for LW take S&M to a new level.

Sexy and Mysterious? I dare you to read the story and come back with the same opinion.

 

[nicksouth]

The Preacher and the Chocolate Lady is up and the hate mail is rolling in already.

Why in ever would someone send hate mail about a story like yours ? I don't get it. Gave you a 5* to make up for it a little

 

[CiaoSteve]

I'm up... oh, and yeah, I published my entry as well, all 16 Lit pages of it
https://www.literotica.com/s/sex-on-the-beach-46

 

[nicksouth]

Hey, look on the bright side. I've got an edit that's been pending since the beginning of the month.

Now, back to my entry. I can see the finish!

Maybe edits are just temporarily slowed down due to new entries ? I just had a new story skip over a pending edit

 

[Duleigh]

Why in ever would someone send hate mail about a story like yours ? I don't get it. Gave you a 5* to make up for it a little

Trolls.
Thank you

 

[Rustyoznail]

Maybe edits are just temporarily slowed down due to new entries ? I just had a new story skip over a pending edit

Edits are slower than new stories, but I'd say you're right. I'll wait until I post my entry before I stir the pot.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Why in ever would someone send hate mail about a story like yours ? I don't get it. Gave you a 5* to make up for it a little

Me too. Good to see you got some nice comments too...

 

[Kumquatqueen]

So much for being a short scene... (18,700 words later)

It's as edited as I can do without a computer, so I've submitted it. Onward!

 

[Duleigh]

Me too. Good to see you got some nice comments too...

Thank you so much... but I've been kicked out of LW

Mr. Any Mouse (I think he runs the category, most posts over there are in his name)
"Stick to your other categories."

These people slay me.

 

[Devinter]

My story, Mother & Son - Two Hearts As One, has been up for less than 24 hours and already received about 25,000 views. That is a significantly larger volume of readers at a significantly faster pace than most of my other work, which proves two things; entering competitions like these does indeed bring noteworthy traffic to your story page, at least if you place your story in a popular category like Incest. And secondly, putting the word "mother" in the title is very likely to make a larger difference than I had expected. Literotica readers sure do love their mothers.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Thank you so much... but I've been kicked out of LW

Mr. Any Mouse (I think he runs the category, most posts over there are in his name)
"Stick to your other categories."

These people slay me.

I'm sure he'll kick me out too when I swing by... I'll let you know!

 

[Duleigh]

I'm sure he'll kick me out too when I swing by... I'll let you know!

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

A little over 24 hours in and I'm generally pleased with my story's reception. The score is a little disappointing; it started lower with fewer than 10 votes but climbed into the red H and up to 4.8 before being knocked back down in the mid 4.7s. With over 300 votes, the sweep may help some but, barring a miracle, it will be another also ran.

However, it's the comments that really get me. There aren't many (surprise!) but 8 are really nice and then comes the one, like Duleigh's experience, from Anonymous:

I just think there should be more story there

I really appreciate constructive criticism. It's helped me become a better author over the years, but I'm still learning. After careful consideration of what I spent between 60 and 80 hours writing and of what actually made it onto the page, it's not very constructive when there are no examples of just what's missing! Perhaps it's too much romantic wordplay, too much backstory (setting up the romantic conflicts), or too much detail and scene setting between the requisite sex scenes in comparison to the overall length, but "more story there" doesn't help me zero in on what M. Anonymous means.

I know I could delete the comment, but I'm leaving it in hopes that other readers might think "I just think there should be more constructive criticism there" and actually provide some! We'll see!

 

[Voboy]

A little over 24 hours in and I'm generally pleased with my story's reception. The score is a little disappointing; it started lower with fewer than 10 votes but climbed into the red H and up to 4.8 before being knocked back down in the mid 4.7s. With over 300 votes, the sweep may help some but, barring a miracle, it will be another also ran.

However, it's the comments that really get me. There aren't many (surprise!) but 8 are really nice and then comes the one, like Duleigh's experience, from Anonymous:



I really appreciate constructive criticism. It's helped me become a better author over the years, but I'm still learning. After careful consideration of what I spent between 60 and 80 hours writing and of what actually made it onto the page, it's not very constructive when there are no examples of just what's missing! Perhaps it's too much romantic wordplay, too much backstory (setting up the romantic conflicts), or too much detail and scene setting between the requisite sex scenes in comparison to the overall length, but "more story there" doesn't help me zero in on what M. Anonymous means.

I know I could delete the comment, but I'm leaving it in hopes that other readers might think "I just think there should be more constructive criticism there" and actually provide some! We'll see!

I liked it. I thought there was plenty of story, lol.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

I liked it. I thought there was plenty of story, lol.

Thanks, Voboy! I just saw your comment and appreciate it. And congratulations on turning an unfortunate occurrence into success!

 

[SimonDoom]

You folks who write for LW take S&M to a new level.

Particularly the "M" part.

I just published a "spoof" LW story, that's not even in the LW category; it's in Humor and Satire. And it's my lowest-rated story so far, with a 3.58. But it's had some nice comments, so I'm satisfied.

 

[nicksouth]

A little over 24 hours in and I'm generally pleased with my story's reception. The score is a little disappointing; it started lower with fewer than 10 votes but climbed into the red H and up to 4.8 before being knocked back down in the mid 4.7s. With over 300 votes, the sweep may help some but, barring a miracle, it will be another also ran.

However, it's the comments that really get me. There aren't many (surprise!) but 8 are really nice and then comes the one, like Duleigh's experience, from Anonymous:



I really appreciate constructive criticism. It's helped me become a better author over the years, but I'm still learning. After careful consideration of what I spent between 60 and 80 hours writing and of what actually made it onto the page, it's not very constructive when there are no examples of just what's missing! Perhaps it's too much romantic wordplay, too much backstory (setting up the romantic conflicts), or too much detail and scene setting between the requisite sex scenes in comparison to the overall length, but "more story there" doesn't help me zero in on what M. Anonymous means.

I know I could delete the comment, but I'm leaving it in hopes that other readers might think "I just think there should be more constructive criticism there" and actually provide some! We'll see!

Yeah I hear you. My story has succeeded for me far beyond what I expected. It seems like the scoring system is tough, and maybe benefits people with fewer high-scoring votes ? getting a 4.8+ with hundreds of votes seems to mean you need a LOT of 5s

I have currently converged at 4.6 with ~180 votes (which is about 179 more than I expected to get) so I am happy. I launched a non-contest story a day or so later and that got about 110 votes and ~4.4 so the contest did seem to boost my story (although the contest story is better than the other IMO)

I also started with only one follower and now I have 25 so I'm happy

I guess the best way to "win" is to go for a contest with a lower volume of entries

I got some fairly blunt Anonymous comments (although they were accurate)

I also got some great and constructive comments, and I truly appreciate yours, especially. I'm about halfway through your story and will give you a vote when I am done !

For now, I'm reading as many entries as I can and voting as high as I can on them to recognize the effort people made in putting themselves out there for critique, even if the story itself isn't always my cup of tea.

I've got a lot of material to come, (including a ~10K draft for Halloween, which is going to put me firmly in the Fetish category and likely no chance to come close to winning, but I felt compelled to read it !

Good luck to everyone, and I guess we can always offer a full refund to people who comment that they don't like the story!

 

[yowser]

A reminder to those who haven't posted yet to make 'summer lovin 2024' one of your tags, which not only adheres to the contest guidelines but improves discovery potential. A good percentage so far are lacking.

 

[nicksouth]

A reminder to those who haven't posted yet to make 'summer lovin 2024' one of your tags, which not only adheres to the contest guidelines but improves discovery potential. A good percentage so far are lacking.

This is good to know for next time! Thank you

 

[Voboy]

I guess the best way to "win" is to go for a contest with a lower volume of entries

The key to enjoying the contests is to NEVER expect a win, nor try to wargame how to get one.

Once you go through a couple of contests, participate in the support threads, and follow the way the "winner" is determined, you very quickly come to the conclusion that there's no way to game it out. Other than very crudely deciding whether to post when the window opens or closer to when it closes, there's very little opportunity for you to be strategic about you "play" the contest.

Just produce the very best story you can write, enjoy everyone elses' stories, and be grateful for the added attention and exposure. If you "win," it's a bonus.

 

[nicksouth]

The key to enjoying the contests is to NEVER expect a win, nor try to wargame how to get one.

Once you go through a couple of contests, participate in the support threads, and follow the way the "winner" is determined, you very quickly come to the conclusion that there's no way to game it out. Other than very crudely deciding whether to post when the window opens or closer to when it closes, there's very little opportunity for you to be strategic about you "play" the contest.

Just produce the very best story you can write, enjoy everyone elses' stories, and be grateful for the added attention and exposure. If you "win," it's a bonus.

Definitely. I have no expectations to win anything. Hopefully contests continue to drive people to my stories and as you say the best way is to write and post stories (and read too !)

 

[forgotmyantidepressants]

A little over 24 hours in and I'm generally pleased with my story's reception. The score is a little disappointing; it started lower with fewer than 10 votes but climbed into the red H and up to 4.8 before being knocked back down in the mid 4.7s. With over 300 votes, the sweep may help some but, barring a miracle, it will be another also ran.

However, it's the comments that really get me. There aren't many (surprise!) but 8 are really nice and then comes the one, like Duleigh's experience, from Anonymous:



I really appreciate constructive criticism. It's helped me become a better author over the years, but I'm still learning. After careful consideration of what I spent between 60 and 80 hours writing and of what actually made it onto the page, it's not very constructive when there are no examples of just what's missing! Perhaps it's too much romantic wordplay, too much backstory (setting up the romantic conflicts), or too much detail and scene setting between the requisite sex scenes in comparison to the overall length, but "more story there" doesn't help me zero in on what M. Anonymous means.

I know I could delete the comment, but I'm leaving it in hopes that other readers might think "I just think there should be more constructive criticism there" and actually provide some! We'll see!

I got a really fair comment about pacing. It stung a little at first, but I do appreciate it.

 

[Wineandcheese]

The key to enjoying the contests is to NEVER expect a win, nor try to wargame how to get one.
——-
Just produce the very best story you can write, enjoy everyone elses' stories, and be grateful for the added attention and exposure. If you "win," it's a bonus.

Indeed. I can’t seem to break through the 4.7 barrier. One of my stories hit 4.72, but that’s the highest I’ve gotten. So I focus on the net gain, not the contest.

I’ve picked up somewhere between 40 and 50 new followers. As a mere wanna-be author, I am supremely happy. And I’m thrilled to be part of this austere group of fine story tellers. You folk inspire me. I feel like I’m sitting at the Cool Kid’s Table.