The Official Authors' Hangout Summer Lovin' 2026 Contest Support Thread

[Rustyoznail]

Welcome to:
The Official Authors' Hangout Summer Lovin' 2026 Contest Support Thread


Well, while most of us south of the equator are shivering and dreaming of the sun's return, those in the north are looking forward to summer! A weekend at the beach, camping in the forest, a hike through the forest, watching the willow hit some leather (cricket, you deviants…), a pint of beer and a backyard full of friends. All signs of summer, and I'm sure you have more.

This has to be the best competition of the year, so open your imagination and let your characters out into the sunshine!

Have a crack and see what you can dream up!

Summer Lovin' (summertime) themes: warm weather, summer sports and activities, outdoor concerts, beaches, bikinis, camping, etc.

It's all about June to September! Or thinking about December to February for us in the south…

Schedule of activities:
Starts: August 15
Closes: September 5
winners announced: September 12

Please ensure you have "SUMMER LOVIN 2026" in the Notes to Admin field.

This thread is to SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE authors to enter stories in the 2026 Summer Lovin' Contest. Bring out the squirt guns, the inflatable mattresses, and the sunscreen, and open yourself to some sizzling summer Fun Times!

Just remember, it has to be summer related - not necessarily beach related.

As the departed but not forgotten Ogg always said, there is an advantage to entering stories in one of Literotica's themed contests. Apart from the possibility of winning, your story gets far more exposure and attention than it would typically receive.

Wait for Laurel's notice of the start of the contest as a sticky at the top of the Authors' Hangout before submitting and follow the instructions in that thread.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[NotWise]

Hurrah! Mine is shaping up to be a little long (for me), but it should be under control in time for the contest opening.

 

[Fatdog25]

My first draft is almost finished. It will be ready to go by August.

 

[WittyUserName]

Ah, I am much more excited by this one than for Nude Day. The 2024 contest is the reason I have one of those beautiful little blue "w"'s. I haven't decided what I'm writing for this one yet, but I've gotta enter.

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Summer Lovin' (summertime) themes: warm weather, summer sports and activities, outdoor concerts, beaches, bikinis, camping, etc.

Can it include sitting in the house with the AC running?

 

[EmilyMiller]

I’ve got 7,500 words into something vaguely targeting this comp. We’ll see how things go .

 

[RoyalAuthor]

I'm about 3000 words deep. My concept is solid and I've done a lot of the outlining and character design, but the execution so far needs work, might have to cut the last 1000 words and rework it because I'm not writing to its potential yet.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I think I'm just not really a summer person. Unless some inspiration hits me for a short and weird piece, I think I'll get the Nude Day one done and continue with my Halloween story which I'm getting into and it's going to be long...

 

[Voboy]

I'm well along on a frothy little piece whose ending I have no way to predict.

But. My track record for this is poor. It was the second day of February that I started a sprawling WWII epic for this contest, which broke down under its own ponderous weight; I still like it, but it goes on and on and on and on. So. Nope.

Then I tried to bounce back on 22 May, but that one had the opposite problem: WAY too simple and, honestly, not believable.

So third time's the charm. I've been writing it for a few days now and it's clicking along juuust fine. Phew.

 

[RoyalAuthor]

I think I'm just not really a summer person. Unless some inspiration hits me for a short and weird piece, I think I'll get the Nude Day one done and continue with my Halloween story which I'm getting into and it's going to be long...

I might be the opposite. Last year I entered two stories in Nude Day and one in Summer, and all three of them would have fit in either contest. And now I'm thinking about most of my work and realizing that hot weather and minimal clothing might be a recurring theme for me.

 

[Voboy]

I think I'm just not really a summer person. Unless some inspiration hits me for a short and weird piece, I think I'll get the Nude Day one done and continue with my Halloween story which I'm getting into and it's going to be long...

You could always flip the script?

A polar researcher does a video chat with someone back home, where it's high summer. He reflects on the meaning of summer.

I had a WiP once in which the MCs were professional sailors, always traveling to seaside settings where the weather was fine, the idea being that they were chasing a perennial summer, no matter what month it was.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Can it include sitting in the house with the AC running?

Of course. Nothing worse than sunburn on parts that don't normally see the sun

 

[Actingup]

Just want to put this (just released) video for inspiration, from Australian Kate Miller-Heidke. Not widely known in North America, but would be known to Eurovision fans for her death defying 2019 performance. The video is really worth watching through to the very end.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Have a story idea based on those old MTV summer break game-shows with college students on the beach, the title I'm going with is, "Winning Streak".

 

[NotWise]

This is the locale for my Summer Lovin' story.



(photo from Wikimedia Commons)

All but the opening scenes, closing scenes, and a brief scene in the middle take place on the pleasantly air conditioned train.

 

[RoyalAuthor]

Of course. Nothing worse than sunburn on parts that don't normally see the sun

If I had a nickel for every time @Actingup commented on characters in my contest stories not washing off their sunscreen before oral, I'd have two nickels lol. Considering doing it again this year just to keep the tradition going.

 

[BladeSeanchai]

I’ve finished the story for the Oggbashan Memorial now I can focus on the Summer Lovin’. I have an idea and a sketched outline.

Three dear friends the community park and pool they operate and the men and women who tease them everyday.

 

[Voboy]

I’ve finished the story for the Oggbashan Memorial now I can focus on the Summer Lovin’. I have an idea and a sketched outline.

Three dear friends the community park and pool they operate and the men and women who tease them everyday.

My summer lovin' story (third attempt, lol) is humming along fine, except for two non-problems: it's turning into as much of a Nude Day story as it is a Summer Lovin' story, and it's unlikely to feature any actual sexual intercourse.

That second one is rare for me, and it wasn't what I expected. But the characters want what the characters want, and more to the point here they don't want what they don't want.

 

[Rustyoznail]

There's a lot of crossover between Nude Day and Summer. And don't worry about the lack of intercourse. A well written blow job in the dunes can do well.

 

[ZinJ]

Mine's going to be a short story intro of a few characters from a series I haven't even published yet. Hope I have as much fun writing it as the Nude Day one

 

[Soixenta]

I have a concept in mind. Depending how much energy is costs to finish my Nude Day story, I might start it soon.

Am I giving too much away if I mention that I have looked up Pan, Dionysus and Maenads?

 

[gordo12]

I wrote a couple of stories for the summer lovin back during covid, 2022 and never posted them. So I'm ready.
Procrastination can have its advantages.

 

[Rustyoznail]

It's summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime summertime...

Well take off your clothes and throw 'em away
And say goodbye to dull work days
Look alive, it's time to play
It's summertime!

 

[forgotmyantidepressants]

Mine is done and I'm so excited. It's not a winner, but the sheer amount of views/clicks this contest generates get the dopamine flowing.

I'm a little worried it doesn't fit the theme of summer, as it's a romantasy, but I put a lot of effort into describing summer - sunshine, heat, sweat, sunburn, mosquitoes, bonfires, and lots of sex... fingers crossed it goes through.

 

[KenNicottii]

About 6-7 years back, I had the basic concept for a Summer Lovin’ story with a now/then/now flashback structure. Did a rough outline, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the inspiration to compose a first draft. Contest deadlines came and went each year without any progress.

Then late last year, the muse began whispering in my ear, and the words started flowing. Before long, an additional romantic relationship for the MMC had been added during the intervening years, and the manuscript swelled to novella length.

I was over 90% done when various issues caused a slowdown. While my wheels were spinning, a completely new Summer Lovin’ story pushed its way to the front of the line. Now I only need a volunteer editor at this point to whip it into final shape for the contest.

I rarely have story ideas that fit any of the contest themes (only 2 in the last 10+ years), so I’m hopeful that this one will do at least as well as the others.