The Official Authors' Hangout Winter Holidays 2025 Support Thread

[MelissaBaby]

A lot of the prize winners recently have been between 25 and 35K. All three of them for Nude Day. Don't count yourself out.

I think there is zero correlation between story length and chances of winning a prize. Even if stories in a particular range of word count are more popular (which is merely conjecture), popularity doesn't matter. A story with 25 votes has as good a chance as one with a thousand.

 

[old_prof]

I think there is zero correlation between story length and chances of winning a prize. Even if stories in a particular range of word count are more popular (which is merely conjecture), popularity doesn't matter. A story with 25 votes has as good a chance as one with a thousand.

My guess is that longer stories get fewer votes but a higher average rating, all other things being equal. Since 25 votes is not an onerous level for qualifying, I think longer stories have a slight advantage. Or maybe authors who write longer stories are just better (said completely modestly as an author whose average story length is probably over 20K).

 

[MelissaBaby]

My guess is that longer stories get fewer votes but a higher average rating, all other things being equal. Since 25 votes is not an onerous level for qualifying, I think longer stories have a slight advantage. Or maybe authors who write longer stories are just better (said completely modestly as an author whose average story length is probably over 20K).

I think that if longer stories as a group do get higher scores, it is primarily because most people don't vote until they get to the end, and while they may well finish a 10k story they don't like, they are less likely to do so with a 50k story.

My Winter Holidays winner was 15k words. I have no idea how many votes it received at the time. It's over 2,300 now, but many came after the contest.

 

[Juliet_Writes]

New here but this seems like a nice jumping-on point; I have a winter story on the back burner that could come onto the front burner. (Are there front burners? I'm not even sure I know what a back burner actually is).

Anyway, I guess anyone can enter, right? I see that submissions begin soon so best get to it...

 

[Juliet_Writes]

Yes, the submission window has not yet even opened, and they run for almost a month. A few of us submitted early because we were ready, but there's still plenty of time. @ChloeTzang is running this event, and @Duleigh can answer questions if she's not available.

You can post here if you run into problems or need help, especially with how the site or the contest works. This is my second contest, and the first one is very fresh in my mind, so you can DM me and I can at least try to point you in the right direction.

How immensely kind. Thank you!

 

[Duleigh]

Anyway, I guess anyone can enter, right?

The contest is open to anyone and everyone. I'm Duleigh, and Chloe gave me this cute little elf hat and pointy shoes and asked me to help while she's off skiing at San Moritz. Along with Literotica's dos and donts, the winter holiday contest has the following rules

1 - All submissions must be complete stand alone stories, they can't be a chapter of a larger work. You can use characters and settings from a larger work but this must be a stand alone story

2 - If you have a multi chapter submission, put them together and submit them as one entry

3 - The story must be related to the theme of the contest which is winter holiday traditions (dreidels, gift giving, etc.), cold weather (snow), holiday mythology (Santa, elves), etc. Special dispensation exists for Australians and you can have Christmas topless at the beach. (To prove you're Australian you must explain why people freak out when I tell them my name is really Bonzer Root)

4 - There is no rule #4

5 - Your story has to accrue a minimum of 25 votes to be eligible for a prize. That's not high, back in the old days when there was a monthly contest the minimum was 50 points. If you're new and don't have a lot of followers yet, it's best to get your story in early as possible

6- Paste the phrase "WINTER HOLIDAY 2025" to the "Notes to Admin" field of the submission

7 - Again, all Literotica rules apply. If you're uncertain of the Literotica rules The Guidelines are right here

 

[Voboy]

New here but this seems like a nice jumping-on point; I have a winter story on the back burner that could come onto the front burner. (Are there front burners? I'm not even sure I know what a back burner actually is).

Anyway, I guess anyone can enter, right? I see that submissions begin soon so best get to it...

If it's a winter story that's not actually a "holiday" story, that's fine; snow and ice are enough to get to the theme even if you set it in January, especially if you mention that "some people still had their holiday lights outside their houses" and then throw in something about how big a pain in the ass it was to take down the Christmas tree. Something minor like that.

Good luck! There's still plenty of time.

 

[Juliet_Writes]

*Fishes around in my ideas book*

Uh-huh, I knew I had one.

Standard 'me' story really, funny (I hope), full of slapstick, some cool gals, some bitches and a tiny bit of sex..

Oh, and snow, its got a 'lot' of snow. Also a novel use for an icicle, but that bit isn't written yet.

 

[ChloeTzang]

New here but this seems like a nice jumping-on point; I have a winter story on the back burner that could come onto the front burner. (Are there front burners? I'm not even sure I know what a back burner actually is).

Anyway, I guess anyone can enter, right? I see that submissions begin soon so best get to it...

Oh yes, anyone can enter


And here's a list of all the Competitions and Events over 2026 with links to the support threads where they're set up. All but one are open to anyone - there's one "invitational"

The events generally have a theme, there's no prizes for those and they're not competitions - but they're great to write for, and usually a lot of fun and without the competitiveness of the Literotica competitions.

https://forum.literotica.com/thread...uthor-organized-events.1642070/post-101703211


Just to give you an idea, I put this together for people to put themselves down for different events and competitions if they feel like setting themselves a public target LOL.

https://forum.literotica.com/thread...vents-and-competitions.1642936/post-101752240

 

[ChloeTzang]

I don't have a story and the deadline is 11/11.

Holidays are never fun for me. I call them the trifecta from hell (Thanksgiving, Xmas and NY). Making them sexy is a huge challenge.

Oh no - 11 Nov is just when they start going live. You have all of Nov to get one done and in -

starts: November 11
closes: December 5
winners announced: December 12

 

[ChloeTzang]

Apologies if I kissed anyone. Missed. I meant Missed anyone.

And this is just from the AH. We are off to a flying start on this one. I am now inspired to see if I can hit the 11th with my entry. If so it will be a miracle!!!!

LITEROTICA: Winter Holidays Competition 2025
- Chloe Tzang - "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - Writing like crazy
- TheRedLantern - "Language Exchange" - SUBMITTED
- iwatchus - Santa'a Lap and Snow Fall in Love (tentative title)
- dirk2024 - Aunt Get's a Nephew for Christmas (tentative title)
- Duleigh - The office Christmas Party / Harmonica for Hannukah
- Djmac1031 - It's A Wonderful Afterlife
- Aoife_From_Ulster - Winter Loves Red - SUBMITTED
- Dream Yahooze - a few idea underway
- lovecraft68 - milfs tails
- Ian Snow - SUBMITTED
- GemmaGemmaGemma - first ever contest story SUBMITTED - good luck
- RoyalAuthor - SUBMITTED
- NaughteeDragon - underway
- Tenehua Xochipoca - heck yeah LOL
- ShelbyDawn57 - Home for the Holidays - SUBMITTED
- Voboy - SUBMITTED
- RustyOzNail - working on it
- TruthwithaTwist - working on it
- CandyKane54 - SUBMITTED
- SamanthaBehgs - poems
- bemeyem8 - SUBMITTED
- DEFCOM5 - giving it a go
- BryanRichardson - SUBMITTED
- MelissaBaby - Candy Season

 

[Duleigh]

- Duleigh - The office Christmas Party / Harmonica for Hannukah

You can change the status of Harmonica for Hanukkah to "Story committed mutiny, author desperately looking for a happy ending"

(heh heh heh)

This thing went off the rails but I'm having a hell of a time with it.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Apologies if I kissed anyone. Missed. I meant Missed anyone.

And this is just from the AH. We are off to a flying start on this one. I am now inspired to see if I can hit the 11th with my entry. If so it will be a miracle!!!!

LITEROTICA: Winter Holidays Competition 2025
- Chloe Tzang - "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - Writing like crazy
- TheRedLantern - "Language Exchange" - SUBMITTED
- iwatchus - Santa'a Lap and Snow Fall in Love (tentative title)
- dirk2024 - Aunt Get's a Nephew for Christmas (tentative title)
- Duleigh - The office Christmas Party / Harmonica for Hannukah
- Djmac1031 - It's A Wonderful Afterlife
- Aoife_From_Ulster - Winter Loves Red - SUBMITTED
- Dream Yahooze - a few idea underway
- lovecraft68 - milfs tails
- Ian Snow - SUBMITTED
- GemmaGemmaGemma - first ever contest story SUBMITTED - good luck
- RoyalAuthor - SUBMITTED
- NaughteeDragon - underway
- Tenehua Xochipoca - heck yeah LOL
- ShelbyDawn57 - Home for the Holidays - SUBMITTED
- Voboy - SUBMITTED
- RustyOzNail - working on it
- TruthwithaTwist - working on it
- CandyKane54 - SUBMITTED
- SamanthaBehgs - poems
- bemeyem8 - SUBMITTED
- DEFCOM5 - giving it a go
- BryanRichardson - SUBMITTED
-

The title of my story will be Candy Season.’

 

[Voboy]

Apologies if I kissed anyone. Missed. I meant Missed anyone.


- Voboy - SUBMITTED

Mine's called "I Deserve It." I cordially detest that title, but it's the most appropriate one I could come up with.

 

[DEFCOM5]

And this is just from the AH. We are off to a flying start on this one. I am now inspired to see if I can hit the 11th with my entry. If so it will be a miracle!!!!

LITEROTICA: Winter Holidays Competition 2025
- DEFCOM5 - giving it a go

You can switch my status to working on it.
I found a hole in the wall last night/ this morning so I think I have the story in my head.
Now the issue is to put it on paper.
If only the things called work and family did not get in the way

 

[dreams_in_words]

Apologies if I kissed anyone. Missed. I meant Missed anyone.

And this is just from the AH. We are off to a flying start on this one. I am now inspired to see if I can hit the 11th with my entry. If so it will be a miracle!!!!

LITEROTICA: Winter Holidays Competition 2025
- Chloe Tzang - "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - Writing like crazy
- TheRedLantern - "Language Exchange" - SUBMITTED
- iwatchus - Santa'a Lap and Snow Fall in Love (tentative title)
- dirk2024 - Aunt Get's a Nephew for Christmas (tentative title)
- Duleigh - The office Christmas Party / Harmonica for Hannukah
- Djmac1031 - It's A Wonderful Afterlife
- Aoife_From_Ulster - Winter Loves Red - SUBMITTED
- Dream Yahooze - a few idea underway
- lovecraft68 - milfs tails
- Ian Snow - SUBMITTED
- GemmaGemmaGemma - first ever contest story SUBMITTED - good luck
- RoyalAuthor - SUBMITTED
- NaughteeDragon - underway
- Tenehua Xochipoca - heck yeah LOL
- ShelbyDawn57 - Home for the Holidays - SUBMITTED
- Voboy - SUBMITTED
- RustyOzNail - working on it
- TruthwithaTwist - working on it
- CandyKane54 - SUBMITTED
- SamanthaBehgs - poems
- bemeyem8 - SUBMITTED
- DEFCOM5 - giving it a go
- BryanRichardson - SUBMITTED
- MelissaBaby - Candy Season

It's a sneak preview of cumming attractions

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Apologies if I kissed anyone. Missed. I meant Missed anyone.

And this is just from the AH. We are off to a flying start on this one. I am now inspired to see if I can hit the 11th with my entry. If so it will be a miracle!!!!

LITEROTICA: Winter Holidays Competition 2025
- Chloe Tzang - "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - Writing like crazy
- TheRedLantern - "Language Exchange" - SUBMITTED
- iwatchus - Santa'a Lap and Snow Fall in Love (tentative title)
- dirk2024 - Aunt Get's a Nephew for Christmas (tentative title)
- Duleigh - The office Christmas Party / Harmonica for Hannukah
- Djmac1031 - It's A Wonderful Afterlife
- Aoife_From_Ulster - Winter Loves Red - SUBMITTED
- Dream Yahooze - a few idea underway
- lovecraft68 - milfs tails
- Ian Snow - SUBMITTED
- GemmaGemmaGemma - first ever contest story SUBMITTED - good luck
- RoyalAuthor - SUBMITTED
- NaughteeDragon - underway
- Tenehua Xochipoca - heck yeah LOL
- ShelbyDawn57 - Home for the Holidays - SUBMITTED
- Voboy - SUBMITTED
- RustyOzNail - working on it
- TruthwithaTwist - working on it
- CandyKane54 - SUBMITTED
- SamanthaBehgs - poems
- bemeyem8 - SUBMITTED
- DEFCOM5 - giving it a go
- BryanRichardson - SUBMITTED
- MelissaBaby - Candy Season

You'll have to remove my poetry from the list - apparently poems won't count. But you can add "Milk from Cookies" to the list as an actual story. I just need to give it a good editing run before it gets submitted.

 

[DEFCOM5]

You'll have to remove my poetry from the list - apparently poems won't count. But you can add "Milk from Cookies" to the list as an actual story. I just need to give it a good editing run before it gets submitted.

Oh no. Your poetry for Halloween was so beautiful and powerful

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Oh no. Your poetry for Halloween was so beautiful and powerful

Awww, thank you. I can promise you that this poetry is not - there's something to be said for having The Raven to serve as your inspiration and I was not standing on the shoulders of nearly as epic a giant with what I was playing around with for Winter (though Robert Frost is amazing, this was not one of his best known pieces).

 

[DEFCOM5]

Awww, thank you. I can promise you that this poetry is not - there's something to be said for having The Raven to serve as your inspiration and I was not standing on the shoulders of nearly as epic a giant with what I was playing around with for Winter (though Robert Frost is amazing, this was not one of his best known pieces).

I take your word for it but would like to judge for myself. Let me know when you publish it.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

I take your word for it but would like to judge for myself. Let me know when you publish it.

They are both coming up tomorrow since they were not included for the Winter Contest. I've kept one behind as I decide whether to record it or publish it as a poem.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Will a "poem" (re-written song) already being published mean that an audio I create from it won't qualify for the contest because it isn't stand alone? Or is it more like a script having been published but the audio is it's own entry because it's a recording? Trying to figure out if I should be trying to figure out a way to pull back something that will otherwise be published overnight so I can think about recording the audio instead.

 

[Duleigh]

Will a "poem" (re-written song) already being published mean that an audio I create from it won't qualify for the contest because it isn't stand alone? Or is it more like a script having been published but the audio is it's own entry because it's a recording? Trying to figure out if I should be trying to figure out a way to pull back something that will otherwise be published overnight so I can think about recording the audio instead.

By stand-alone we mean that the story stands on it's own, it begins, tells its message and comes to an end within itself. It needs no outside 'chapter 1' and it doesn't need a second entry to come to completion.

 

[DEFCOM5]

Giving you an update because I believe you all care
Story is close to 5K words and I am barely hitting the surface. Nothing sexy at all (quite the opposite).
This is going to be way longer than I thought. I love my FMC and MMC and I want to write and write about them.
I have also lined up two beta readers so but the time I am done writing and they get me their feedback, I know that the 11/11 deadline is a fantasy. I hope to not be as close to the deadline as possible.
Thank you for your moral support and encouragement!

 

[Duleigh]

This is going to be way longer than I thought. I love my FMC and MMC and I want to write and write about them.

That means you're doing it right!

I know that the 11/11 deadline is a fantasy.

You're right, it is a fantasy. Your deadline is 12/5