The 2017 Literotica Award Nominations: Most Literary--Genre Transcending

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Laurel

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In this category, please nominate the story that you feel was the most literary - the one that is so well-written that it would stand alone as a literary work in any context. Story must be currently on Literotica, and must have been submitted during the year 2017.

One nomination per person, please. If multiple nominations are made by a member, only the first listed will count.

Please note that posts containing trolling, name-calling, and/or other forms of negativity will be removed. If you don't enjoy contests, that's fine - you are free to not participate. Please do not ruin everyone else's fun. :rose:

Thank you to all participants - readers and authors alike!
 
"three Square Meals" by Tefler.

This story has already been nominated and won last year. It is also ongoing and not finished and may never be. Please select another worthy story and play a different record this year. :)
 
How is "story" and "must have been submitted during the year 2017" defined for purposes of these contests?

If you have a multi-chapter story which was begun in 2014 and completed in 2017, does that meet the qualifications, or are we evaluating only those portions submitted in 2017 rather than the story as a whole?
 
"Story" = Submission. It can be a whole story, a piece of a series or serial, as things stand for the time being. So long as it was submitted in whole or in part within 2017, it qualifies.

The story actually finishing in the year is a point in its favor for many people. It is at least a complete story, rather than a piece of one, regardless of when it started. Those who dislike incomplete stories being included in the awards aren't going to have a problem with it, because it's now complete.

That doesn't matter for the purposes of eligibility, but it makes it far more likely people will vote for it once that starts.

How is "story" and "must have been submitted during the year 2017" defined for purposes of these contests?

If you have a multi-chapter story which was begun in 2014 and completed in 2017, does that meet the qualifications, or are we evaluating only those portions submitted in 2017 rather than the story as a whole?
 
I nominate The Fall of Eva Pryor by Case21

The setting is steampunk, and is another example of this author's chameleon-like ability to make their style sound like it was written by a contemporary of the time and place of their stories.

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-fall-of-eva-pryor-ch-01

Wow. You're right. That first chapter is excellent, for exactly that reason. She sounds like a contemporary of HG Wells.

I second Case21's nomination for The Fall of Eva Pryor.
 
I am unclear on the rules. Can an entire series, posted in Novels and Novellas, be nominated, or just individual chapters?

Yes, an entire series can be nominated as long as there was a submission of the story in 2017. :) Please do nominate someone! And if you would, provide a reason why you are nominating it; persuade us, make us what to check it out and read it in time for the voting.

The more selection we have and the more voters we encourage to participate, the more diversity there will be in the final choices and the voting itself.

Last year there was almost no diversity in these Special Rounds; all the awards went to the same author (who is being nominated again this year for the same on-going story, the same characters, the same thing as last year), and he won on account that he was popular and had a large following on Patreon and other websites. All those readers were directed to come here to nominate him and vote for him--many of them never read any of the other entries.

I'd like to see a different outcome this year with other authors being honored for their great work, but that means more of us here have to make an effort to care.

So go ahead! Nominate and tell us about your favorites! :D
 
Yes, an entire series can be nominated as long as there was a submission of the story in 2017. :) Please do nominate someone! And if you would, provide a reason why you are nominating it; persuade us, make us what to check it out and read it in time for the voting.

The more selection we have and the more voters we encourage to participate, the more diversity there will be in the final choices and the voting itself.

Last year there was almost no diversity in these Special Rounds; all the awards went to the same author (who is being nominated again this year for the same on-going story, the same characters, the same thing as last year), and he won on account that he was popular and had a large following on Patreon and other websites. All those readers were directed to come here to nominate him and vote for him--many of them never read any of the other entries.

I'd like to see a different outcome this year with other authors being honored for their great work, but that means more of us here have to make an effort to care.

So go ahead! Nominate and tell us about your favorites! :D

Thank you. I asked because someone was kind enough to nominate a chapter from my own novel, My Fall and Rise. I misinformed her that I believed that nominations were for single submissions only.

I would be honored if the entirety of my story were considered.
 
Thank you. I asked because someone was kind enough to nominate a chapter from my own novel, My Fall and Rise. I misinformed her that I believed that nominations were for single submissions only.

I would be honored if the entirety of my story were considered.

I concur. And edited as such.
 
Thank you. I asked because someone was kind enough to nominate a chapter from my own novel, My Fall and Rise. I misinformed her that I believed that nominations were for single submissions only.

I would be honored if the entirety of my story were considered.

Congratulations on the nomination. :) I see the tags for the story are "women in prison," "criminal," "female convict."

Not only that, but your story was written entirely within 2017, and it is finished. That is a rarity here, but that makes 2 so, along with Case21. Your commenters also compliment you on your "polished" and clean writing, your realism and depth of emotion (they seem to bring up "I feel sad" a lot in the first couple chapters. :D), and the chapters are shorter, one could possibly finish this novel in a single sitting if they had enough time.

Feel free to update your author profile, MelissaBaby, to let your followers know about your nomination and about the contest. More "seconds" and "thirds" and "fourths" here actually help determine who makes the final cut.

This is the time to bring good stories up to the surface to give them added exposure to more eyes, new and old. If you see something nominated already that you like, chime in with your support!
 
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Last year there was almost no diversity in these Special Rounds; all the awards went to the same author (who is being nominated again this year for the same on-going story, the same characters, the same thing as last year), and he won on account that he was popular and had a large following on Patreon and other websites. All those readers were directed to come here to nominate him and vote for him--many of them never read any of the other entries.

It's common for awards like this to have rules where winning makes you ineligible for the particular category for X years. (Or for winners to have the grace to recuse themselves.)

I'd encourage whoever makes the rules for these contests to consider that. Personally, I write off awards that are clearly popularity contests that have been decided long before the nominations even open, and I have to confess that seeing the same copied-and-pasted nominations across the board makes me care about nominating or voting a little less.

More to the point, I'd nominate Payen Brant's Mine...Yours.

Started in 2014, with the conclusion published in 2017, it's a well-written urban fantasy/paranormal romance with a male protagonist in a modern day masquerade setting that (IMO) avoids a lot of the common pitfalls of this kind of story.
 
I agree with you, Valint, and I understand the feeling of caring less about the nominations and the voting. It's how I felt last year, and how I understand many felt the previous year when I was nominated.

This year, I care more and will participate. I've just finished my own big project last month and am eager to see some of these great stories and try the many authors recommended to me over the years, which I haven't had a chance to read while working on my own.

Cheers for the description of your nomination. I've seen "Mine...Yours" in the top lists for years, and hearing that it is now finished is an extra push to finally check it out. :)
 
My Fall and Rise


I second the nomination of MelissaBaby's My Fall and Rise. It is remarkably sophisticated storytelling for a first-time author. The complexity of the disjointed timeline alone makes it an impressive effort. Melissa weaves her own tragic and triumphant life story into a tale that is so imbued with realism and visceral authenticity that you can't help but be swept into it. A truly special and inspiring piece of writing, deserving of an award.
 
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I too would like to second this nomination. This is a memoir (a genre not overly common on this site) that tells the true-to-life story of a young woman's missteps and atonement. It's a well written, captivating tale that presents a rich panoply of characters and situations and a sweeping emotional arc that ranges from utter despair and to confident hope. The emotional and literary aspects of this story have been discussed here on the Story Feedback Forum.

The thing that really sets this story apart is its unabashed truthfulness, which has struck a profound chord with many readers. This is expressed very eloquently in the following forum post, which has stuck with me as the most heartfelt commendation that I have ever read on this site:

. . . Firstly I’d like to congratulate you on your story, secondly on the inner strength of your personal character you’ve shown to get through.

Survival in this world is tough and takes many forms, creating many different struggles for many people’s. Yours mirrored mine in many ways and drew me in, cuddled, cajoled and scolded me throughout your story. For that I’m grateful and feel a warmth for you most will not, as your story rightly points out, most people don’t care for those of us who’ve operated at the ‘lower’ end of the populace. . . .

Your whole story was so rich in description, detail, emotion and colour, I felt I could touch, feel every heartbeating moment of it.

For me it felt personal, had a warmth and honesty that’s extremely rare on here or other similar sites. For you, well I hope you feel extremely proud of your story and I wish you well and can’t wait for the next one. . . .
 
Todd172 St. Clair Series. Chapter 2, if I must nominate one chapter.

Begun in 2016, three of five chapters in 2017 and completed 1/20/18. It is posted in both Lesbian and Loving wives, contains Scifi/fantasy elements, action/adventure elements, romance and others. It is impossible to confine the breadth of the story to any category, and is one of the best stories, of any genre, around.

I concur with the idea that acquiring votes and nominations from accounts whose only activity on the site is for the sole purpose of nominating one author, supporting that author or voting for that author, is a loss for the contests. No one will continue to nominate or vote in these if there is such blatant and obvious ballot box stuffing. As a sometime writer of chapter stories, I would also be in favor of only completed chapter stories being eligible. That is not the current rule, so that's just the way it is.

If this is considered trolling, name calling or other negativity, I apologize.
 
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