New Spring Contest Poll

Hello authors, and hope you're having a great summer!

In this thread, we asked you for suggestions for a Earth Day contest replacement. You came up with some wonderful ideas which have been narrowed down to 5 possible themes:

~Spring is in the Air: Would include "March Madness," April Fool's, May Day, Easter, Passover, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's day, Spring Breaks, Spring Flings, etc....

~April Fool's: Stories (humorous or otherwise) of surprise meetings, humor, tricks, trick endings, and other themes of deception, chance, and/or misunderstandings (happy or otherwise).

~Historical Erotica Contest: Would include time travel tales as well as stories taking place anytime/anywhere prior to the current year.

~Game Day: Stories about games, sports or that are, themselves a "game" the reader plays while reading them.

~New Beginnings: stories about trying or doing anything new. First meetings, first times, first steps on a journey, first lessons, etc.

Now, we'd like you to choose the theme you think would make the best basis for next year's contest.

As already stated: do know that this is a test run. Whichever theme is chosen in the polls will be the theme for next spring's contest. After that contest, we can all discuss it and see how it goes. It could become another staple Special Contest - like Summer Lovin' has - or we could try another idea the following year if there's a shared feeling that you'd like to try another idea.

This poll will remain open for 60 days, so feel free to take your time and think about the themes, as well as discussing them with each other in this thread, before choosing.

Thanks again, and Happy Voting!

I think when this was discussed on a thread last year I suggested April Fool's Day so I'll reaffirm that here, could be a lot of fun and would work well with any category.

But if not that one, I'd be much happier than with any of the other choices in place of Earth Day

Spring as sprung and that covers a multitude of sins. The snow is over but the real heat ain't here yet. Works for me.

I ot two plot bunnies from what i wrote above.

Spring is in the Air, for me!

Spring is in the Air!

It includes everything.

While the "Historical Erotica" option is a very interesting idea, I think "Spring is in the Air" would generate the most activity as far as entries.

JKendallDane said:

While the "Historical Erotica" option is a very interesting idea, I think "Spring is in the Air" would generate the most activity as far as entries.

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What JKD said. I voted for "Spring is in the Air" for the same reason, I think it covers more subjects and will stand a better chance of getting more entries.

I would like to do a historical one someday, but heck, you could always do a spring story set in the past, or the future, ditto for an April Fool story.

Spring is in the air!

You could write April fools stories that still fit in that category, so almost everyone wins!

HeyAll said:

Spring is in the Air!

It includes everything.

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What he said.

HeyAll said:

Spring is in the Air!

It includes everything.

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Was a comment in another thread:

>> I can't understand why April Fool's has more votes. Spring is in the Air is broader and features more topics. It's more logical.

My response:

SPRING is more generic. FOOLS is more focused. SPRING can cover any fucking thing, so it's less a competition than yet another let's-submit-another-story opportunity. FOOLS demands a focus on foolishness or fooling or being fooled -- including fooling the reader.

FOOLS will be more competitive IMHO. It's like the difference between an AUTUMN contest and a HALLOWE'EN contest. A seasonal contest is just less of a challenge.

Hypoxia said:

Was a comment in another thread:

>> I can't understand why April Fool's has more votes. Spring is in the Air is broader and features more topics. It's more logical.

My response:

SPRING is more generic. FOOLS is more focused. SPRING can cover any fucking thing, so it's less a competition than yet another let's-submit-another-story opportunity. FOOLS demands a focus on foolishness or fooling or being fooled -- including fooling the reader.

FOOLS will be more competitive IMHO. It's like the difference between an AUTUMN contest and a HALLOWE'EN contest. A seasonal contest is just less of a challenge.

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Well said! That's why I'm voting for April Fool's.

JKendallDane said:

While the "Historical Erotica" option is a very interesting idea, I think "Spring is in the Air" would generate the most activity as far as entries.

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Historical Era will probably get my vote but I agree that Spring will probably generate the most activity. Whether such a broad category is for the best or not is up to the individual

TheSoulfulBard said:

Well said! That's why I'm voting for April Fool's.

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I've never entered a contest. I voted for April Fools because I thought the challenge of writing something funny might tempt me to give it a try.

We could have an annual contest on the 20th of April - the birthday of Adolph Hitler.

Of course the stories should feature hot blonde uniformed German valkyries in leather boots ravishing captured allied soldiers and abusing them for nefarious sexual experiments....

I'd love a Historical Erotica contest. I think it would generate a lot of new ideas. No matter what the final choice is, though, I support any new contest.

September 19 - Fuck Like A Pirate Day contest.

The theme is of course savage freebooters plundering, pillaging and ravaging fair maidens all over the seven seas. Bonus points for writing in pirate-lingo...

StrangeLife said:

September 19 - Fuck Like A Pirate Day contest.

The theme is of course savage freebooters plundering, pillaging and ravaging fair maidens all over the seven seas. Bonus points for writing in pirate-lingo...

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I've been working on a little story in French. I'd be up for a write like a pirate challenge. (I would NOT read the stories though. Too much work.)

StrangeLife said:

September 19 - Fuck Like A Pirate Day contest.

The theme is of course savage freebooters plundering, pillaging and ravaging fair maidens all over the seven seas. Bonus points for writing in pirate-lingo...

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September is the first month of Spring in my part of the world, so if spring fling wins the poll you could do some Australian Pirates

My choice would be 'Spring is in the Air'. It seems to be the most broad and inclusive of the suggested categories. As the old saying goes: 'Hooray, hooray it's the first of May. Outdoor fucking starts today'.

Well, look at that! I thought "Spring is in the Air" would be ahead, but it seems that April Fool's is getting the most votes. Hm. Wonder if we're getting voters from LW. That seems to be the entire category "April Fool's, Sweetheart...."

I hate April Fool's jokes and want to punch the lights out of any fool who tries one on me so I wouldn't even bother to enter that one.

I like Spring is in the Air, too. If you wanted to pull an April Fool joke you could but others with a touchier sense of dignity could write a different one.

I liked the idea of beginnings and first times, myself.

I suppose with April Fool's, the challenge would be for the author to make the reader wonder what/where the twist is.

Hypoxia said:

Was a comment in another thread:

>> I can't understand why April Fool's has more votes. Spring is in the Air is broader and features more topics. It's more logical.

My response:

SPRING is more generic. FOOLS is more focused. SPRING can cover any fucking thing, so it's less a competition than yet another let's-submit-another-story opportunity. FOOLS demands a focus on foolishness or fooling or being fooled -- including fooling the reader.

FOOLS will be more competitive IMHO. It's like the difference between an AUTUMN contest and a HALLOWE'EN contest. A seasonal contest is just less of a challenge.

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What he said, 3113.

3113 said:

Well, look at that! I thought "Spring is in the Air" would be ahead, but it seems that April Fool's is getting the most votes. Hm. Wonder if we're getting voters from LW. That seems to be the entire category "April Fool's, Sweetheart...."

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You're either going to have to choose challenge or participation. Those two things don't play nicely together.

And Spring is only generic if you choose to make it so. The specific events within the bounds of spring have been brought up several times, and many of them happen during or after the contest time frame. If those events are stressed in the contest announcement, it could very well produce a variety of stories targeted to specific themes.

Summer Lovin' suffers in this area because two of the biggies ( U.S. Independence Day and the first day of summer vacation ) are long gone by the time the contest starts.

RejectReality said:

You're either going to have to choose challenge or participation. Those two things don't play nicely together.

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I don't think these are the only choices. How about just writing what pleases you and putting it in the contest because the timing's right and the contest listing gives it a bit more promotion?