There's also the theory that AH authors tend to be fairly willing to edit, and tend to talk about the craft of writing. It's a self-selecting crowd in some ways, and one of those ways is a tendency to improve-- and applaud each other's improving. The people who feel seriously that contests are worth winning tend to end up here because thesupport is here for the craft.
There's also the theory that AH authors tend to be fairly willing to edit, and tend to talk about the craft of writing. It's a self-selecting crowd in some ways, and one of those ways is a tendency to improve-- and applaud each other's improving. The people who feel seriously that contests are worth winning tend to end up here because thesupport is here for the craft.
I wonder if that might have anything to do with it?
D), I don't think you get a vote on whether you are an AHer. You post here regularly, so that makes you an AHer--makes me an AHer too, which, I'm sure gives some folks here fits. Scouries is an AHer too, for that matter. (So, if he wins a contest, he logicially should whine about an AH winning the contest. 
)
Like saying a word that's listed as word in the dictionary isn't a word
The "I'm missing x votes" or "who need's votes?" postings to the regular contest AH thread is obviously an approach on voting. And I'm sure it works for a few votes--in ways any author entering a story and never coming to the forum doesn't/can't employ.
I think the truth is in the balance here. No, not every contest winner is an AHer; but, yes, AHers do buddy vote and, thus, do get a step up on others to some extent.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the contest winners stack up in the Earth Day Contest, which, I believe, is going to be finished off tomorrow (almost today).
Unless something dramatically shakes up, The top 3 aren't going to include anybody who posts here regularly. None were your top picks, but they were mentions under other wrap-up categories.
TX's story is competitive, but ineligible this time out.
There are a lot of AH regular comments on stories from those who don't visit in every contest, too. I know I've spotlighted stories from authors outside the forum here, and so have many others. They may not win or pick up enough votes to qualify, but it's not for lack of pointing them out
Oh, and scouries wouldn't be here if the moderator hadn't exiled him from the feedback forum, and the GBrs hadn't demanded he be removed from their midst as well when they dumped this train-wreck there for a day or so
I'm thinking that tonight we'll see sweeps like haven't happened on the contest before and there's no telling tonight who winds up winners tomorrow.
But Scouries is here, so the history of how he got here is moot. By definition he's an AH regular now. So, does that send you off for some Aspirin? Not me; I'm waiting for him to win so I can whine about AHers always winning the contests.
I'm thinking that tonight we'll see sweeps like haven't happened on the contest before and there's no telling tonight who winds up winners tomorrow.
But Scouries is here, so the history of how he got here is moot. By definition he's an AH regular now. So, does that send you off for some Aspirin? Not me; I'm waiting for him to win so I can whine about AHers always winning the contests.
Pardon the intrusion. I've been lurking around here lately, enjoying the exchange of ideas about the contests, sweeps and who does the winning. Since I seem to have won, I can provide a little input on some of the points that have been made.
I used to frequent the AH quite a bit back a couple of years ago, but quit when I managed to get second place in a contest and someone took a great deal of offense at that. That bit of unpleasantness seems to have disappeared and perhaps the perp did as well, so I'm resurfacing to test the waters.
I would assume that the premise that AH ers do well in contests may or may not include me, since I doubt whether many here knew/know me. I have no quid pro quo arrangements with any writers here, and I did not vote on any other stories in this contest, or in any other contest I have entered here.
I was included in the sweeps as well, losing at least 70 votes. This did not greatly affect the score, which was in the 4.77 to 4.83 range from the start. At last check, I had about 115 votes remaining.
As for how the sweeps work, I have no idea. I'm sure it's done with good reason and without malice, since Laurel and Manu don't have a dog in the fight. I don't know why I lost that many of my votes; I do not have a blog, an e-mail notification list or a website, and certainly don't have a legion of followers hanging on my every word and waiting for my command to vote early and often. I write the stories, submit them and wait. I mentioned the story to a total of 3 people, one of them being my wife. Not only didn't she vote, she didn't even read the damn thing. Ain't love wonderful?
I would like to thank the authors here at literotica for their integrity. It would be pretty easy to subtly do somebody in (perhaps people do try and get caught without anybody knowing) but I can say that I don't believe I've ever been a victim of that sort of thing here. Thank you to sl71plt for the kind words about my story in his review, and for the nice things he said about my alt's entry as well.
I understand that a story by TxRad would have been up there as well but had won a contest within 6 months. I guess that rule was put in so that the good writers didn't win everytime, and hacks like me get a chance. That takes a bit of the thrill out of it, but I'm still quite happy to be occassionally be thought of in the same breath as so many of the real writers here.
Count me amongst the storytellers.
