2012 Survivor News & Views: Announcements and Discussions for the Survivorphile

[sr71plt]

I don't know why Freddie bothers with alts. He can easily be identified after only a post or two.

[Boxlicker101]

Originally Posted by sr71plt

I don't know why Freddie bothers with alts. He can easily be identified after only a post or two.

Some of the names that might be alts have only posted a few times.

[YoursSINSerely]

Originally Posted by SusanJillParker

Sorry, Annie Alt, blame it on my blonde hair, but perhaps you can point out to everyone all the attacks made by me, just a few posts later, that wasn't instigated by you and others because I can't find any.

Maybe if you just minded you own business and stopped attacking me, I'd stop kicking you in the ass.

What did I tell you? When are you going to listen to me? GEES!

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Is it absolutely necessary to post "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes section of the story? I'm not seeing my stories approved any faster, if anything they seem to be approving slower, because by placing notes in the field, it sends the story to a live person, instead of allowing the "bots" to place it - right?

If I don't have to put "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes field, except closer to the end of the contest, then could I possibly get my stories posted faster?

Thanks.

[CrimsonMaiden]

Originally Posted by RedHairedandFriendly

Is it absolutely necessary to post "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes section of the story? I'm not seeing my stories approved any faster, if anything they seem to be approving slower, because by placing notes in the field, it sends the story to a live person, instead of allowing the "bots" to place it - right?

If I don't have to put "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes field, except closer to the end of the contest, then could I possibly get my stories posted faster?

Thanks.

You only have to put that in the note field toward the end of the year. The rest of the time, you can just post them as normal. I have no idea if doing that makes approval slower or faster.

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Originally Posted by CrimsonMaiden

You only have to put that in the note field toward the end of the year. The rest of the time, you can just post them as normal. I have no idea if doing that makes approval slower or faster.

Thanks.

I'll test out the "Note" and "no note" theory on my next submission. So far all my work is going into a 70 + view before being approved and there really isn't anything "odd" about any of them, and only one I truly need someone to read and make a decision on the category for me, because it covered a wide range of topics in a short amount of words 10K.

[Darkniciad]

Originally Posted by RedHairedandFriendly

Thanks.

I'll test out the "Note" and "no note" theory on my next submission. So far all my work is going into a 70 + view before being approved and there really isn't anything "odd" about any of them, and only one I truly need someone to read and make a decision on the category for me, because it covered a wide range of topics in a short amount of words 10K.

You've missed all the discussion about this. Those "views" are a glitch. Nobody's actually looking at your story while those accumulate.

I've never noticed having a note in the notes section changing the approval speed, but no sense putting it in there if you don't need it, as Crim said.

The approval rate is running about 5 days right now, as opposed to 3 as it's been for a couple of years now. So what may seem slow to you may in fact be the new ( current ) norm.

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Originally Posted by Darkniciad

You've missed all the discussion about this. Those "views" are a glitch. Nobody's actually looking at your story while those accumulate.

I've never noticed having a note in the notes section changing the approval speed, but no sense putting it in there if you don't need it, as Crim said.

The approval rate is running about 5 days right now, as opposed to 3 as it's been for a couple of years now. So what may seem slow to you may in fact be the new ( current ) norm.

Thank-you. I often miss discussion in other threads, so thanks for slipping in and letting me know what's up. I appreciate it.

I'll forgo the notes unless needed in regards to placing a story such as the one I mentioned a few days back in the Writing Goal thread.

[Boxlicker101]

Originally Posted by RedHairedandFriendly

Is it absolutely necessary to post "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes section of the story? I'm not seeing my stories approved any faster, if anything they seem to be approving slower, because by placing notes in the field, it sends the story to a live person, instead of allowing the "bots" to place it - right?

If I don't have to put "Survivor Contest 2012" in the notes field, except closer to the end of the contest, then could I possibly get my stories posted faster?

Thanks.

In previous years, it did make a difference. I have included that note and got stories posted as if they were theme contest entries. Last year, I did submit one story in late Dec. and it took four or five days. At that time, everything was taking longer, so it might have made some diff. but not much.

In the case of theme contest entries, being sent to a live person does seem to expedite them.

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Originally Posted by Boxlicker101

In previous years, it did make a difference. I have included that note and got stories posted as if they were theme contest entries. Last year, I did submit one story in late Dec. and it took four or five days. At that time, everything was taking longer, so it might have made some diff. but not much.

In the case of theme contest entries, being sent to a live person does seem to expedite them.

Thanks. I guess I'll play it by ear. If I feel there is a difference I'll let folks know. If, like Dark suggests, this could be the new norm, than I'll see it no matter with/without the note.

[CrimsonMaiden]

Okay, here is what I feel was the biggest problem with allowing chapters (and I really don't think the cap levels will keep it from happening). There were participants (and I am not pointing fingers at just one person here. There were more than one that did this) who would put a passing reference to a cross dresser or a kiss between a crossdresser and his/her partner and put it in the cross dresser category. We would have chapters with nothing erotic in them whatsoever. Maybe just a statement that the couple kissed...and it would get put in one of the erotic story categories.

The whole point behind the Survivor contest is to write as many new & original stories as possible. Chapters aren't new and original. They are just a continuation of an existing story.

If you go back to the old way, instead of someone writing a story with 3,000 words, they are going to take that story and break it into three chapters because it would fill the cap level for that category.

From the looks of the poll, we were really at two choices (and I am sticking with the 7-7 tie because I only have proof of 9 IDs belonging to one person, not 12): allow chapters or don't allow.

So, I don't see the point of doing a poll, but lets just answer it here and do it this way.

Using only ONE user ID, please post here in this thread what you want to do. Just post the phrase ALLOW CHAPTERS or NO CHAPTERS to cast your vote. Just the two words for which you wish to have happen. We will allow until tomorrow midnight EST time. At that point, we will see where we are and hopefully come to some conclusion. Please just vote one time per actual living, breathing, person.

[RedHairedandFriendly]

No Chapters

[SusanJillParker]

I'm alive (gulp). I'm living (cough). I'm breathing (wheeze).

I vote NO CHAPTERS

[theravenfox]

No chapters

[Noira]

Allow chapters.

Honestly, I probably won't write a chaptered story, I just want to not be afraid to write more than one story about the same character.

[SusanJillParker]

Originally Posted by Noira

Allow chapters.

Honestly, I probably won't write a chaptered story, I just want to not be afraid to write more than one story about the same character.

So long as your story is a separate stand alone story that is not a continuation of another larger story, I don't see any problem with using the same character in another, new story.

[Kaishaku]

Chapters


K.

[PrincessErin]

.....

[Boxlicker101]

No chapters.

I really don't like the idea of being unable to score with two or more stories about the same characters, but I consider it worth it to avoid the abuses that happened a few years ago.

[Noira]

Originally Posted by SusanJillParker

So long as your story is a separate stand alone story that is not a continuation of another larger story, I don't see any problem with using the same character in another, new story.

I'm sure you don't, but it's amazing how your opinion isn't actually the deciding ruling factor. As far as I understand it, merely using the same characters will involve your story being determined a chapter, even if Joe is twelve years older.

People will abuse rules or lacks thereof. I think it may not be a case of "we need to add chapters" but, "we need to define a complete qualifying story in a simple manner and then make that a rule." That may very well mean "a beginning, a sex scene, a conclusion/orgasm" on this site, and I think those qualifications should be good enough for Survivor, and good enough to prevent this "nonsensical chapter chopping" that is apparently such a huge problem to make what appears to me to be 80% of the stories on the site disqualified from this contest. (I'm not even kidding. I hate reading chaptered stories on here and I can rarely find good one-offs. D: ) And stories being miscatagorized (such as Crim's "mention of a crossdresser") is really up to the mods who are allowing the stories to be posted... after all, they're supposed to be reviewing to make sure the content is A-okay and in the right category. I'm not entirely sure that's the Survivor contest's job to police since stories are under what appears to be strict approval... or they wouldn't take so darn long to post. D:

I kind of hate that a quantity-over-quality contest needs so many rules. I really wish it were just "if you can get it approved by the site mods as a story, it counts; whoever gets the most of them weeeens!"

[SusanJillParker]

Originally Posted by Noira

I'm sure you don't, but it's amazing how your opinion isn't actually the deciding ruling factor. As far as I understand it, merely using the same characters will involve your story being determined a chapter, even if Joe is twelve years older.

People will abuse rules or lacks thereof. I think it may not be a case of "we need to add chapters" but, "we need to define a complete qualifying story in a simple manner and then make that a rule." That may very well mean "a beginning, a sex scene, a conclusion/orgasm" on this site, and I think those qualifications should be good enough for Survivor, and good enough to prevent this "nonsensical chapter chopping" that is apparently such a huge problem to make what appears to me to be 80% of the stories on the site disqualified from this contest. (I'm not even kidding. I hate reading chaptered stories on here and I can rarely find good one-offs. D: ) And stories being miscatagorized (such as Crim's "mention of a crossdresser") is really up to the mods who are allowing the stories to be posted... after all, they're supposed to be reviewing to make sure the content is A-okay and in the right category. I'm not entirely sure that's the Survivor contest's job to police since stories are under what appears to be strict approval... or they wouldn't take so darn long to post. D:

I kind of hate that a quantity-over-quality contest needs so many rules. I really wish it were just "if you can get it approved by the site mods as a story, it counts; whoever gets the most of them weeeens!"

Pardon me, but I take exception to your tone. I take exception to what you wrote, how you wrote it, and your inferrence that the Survivor contest is only quantity rather than quality. Maybe it is for you, but it's not for me.

I write the best, new stand alone story that I can. The problem with the Survivor contest in the past was all about chapter stories. The past was all about quantity over quality, which is why to win the contest before, a writer needed a minimum of 300 stories.

Back then, in order for a writer to remain competitive, he or she had to write as many shitty, little chapter stories that the other contestants were writing.

Perhaps, if you want to continue writing your chapter stories, the Survivor contest is not for you.

I think the contest was a better contest in 2011 and 2010 without chapter stories.

The Survivor contest has enough rules. We don't need to add more rules to define what constitutes a chapter story and what doesn't. And surely, we don't need the moderators involved making arbitrary decisions of what is a valid chapter story posted to this cateogory or that category.

I don't write chapter stories and I agree with your low opinion of the chapter stories posted on the site. It appears that those who write chapter stories cannot write, so why bring chapter stories into Survivor?

I think we had a fairer contest in the past 2 years without chapter stories. You said it yourself that people will always abuse the rules, so why add more rules that others will take advantange of by twisting them?

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Originally Posted by SusanJillParker

I don't write chapter stories and I agree with your low opinion of the chapter stories posted on the site. It appears that those who write chapter stories cannot write, so why bring chapter stories into Survivor?

I write chapter stories and I write very well - and yes saying that may make me vain, but when a person knows they can do something and do it well, they are allowed to be a little vain.

I changed my vote back to no chapters this time around and from chapters on the poll vote because I'm back and forth on the issue. I see the positives and the negatives.

My idea answer would be allow one chapter per category and only one, no matter what cap it is, there is only one chapter allowed - period. But I'm going with "no chapters" because the system will be abused.

[SusanJillParker]

Originally Posted by RedHairedandFriendly

I write chapter stories and I write very well - and yes saying that may make me vain, but when a person knows they can do something and do it well, they are allowed to be a little vain.

I changed my vote back to no chapters this time around and from chapters on the poll vote because I'm back and forth on the issue. I see the positives and the negatives.

My idea answer would be allow one chapter per category and only one, no matter what cap it is, there is only one chapter allowed - period. But I'm going with "no chapters" because the system will be abused.

Even though she was trying to defend chapter stories, if you read Noira's post, she made the argument why we shouldn't have chapter stories.

If the chapter story is the low road of quantity over quality, why not take the higher road and not allow chapter stories?

The bottom line is, chapter or no chapter, what does it matter? I'll be writing stories anyway. It's just about the story for me and not about attacking someone, just because they made a post.

[PrincessErin]

.....

[SusanJillParker]

Originally Posted by PrincessErin

Yes Freddie.

This isn't the place to argue - just to vote. We can never make everyone happy but this is a contest that is quantity over quality. End of story.

Arguing? Who's arguing?

Just because the Survivor contest is a contest that the most stories in the most categories wins, doesn't mean that a writer must sacrifice quality for quantity.

I dare say, a writer is not only doing a disservice to his or her fans but also to him or herself by only writing a huge number of stories for the sake of scoring a point in the contest, without regard to the quality of the story.

I sense a bit of anger in your message. Is it because you only write for quantity? Is it because you are unable to write a quality story? No matter.

You have my permission (lol), to write whatever you want, Erin. We have different agendas with regards to this contest and with regards to crafting a story. You enjoy stirring up shit and writing shit and I don't.

Moreover, you write to win, whereas I write to improve my writing skills. I've grown as a writer and you've remained the same. Actually you've stunted your growth as a writer by writing the same, sad stories that have no plot, no character development, no dialogue, and no sex.

I hope you get what you want, Erin. I've already gotten what I want. I don't have to win this contest to be a winner. I already am.

Good luck to you in the contest.