Not a whine (well maybe) - re official comps

[FrancesScott]

Does anyone else find the seasonal themes of the official comps rather restricting?

Was there ever a comp that was just for most popular story, regardless of whether it was set in Summer or Winter? It seems to me that a very small subsection of stories fit into each comp. Maybe that’s the intention.

And yes I know that restrictions can boost creativity, but they can also, well, restrict it.

And I understand that it might be more difficult to compare two entries with wholly different themes, but that assumes the voting process is actually fair, as opposed to the normal on-line popularity contest, which would still work just as well / badly as it does now.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Does anyone else find the seasonal themes of the official comps rather restricting?

Yes, to the extent that I don't bother. It's worse for me too, because I'm in Australia, so the seasonal themes are all back to front, and I don't give a toss about Halloween.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Well, they need to be topical and have start/end dates, so ....

 

[THBGato]

Was there ever a comp that was just for most popular story, regardless of whether it was set in Summer or Winter?

Wasn't that what the monthly awards were about? I joined just after they stopped, so I'm not really sure.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Call me a grinch, but Christmas just isnt an erotic holiday and, conversely, Valentines is too generically romantic to be too interesting. Summer and Nude day feel like they are doubled up. I think the non-competition events are more interesting for the most part.

 

[NotWise]

I think the restrictions to specific themes are for the fun of it--much like the author-sponsored events. The site has a monthly "contest" that isn't restricted by theme or category, but awards are only announced when Laurel has time.

If your story doesn't fit the current contest theme, then save it for it for one it does fit. If it won't fit into any then don't put it in a themed contest.

 

[THBGato]

The site has a monthly "contest" that isn't restricted by theme or category, but awards are only announced when Laurel has time.

Didn't these basically stop in 2023? I've never seen one awarded in the 18 months I've been on the site.

 

[NotWise]

Didn't these basically stop in 2023? I've never seen one awarded in the 18 months I've been on the site.

Maybe. The last entry on the official announcement page is from 2022. Announcements have been erratic for the 10 years I've been here. Laurel catches up every now and then.

 

[TheLobster]

Call me a grinch, but Christmas just isnt an erotic holiday and, conversely, Valentines is too generically romantic to be too interesting. Summer and Nude day feel like they are doubled up. I think the non-competition events are more interesting for the most part.

That's my main beef with the contests: the themes. They are just bad, trite and boring, and of course they never change. Summer one is basically the only contest with lasting appeal, enabling diverse and creative stories; everything else is too schematic, and Nude Day is probably the worst.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

^^^ What else would they do?

I suppose maybe the Hammer event?

Pick up on the old Reader's Digest sections like Humor In Uniform ?

 

[NotWise]

That's my main beef with the contests: the themes. They are just bad, trite and boring, and of course they never change. Summer one is basically the only contest with lasting appeal, enabling diverse and creative stories; everything else is too schematic, and Nude Day is probably the worst.

Other people have their own opinions about the themes. Some authors hate Summer Loving. The theme won't make your story bad, trite, and boring. Only you can do that.

 

[TheLobster]

What else would they do?

Raising the profile of some of the author-organized events into official contests would be a good start.

A wildcard contest slot, which has a different theme each year, would be another improvement.

Something less US-centric in place of Halloween nonsense would be yet another.

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't see them as so limiting. The guidelines allow an extreme degree of latitude in interpreting the theme.

What would be better?

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

From the Reader's Digest Wiki ....


"The magazine's format for several decades consisted of 30 articles per issue (one per day), along with an "It Pays to Increase your Word Power" vocabulary quiz, a page of "Amusing Anecdotes" and "Personal Glimpses", two features of funny stories entitled "Humor in Uniform" and "Life in these United States", and a lengthier article at the end, usually condensed from a published book. Other regular features were "My Most Unforgettable Character" (since discontinued), the "Drama in Real Life" survival stories, and more recently "That's Outrageous".


Possible generic topics.


Maybe change the one to "Arousal in Uniform."


Pay homage to the old TV series "Red Shoe Diaries" which didn't always focus on red shoes.

 

[TheLobster]

Other people have their own opinions about the themes. Some authors hate Summer Loving. The theme won't make your story bad, trite, and boring. Only you can do that.

One of these days I should scrape the tags of Nude Day stories, sanitize repetitions, and make a histogram of most popular topics.

Something tells me that a sizeable fraction would slot into 'nude beach', 'broken A/C' and 'nudist family'.

 

[TheLobster]

What would be better?

Like I suggested above, the unofficial challenges are often much more interesting than the official ones. On the Job and Yay Team in particular would have an obvious, broad appeal, moreso than Nude Day or Halloween.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

One of these days I should scrape the tags of Nude Day stories, sanitize repetitions, and make a histogram of most popular topics.

Like I suggested above, the unofficial challenges are often much more interesting than the official ones. On the Job and Yay Team in particular would have an obvious, broad appeal, moreso than Nude Day or Halloween.

My Mannequin entry hit both of those. My Heidi entry was neither.

 

[NotWise]

Like I suggested above, the unofficial challenges are often much more interesting than the official ones. On the Job and Yay Team in particular would have an obvious, broad appeal, moreso than Nude Day or Halloween.

The author-sponsored challenges get you very little in terms of eyes on your story. The contests produce a lot of view.

Aside from that, what you find interesting is a personal thing. I've published stories to the whole cycle of themed contests, but the only author-sponsored events I've participated in are Pink Orchid and One Night in XXX (a one-shot event). They generally don't interest me.

 

[TheLobster]

The author-sponsored challenges get you very little in terms of eyes on your story. The contests produce a lot of view.

Exactly. It makes it so those few bland topics get undue, repeated exposure every year. It makes you feel like you are wasting some of the effort you put into writing an unofficial challenge entry when you could work on your official contest submission instead.

It is precisely for this reason, primarily, that I'd like to see some author challenges become official.

 

[FrancesScott]

For me, it’s the dichotomy between the comps being rather restrictive - like Nude Day is only really going to appeal to E/V writers - and also writing for them seems like the main way to get lasting exposure.

Sure you could treat them like a writing exercise, but is that going to lead to a story you put your heart and soul into? I’m not going to write a novella on a theme I have little interest in. I suspect it’s the same for others.

Soemone asked about what’s the alternative? I’d say four comps a year with no restrictions on theme. Greater flexibility and still the scope for exposure.

 

[FrancesScott]

Well, they need to be topical

Why?

 

[SimonDoom]

For me, it’s the dichotomy between the comps being rather restrictive - like Nude Day is only really going to appeal to E/V writers - and also writing for them seems like the main way to get lasting exposure.

Sure you could treat them like a writing exercise, but is that going to lead to a story you put your heart and soul into? I’m not going to write a novella on a theme I have little interest in. I suspect it’s the same for others.

Soemone asked about what’s the alternative? I’d say four comps a year with no restrictions on theme. Greater flexibility and still the scope for exposure.

But what would be the point of that, from the point of view of readers or the site? Suppose the site replaced the current system with quarterly contests, with no theme at all. What's the point? It doesn't add anything to the site.

Annual thematic contests stir interest because they force authors to write to a topic that, presumably, has some appeal for readers. Readers can sample different stories for a theme. Presumably, not all readers are interested in all topics, but enough readers are interested in enough topics that the net result is to increase reader interest. I assume that's what's happening, and I don't see how a theme-less contest system would improve on that. I don't think readers would care, and that's the ultimate rub for this site--reader interest.

 

[FrancesScott]

Annual thematic contests stir interest because they force authors to write to a topic that, presumably, has some appeal for readers.

What do you base this claim on? Not being challenging, I just don’t see it as being self-evidently true. I’m not sure we can say that readers want one thing vs another. I don’t see why non-themed comps would be inherently unfriendly to readers.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Like it or not Halloween has become a huge mostly adult oriented holiday in the US.
The site prioritizes what the readers want, and Halloween is popular.
Why does the Hallmark Chanel make a million Christmas movies? Because people watch them. It's what the market wants.

That said, I'm pretty mehhh on Nude Day.

 

[FrancesScott]

Like it or not Halloween has become a huge mostly adult oriented holiday in the US.
The site prioritizes what the readers want, and Halloween is popular.
Why does the Hallmark Chanel make a million Christmas movies? Because people watch them. It's what the market wants.

That said, I'm pretty mehhh on Nude Day.

I can cope with Halloween. I can kind of cope with Valentine’s. But April Fool’s? Nude Day? Summer Lovin’? Winter Holidays?

I feel we have some arguments here which are along the lines of: it’s always been that way. It’s kind of staid and stale in my own personal opinion. I say that as a reader as well as a writer.