The Official Authors' Hangout Summer Lovin' 2025 Contest Support Thread

[EmilyMiller]

A general piece of feedback for people new to this maelstrom. I’m not sure how many comps I have entered over the last three years, but enough to know some things.

First any of you - like me - with an analytical brain, please don’t try to understand how competitions work. They are essentially random and open to all sorts of vicissitudes - some benign, some malign, some deliberate, some unintentional - and manipulations.

The only advice I can give entrants is to try not to have people hate you. There is so much power given to the negative by the ratings system that what often counts is not how many people love your work, but how few hate it (or you).

People get very competitive about these things, and all sorts of shenanigans can happen. Go into comps assuming it’s not an even playing field, else it will drive you crazy.

Don’t be dumb - like I have been at times - and equate comp success with validation of your work. There are so many other factors in play, including blind luck.

Treat it like buying a lottery ticket and you won’t go wrong. Someone has to win, but it most likely won’t be you. And there is not a lot you can do to influence the outcome. As I know myself (twice) just one actor can swing the result via tactical voting. You can’t stop it, so don’t sweat it.

So, in summary, don’t worry, be happy. And write something awesome for Halloween 2025 .

 

[StillStunned]

So, congrats one-star bombers, you win again, but this is kinda discouraging. I know the site does its best to root out manipulators, but in this case it makes me not want to enter any more contests.

The bombing has soured me on contests. And it's not just the story in the contest that gets bombed, it's your other stories as well.

When I was typing my post with the winning stories' scores I saw them plummet by as much as 0.2 within a matter of seconds, as the bombs fell on the winners. That kind of hate and jealousy is stuff I can do without in my life.

 

[NotWise]

The bombing has soured me on contests. And it's not just the story in the contest that gets bombed, it's your other stories as well.

When I was typing my post with the winning stories' scores I saw them plummet by as much as 0.2 within a matter of seconds, as the bombs fell on the winners. That kind of hate and jealousy is stuff I can do without in my life.

You can avoid that by not winning.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You can avoid that by not winning.

This is something I excel at. I’m totally awesome at coming fourth, fifth, or sixth .

 

[StillStunned]

I’m totally awesome at coming fourth, fifth, or sixth

The selfless one at the orgy.

 

[EmilyMiller]

The selfless one at the orgy.

Never been to an orgy. I’m much too self-centered for that .

 

[HuckPilgrim]

Congrats to the winners and everyone who submitted a story!

 

[Not2Pervy]

Congratulations to the winners! Winning, or even placing in these things is really hard. I believe it takes skill in writing, certainly, but also some luck in managing to hit that sweet spot with voters, especially when tastes and preferences are so diverse. My entry finished at 4.86 and I don’t know that I could ever possibly score higher, but I also don’t know that I can’t. Nothing to do but roll the dice and take what comes.

 

[Infernalcock]

Oh wow, unbelievable, I placed!

 

[lovecraft68]

Much as I'd like to say that I am a "savvy author" I honestly just forgot about the contest tag, lol. If it did make a difference, I just got lucky this time.

I don't think it matters much. I've never used one and may have placed in a few of these.

 

[Actingup]

A general piece of feedback for people new to this maelstrom. I’m not sure how many comps I have entered over the last three years, but enough to know some things.

First any of you - like me - with an analytical brain, please don’t try to understand how competitions work. The are essentially random and open to all sorts of vicissitudes - some benign, some malign, some deliberate, some unintentional - and manipulations.

The only advice I can give entrants is to try not to have people hate you. There is so much power given to the negative by the ratings system that what often counts is not how many people love your work, but how few hate it (or you).

People get very competitive about these things, and all sorts of shenanigans can happen. Go into comps assuming it’s not an even playing field, else it will drive you crazy.

Don’t be dumb - like I have been at times - and equate comp success with validation of your work. There are so many other factors in play, including blind luck.

Treat it like buying a lottery ticket and you won’t go wrong. Someone has to win, but it most likely won’t be you. And there is not a lot you can do to influence the outcome. As I know myself (twice) just one actor can swing the result via tactical voting. You can’t stop it, so don’t sweat it.

So, in summary, don’t worry, be happy. And write something awesome for Halloween 2025 .

Emily speaks wise words here. Last Halloween, I had to deal with the whole “I really think it will win something - no, it didn’t” thing with my story “Semi-detached” (a story I’m still proud of). I took off on a long haul international flight and it was sitting in a great place, and when I landed and switched my phone on again it wasn’t, and the winners had been announced. It was a gut punch, but since then I’ve learnt to relax a bit more. If we have 150+ entries to a comp with only three prizes, the odds are that we won’t win, whether or not people are gaming the system. And the sweeps do take a lot of the sting out of the bombing efforts even if the odd drone gets through.

My ‘Memories of Sandy’ ended on a respectable 4.81, but more importantly I learned a bit about writing taboo/incest, I had some delightful feedback and lots of readers, and I enjoyed the process. I don’t have any Halloween ideas yet Emily, but I’m writing a second Crime & Punishment story and I’ll think about Halloween after that.

Congratulations to the winners! I’ve read one of them but there are still many great stories in the comp that I haven’t read yet… so much summer fecundity…

 

[iwatchus]

Last Halloween, I had to deal with the whole “I really think it will win something - no, it didn’t” thing with my story “Semi-detached” (a story I’m still proud of). I took off on a long haul international flight and it was sitting in a great place, and when I landed and switched my phone on again it wasn’t, and the winners had been announced. It was a gut punch, but since then I’ve learnt to relax a bit more. If we have 150+ entries to a comp with only three prizes, the odds are that we won’t win, whether or not people are gaming the system. And the sweeps do take a lot of the sting out of the bombing efforts even if the odd drone get through.

I think it should have won. It is a wonderful story.

 

[Actingup]

I think it should have won. It is a wonderful story.

Thanks The actual winners were great though, and I eventually got my moment in the sun with the Nude Day comp alongside you, so I’m happy!

 

[EmilyMiller]

And the sweeps do take a lot of the sting out of the bombing efforts even if the odd drone get through.

And don’t be so naive as to think that bad actors don’t know how to avoid sweeps. It’s really not hard to figure out. Unless you have like 2,000 votes, one vandal can ruin your day with very little effort.

So, you can give the assholes what they crave, a feeling of power and relevance. Or you can celebrate the good things, like the approval of authors you respect, people you don’t know saying your story resonated with them, hell even people saying they climaxed to your words.

Putting art out there is fucking brave. Saying, I wrote this takes guts. Creating something is the only definition of divine I know.

Anyone can destroy. Anyone can rip stuff down. Anyone can be negative. Anyone can cheat and manipulate. Putting stuff out there week in and week out means you have already won. Anything else is a bonus.

 

[lovecraft68]

A general piece of feedback for people new to this maelstrom. I’m not sure how many comps I have entered over the last three years, but enough to know some things.

First any of you - like me - with an analytical brain, please don’t try to understand how competitions work. The are essentially random and open to all sorts of vicissitudes - some benign, some malign, some deliberate, some unintentional - and manipulations.

The only advice I can give entrants is to try not to have people hate you. There is so much power given to the negative by the ratings system that what often counts is not how many people love your work, but how few hate it (or you).

People get very competitive about these things, and all sorts of shenanigans can happen. Go into comps assuming it’s not an even playing field, else it will drive you crazy.

Don’t be dumb - like I have been at times - and equate comp success with validation of your work. There are so many other factors in play, including blind luck.

Treat it like buying a lottery ticket and you won’t go wrong. Someone has to win, but it most likely won’t be you. And there is not a lot you can do to influence the outcome. As I know myself (twice) just one actor can swing the result via tactical voting. You can’t stop it, so don’t sweat it.

So, in summary, don’t worry, be happy. And write something awesome for Halloween 2025 .

This is about as accurate as it gets with these things.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't add words like "site politics" "Vendettas" and "Cabals"

 

[EmilyMiller]

This is about as accurate as it gets with these things.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't add words like "site politics" "Vendettas" and "Cabals"

Hey!

Thanks

 

[Infernalcock]

Thanks The actual winners were great though, and I eventually got my moment in the sun with the Nude Day comp alongside you, so I’m happy!

This time last year I was salty and confused with the whole sweep thing, I've steered clear of even checking ratings this time.

Sad as it may seem, coming third in the literotica summer lovin' 2025 contest might just rank as my life's greatest achievement. Shame nobody I know in real life will ever find out my dirty little secret.

I'm off to read the first and second placed stories!

 

[Actingup]

So, you can give the assholes what they crave, a feeling of power and relevance. Or you can celebrate the good things, like the approval of authors you respect, people you don’t know saying your story resonated with them, hell even people saying they climaxed to your words.

Climaxed, laughed, or cried. Any of those! And all the other things you said.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Climaxed, laughed, or cried.

Even at the same time!

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm off to read the first and second placed stories!

Make sure to read others. The final rankings are so close, you will miss out on gems by only focusing on the two other winners.

FWIW, the best story I read was @Actingup’s and he was barred from winning.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Sad as it may seem, coming third in the literotica summer lovin' 2025 contest might just rank as my life's greatest achievement. Shame nobody I know in real life will ever find out my dirty little secret.

It's kinda sad when you frame it that way. I hope your accolade gets mentioned in your obit way down the line! Congrats on winning =)

 

[Actingup]

It's kinda sad when you frame it that way. I hope your accolade gets mentioned in your obit way down the line! Congrats on winning =)

We can always ask for ‘noted erotic author, writing under a pseudonym’ to be mentioned at our funerals. A conversation point for the wake!

 

[iwatchus]

I did tell me mother I won a prize in a writing contest, without mentioning what I wrote. Since she never asked what it was, I wonder if she suspects I didn't tell her for a reason.

 

[Inkent]

Never been to an orgy. I’m much too self-centered for that .

LOL, Just got home from something that may fit that description

 

[EmilyMiller]

LOL, Just got home from something that may fit that description

Was it in Ancient Rome?