The Authors' Hangout 2011 Halloween Contest Support Thread.

[SuperHeroRalph]

I partly agree with you, Freddie. To a some degree, the theme contests are about popularity of the individual authors rather than the quality of the stories, but this is not entirely so. I am certain there are people, including some on this forum, who have personal animus toward me and watch the new stories listing or my index so they can one-bomb anything new by me. This would be especially so in contests. I have observed how many of my stories have ratings of about 3.50 or lower after the first day, and how the scores creep upward to the neighborhood of 4.50 after some honest votes are cast. There's not much I can do about this, since I also refuse to kiss ass (figuratively speaking) on this forum or others.

However, this only applies to a relatively small number of votes. I have some fans who like to read my smut, and they have often told me as much. They are among the ones who vote honestly, and they are the reason my scores rise after a few days. That's not to say they all vote a "5" but some of them do. The problem is a one-bomb can offset many fives. Consider this: After ten votes, a story has a score of 4.90, which would result from nine votes of five and one of four. Somebody comes along and one-bombs it, and the score drops to 4.55. In order to return to 4.90, that story would need forty "5" votes and nothing lower.

You know as well as I there are two kinds of story on Lit. One kind is the carefully crafted tale you apparently aspire to, of carefullly drawn characters, believable dialogue and clever plots. There is also the kind I usually write, which are strictly stroke, and include graphic descriptions of sexual activity. I believe both styles are equally valid. The highest compliment I can receive from readers is one telling me how hard or wet they get and how they love to wank or frig from reading my smut.

Sometimes I try to write stories of the first type I describe, but I think it's more fun to write stroke, so that's what I mostly do.

Thanks Box for taking the time to explain about the 5 votes needed to offset a one bomb. Hopefully the Literotica vacuum sweeps all those away.

Good luck in the contest.

 

[sr71plt]

Not that this formula hasn't been posted to the forum over and over again for years and years.

 

[Foeofthelance]

Can someone explain the concepts of sweeps to those of us picking up the lingo as we go?

 

[Darkniciad]

Lit periodically removes votes considered illegitimate. These are known as "sweeps" or sometimes "the Hoover".

The only known criteria are votes from the same IP/ID, and votes inconsistent with the voting pattern of the story ( usually removes 1-bomb votes ) There are most likely other factors that will trigger the Hoover, but they're only speculation. The above two have been confirmed by Laurel in the past.

After all, if everything the sweeps were looking for was known, it would be like installing an expensive security system and then posting a wiring diagram on a billboard in your front lawn

Contest sweeps are especially brutal. This applies to both themed contests and the montly contests ( which are usually quite far behind ) My speculation is that contest sweeps search farther back in the IP, attempting to remove sneaky multi-votes by people with rotating IPs. It probably gets a lot of legitimate votes by people living near to each other, unfortunately.

It's common for a story to lose between 15-30% of the max votes received during the contest sweeps.

 

[sr71plt]

Scouries can't face up to entering another version of his story to the contest this time--so, I whipped up one for him today.

 

[PennLady]

Well I have to say I wouldn't mind a few sweeps. I've been between 4.33 and 4.45 all day. Ah well.

But thanks to Dark for figuring it out -- my brain just doesn't work that way.

 

[Darkniciad]

Well I have to say I wouldn't mind a few sweeps. I've been between 4.33 and 4.45 all day. Ah well.

But thanks to Dark for figuring it out -- my brain just doesn't work that way.

The pattern for the last couple of years has been that the sweeps don't really start until the submission period ends.

Any vanishing votes prior to that are probably the result of normal "housekeeping" sweeps.

 

[PennLady]

The pattern for the last couple of years has been that the sweeps don't really start until the submission period ends.

Any vanishing votes prior to that are probably the result of normal "housekeeping" sweeps.

In all seriousness, although I am decent with math, when it comes to trying to account for various numerical things, I seem to have missed a synapse or two. Just doesn't work for me. But that's why you're here.

 

[Darkniciad]

It's less math and more understanding the dark underbelly of a website from coding and moderating so many of them over the years.

The computer does the math

 

[sr71plt]

Well, the reality is that if you keep telling folks how good you expect your ratings to be--especially on the contest thread--you can count on being disappointed.

I think most (who haven't mashaled their kaffee-klatshes) who win contests here do so by flying low.

 

[PennLady]

Well, the reality is that if you keep telling folks how good you expect your ratings to be--especially on the contest thread--you can count on being disappointed.

I think most (who haven't mashaled their kaffee-klatshes) who win contests here do so by flying low.

True, true. So I'll say nothing more.

Well okay one more thing -- I actually didn't know what to expect on this story. When I've stepped outside my romantic zone, as it were, it's been interesting to see reaction.

My concern with numbers lately is really that the Capitals can't seem to count -- at least two penalties for too many men on the ice the other night. Idiots.

 

[sr71plt]

True, true. So I'll say nothing more.

Well okay one more thing -- I actually didn't know what to expect on this story. When I've stepped outside my romantic zone, as it were, it's been interesting to see reaction.

My concern with numbers lately is really that the Capitals can't seem to count -- at least two penalties for too many men on the ice the other night. Idiots.

Well, I'll say I haven't read yours--and I have read some. I don't have time to read a four-page Lit. story and also be writing my own.

 

[Darkniciad]

Here's tonight's track.

10 new stories brings us up to 64

The average score is 4.07 and the median 4.15

The average vote total is 175 with a median of 82 and a total of 9429

No doubt the ten stories posting today will push us over the 10k vote barrier when the data shows up tomorrow.

Eight days left. Time's running out to get your story in!

EDIT: That's what I get for being lazy. I keep forgetting that I've clicked some of these stories prior to doing the track. I was depending upon the "you didn't click this yet" to tell me what stories I hadn't recorded yet.

Correcting that now. Should actually be 67 stories in the contest. Caught two that posted today and added them already. Now just need to figure out where I missed the last one

EDIT 2: Found and fixed. I missed one in the previous group of stories as well. I always used to count the contest list every night to double check for this. Lazy, lazy Dark...

 

[Boxlicker101]

Here's tonight's track.

10 new stories brings us up to 64

The average score is 4.07 and the median 4.15

The average vote total is 175 with a median of 82 and a total of 9429

No doubt the ten stories posting today will push us over the 10k vote barrier when the data shows up tomorrow.

Eight days left. Time's running out to get your story in!

EDIT: That's what I get for being lazy. I keep forgetting that I've clicked some of these stories prior to doing the track. I was depending upon the "you didn't click this yet" to tell me what stories I hadn't recorded yet.

Correcting that now. Should actually be 67 stories in the contest. Caught two that posted today and added them already. Now just need to figure out where I missed the last one

EDIT 2: Found and fixed. I missed one in the previous group of stories as well. I always used to count the contest list every night to double check for this. Lazy, lazy Dark...

I believe we have just an hour short of ten days, until midnight Eastern Time, Oct 22. I hope I have enough time to finish the three stories I am still working on.

 

[Darkniciad]

Knew I should have looked. I never seem to remember the dates right for some reason.

Yep, 10 days -- just short of now.

Where I got the 20th I don't know, but I've had that in my head pretty much since the beginning.

 

[Sugary_Comfort]

Finally!

I think I'm nearing the beginning of the end of my story. And I've been pleasantly surprised with the things that have come up.

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to have the main character get her man back or leave altogether.

And suddenly, just now, a new man has appeared! I hadn't even thought about bringing another character in. It just happened and I'm kind of liking this new guy. This could turn out to have a little romance in it lofl!

I didn't plan anything for this piece. I just knew what I wanted the overall plot to be.

And I realized I haven't exactly described the main character. I think all I wrote about her is her height, hair color, and her breasts.

It could be just fine that way, allowing the reader to imagine whatever features they prefer, but I know some people do like a little more description. But short of just inserting some lame part where the chick is looking herself over in a mirror and going on about her looks, I don't see how I could do it, unless I have another character mention a feature here and there.

It's told in first person since I seem to do better with that, but yeah.

I don't know. What do y'all think? Should try to describe the main character a little more?

 

[Boxlicker101]

Finally!

I think I'm nearing the beginning of the end of my story. And I've been pleasantly surprised with the things that have come up.

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to have the main character get her man back or leave altogether.

And suddenly, just now, a new man has appeared! I hadn't even thought about bringing another character in. It just happened and I'm kind of liking this new guy. This could turn out to have a little romance in it lofl!

I didn't plan anything for this piece. I just knew what I wanted the overall plot to be.

And I realized I haven't exactly described the main character. I think all I wrote about her is her height, hair color, and her breasts.

It could be just fine that way, allowing the reader to imagine whatever features they prefer, but I know some people do like a little more description. But short of just inserting some lame part where the chick is looking herself over in a mirror and going on about her looks, I don't see how I could do it, unless I have another character mention a feature here and there.

It's told in first person since I seem to do better with that, but yeah.

I don't know. What do y'all think? Should try to describe the main character a little more?

Characters do that a lot. They take over the story, and do things you hadn't thought about, and sometimes don't want them to do.

You don't want to overdo the description. Maybe just say something like: short and slender, with long brown hair. If her figure is an important part of the plot, you might go into more detail about it. You might even describe her while describing the man, such as: John had always preferred petite women, such as Mary, especially when they had long blonde hair as she had.

The amount of description really depends on how important her looks are.

 

[Sugary_Comfort]

Characters do that a lot. They take over the story, and do things you hadn't thought about, and sometimes don't want them to do.

You don't want to overdo the description. Maybe just say something like: short and slender, with long brown hair. If her figure is an important part of the plot, you might go into more detail about it. You might even describe her while describing the man, such as: John had always preferred petite women, such as Mary, especially when they had long blonde hair as she had.

The amount of description really depends on how important her looks are.

Eh her looks aren't important at all except to maybe give the reader something to think about should they choose to do some stuff while reading.

I didn't bother with her overall figure cause it just seems like it's implied she's most likely thin due to the costume I've got her in.

I know I could probably go a little bit more in depth later on in the story, but that wouldn't do much good for the stuff before that. I don't know how I'd incorporate it into the stuff in the beginning without sounding like the chick is talking herself up or something. Like I said, it's first person.

 

[scouries]

We've got another one!!!!

Did any of you notice who submitted a contest story today?

No I don't mean our two "quantity before quality" SURVIVALISTS!

I'm talking about the 17th MOST FAVORITED Author on the site.

Lets all give a big round of welcoming applause to the talented

[size=+3]Ahabscribe[/SIZE]

http://home.earthlink.net/~old-etcher/83-Ahab.jpg​

 

[LunaEroticaMystica]

Sugary Comfort, glad you're back in the flow. I am too. You getting any rest? How's baby doing? Have a bag packed and prepared just in case baby surprises you earlier than you are thinking?

 

[PennLady]

Sugary Comfort, glad you're back in the flow. I am too. You getting any rest? How's baby doing? Have a bag packed and prepared just in case baby surprises you earlier than you are thinking?

Sugary -- congrats and good luck! Babies can surprise you in amazing ways. My daughter was scheduled for a C-section and she was still three days early.

 

[PennLady]

Now here's something I didn't notice before. If I look at my submissions on my profile, the score on my latest story is 4.26. On my public submissions page, it's 4.39. Anyone else have that?

 

[Sugary_Comfort]

Thanks, I'm glad to finally be getting somewhere with it. I'm going to try and write more tonight but we'll see how that goes. I would love to sit and watch my guilty pleasures of The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle, but I can't find the remote to my DTV box and since my mom's hubby is back from hunting, it means he gets the TV. I wish I could make them go to their room and watch TV on nights when there's something I want to watch but nothing on they do. Oh well.

Baby is doing just fine. Had an appointment today. Because it's the 36 week appointment I got the lovely group B strep swab done. Though I'll take that over cervical checks any day. Had my first cervical check of the pregnancy done and it freaking hurt. And the nurse midwife was like, "There will be some light bleeding from it." I said ok already know that and when I got home was shocked at how much blood there was. I've spotted a few times during the pregnancy but this was ridiculous and some of it was probably the mucus plug because there was a little clot or two.

But my little man is nice and comfy in there. Only 1cm dilated, which I figured already and I suppose my cervix isn't shortened in the least, though I know it's ripened. Baby ain't coming out any time too soon. If he did, I'd be super surprised.

I still haven't gotten the hospital bag packed. My nesting instinct has not kicked in so I still have yet to get to the pile of clothes on my floor and in my closet that need to be put in drawers or in boxes since it's pretty much winter outside. Had birthing classes last week and am looking for a doula. It's late to look for one but that's because when I was going to give birth at the birthing center I didn't intend on having one since everything they did, I wanted. But now that I'll be delivering at the hospital I want one to make sure nothing unnecessary is done. Not to mention I need one there since it'll be just me and my mom and my mom can't be with me the entire time or she'll faint from seeing me in pain. She also doesn't have the strength for massages or relieving back labor pains.

So yeah! Three more weeks and two days until my due date. So close!

Oh and I got to see my baby's junk for the first time since about two months ago I think and I'm still amazed by it. I can only imagine how big everything will be from being engorged after birth. They're already huge. lofl!

 

[Darkniciad]

Now here's something I didn't notice before. If I look at my submissions on my profile, the score on my latest story is 4.26. On my public submissions page, it's 4.39. Anyone else have that?

And if you look at the score on the toplists, you may very well find a different number. Same for the category hubs. You might even find different numbers on the "New" section and the "Recently Popular" of that page.

Everything updates at different times during the day. Your private author page is the only one that updates in real time.

 

[PennLady]

Everything updates at different times during the day. Your private author page is the only one that updates in real time.

Oh, well, now I'm depressed.