The Recipe for a Guaranteed Contest Winner

[RodenAddison]

Cool, thanks.

 

[MatthewVett]

Hey if it means anything to you, I liked your cousin story. I didn't vote because I think authors votes are swept. I also didn't comment because supposedly an author commenting on another in a contest could lead to trolling

I think we need an official contest do's and don't's handbook.

Thanks! I had fun writing the story, although I feel the first evening is so superior to the rest of the story... I'm thinking about possibly doing a follow-up, we'll see about that.

I generally just vote and comment if I feel like it. And I would like an official guideline, though. Maybe pick three experienced authors and lock them in a room until it's done?

 

[lovecraft68]

Maybe pick three experienced authors and lock them in a room until it's done?

Whoa, now that's a plot bunny!

So okay, Emerald Kitten, and silkstockinglover can get in a room with me and we'll.... eventually get something done

 

[oggbashan]

...

I think we need an official contest do's and don't's handbook.

Here's a start:

Do

1. Do - Write, complete and submit the story in time for the contest.

2. Do - Make the story obviously fit the theme.

3. Do - Submit it in the correct category.

Don't

1. Don't - Forget to put the Contest information in the Notes field.

2. Don't - Write a chaptered story, nor a chapter from a continuing story.

3. Don't - Write poetry. It is a Story contest.

4. Don't - Make it too long. Three Lit pages is about as much as readers will manage unless you have written a very interesting plot.

5. Don't - Leave your submission until the last day. You might miss the contest.

6. Don't - Pay attention to trolls, rude comments from Anon, voting fluctuations before the last sweep. All those can annoy you needlessly.

I'm sure that more Dos and Don'ts can be added.

 

[lovecraft68]

Here's a start:

Do

1. Do - Write, complete and submit the story in time for the contest.

2. Do - Make the story obviously fit the theme.

3. Do - Submit it in the correct category.

Don't

1. Don't - Forget to put the Contest information in the Notes field.

2. Don't - Write a chaptered story, nor a chapter from a continuing story.

3. Don't - Write poetry. It is a Story contest.

4. Don't - Make it too long. Three Lit pages is about as much as readers will manage unless you have written a very interesting plot.

5. Don't - Leave your submission until the last day. You might miss the contest.

6. Don't - Pay attention to trolls, rude comments from Anon, voting fluctuations before the last sweep. All those can annoy you needlessly.

I'm sure that more Dos and Don'ts can be added.

I agree with all but #4 all my entries have been 5+ pages the scores of them were 4.73/4.82/ 4.80 so I think length isn't too critical

 

[oggbashan]

I agree with all but #4 all my entries have been 5+ pages the scores of them were 4.73/4.82/ 4.80 so I think length isn't too critical

It isn't - IF you are a good author, but length can deter some readers.

 

[DG Hear]

Or a non-erotic story winning a contest on a site best known for erotica?

Thanks Lynn, It worked for me twice. Make that three times, one was in the yearly contest for non-erotic.

DG Hear

Chocolate Covered Cherries (4.81) A story about a loving family.

Non-Erotic 01/20/12


Valentine's Day Remembered (4.78) Elderly man remembers past Valentine's day.

Non-Erotic 01/27/11

You Gave Me a Mountain Ch. 01 (4.73) The hardships a man goes through in life.

Non-Erotic 03/04/08

 

[sun_sea_sky]

Thanks! I had fun writing the story, although I feel the first evening is so superior to the rest of the story...

Funny you should say that. I liked the story in general, but thought the first evening had a nice edge to it.

 

[TxRad]

The Best Recipe for a Guaranteed Contest Winner is to write the best story you can and then throw it to the wolves, uh, readers. It doesn't matter how long or in what category as long as you grab their attention early and don't let go of it until the end.

 

[DG Hear]

The Best Recipe for a Guaranteed Contest Winner is to write the best story you can and then throw it to the wolves, uh, readers. It doesn't matter how long or in what category as long as you grab their attention early and don't let go of it until the end.

Haha, you have that right Tex.

 

[RodenAddison]

The Best Recipe for a Guaranteed Contest Winner is to write the best story you can and then throw it to the wolves, uh, readers. It doesn't matter how long or in what category as long as you grab their attention early and don't let go of it until the end.

That's what happened to me tonight. The grabbing and not letting go thing.

 

[bashfullyshameless]

Much as I hate shameless self-promotion, I wanted to refute at least a couple of presumptions...

Winner of last year's Summer Lovin': "Days of High Adventure," at 11 Lit pages. Sci-fi/fantasy, heavier on both humor and violence than sex.

Warning: This story contains graphic violence, graphic pre-marital sex, violation of college housing regulations, graphic geekery, multiple dismemberments, impalings, bad language, nudity, drug references, consumption of alcohol, destruction of private property, paganism, theft, arson, slavery, reptile-on-human violence, improper placement of hazardous materials, money laundering, illegal immigration, tax evasion, poor workplace standards, unwed cohabitating couples, kidnapping, assault under color of authority, bearers of false witness, human sacrifice, desecration of religious sites, unsafe work standards and repeated, uncredited film references and/or quotes.

Based on the works of Robert E. Howard and certain roleplaying games falsely accused of Satanic influence. There may be dungeons and/or dragons.

 

[bashfullyshameless]

Also: What TxRad said.

 

[sun_sea_sky]

Warning: This story contains ... and/or quotes.

Hey, and I thought my warning was funny:

Warning: Contains nuts.

 

[Brandie69]

I hope you get some good replies. This (the summer contest) is the first one I've paid any attention to, so I'm afraid I'd be a pretty bad judge.

One thing that strikes me about lit's "top lists" is how completely they are dominated by the incest stories, so I think your comment about a sister is probably right.

And, at least among the readers who comment (publicly or privately), there do seem to be a lot of people around here who want to read about gay sex, so the tranny angle may be right, too. Although, one story I read a little while ago (racking my brain to remember which one -- I probably found it from one of the top lists) took a real shelling when one of the characters ventured into gay sex without proper warning.

So, with all of that as a disclaimer, here's my entry:

Widowed father of twin blonde lesbians remarries hot young brunette, who catches her own son masturbating while spying on the twins as they share a two-ended anal dildo. Havoc ensues.

So, I decided to try to write this one. I haven't written the final chapter yet, but I'm 4/5ths of the way there, and right now, Chapter 1 is the most read story on lit in the past 30 days.

http://www.literotica.com/top/most-read-erotic-stories/last-30-days/?mode=publishes

http://www.literotica.com/s/we-need-to-stop-this

 

[YDB95]

My only story that placed so far was in Sci Fi and was by far my longest (9 pages). I have had other stories that have scored higher than that, but they weren't contest entries. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason among my stories as to which ones score higher than others, so my advice is to just write what you like and may the best story win.

 

[TxRad]

My only story that placed so far was in Sci Fi and was by far my longest (9 pages). I have had other stories that have scored higher than that, but they weren't contest entries. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason among my stories as to which ones score higher than others, so my advice is to just write what you like and may the best story win.

I think I heard that somewhere.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Gotta agree with the long story as a winner.

Loving Wives, 9 pages long, won a Nude Day contest for me. My 2nd place entry from the last contest was 9 pages in Romance.

Personally, although I could never do it, I think the winning combination is:

NonHuman Romance, VERY LONG (15+pages), submitted at the end of the contest, by a relatively unknown author.

You want to lose the readers who don't like it before they get to the end and vote. You're hoping for a minimum number of votes (25-30), in a vote friendly category, from people who seek out that stuff. The story still has to be pretty good.

The other option is write something with excellent characters, easy to relate to, moderately long (5-10 pages) with an actual story and plot. Push the envelope a little without going overboard. Shorter paragraphs, lots of dialog, few of the Literotica cliches (12 inch cocks, infinite screaming orgasms, AAAAAAAARRGGGGHH!) and avoid scenarios of voting death (Cuckold, BBC, Unannounced Homosexuality) and obvious troll-bait. It helps (a lot) to have a strong reader base.

My $.02

 

[mia_erotica]

ditto

Tearjerkers are good. I won 3d in the 2009 Halloween contest with my story "Ghosts of the Forum" and many, many people told me they cried when the girl's grandmother died. I have one or two others that were somewhat unintentional tearjerkers and they probably got me the most feedback.

My winning story, also a ghost story, was kind of a tearjerker too.

Mia

 

[lovecraft68]

I think everyone is missing an essential ingredient to a winning formula.

A little of this will go along way.

And I even made it seasonal for everyone!

The Witches Ritual of kissing Satan's ass.