The Official Authors' Hangout National Nude Day 2015 Contest Support Thread

[Carnal_Flower]

Yes, LW has won . . . once

Incest . . . four times

BDSM . . . once, maybe twice

In all the history of Lit Contests

Romance "wins", God knows, 40% of the time.

Soooo, either all the good writers on lit are in Romance, and BDSM writers just suck, OR, this is essentially a category competition, not really a story competition. In fact I'd venture to say it's the unofficial Romance Contest, because you'd be an idiot not to toss in some love and soulmating in a Fetish-y type category to try and "Win."

I don't think it has anything to do with sweeps or math, just that the audiences are different. The HOF in GM for instance regularly fights around 4.92, 4.93. Incest? Ha. Scores are lower all around. Categories have their own voting patterns, limits, and trends.

Ive said many times I would love to see Contests within Categories, where you have (roughly) the same voters who know their sh*t and what they want. That would be a real competition. Or, have everyone write in the same category. Or, have only authors vote. Something to equal out the huge differences.

This is not to cast aspersions on anyone's story, performance, etc. It's all good. A good story is a good story. A smash is a smash. And people do occasionally pull a win in a squick-y, weird, or hard category. Sometimes. But the spreadsheets do paint a certain picture.

I'm confused:

LW can't win, except it has.
More popular categories are better, because it's harder for one-bombers to impact a score with high votes; except when high voting categories have too many people "good, but not great to me" votes.
Entering late is good, except the numbers don't agree with that.
Entering a lower read category is sandbagging, except the numbers don't seem to reflect that, either. (Mind Control, Essays, Letters, Toys, Transsexuals, etc.)

Some categories have more rabid fans seems to be the only claim that might hold water when looking at the percentage of wins by Sci/Fi, Horror, & Romance compared to the breadth of the story list. But then again, you get categories that win close to their story percentage: Exhibition, First Time, Letters, Mature.

I don't know, folks. It all sounds like guessing lottery numbers. You know the balls with bigger numbers don't float to the top as often as single digit numbers. It has something to do with how much ink is used on the ball. Or maybe it's the other way around?

Good luck everyone!

 

[Kethandra]

LC68 entry was the pleasant surprise for me. Not erotica, apparently not even fiction, but he managed to make it fit the theme in a unique way and he managed to make me cry, which isn't easy. Autobiographical in the best way (not the penthouse letter way): extremely personal, I still felt part of it.

 

[oggbashan]

Yes, LW has won . . . once

Incest . . . four times

BDSM . . . once, maybe twice

In all the history of Lit Contests

Romance "wins", God knows, 40% of the time.

...

Romance?

I think you are missing the obvious. There are six themed contests a year.

Valentine's Day Contest entries are almost all in the Romance category. Romance also figures significantly in Summer Lovin' and Winter Holidays entries. So a 40% figure for winners in Romance category shouldn't be unexpected.

 

[TxRad]

Romance?

I think you are missing the obvious. There are six themed contests a year.

Valentine's Day Contest entries are almost all in the Romance category. Romance also figures significantly in Summer Lovin' and Winter Holidays entries. So a 40% figure for winners in Romance category shouldn't be unexpected.

Then I come along and win a Valentines Day contest with a BDSM story.

Who would have thunk it.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

Then let's start rotating the "Spring Cums Early" and "Mom Lovin'" Themed Contests, please!

Romance?

I think you are missing the obvious. There are six themed contests a year.

Valentine's Day Contest entries are almost all in the Romance category. Romance also figures significantly in Summer Lovin' and Winter Holidays entries. So a 40% figure for winners in Romance category shouldn't be unexpected.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

I bet there was some massive souls mating in it.

Then I come along and win a Valentines Day contest with a BDSM story.

Who would have thunk it.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

Ive said many times I would love to see Contests within Categories, where you have (roughly) the same voters who know their sh*t and what they want. That would be a real competition. Or, have everyone write in the same category.

Might reduce the number of participants since some write across very few and select categories. In a way, the monthly contest sort of addresses this. My only W comes from being high in a category for a month. Still, I think this is a solid idea.

 

[lovecraft68]

Then I come along and win a Valentines Day contest with a BDSM story.

Who would have thunk it.

But that was 2008....could it be done now? Just like TTT's LW winner from 2009...things change. I think if the winners were broken down from maybe 2010 on we'd see different, evolving/devolving whatever you want to call it.

Its not the same, its not as "open' as it was a few years back.

 

[lovecraft68]

LC68 entry was the pleasant surprise for me. Not erotica, apparently not even fiction, but he managed to make it fit the theme in a unique way and he managed to make me cry, which isn't easy. Autobiographical in the best way (not the penthouse letter way): extremely personal, I still felt part of it.

Thanks for the compliment(and the funny comment you left)

Your comment was what this story was about for me. Last contest in a PM an author had mentioned to me he felt my writing had become safe. I agreed, but in the sense of I write what I'm in the mood for, not to maintain an image.

Last year was a dark one for me(as evidenced in the vicious over the top violence of my Halloween entry) and I needed a break, I wanted fun stuff, easy to write, fun to write...I have nothing to prove.

But it made me think hmm....safe, jeez when am I safe? Then this contest comes along and like previous years people talk about how lame it is. "people are always nude its an erotica site" and talk about how hard it is to write something different

So taking those two things and the fact the story was burning a hole in my mind for six months I decided, okay, why not?

Its far from safe, it is a very different spin and it purged the story from my mind.

Mission accomplished.

For some of us, its about more than a few bucks and claiming to be an award winning author.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm confused:

LW can't win, except it has.
More popular categories are better, because it's harder for one-bombers to impact a score with high votes; except when high voting categories have too many people "good, but not great to me" votes.
Entering late is good, except the numbers don't agree with that.
Entering a lower read category is sandbagging, except the numbers don't seem to reflect that, either. (Mind Control, Essays, Letters, Toys, Transsexuals, etc.)

Some categories have more rabid fans seems to be the only claim that might hold water when looking at the percentage of wins by Sci/Fi, Horror, & Romance compared to the breadth of the story list. But then again, you get categories that win close to their story percentage: Exhibition, First Time, Letters, Mature.

I don't know, folks. It all sounds like guessing lottery numbers. You know the balls with bigger numbers don't float to the top as often as single digit numbers. It has something to do with how much ink is used on the ball. Or maybe it's the other way around?

Good luck everyone!

Oh ha ha...you're so clever.

Tell me, Bucky....did you come up with all that on your own or was this the press release written for you by damage control?

I only ask because of your sad, but funny, remark prior where you said you wanted to say something else, but were outvoted.

So all this hilarity yours or you playing cabin cuck again?

Don't bother, that was rhetorical.

And that's what your 5th/6th "Good luck everyone" It gets more insincere each time.

More smug to....but I'll get to that in a minute.

Everyone has an agenda. Every person on this planet has an agenda, even very good people have them, we all have our purposes and our decisions affect them.

Of course RR shoots down the last minute advantage? Why? because he spent years being accused of using it. 2009-2012 four straight years he won a contest with his "Of the wood" series. Most close to the wire, most fairly low voted and with his built in readership. He came very close to winning a fifth in 2013 last minute again

So yes he will claim that doesn't matter.

But in fairness to him, I don't see it as "cheating" I see it the way a see someone who could count cards. He perfected a system, based on his writing strengths, his readership and everything he knows about voting patterns and obviously that's a lot.

But RR is a solo act, one person who had a good run with a formula.

He wasn't a group of people holding war councils on how to win contests.

You know you mentioned you've written in fetish a few times and received high vote totals so you're not 'trying' anything.

But that's the point, you know the category, know it the way I know incest. Do I want a 4.5 something? Make it dark, make it rough. Do I want 4.75+ make it sweet

Your best fetish story won a monthly and it has hundreds of votes, your Monica story did very well and a good amount of votes and they were cum fetish bukkake type things, like this one...

But oh, wait. They had a lot of votes because it was women getting cum blow all over their faces and sucking like a sporting event. This is lit,. this is man's world....women addicted to sucking cock? 5's and votes galore.

But guys doing it? Cut that way the hell down, bi sexual turns the real men off. Just like CFNM doesn't go over real big you know that. You know the category, girls sucking Yay, guys ewww

And your comment about all the men sending you feedback to support you? Guess they're not voting

You're right where you want to be good score on all of 95 votes, all poised for that sweep to take 20 votes from you and put you...at least second and who knows, maybe first.

To be fair I'll divulge I'm right around you but about 470 votes meaning? I'm done, like I said earlier, I knew that in a matter of hours. I'll lose 20 votes and gain a point maybe two....the curse of people reading my story.

BTW I have no idea who reads and lurks in these threads so a message to any person who this pisses off....do not go drop a spite bomb on Bucky's story....its what he wants. Obvious bombs will be swept and perhaps take some legit low votes that are in the IP 'neighborhood' get taken as well

Because yes, the one votes help, don't they.

See that's what I figured out with AMB's AF winner. That horrific scene it started with was a total scheme. Because what it did was give people who were appalled by it the chance to back click quick without reading and voting, but it also may have gained some knee jerk bombs that would of course be swept because they weren't legit and take that big advantage in the sweep....what was his increase? about .25...I should stop asking rhetorical questions...but hell, they are fun.

So now here you are with your male bukake turning off the majority of readers nice and early-and the fact late in the story you bring a woman into it shows how manufactured this was-and you get the same thing, people going ugh and jumping off and some giving the spite bombed reserved for "dem queers"

And right on schedule...right as planned. GO on, give us another smug "good luck to everyone"

I told about a half dozen people the day after your story posted you would win, first or second, you have it sewn up and you know it.

Now see here's what sucks for me....I really want you to win. I do, because you and your friends can tin hat me all you want....the tin hats have been being passed around, a little too much "we're not doing anything" earlier in this thread has gotten the wrong(for you) attention. People are watching, there's going to be a lot of popcorn popped at the end of this one next week.

And when you win? More people to go....you know there is something going on.

But see if you lose? Well that's a win too...why? Glad you asked.

Back when the shit hit the fan here and Mr Rad went fishing and hooked himself a school of minnows, Laurel popped in and made a fairly innocuous comment about sweeps.

But that showed she was here and read through, here on her own or maybe someone decided to say this was worth looking at, who knows? Who cares.

But lo and behold we have the most swept contest in years....coincidence? Or maybe the tin hat had enough reynolds wrap to intrigue her...

So you and the funhouse lose either way.

But I'd still rather see you win. In fact I told someone in a PM I thought about deleting my story because its in the running and it would help clear a path for you that and to show I really don't care about a W or a few bucks.

But then again my motivations are different, I have no need to tout 'award winning' author on my resume.\

And that's the funny/sad thing...all the people there "we left lit blah blah" no you didn't, you all still ghost and funny how lit is full of assholes and hacks and etc...but you vultures come running here for the contests

Like some popular hot girl throwing a pity fuck to an ugly guy, "look you suck, but we'll still come here when there's something in it for us."

In closing...when you take my comment back to the lab in the cat box for analysis and concoct a perfect response do everyone here at the boards a favor and find the person who left that funny comment about my wife and slap them for the AH

because that's why I"m posting this, my other-and by far better-half had convinced me to let this sit after the initial ugliness and I agreed, she's the only one that can put the breaks on the train...

But after that comment? BY name, posting her real first name...never mind the content around it. Yeah she can be like everyone else and not look if she doesn't like it.

I don't forget. And after you win this one...Yeah, I hope you do, I've decided. I'll make sure to look for the next one in Summer lovin, the next test tube 80 voter....Funny you guys all used to enter all the contests, now you take turns, guess you don't want to compete against each other and pull away from the person who drew the next straw to win.

I'm going to go buy some popcorn early for next week

Best of Luck Bucky!!!! Best of Luck!

 

[BuckyDuckman]

It really must bother you that someone isn’t impressed with your bullying tactics.

So let's review. . .

I point out the contradictory conjecturing that goes on, because it's funny when you step back and look at it. We've heard various theories along with numbers that shoot those theories in the foot. I DO find that funny.

However, you apparently see that as an attack on you? I mean, I guess you did. Why else would I earn such a lengthy rant?

First, I love the name calling. Like where you ask (rhetorically?) if I’m a “cuck.” But that’s nowhere near as precious as later when you say, “bi sexual turns the real men off.”

So, I guess this means that I’m not a “real” man in your mind? I mean, I must not be since I'm bisexual and I write about male bisexuality with my own slant. What's it take to be a "real" man in your book? Maybe spending sometime in the military, crawling through the muck in defense of democracy? (Oh wait, I did that.) Earn the love of a fine woman and stay married? (Crap, I'm doing that, too.) Successfully parent a few kids? Keep a good job? Split a few cords of wood by hand? Build a deck on his house? Go fishing? Hunting? Watch sports? Play them? Suck a dick and still go home and fuck the hell out of his wife?

I love the way you talk out of both sides of your mouth. Like when you accuse me of “gaming” the system by entering a low voted category and maliciously including content that, in your mind, was designed to chase away potential voters.

So, me, who has never won or placed in a theme contest, I'm gaming the system by entering a category that has never won. Meanwhile, you're NOT(?) gaming the system by entering the single category that has won the most number of times??? With a fac-fictional story??? You, who regularly advises how important it is to include romance in incest stories has decided to write a romance? But that’s NOT gaming the system? Which way is it?

LC, I'm beginning to think someone else has the perfect name for you when they refer to you as Hatecraft. How many winners have you shit on over the years by claiming they gamed the system? Hell, for that matter, how many times have you discounted your own victories by saying, "Yeah, it was the website throwing me a bone?"

Yeah, I'm really pulling the wool over the eyes of potential readers, aren't I? Let's dismiss the hours I spent crafting that story over a period of nearly two weeks. Never mind the tens of thousands of words I wrote and discarded. Forget about how I performed two full edits before submitting it to my beta reader for her edits and then. . . gasp, I gave it another run-through AND completely reworked the ending. Yeah, let's forget any EFFORT I put into trying to write a story that worked for me, a story that dared to satisfy my Muse as "Hey, you did okay this time." Let's ignore that I've been working and honing my writing for years. Nope, IF I place, it will all be gamesmanship, right?

No, not in LC-La-La-Land. You took the time out of your rant towards me to disrespect a previous winner when you said, “See that's what I figured out with AMB's AF winner. That horrific scene it started with was a total scheme.”

Yeah, total scheme. It HAD to be that he was gaming the system. It sure couldn't be because the man knows how to write, right?! And that surely can’t be ANOTHER example of YOU shitting on a winner. (And someone else enjoys calling ME a “sore loser” or a “whiner.” LOL!)

Same is true with how you shit all over RR's wins, too. Though the numbers demonstrate there's no advantage to entering a contest at the wire, that doesn't matter. Nope. In LC-La-La-Land, you respect only the gamesmanship without ever acknowledging that RR can write!

I hope people read what you wrote carefully, because it's so fun how you once more talk out of both sides of your mouth. If someone I know wins, it's because friends conspired to cheat. If we don't, the Laurel is controlling the results.

Once more, in LC world, the results won't happen because someone has any writing skill. Nope. Writing skill apparently has little to do with winning or placing in stories, including when he dismisses his own wins. It's the only place where he's consistent.

Meanwhile, when I wish people "good luck," it's apparently insincere? Wow, LC, that's a really special psychosis you have going on there. Does it irk you when the clerk at the convenient store tells you to "Have a good day," too? You may want to consult a professional.

For whatever it’s worth, do I HOPE to win or place? Sure I do. Why wouldn’t I? It would feel good. It would make me smile and help reassure my Muse that maybe I’m doing more than jerking off at my desk when I’m writing erotica. Maybe, just maybe, I’m showing someone else a good time, too.

But yeah, whenever I buy a lottery ticket or toss my name into a drawing, I’m hoping I’ll win then, too.

According to LC, I deserve to win because I "out-gamed" everyone else. Not because I put a lot of work into a story that I hope speaks to my readers. Because that’s what I really tried to do, I tried really hard to write a story that reflected my pleasures.

Here's all I know about who the winners will be, here's my only prediction: Three winners will be announced. Sometime after that, I'll be sure to toss in my congratulations as I've always done. And I'll have no control over anyone else's opinion of whether I "meant" my congratulations or not.

Good luck everyone. You might need it. I tried really hard on my story and, apparently, I accidentally figured out a new way to work the system, too!

 

[sr71plt]

Well, I'm glad we got the air cleared on that one.

 

[RejectReality]

Ignoring that one of my wins ( Secret of the Wood ) was a day-1 entry, of course. That mucks up the narrative.

It's been bandied about for ages now that entering late presented some sort of advantage. I finally decided to dig up the historical data and present it to demonstrate what I already knew.

When you enter doesn't matter, and it's not all that difficult to figure out why. When there's a full week of voting following the submission period, and the majority of activity on a story happens in less time than that, it's not going to make a difference.

Does anyone really believe that people trying to screw with the scores get tired late in the game and slack off? That's the only way the late-entry advantage theory can work.

And, since LC keeps bringing it up, here's the breakdown of 2010 through April Fool's this year:

Unknown = 7. I could probably look some of these up in my old tracks, but can't be assed to right now.

Early entries within 3 days of the beginning of the contest 32, including 16 day-1 entries.

Middle =32

Late entries within 4 days of the end of the contest 25, including 13 last minute entries.

Categories:

Romance 16
Sci-Fi&Fantasy 15
Erotic Couplings 10
Group Sex 7
Erotic Horror 6
Gay Male 5
Lesbian 5
Non Human 3
Non Erotic 3
Incest 3
Mature 3
First Time 2
Exhibition&Voyeur 2
BDSM 2
Interracial 1
Reviews&Essays 1
Illustrated 1
Novels and Novellas 1
Humor&Satire 1
Transexuals&Crossdressers 1

Compared to the longer-term data, the tilt toward early entries is actually stronger ( would have been more if I hadn't given late an extra day ) and the mix of winning categories is more diverse, though the same two are on top.

At some point I mis-ticked some categories/early/late, but I'll be damned if I'm going back through all those pages to figure out which. It's one in the frikkin' morning!

I'll fix it later, just because it will bother the hell out of me, and I may want to reference in the future.

 

[Kethandra]

Looks as though a sweep removed about 25 votes this morning, with no change in score.
It was nice to see three different backlist stories favorited today by three different readers. I'm going to assume they were driven by the contest entry to check out the backlist.

 

[Kethandra]

Just finished Saturday Night School by jessica_tang_vonharper. Hot and well-wrought.

 

[RejectReality]

I'm down around 25ish as well, with the score going up .04.

 

[Kethandra]

I'm down around 25ish as well, with the score going up .04.

That's a substantial uptick considering how many votes you have. The swept votes would have to average 3.5 or so.

 

[Darkniciad]

Pardon my multiple pen name disorder

That's a best guess of the # swept, as I haven't looked since sometime late yesterday. The 11th hour rush of votes started a little early for me at some point yesterday afternoon, so it may have been quite a few more.

Doesn't really affect the point gain, though. That's based upon the same score it's had for quite a while now, and maintained through the uptick in votes yesterday. Whatever votes were removed must have been there for a while.

 

[sr71plt]

I couldn't possibly lose 25 votes at this point.

 

[RejectReality]

Okay, I went through the contest pages from 2010 through April Fools this year again more meticulously this time, and put them in a spreadsheet so I could check my work. I also did the homework to look up some of the entries removed from the site to gather information. Of these, I was able to determine 5 entry dates and 4 categories.

I also realized that my half-asleep ass was actually calling "early" anything within 4 days of the start of the contest, and "late" anything within the last five days of the contest. Counting from the start/end, and not counting the day itself So, I've used the same calculation here.

There could be more Day-1 entries, because I didn't do the homework necessary to discover which contests didn't have stories post on the first listed day of the contest because it began on a weekend. Some I've merely listed as early may be Day-1.

So, here's the breakdown done with more care. ( Link to spreadsheet http://darkniciad.com/hotlink_pics/Themed-Contest-2010-April-fool-2015.htm )

Day-1 winners = 17
Early winners = 32
Middle = 37
Late winners = 25
Last Minute = 13

Romance = 19
Sci-Fi&Fantasy = 16
Erotic Couplings = 10
Group Sex = 7
Erotic Horror = 6
Gay Male = 6
Lesbian = 5
Mature = 3
NonHuman = 3
Non-Erotic = 3
Incest = 3
BDSM = 2
First Time = 2
Exhibitionist&Voyeur = 2
Interracial Sex = 1
Reviews&Essays = 1
Illustrated = 1
Novels&Novellas = 1
Humor&Satire = 1
Transexuals&Crossdressers = 1

Unknown category = 3
Unknown date = 2

Breakdowns by contest

Valentine's- Romance(3) Sci-Fi(2) EC(2) Group(1) Gay(2) Lesbian(1) Mature(1) NonHuman(1) Non-Erotic(3) BDSM(1) Interracial(1)
Earth Day- Romance(4) Sci-Fi(5) EC(2) NonHuman(1) E&V(1) First(1)
Nude Day- Romance(2) Sci-Fi(5) EC(2) Horror(1) Mature(1) Incest(1) E&V(1) BDSM(1)
Summer- Romance(4) Sci-Fi(2) EC(1) Group(3) Gay(1) Lesbian(1) Mature(1) Incest(1) First(1)
Halloween- Romance(3) Sci-Fi(2) EC(3) Horror(4) Gay(1) NonHuman(1)
Winter- Romance(3) Group(2) Gay(2) Lesbian(3) Incest(1) Reviews(1) Novel(1) Humor(1) Transexuals(1)

 

[lovecraft68]

Something jarred my memory last night and I went and looked up 'Redzinger'

She placed in the 2014 V-day contest with a BDSM story so that one is pretty recent.

The only incest story that has placed since I've been entering was from Ben Long in 2012

 

[lovecraft68]

Okay, I went through the contest pages from 2010 through April Fools this year again more meticulously this time, and put them in a spreadsheet so I could check my work. I also did the homework to look up some of the entries removed from the site to gather information. Of these, I was able to determine 5 entry dates and 4 categories.

I also realized that my half-asleep ass was actually calling "early" anything within 4 days of the start of the contest, and "late" anything within the last five days of the contest. Counting from the start/end, and not counting the day itself So, I've used the same calculation here.

There could be more Day-1 entries, because I didn't do the homework necessary to discover which contests didn't have stories post on the first listed day of the contest because it began on a weekend. Some I've merely listed as early may be Day-1.

So, here's the breakdown done with more care. ( Link to spreadsheet http://darkniciad.com/hotlink_pics/Themed-Contest-2010-April-fool-2015.htm )

Day-1 winners = 17
Early winners = 32
Middle = 37
Late winners = 25
Last Minute = 13

Romance = 19
Sci-Fi&Fantasy = 16
Erotic Couplings = 10
Group Sex = 7
Erotic Horror = 6
Gay Male = 6
Lesbian = 5
Mature = 3
NonHuman = 3
Non-Erotic = 3
Incest = 3
BDSM = 2
First Time = 2
Exhibitionist&Voyeur = 2
Interracial Sex = 1
Reviews&Essays = 1
Illustrated = 1
Novels&Novellas = 1
Humor&Satire = 1
Transexuals&Crossdressers = 1

Unknown category = 3
Unknown date = 2

Breakdowns by contest

Valentine's- Romance(3) Sci-Fi(2) EC(2) Group(1) Gay(2) Lesbian(1) Mature(1) NonHuman(1) Non-Erotic(3) BDSM(1) Interracial(1)
Earth Day- Romance(4) Sci-Fi(5) EC(2) NonHuman(1) E&V(1) First(1)
Nude Day- Romance(2) Sci-Fi(5) EC(2) Horror(1) Mature(1) Incest(1) E&V(1) BDSM(1)
Summer- Romance(4) Sci-Fi(2) EC(1) Group(3) Gay(1) Lesbian(1) Mature(1) Incest(1) First(1)
Halloween- Romance(3) Sci-Fi(2) EC(3) Horror(4) Gay(1) NonHuman(1)
Winter- Romance(3) Group(2) Gay(2) Lesbian(3) Incest(1) Reviews(1) Novel(1) Humor(1) Transexuals(1)

To add to your number-if it wasn't counted-Earth day 2014 started on a Saturday and my "That's what Friend's Are for" was posted day one and ended up placing in first.

What I find interesting about this is that when you did every contest Romance's dominance was huge.

But from 2010 Sci fi is pretty close to it. But you knew that because you have 3 of those 16

Sci fi also tends to be lower voted, which is its advantage. Romance of course the advantage is pretty much 'soft voting' if you go HEA they're happy and it generally contains no squick factor; it is a widely accepted category.

On the topic of soft voted I am amazed to see only three NH winners because that category is very high voted(score wise), then again I don't recall very many entries from that category recently.

I'm surprised group isn't higher. Its a friendly category and one that's fairly easy to deliver in.

 

[RejectReality]

Part of the reason is because Sci-Fi wasn't an original category. Some categories were disadvantaged in the beginning because they didn't exist.

Up until around 2008 or so, getting enough votes to qualify in quite a few categories was a down-to-the-wire thing, and Sci-Fi was among them. It was rare when half the stories in the category would attain and maintain 25 votes by the time the sweeps were over. It was 2011-12 before almost every story was qualifying in every contest.

 

[lovecraft68]

Part of the reason is because Sci-Fi wasn't an original category. Some categories were disadvantaged in the beginning because they didn't exist.

Up until around 2008 or so, getting enough votes to qualify in quite a few categories was a down-to-the-wire thing, and Sci-Fi was among them. It was rare when half the stories in the category would attain and maintain 25 votes by the time the sweeps were over. It was 2011-12 before almost every story was qualifying in every contest.

Guess this shows how much the site has grown the last few years.

Sci fi may still be on the lower voted side, but hard to believe now that it struggled to make 25 votes.

Non human not original either, right?

And someone was telling me the non consent category originally was created for extreme stories that came from a sister site that shut down.

Not sure if that is true or not though, again I heard it from another poster.

 

[RejectReality]

All you have to do is look back through the old contest threads to see it. Well over half the participants were struggling to edge over the line, and many who were over the line expected to drop below it with each and every sweep.

According to the Wayback Machine:

1999
Fetish
Erotic Couplings
Erotic Poetry
Exhibitionist&Voyeur
Group Sex
Illustrated
Incest
Non-Con
Non Human
Romance
Same Sex
Toys

2000
Same Sex split into Gay Male and Lesbian Sex and added:
Chain Stories
Reviews
Extreme ( Was actually a different URL, but linked from index page with other categories )
How To
Loving Wives

2001
Anal
BDSM
Celebrities
Humor&Satire
Interracial
Mature
Mind Control
Novels&Novellas
Non-Erotic

2002
First Time
Sci-Fi&Fantasy
Audio
Transexuals&Crossdressers

2004
Extreme section discontinued and added:
Erotic Horror
Letters&Transcripts