The Official Author's Hangout 2016 April Fool's Day Contest Support Thread

[PennLady]

Hello and welcome as the winter storm bears down on the East Coast. As an East Coaster myself, I hope everyone stays safe, warm and dry -- be careful out there!

And since we may have some extra time being cooped inside, and the Valentine's Day contest has closed for entries, why not use that time (and maybe y'know, wine or whatever) and start thinking about your April Fool's day story?

This is a new contest, instituted last year, and should be fun. Here are the quick details.

April Fool's (April 01)
themes: Stories (humorous or otherwise) of surprise meetings, humor, tricks, trick endings, and other themes of deception, chance, and/or misunderstandings (happy or otherwise)
starts: March 01
closes: March 21
winners announced: March 28

Best of luck to everyone for both the storm and the writing.

 

[oggbashan]

Oops!

Valentine's Day
themes: romantic love, Valentine's Day, Cupid, sensuality, etc.
starts: January 20
closes: February 5
winners announced: February 12

Valentine's Day Contest is STILL OPEN for two weeks.

April Foo?

 

[PennLady]

Oops!

Valentine's Day
themes: romantic love, Valentine's Day, Cupid, sensuality, etc.
starts: January 20
closes: February 5
winners announced: February 12

Valentine's Day Contest is STILL OPEN for two weeks.

April Foo?

Ah, you're right. Got ahead of myself. And apparently didn't press all the necessary keys on my keyboard. I think I got the start date confused with the end date for some reason.

Anyway, keep on going for all those in the Valentine's Day contest. Hmm. Maybe with all the snow this weekend I can think of one myself...

 

[HeyAll]

I'm trying to make 4. Two bdsm. One lesbian. One brother/sister.

 

[PennLady]

Thanks to Laurel for fixing the title of the thread.

 

[Hypoxia]

I'm feeling... lethargic if not downright lazy. My pending Valentine's twin-tales could just as easily be cast as Fools tales. Why knock myself out?

 

[YDB95]

I have two in the works, one of which started as a summer contest story but I realized most of the way through it that it fit April fools better. Hoping to get some work done on one of them today.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have something for this.

I also have a nude day, Summer and possibly Halloween. Winter is the only one I have nothing for, but it seems I have some time to get to it.

 

[oggbashan]

Today is the last day for entering the Valentine's Day Contest so it is time to be thinking serious about April Fool.

The first day for entries is less than four weeks away, so those of us who take our time writing a story should be writing NOW!

 

[sheablue]

I'm not even going to pretend I'm entering this one.

 

[Ewobbit]

I'm interested, but damn if I can think of a plot that isn't a prank on any readers in and of itself.

Maybe husbands trying to switch wives at the same time the wives try to switch husbands and they end up with their own spouse, just in the other bed...

Ah well, maybe something will come to me. Until then, I'll keep pecking away at the two I've almost got done.

Edit; Whoops. Hang on. What's this?

 

[YDB95]

I'm about 40 Word-pages into mine. It's going to be a long one! I have an idea for a second but I don't know that I'll have time to finish both. We'll see.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm interested, but damn if I can think of a plot that isn't a prank on any readers in and of itself.

Maybe husbands trying to switch wives at the same time the wives try to switch husbands and they end up with their own spouse, just in the other bed...

Ah well, maybe something will come to me. Until then, I'll keep pecking away at the two I've almost got done.

Edit; Whoops. Hang on. What's this?

I like that idea, that could be fun.

Especially if because of the excitement of them all thinking they were with the other spouse, they were really into it and you have the wife thinking "Oh, yeah, Bob never fucks me like this" as Bob fucks her and "God, I wish Laura sucked cock like LInda! And its Laura sucking....

Could be funny and sexy and a little HEA when both couples realize they were with each other which leads them to appreciate each other more as lovers and why do they need to spice up their sex life? They're great together!

That would be a great LW story....apparent cheating, with no actual cheating, neither wife really fucking the other guy and everyone ending up happy.

That could leave the trolls with their hooves hovering over the keyboard wondering what the hell they can flame about it.

ETA that pic is something, three very attractive ladies and of course whoever mom is looks half her age.

My guess would be the middle only because she's smiling and laughing and the tow on either side look more serious with very similar expressions as twins are wont to do.

 

[MagicaPractica]

I think I'm going to challenge myself to write something, perhaps short, for each of the contests the rest of the year. I already have ideas for the Nude Day contest and Halloween but April Fool's is going to be a stretch for me.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have one I was going to use, but there's another bunny scratching at the door.

The one I have is mom/son, the new one that's clamoring for attention is brother/sister which I haven't done since-I went back and looked-2013. Maybe I'll try to get to that one.

 

[tomlitilia]

I think I'm going to challenge myself to write something, perhaps short, for each of the contests the rest of the year. I already have ideas for the Nude Day contest and Halloween but April Fool's is going to be a stretch for me.

I was having the same problem last year, thinking that April Fool's pranks aren't exactly sexy. But the themes are actually quite broad. Surprise meetings, tricks, deception, chance, misunderstandings... All good ways to put characters in unusual situations that can facilitate quality erotica.
I'm aiming for two this year.

 

[Ewobbit]

Well, I've got two paragraphs;

"I've always found pranks childish and mean. How anyone could get a laugh out of setting someone up for the butt of a joke is just beyond me. As is how anyone could be friends with a prankster.

And if you fell for that, I've got some lakefront property out near Payson Arizona I would just love to show you."

And got stuck.

Somehow I just don't think flour in the blowdryer and grass growing out of keyboards is going to cut it. And the car reassembled on the bed, with a hydraulic lift kit so it looks like it's humping, is overdone.

 

[oggbashan]

I was having the same problem last year, thinking that April Fool's pranks aren't exactly sexy. But the themes are actually quite broad. Surprise meetings, tricks, deception, chance, misunderstandings... All good ways to put characters in unusual situations that can facilitate quality erotica.
I'm aiming for two this year.

The themes may be broad:

Stories (humorous or otherwise) of surprise meetings, humor, tricks, trick endings, and other themes of deception, chance, and/or misunderstandings (happy or otherwise)

But I'm not sure that the readers will understand if the author strays too far from the April Fool idea.

 

[HeyAll]

Mine don't involve pranks.

They mostly focus on misunderstandings. "oops! no one told us that!" that sort of thing.

One involves a politician tricking the voters to get more votes.

 

[sr71plt]

But I'm not sure that the readers will understand if the author strays too far from the April Fool idea.

I haven't really seen theme being given that much regard in reader rating in the contests.

 

[Ewobbit]

Damn. There went that idea.

I let the wife read what I had so far. She got as far as "Getting an early start to set up everything I had planned, I slipped the life sized clown doll under the covers next to my wife..." and threw it at me.

 

[HeyAll]

The themes may be broad:

Stories (humorous or otherwise) of surprise meetings, humor, tricks, trick endings, and other themes of deception, chance, and/or misunderstandings (happy or otherwise)

But I'm not sure that the readers will understand if the author strays too far from the April Fool idea.

Yeah, actually last year, I had one or two comments saying something like "nice story, but what does this have to do with April Fools?'

The story itself doesn't have to be a prank, as the title of the contest suggests.

 

[oggbashan]

Yeah, actually last year, I had one or two comments saying something like "nice story, but what does this have to do with April Fools?'

The story itself doesn't have to be a prank, as the title of the contest suggests.

I've had a couple of similar comments about some of my earlier Valentine's Day stories.

 

[TxRad]

I have an idea and a couple of paragraphs. Now to see if i can find the time to finish it. Not to mention, keeping it short enough to finish.

 

[SamScribble]

A fool and his money are easily parted. Is there an idea in there? And would the readers recognise it as an April Fools idea. Yeah, I think that I probably know the answer to that question already. Three-point-eight, my friend. Or maybe 3.4. Oh, well ....