The indirect value of participating in contests

[StrangeLife]

It can be daunting to throw yourself out in a writers competition with close to 100 equally motivated peers, all set on giving their A-game.

But even if you don't manage to pull home one of the coveted prizes, there are still serious perks to participating. For the hesitant I thought I would share a real-world illustration of this.

Here are two stories in the exact same category, where one has been available on Lit since July 2013 where it was posted as a normal submission and the other was posted less than a month ago as part of the recently concluded Halloween contest. But in that short time the new one accelerated past the one from 2013 in both views and votes like a bat out of hell.

http://i.imgur.com/2B6oAmN.jpg

In other words, even if you don't win, you still totally win.

So now you know. Start writing for the next competition - see ya on the battlefield.

http://i.imgur.com/nVcYASv.gif

 

[ElectricBlue]

Category is also very very important (as is shameless self promotion....)

This one of mine went up three weeks before the Halloween comp (so it's not a contest entry, but a similar ish time frame), and got what for me is a solid result within the first two weeks. And an appreciative group of new readers.

For me, it's finding the niche that works best. My problem is I can never work out how to fit my niche into whatever contest theme is running. Also, I'm in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are all ass about face and I'm either six month's early or six month's late. Oh well, never mind. Maybe one day.

The Floating World (Amanda meets an older man.)
Score: 4.75
Votes: 211
Reads: 22762
Category: Mature (English)
Posted: 09/11/16 *
Public Comments: 14

* I just noticed the post date. No connection with other 9-11, none at all.

 

[Hypoxia]

Contest entries grab eyeballs and that's a fact; Those eyeballs also tend to look at your other stories. Every entry returns this eward.

 

[StrangeLife]

Category is also very very important.

I guess you may have a point with the category, although it is my impression that the competitions gather readers from across many categories (the only time I read Gay and Lesbian stories). That is the only logical explanation behind how a competing story can gather more views in a month than a normal story in the same category gathers in three years, I think.

So choice of category should theoretically mean less during competitions than it normally would...

(as is shameless self promotion....)

That will ping the radar of the trolls though, so it can easily backfire...

The Floating World (Amanda meets an older man.)
Score: 4.75
Votes: 211
Reads: 22762
Category: Mature (English)
Posted: 09/11/16 *
Public Comments: 14

That was fast! Is "Mature" really that high traffic? Or maybe you simply have a better rep than I do...

 

[ElectricBlue]

That was fast! Is "Mature" really that high traffic? Or maybe you simply have a better rep than I do...

Hey, thanks.

Dunno about traffic. It was my first there, but yes it took off very quickly. I'm writing a second part, that will be a good test. The readers there seem to appreciate being catered for though - it's an ego satisfying bunch of comments.

Shameless self promotion - only do it on AH, and probably no one goes to see (and if they do, they ain't gonna say). The story file trolls live under a different bridge, I think. So far, I'm safe. Flying under the radar.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

At LIT good writing is as outta place as a tux at a homeless camp.

None ever mention or suggest write better.

Reminds me of the 50s and nigger cars encrusted with mudflaps and continental kits and raccoon tails (niggers are called coons because of the coon tails tied to their radio aerials) and fender skirts and pink paint, etc.

 

[ElectricBlue]

At LIT good writing is as outta place as a tux at a homeless camp.

None ever mention or suggest write better.

If I hire a tux, can I take that as a compliment?

 

[lovecraft68]

.That was fast! Is "Mature" really that high traffic? Or maybe you simply have a better rep than I do...

Both. Mature is a pretty good category I would say after I/T and LW mature and group seem to have the best numbers. The crowd isn't too bad as far as trolling goes, fairly easy on the authors there.

But body of work helps, like any other category the more you put there the bigger your following.

One thing I've noticed is that the I/T crowd and Mature crowds have a little bit of overlap. The people who like mother/son also seem to enjoy good milf stories in general -My mom, your mom, as long as she's a mom!

Lot of mother in law stories there as well which has that pseudo incest feel to it in some ways, and very taboo. For the other side of things, the women who enjoy dad/daughter stories also tend to like the older man younger girl stories in mature.

So I think Mature is fed by I/T readers to a point and it helps the numbers. Part fo why I'm pretty sure of that is a lot of the same regular readers who comment on my incest work comment on my Milf Tales series as well.

 

[Voboy]

Just to add, in my short time here I've learned that, for my stories, posting in Mature gives the quickest and most constructively responsive readership, though admittedly I haven't posted in I/T. I was pleased with the readership on my contest story, though it was the first (probably the only) time I'll post in NH. So I'm unsure whether the response was due to the category or the fact it was in a contest.

I'm not nearly as obsessive about tracking my views as some here seem to be, but I don't think having an entry in the contest per se led to more rapid readership of my work. I'd be curious whether NH is always so responsive.

Certainly I've had plenty of added responses even after the end of the contest, so I suspect it's just a pretty well-read category with an active readership. And I'd never have know that if I hadn't entered the contest.

 

[sweetnpetite]

I wanna play again sometime but I need to get a lap top first...

 

[ChloeTzang]

It can be daunting to throw yourself out in a writers competition with close to 100 equally motivated peers, all set on giving their A-game.

Oh, I agree totally. Even more daunting when you jump into a forum and say silly things and totally embarrass yourself. Oh well, my blushes have faded and I got over myself ....

As for the Halloween competition, all I can say is Wow! My Halloween story is now my most viewed, and its still racing away compared to all my others as far as views go. Saw the effect on my other stories as well - more views, more favorites, more offline feedback. And some wonderful comments from readers. The classic (for me) was the Honestly I was just looking for porn but now I'm crying in a bathtub

Really happy that I made the effort to write something completely new for that competition and jump into a different category at the same time. Nice thing was, a lot of my FT, IR and LW readers followed me into that category (I), and vice versa now. Nice!

All I can say is, roll on the next competition! I really don‘t care about placing anywhere - as far as I‘m concerned those views do it for me!!!!