Are Competitions Rewarding?

[SisterJezabel]

Anonymous? On a free-read story site? Compared to it coming from your literary agent? There's a balance folks need to train themselves to bring into perspective--or they should consider taking up golf instead.

This message contains feedback for: SisterJezabel
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

Actually, I won't share the comments because it will just give too much exposure to a sad individual, but it questioned my ability as a nurse based on my writing of erotica and was quite bullying, intending to stop me from writing here. The comment was not about me as a writer, but as a professional. I am in no way a professional writer in need of a literary agent! This is a hobby and usually I do have a thicker skin, but I think there are folks out there who need to remember that words can have much more of an impact on someone's psyche than losing a golf match. If you are going to bully your way around and try and stop people from writing then you need to consider your mental health and things you can change in your world.

 

[KeithD]

And you're letting an anonymous comment jerk you around? A totally unvetted stranger in any aspect of expertise other than trolling? If that person reads the board as well, they'll be delighted how easy it is to own you. Again, I've got to suggest some other form of recreation or creative outlet if you are so easily owned.

Your comment on "literary agent" indicates that you just don't get it. Sorry, this is something you're volunteering needlessly to hyperventilate over. Can't go there with you. You have the ability to protect yourself from this. Take it or leave it. Going after me isn't going to get you anywhere either.

 

[SisterJezabel]

And you're letting an anonymous comment jerk you around? A totally unvetted stranger in any aspect of expertise other than trolling? If that person reads the board as well, they'll be delighted how easy it is to own you. Again, I've got to suggest some other form of recreation or creative outlet if you are so easily owned.

Your comment on "literary agent" indicates that you just don't get it. Sorry, this is something you're volunteering needlessly to hyperventilate over. Can't go there with you. You have the ability to protect yourself from this. Take it or leave it. Going after me isn't going to get you anywhere either.

Thanks. I understand the world is under a bit of stress today and I think I picked up on a little. I suppose it's the first time someone has questioned me in my professional life on here without even knowing me and yet I'm the one who exposed this.

Sorry to hijack the OP's thread, but perhaps it is an example of what comps can do. I might even read Keith's story this time- I usually avoid that category, but perhaps I need to branch out

 

[NotWise]

I get that with public feedback, but when you get anonymous feedback sent from the story that basically says you are a shit person and basically calls into question your professional abilities and basically asks why you bother, it can be pretty demoralising.

Eek! They must have hit some chord in you.

Your whole story list is a cascade of red 'H's. Your readers love you!

If you have some sensitivity to what the commentor said, then maybe you should think about why it affected you that way. Understand it and get rid of it.

 

[SisterJezabel]

Eek! They must have hit some chord in you.

Your whole story list is a cascade of red 'H's. Your readers love you!

If you have some sensitivity to what the commentor said, then maybe you should think about why it affected you that way. Understand it and get rid of it.

Thanks. Yeah. I'm pretty sure now that I step back and think about the last few months It also goes back the old adage that a therapist cannot see inside themselves. I'm more than capable of sitting with people and discussing destructive thought processes, but at the same time I blind myself!

 

[Bramblethorn]

I get that with public feedback, but when you get anonymous feedback sent from the story that basically says you are a shit person and basically calls into question your professional abilities and basically asks why you bother, it can be pretty demoralising.

Indeed. I remember one AH regular who was a professionally published author, who had worked with some of the big names of 20th-century fiction, and who still got so offended by negative comments on his Literotica stories that he'd argue with critics at length, both under his author account and under a couple of alts posing as fans of his own stories. Stuff like this:

I can't say that that's a healthy way to respond to criticism, but it underlines just how much even the pros can be nettled by such comments.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Actually, I won't share the comments because it will just give too much exposure to a sad individual, but it questioned my ability as a nurse based on my writing of erotica and was quite bullying, intending to stop me from writing here. The comment was not about me as a writer, but as a professional. I am in no way a professional writer in need of a literary agent! This is a hobby and usually I do have a thicker skin, but I think there are folks out there who need to remember that words can have much more of an impact on someone's psyche than losing a golf match. If you are going to bully your way around and try and stop people from writing then you need to consider your mental health and things you can change in your world.

Turn off comments and feedback if it bothers you that much. Or just delete any you don’t like. Trolls will troll you, and it’s like bullying. You show that weakness and they’ll jump on it. Me, I regard it as one of the bonuses of Literotica. You can needle the trolls and have fun doing it.

 

[KeithD]

Turn off comments and feedback if it bothers you that much. Or just delete any you don’t like. Trolls will troll you, and it’s like bullying. You show that weakness and they’ll jump on it. Me, I regard it as one of the bonuses of Literotica. You can needle the trolls and have fun doing it.

Or, instead of just folding to the backbiters, you can continue to pump your stories out here, writing what and as you like. You can certainly delete or ignore what irritates you, but you can also blow steam back at them, if you like (directly back at them is a bit more useful than whining on the discussion board to others getting the same sort of jabs). You obviously can also spin your wheels writing essentially two longwinded epics over eight years and play board guru and site babysitter in some sort of self-decaying vendetta if you like. Literotica supports many different options for you.

You don't have to just fold under criticism by anonymous strangers--or self-proclaimed site gurus--here. A mark of your strength as a writer is whether you keep working in your lane and don't need strangers to feed you with assurances or committees to do your writing for you. The most prolific writer at Literotica writes in a deep and narrow trench and just keeps on keeping on despite the criticism thrown at him on his writing ability. He just keeps on enjoying himself here. He doesn't stick his nose into what others are doing/writing.

Ones capturing the writer's strength watch Chloe Tzang and are as supportive and tolerant of others as she is, while pumping out stories that are as true to one's self without needing the opinions and approvals of others, as she does.

 

[yibala2]

I guess both the OP and the discussion of hurtful comments involve the question of how much we are writing to please ourselves as authors and how much we are writing to please others (and which others). Maybe for each of us the balance is different, but it's important for our own health that we at least recognize what that balance is.

I confess that as a Lit reader for years, I have never paid much attention to the competitions. What are the annual contests? I've seen the seasonal and holiday ones - Summer Loving, Halloween, Winter Holidays (National Nude Day?). Are they all seasonal and holiday-centered?

-Yib

 

[ChloeTzang]

Or, instead of just folding to the backbiters, you can continue to pump your stories out here, writing what and as you like. You can certainly delete or ignore what irritates you, but you can also blow steam back at them, if you like (directly back at them is a bit more useful than whining on the discussion board to others getting the same sort of jabs). You obviously can also spin your wheels writing essentially two longwinded epics over eight years and play board guru and site babysitter in some sort of self-decaying vendetta if you like. Literotica supports many different options for you.

You don't have to just fold under criticism by anonymous strangers--or self-proclaimed site gurus--here. A mark of your strength as a writer is whether you keep working in your lane and don't need strangers to feed you with assurances or committees to do your writing for you. The most prolific writer at Literotica writes in a deep and narrow trench and just keeps on keeping on despite the criticism thrown at him on his writing ability. He just keeps on enjoying himself here. He doesn't stick his nose into what others are doing/writing.

Ones capturing the writer's strength watch Chloe Tzang and are as supportive and tolerant of others as she is, while pumping out stories that are as true to one's self without needing the opinions and approvals of others, as she does.

Thank you for the kind words, Keith, and I’d agree with all of that. The most prolific writer in Literotica is an example to all of us and I do admire that commitment.

I have to say, when I started here 5 years ago I was way less self confident about my writing than I am now, and I got a lot of support and encouragement and advice from people on this forum, some gone, a lot still here. That really helped, and all I’d say to anyone newish is, we’ve all been through that self doubt and insecurity before we gained that confidence in our own abilities. In the end it boils down to write what you want to write, enjoy the readers and the feedback, because 99% of that feedback is emotional, not critical in any sense of critiquing, and have fun doing it.

 

[tomlitilia]

I confess that as a Lit reader for years, I have never paid much attention to the competitions. What are the annual contests? I've seen the seasonal and holiday ones - Summer Loving, Halloween, Winter Holidays (National Nude Day?). Are they all seasonal and holiday-centered?

-Yib

The full list of special, themed contests are found here:
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=118117

In addition to the special contests, there are monthly and annual readers' choice contests:
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1533671
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1519846

 

[yibala2]

The full list of special, themed contests are found here:
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=118117

In addition to the special contests, there are monthly and annual readers' choice contests:
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1533671
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1519846

Awesome... thanks. It helps to be able to plan ahead, based on what themes have been used.

-Yib.

 

[SimonDoom]

Awesome... thanks. It helps to be able to plan ahead, based on what themes have been used.

-Yib.

Keep in mind, too, that the requirements for conforming your story to the competition theme are very loose and liberal. There's really no need to fret about "how much" it fits the theme. A loose connection will do just fine. The theme shouldn't constrain your creativity much, if at all.

 

[oggbashan]

Keep in mind, too, that the requirements for conforming your story to the competition theme are very loose and liberal. There's really no need to fret about "how much" it fits the theme. A loose connection will do just fine. The theme shouldn't constrain your creativity much, if at all.

But if you stray too far, the voting might reflect readers' discontent.

 

[KeithD]

But if you stray too far, the voting might reflect readers' discontent.

Have any contest writers encountered any significant blowback in comments on use of theme? I've been writing to the contests for a decade and a half and don't remember receiving a comment one way or the other on use of contest theme.

 

[oggbashan]

Have any contest writers encountered any significant blowback in comments on use of theme? I've been writing to the contests for a decade and a half and don't remember receiving a comment one way or the other on use of contest theme.

Yes, I have, twice on Halloween.

 

[SimonDoom]

Have any contest writers encountered any significant blowback in comments on use of theme? I've been writing to the contests for a decade and a half and don't remember receiving a comment one way or the other on use of contest theme.

I received one that I thought was odd. I submitted a story to the 750 word contest. It was a salacious little brother sister incest story. One reviewer complained about my focusing on "explicit incestual sex" rather than (whatever the reviewer considered) "erotica," and said that by doing so I missed the point of the contest.

I've never had a critic before criticize me for the story being too sexual, so that was new and interesting.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I received one that I thought was odd. I submitted a story to the 750 word contest. It was a salacious little brother sister incest story. One reviewer complained about my focusing on "explicit incestual sex" rather than (whatever the reviewer considered) "erotica," and said that by doing so I missed the point of the contest.

I've never had a critic before criticize me for the story being too sexual, so that was new and interesting.

I think your "reviewer" missed the point of the contest. As I recall it, the only caveat placed on that anthology was "750 words". Other than that, no strictures were put in place.

"Damn right," said Suzie. "No limitations on what I could get up to!"

 

[KeithD]

I think your "reviewer" missed the point of the contest. As I recall it, the only caveat placed on that anthology was "750 words". Other than that, no strictures were put in place.

Yes, mine were beaten about for being too short. Well, the length was the requirement that was given. Readers didn't seem to understand that contest at all.

 

[SimonDoom]

Yes, mine were beaten about for being too short. Well, the length was the requirement that was given. Readers didn't seem to understand that contest at all.

Having read many other people's 750-word contest stories, I can attest that comments of this sort are extremely common:

I liked it but I thought you should have had more build-up to the sex.

The sex scene was over too fast.

Could have been a good story, but you rushed it.

I really wanted to know these characters in greater depth. What's mom's motivation?

I can't give any story under 1000 words 5 stars.

The 750-word contest, and the responses it provokes, are a good reminder not to expect too much of your readers' attention levels. Just do your thing. What happens, happens.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I suspect, without any data to back me up, that the “too short” comments came from readers who picked up the story from the new story list, not the competition list. They have been completely unaware it was supposed to be only 750 words and missed the big flashing neon sign at the top of the story warning them of that.

 

[SimonDoom]

I suspect, without any data to back me up, that the “too short” comments came from readers who picked up the story from the new story list, not the competition list. They have been completely unaware it was supposed to be only 750 words and missed the big flashing neon sign at the top of the story warning them of that.

Probably right. But I wrote a preface to all my 750-word stories that they were being submitted for that contest and requesting they not be faulted for not exceeding that word limit. The comments came, nonetheless. And I think some authors' stories are similar.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Have any contest writers encountered any significant blowback in comments on use of theme? I've been writing to the contests for a decade and a half and don't remember receiving a comment one way or the other on use of contest theme.

I won’t say significant, but I put Halloween in Roanapur in First Time and it wasn’t really. Got a comment saying so, and I’ve had that a couple of times on other stories, it’s blowback, but not significant.

 

[Voboy]

Have any contest writers encountered any significant blowback in comments on use of theme? I've been writing to the contests for a decade and a half and don't remember receiving a comment one way or the other on use of contest theme.

Just once, on a technicality. And the guy was dead wrong, so I paid it no mind.

"This NEVER mentions National Nude Day!"

Well, yes. It doesn't. But the entire theme of the story is, y'know, being nude. So.

 

[nylonpunkie]

Even more conflicted than before.

Well, thank you all for you genuine and honest responses.

I began reading the replies with a feeling of encouragement, thinking maybe I'd dip my toes in a competition but as the horror stories accumulated I thought I'd rather keep my feet dry.

When people read my stories I think it's because they searched a tag term and hopefully I haven't misled them. If a competition attracts 'trollbombs' and 'blowbacks' and even mendacious rival writers then I think I shall stay out of their way.
I don't have a skin thick enough to withstand the barrage.

Thank you all for your responses to my question and I wish you luck in your competition entries.