The Official Authors' Hangout 2023 Valentine's Day Contest Support thread

[Trionyx]

I finished a Valentines Day story, but it’s so blah that I’ve decided to bury it deep somewhere so it never sees the light of day. Have you ever written a story, then thought, “Jesus, that’s boring”?

One time I felt that way, did a tiny bit of editing and thought “Jesus, why not?” Went ahead and published it and to my surprise, it was fairly well received. On another occasion I was pumped about a story with a particular twist and it fell flat. You never know for sure what the masses want.

 

[TxRad]

The masses never know what they want until it slaps them in the face.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I might be in. At least, I have something to pursue. It’s awfully late to get started, so I almost certainly can’t get something posted when the contest debuts. But it’s fun, so far, to mess around with this.

Cupid and Psyche, from last year’s “Cupid’s Performance Review,” are back, with Cupid hoping his arrow will make a heartless male mortal stop stringing along his quasi-harem, and spawn in the guy actual love. It’s the annual deity organization exchange, between Olympus and Monotheism, so Valentinus has been detailed to work with Cupid. This one would go in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, under the principle of “Well, duh.”

 

[Duleigh]

Boring, no; evil, yes. My finger keeps hovering over the delete button. David and Absalom…

DON'T DELETE!!!
I've moved stories I really didn't like into a folder marked as "Dead End" and found it quite handy. While I didn't like the stories dropped there for one reason or another, there were parts and vignettes that I found useful to drop into stories that are working. It's a trick that I learned from Harlan Ellison, he never deleted anything he wrote, and tried to sell everything he wrote.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I'll think on it. Thanks.

 

[GrantBricksly]

DON'T DELETE!!!
I've moved stories I really didn't like into a folder marked as "Dead End" and found it quite handy. While I didn't like the stories dropped there for one reason or another, there were parts and vignettes that I found useful to drop into stories that are working. It's a trick that I learned from Harlan Ellison, he never deleted anything he wrote, and tried to sell everything he wrote.

Yea, I don't delete anything either. I actually just today opened up a story I wrote years ago, that never got published. Didn't like it back then. But after reading it through today, I decided that with some re-writing, and adjusting I think I can make it work.

I have tons of partial or full stories that I never published, just sitting on my hard-drive...

 

[lovecraft68]

This is a contest I just never have anything for of late. Last time I entered was 2014 and it was an LW satire of sorts. Just not my thing I guess.

 

[Voboy]

This is a contest I just never have anything for of late. Last time I entered was 2014 and it was an LW satire of sorts. Just not my thing I guess.

We all have our "easy" contests and our "hard" contests. I have to concentrate to come up with anything for April Fools, and to differentiate Nude Day from Summer Lovin. And, like you, VDay is hit or miss.

Holidays are easy.

 

[dmallord]

"DON'T HIT DELETE!" Just ... don't. COFFEE can fix anything - you know? Just sit back, swallow, and feel the heat on its way down. Nod with your eyes closed for a few moments and then repeat the mantra, 'Coffee is me ... and I am coffee ... Tex's coffee is free ... and I am coffee."

Try that for two days straight ... before you consider hitting delete again.

 

[Duleigh]

"DON'T HIT DELETE!" Just ... don't. COFFEE can fix anything - you know? Just sit back, swallow, and feel the heat on its way down. Nod with your eyes closed for a few moments and then repeat the mantra, 'Coffee is me ... and I am coffee ... Tex's coffee is free ... and I am coffee."

Try that for two days straight ... before you consider hitting delete again.

This year's valentine's day entry came from a story I gave up on about 6 months ago and I'm deliriously happy with the final product.

Speaking of coffee, it's well past sunrise, where's Tx? He shoulda had them girls happy and snoozing by now. I'll put on an emergency pot and sit over here in the corner and start working on my April Fools entries...

 

[Lifestyle66]

I spent two focused days writing and finalizing a 5K word story for the V-Day contest. I'm getting faster at organizing my ideas and writing the semi-finished product.

Now, I have almost two weeks left to pick away at fine-tuning it. Of course, I can't possibly win the contest, posting to Loving Wives as I plan. That starts me off with about a 1.0 rating handicap. But I write for the fun of it.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I've had some fun so far with mine, but while it now has two human characters being steered by supernatural beings into becoming involved as a couple, I have no idea about most of the events, how the story should end, and whether there's too little at stake and the reader response would be "So what?"

At least it's light-hearted and amusing (to me). I can't tell if I can get this done, and into good shape, by the final deadline.

 

[MyBareTorso]

These are the dates for 2023. They have been edited now the 2023 schedule is posted.

Valentine's Day (February 14th)
themes: romantic love, Valentine's Day, Cupid, sensuality, etc.
starts: January 13
closes: February 7
winners announced: February 14

So get thinking and writing!

Just finishing my first draft on an idea I had floating around for a while that I've reworked a little to fit the Valentine's Day contest theme. I have only started submitting to the contests fairly recently, and it's been a lot of fun. The higher number of reads you get is great too...would wholeheartedly recommend it for any newer readers contemplating it.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Done and out for Beta reading. Sometimes the planets just align.

Can't wait to read it!

 

[regularguy13]

Is the site ready to receive stories for the VD contest? I'm use to seeing a posting with the rules and warning to put "VALENTINES DAY 2XXX" in the box

 

[KeithD]

A week now until liftoff and I'm packaging entries--but Laurel hasn't posted a contest announcement giving an applicable contest slug yet.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I might finish the first draft in a day or two. I'm not convinced yet that the story, as it is now, achieves what I hope it will. So there is suspense building on my progress with a paltry single entry.

 

[Ian_Snow]

I think this one might be a pass from me, but good luck to all the writers submitting!

 

[Voboy]

I’m good to go, whenever the gun goes off…

 

[djrip]

I'm considering doing my first contest submission for this... But I wonder if it's valentine's enough, taking place in a fantasy setting with no valentine day, and having no mention of Valentine's day? It's a zombie who finds her way back to her living love, who sacrifices his own life to revitalize her in undeath. I keep going back and forth between doing the contest and just submitting it as a regular story.

 

[KeithD]

Can it be classified as a romance? I've won this particular contest twice (well, once and a half, as once was with a coauthor) with a gay romance and no mention of Valentine's Day or February at all.

 

[Voboy]

I'm considering doing my first contest submission for this... But I wonder if it's valentine's enough, taking place in a fantasy setting with no valentine day, and having no mention of Valentine's day? It's a zombie who finds her way back to her living love, who sacrifices his own life to revitalize her in undeath. I keep going back and forth between doing the contest and just submitting it as a regular story.

I have no basis for saying this other than my gut, but if I were a contest reader I would be getting strong Halloween Contest vibes from that.

Keith is correct that you don't need to expressly mention Valentine's Day, but to be honest I can't think of too many people who associate zombies with true love. Or Vday.

 

[djrip]

Yeah, I was worried it might be too much of a stretch...but I was going for a romantic feel from the zombies perspective. Guess I'll have to get it finished and see what I think.

 

[Duleigh]

I'm gonna turn the readers into zombies - hit them over the heads with so much Valentine's Day they'll get their own AMC series: construction paper hearts, cherubs with cute little bows and arrows, overpriced wine coolers...

 

[Voboy]

It would work as a satire: a zombie equivalent of a vegan, who only eats hearts instead of brains and is obnoxious about it?