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The Official Authors' Hangout Valentine's Day 2020 Support Thread.

oggbashan

oggbashan

Dying Truth seeker
Joined
Jul 3, 2002
Posts
56,017
It is a couple of days after the announcment of the winners of the 2019 Winter Holiday contest so I have started this thread now for those authors who take some time to get writing.

Valentine's Day
themes: romantic love, Valentine's Day, Cupid, sensuality, etc.
starts: January 21
closes: February 5
winners announced: February 12

As usual, this thread is to SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE authors to enter stories in the 2020 Valentine's Day Contest. Get your characters romantic, sexy and involved.

There is an advantage to entering stories in one of Literotica's themed contests, apart from the possibility of winning, and that is that your story gets far more exposure and attention than it would normally do.

Some of that attention might be unwelcome, some abusive, but some could be appreciative and helpful.

Wait for Laurel's notice of the start of the contest as a sticky at the top of the Authors' Hangout before submitting and follow the instructions in that thread.
___
 
Thanks for starting this!

This is my top priority. I have a story that's been percolating for a couple of years, but I never got it done in time for this contest. This thread is a helpful kick in the pants.
 
SimonDoom said:
Thanks for starting this!

This is my top priority. I have a story that's been percolating for a couple of years, but I never got it done in time for this contest. This thread is a helpful kick in the pants.
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Ditto, except mine's been on the books for far longer. Never has quite come together in a form I was happy to finish. There was always something that felt off about it before I got to the sex, and it would stall.

I'll pull it out of the next year folder and see if it comes together this year.
 
SimonDoom said:
Thanks for starting this!

This is my top priority. I have a story that's been percolating for a couple of years, but I never got it done in time for this contest. This thread is a helpful kick in the pants.
Click to expand...
Suzie sighed, and her lower lip trembled. "Simon, Simon, Simon, what are we going to do about you?"

"Chin up, girl," EB said. "He's promised something for Sir Ogg, so you might get that Valentine's Day card yet. Just a word though, don't go near beaches. He's getting ideas from that mad, bad Melissa. She's married now, but she's still wicked, leading men astray like that."

"Oh, Auntie Mel is lovely. She takes me shopping with Aunty Belle and Cousin Chloe, we go to all the best shops!"

She spun on her toes, and, as always, the hem rose up to reveal a delectable thigh. Suzie really is adorable.

Carry on :).
 
Having learned from my previous 3 last-minute contest entries, I've already started for a change. Hopefully will be a shorter story, but you never know... Especially since now that I've started writing the story isn't exactly cooperating with what I had planned, so perhaps I'll just have to ignore the outline and see where this wants to go for once.
 
electricblue66 said:
He's getting ideas from that mad, bad Melissa. She's married now, but she's still wicked, leading men astray like that."

.
Click to expand...

Seriously, this is true. Melissa's idea got me writing the first few paragraphs of a Penis Fish alien story. She seems nice, but she's dangerous.

I just have to make sure she doesn't lead me astray from working on my Valentine's Day/rope play/BDSM story, which is my top priority.

The Ogg story is done and submitted. So I actually will have one more story, at least, published before the end of the year.
 
SimonDoom said:
Seriously, this is true. Melissa's idea got me writing the first few paragraphs of a Penis Fish alien story. She seems nice, but she's dangerous.

...

The Ogg story is done and submitted. So I actually will have one more story, at least, published before the end of the year.
Click to expand...
"She seems nice, but she's dangerous." There you go, Melissa, something for your Sig block.

Suzie looked at her brother proudly. "See, I knew you could do it!" She wrapped her arms around Simon in a big hug, and the sun came out and, gosh, a chocolate box lid couldn't look prettier.

Simon's mom looked on. She was a little worried about this penis fish thing, but once the tide went out, everything should return to normal.
 
Since I couldn't get my act together for these past 2 holiday contests I'm extra determined to get this one done... Also tackling an idea that's been pending for a while.
 
It's been awhile for a contest for me too. I actually had story in the works when I read Ogg's notice. I think I've got it reworked in the last couple of days to shift it into a Valentine's day theme. (Actually, it may even make it a better story now.) Good news is, we have quite a lot of time before the posting date. Good luck to everyone!
 
Well, I’ve outlined and started a story for the contest. Now if I don’t let it grow into a near-novel, don’t get distracted by the other couple of stories I’m working on, and keep motivated I might even make the deadline.

Motivation is the big one. I was averaging over a thousand words a day for four months on my last story, probably half that again with all the fiddling. And after it posted it took over a month before I wanted to do more than play with story ideas.
 
SimonDoom said:
Seriously, this is true. Melissa's idea got me writing the first few paragraphs of a Penis Fish alien story.
Click to expand...

I kept coming back to that thread and trying to think of a story. Nothing I could post here came to mind. Good luck, I'll be interested in reading it.

I held my second Christmas story back from the contest because I wasn't happy to see a private event land just when the Winter Contest was closing. I think I'll just rejig it for Valentines instead. It's 98% complete.
 
Thus far, in my half a year here, I haven't had an idea that seemed workable in a contest. Val's Day? Hmmm. With a little tweaking, something I've had in the works might fit. I keep hearing about the high volume of readers for contest entries.

Well sure, I'll give it a shot. In so doing, I will disregard whether it's good for me or anyone if more people read my stuff, and whether my mangling this story to relate it to Valentine's Day will be patently obvious'

I actually have another idea that arises from Valentine's Day, so that might get in also. Has to do with how, in my recollection, both Val's Day and Halloween used to be primarily for kids, until about 50 years ago, when horny adults started co-opting them.
 
JuanSeiszFitzHall said:
Thus far, in my half a year here, I haven't had an idea that seemed workable in a contest. Val's Day? Hmmm. With a little tweaking, something I've had in the works might fit. I keep hearing about the high volume of readers for contest entries.

Well sure, I'll give it a shot. In so doing, I will disregard whether it's good for me or anyone if more people read my stuff, and whether my mangling this story to relate it to Valentine's Day will be patently obvious'

I actually have another idea that arises from Valentine's Day, so that might get in also. Has to do with how, in my recollection, both Val's Day and Halloween used to be primarily for kids, until about 50 years ago, when horny adults started co-opting them.
Click to expand...

You might be overthinking it. All you really have to do is come up with a story and give it a wrinkle that relates to the particular contest. For the winter, summer, and Valentine's contests, I think that's very easy. All you need for winter is a winter holiday setting, and a plot idea that maybe has to do with a character wanting something for Christmas/Hannukah/Etc. For Valentines's day it's all about romance. Any erotic story can be given a romantic twist. Summer is all about bikinis, beaches, warm weather, skimpy clothing, summer vacations to warm climates, etc. Easy stuff. Don't overthink it.
 
Read back through the latest incarnation of "Violet Valentine", as I left it last year, and I'm pleased with what's there. The next bit is the critical part that's make or break for the story, though. It's where the story has stalled on me every year.

I do have a much more sound foundation now. I just didn't come up with that until it was too late last year.

We'll see. I'm probably not going to fight it very hard, because I really, really, want to get "Queen of the Wood" out for Earth Day this year, so I can jump straight into "Beloved of the Wood" for summer.

I've been putting bits and pieces in place with those stories for a decade now, all for one scene at the end of Beloved, and I'd really like to see that go live.
 
Mine's done, and I'm actually reasonably excited about it.

I don't often get inspired by this contest. It's the hardest one on the calendar for me, as a rule.
 
RejectReality said:
We'll see. I'm probably not going to fight it very hard, because I really, really, want to get "Queen of the Wood" out for Earth Day this year, so I can jump straight into "Beloved of the Wood" for summer.
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Is that also a contest, earth day? Don't think I've seen that one before. Or is it just a day you'd like to have it submitted for?
 
It used to be my favorite contest, which has now been replaced by April Fools Day, which I have absolutely zero interest in.

I choose to pretend April Fools Day doesn't exist, and continue posting my Earth Day stories at that time of year whenever I manage to finish one. :p

ThisNameIsntTakenYet said:
Is that also a contest, earth day? Don't think I've seen that one before. Or is it just a day you'd like to have it submitted for?
Click to expand...
 
Just found it necessary to look this up, so I'll share it: Valentine's Day 2020 is on a Friday, so a story set then can take into account the impending weekend for those who work/take classes/etc. M-F and have Sat/Sun as offdays. Val's Day 2019 was a Thursday.

Then again, a story set on Val's Day 2020 would in the strictest sense be SF, because the submission and winner-announcement dates are all before that date. This may be an issue for nobody, depending on how the story is written.
 
Bumping this back to the top, because for some of us, it's getting damn close, and a reminder is necessary.

Meanwhile, I giggle at my malware program alerting me that my "location is visible" in hopes of selling me an add-on to prevent it, and giving a location that's at least 20 miles away.

One of the few benefits of living in the middle of bloody nowhere.
 
I am worried about what I wrote for this contest. It is in fact a valentines story but its not exactly a happy one. This is my first time trying to enter so I am sure that has something to do with my nerves. Traditionally do less than happy stories do ok?
 
I have one in the works. Over the years I've entered ones that weren't specifically geared to Valentine's Day--were just romances of one sort or another--and there hasn't been a difference in reception of those and ones specifically geared to Valentine's Day. (And, oh, yes, one won the 2018 contest with no reference to Valentine's Day at all.)
 
Cognantreverie said:
I am worried about what I wrote for this contest. It is in fact a valentines story but its not exactly a happy one. This is my first time trying to enter so I am sure that has something to do with my nerves. Traditionally do less than happy stories do ok?
Click to expand...

I'd like to offer an answer to your question, but find it to be a bit open ended. In other words, it's a yes and it can also be a no.

I can only answer for myself as a reader; I think the thing to look at is the reason for the unhappy ending — is it central to the story's message? If it's bittersweet, like a happy situation cut short by tragedy, then the sad ending could more easily be appreciated as normal life...I empathize with the one left behind. If it were sad because of ugliness, violence or a generally negative plot — it'd be a higher hurdle to make me feel good about the time spent on it.

I know that's not a very direct or conclusive answer, but it really does depend on how the story is done...and more importantly, who's reading it.
 
yukonnights said:
I'd like to offer an answer to your question, but find it to be a bit open ended. In other words, it's a yes and it can also be a no.

I can only answer for myself as a reader; I think the thing to look at is the reason for the unhappy ending — is it central to the story's message? If it's bittersweet, like a happy situation cut short by tragedy, then the sad ending could more easily be appreciated as normal life...I empathize with the one left behind. If it were sad because of ugliness, violence or a generally negative plot — it'd be a higher hurdle to make me feel good about the time spent on it.

I know that's not a very direct or conclusive answer, but it really does depend on how the story is done...and more importantly, who's reading it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this, this is what I needed to hear. The story is sad because it reflects life and how two people are not always ready to be together so thank you for that.
 
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