How important is the theme for the contests?

[GrantBricksly]

So, I am looking towards the April Fools Day Contest now. Which has the following listed as it's theme:

• Submissions must have a April Fool's Day theme: i.e. (humorous or otherwise) of surprise meetings, humor, tricks, trick endings, and other themes of deception, chance, and/or misunderstandings (happy or otherwise) etc.

So I guess what I am wondering is this: How important do you think the theme is to the READERS. I have a story I've been working on. And there are some elements of the story that I think qualify as "deception" and "surprise meetings" and things of that nature...but I worry that they are not the main focus of the story. They exist throughout the story as a background thing...so I think it's fine as far as being ALLOWED in the contest...

But will the READERS care, and show in the votes that it is not a central thing? Should I save this story for another time and come up with something different?

 

[KeithD]

Specific adherence to theme is played loosely here with no apparent backlash from readers or refusal to accept into the contest by the submissions editor.

 

[oggbashan]

If the readers think you haven't addressed the theme, you are likely to get lower votes and adverse comments.

That is why Aproil Fool's is probably the most difficult of the year. Unless 1st April and April Fool features you are likely to be punished.

Valentine's day? Not so difficult. Any form of Romance is likely to be acceptable.

 

[ScrappyPaperDoodler]

I’ve only participated in one contest (Valentines Day, 2021). Given that, my input is probably not all that valuable. However, my biggest issue with that story was my obsession with "sticking to the theme."

Readers care, but they probably care less than you think. If you’re at least adhering to the contest requirements you should be fine.

 

[KeithD]

If the readers think you haven't addressed the theme, you are likely to get lower votes and adverse commnets.

Can anyone attest to this happening to them? I can't, and I'm often quite loose with the theme. There are only so many approaches you can take to a strict adherence to either Valentines Day or April Fool's Day. I placed once with a murder mystery loosely connected to the April Fool's theme without a single questioning of use of the theme.

 

[GrantBricksly]

This was a comment to my 'Halloween' story, 2016:



but I seem to remember one 'Summer Lovin' story that only took place in the winter, and won the contest. It's not only followers of the contest that are allowed to vote.

See, and this is why I am wondering...When I submitted my V-day story this year, there was a mixup, and my story for the Winter Holiday contest accidentally got submitted and was live for 10 hours before being switched out. That story clearly had ZERO Valentine's themes, but I did get a few votes, and even a comment or two from when that story was up, and no one seemed to care, or even notice that it didn't fit the theme....

 

[GrantBricksly]

But.....One of these days...I'd like to have a chance at winning a contest...and so I am here, asking to be sure. If playing fast and loose with the theme is going to hurt my chances...perhaps I should simply come up with something else...The story I have is still a good one...And when I finish it, I will still post it. It may fit another contest...or perhaps just be a story that will get posted for nothing other than to be posted...who knows..

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I did a very spurious Summer Loving one which didn't do very well, probably because Brits complaining about Las Vegas summer heat and arctic aircon just isn't the sexy sun&sand type stuff they were looking for. I wasn't expecting it to, just hoped for a few extra readers from being in a contest. Its rating has gone up since, from readers presumably finding it via the category or my other stories.

On the other hand, I've also taken a story I was about to submit, put a bit of Valentine's framing on it, and placed in the contest, so it can work.

Contest readers want a clear storyline with tidy resolution, as well as something literate and sexy without triggering any squicks of stuff they don't want to read. Generally. Bound to be exceptions.

 

[oggbashan]

Can anyone attest to this happening to them? I can't, and I'm often quite loose with the theme. There are only so many approaches you can take to a strict adherence to either Valentines Day or April Fool's Day. I placed once with a murder mystery loosely connected to the April Fool's theme without a single questioning of use of the theme.

Yes. I had two comments on a April Fool's contest entry that it wasn't appropriate for teh theme.

I thought it was, being an account of a trick played on one of my characters, but 2 x anon thought it wasn't close enough.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Can anyone attest to this happening to them? I can't, and I'm often quite loose with the theme. There are only so many approaches you can take to a strict adherence to either Valentines Day or April Fool's Day. I placed once with a murder mystery loosely connected to the April Fool's theme without a single questioning of use of the theme.

I cannot speak to downvoting, but I have had the occasional negative comment. I think the last one was in the Hallowe’en contest last year. I wrote a Hallowe’en charity ball with (admittedly minimal) costumes for the ladies. Somebody complained that it wasn’t ‘Hallowe’eny’ enough. Oh, well.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

But.....One of these days...I'd like to have a chance at winning a contest...and so I am here, asking to be sure. If playing fast and loose with the theme is going to hurt my chances...perhaps I should simply come up with something else...The story I have is still a good one...And when I finish it, I will still post it. It may fit another contest...or perhaps just be a story that will get posted for nothing other than to be posted...who knows..

Fast and loose might work against you, but to what extent is up in the air. Put some effort into tying it in with the theme and you shouldn’t have a problem. Good luck.

 

[Voboy]

Can anyone attest to this happening to them? I can't, and I'm often quite loose with the theme.

I’ve had comments. But not many.

It does happen.

 

[lovecraft68]

Despite what the rules say, fact is not at all. A few years back an author published a Christmas story in the Halloween contest, complete with Santa in title and tag, another long time author who is not around anymore posted in the threads they just toss random stories in contests to take advantage of the extra attention.

Will the readers call you out? Not often.

 

[NotWise]

For the most part, readers don't know or care much about contests. That's especially true for that big bunch of readers that pick your story up as soon as it hits the "New" list. If you do get a comment about the contest theme, then the comment probably came from another author.

I've only done one April Fools Day story. It was, and still is, my impression that readers don't care for being fooled, so if light deceptions is your hook into the contest, then go with it. I heavily foreshadowed the ending of my story, which is another way to deal with the problem.

 

[Voboy]

Yeah, I don't usually enter the April Fools thing, but for some reason I had a couple of bunnies hatch this year. It'll be fun to watch them try to make their way in this harsh, cruel world.

 

[lovecraft68]

The April Fool's contest isn't all that popular(Like Earth Day before it)
But the reason its not popular seems to be because it requires some thought.
The other contests revolve around a day that has many things easily associated with it. Halloween, Valentines, Christmas. Nude day is so easy it's ridiculous and for summer winter, "It was hot, it was cold..."
Even the author challenges are specific. Write a Spillane story, a geek story etc...
April fools isn't hard to me, a prank, a twist, some type of deception, the contest rules state "chance"
But many authors here avoid it, and I see comments from readers that they didn't get the story I read in the contest.
It kind of shows the all out rut writers and readers are in when something that requires a little more thought gets avoided and the readers can't seem to figure out the stories that are published.

 

[GrantBricksly]

The April Fool's contest isn't all that popular(Like Earth Day before it)
But the reason its not popular seems to be because it requires some thought.
The other contests revolve around a day that has many things easily associated with it. Halloween, Valentines, Christmas. Nude day is so easy it's ridiculous and for summer winter, "It was hot, it was cold..."
Even the author challenges are specific. Write a Spillane story, a geek story etc...
April fools isn't hard to me, a prank, a twist, some type of deception, the contest rules state "chance"
But many authors here avoid it, and I see comments from readers that they didn't get the story I read in the contest.
It kind of shows the all out rut writers and readers are in when something that requires a little more thought gets avoided and the readers can't seem to figure out the stories that are published.

See, and that is why I don't want to avoid it, but also dont want to just throw "any old story" in there regardless of how well it fits the theme. I am trying to make sure I am doing this right..

 

[Rustyoznail]

My thoughts are along the same lines as NotWise. I suspect most readers go straight to the new list of their favourite category and are unaware there's a contest running.

I've had a couple of comments along the lines of "Good story but doesn't really fit the theme". I think they fitted - certainly nothing as blatant as Christmas in the Halloween comp.

 

[Duleigh]

I get a few disparaging comments for my summer fun stories... but when you live in Buffalo and North Dakota most of your life, Summer is a sometimes thing.

 

[SimonDoom]

One always has to keep in mind that there are readers--lots of them, actually--who will claim that your entry into the 750-word story event is TOO SHORT. "I might have given it 5 stars if it had been longer."

I suppose if you want to maximize your chances of winning a contest, you should stick more or less close to the theme. I'm more interested in the publicity than in winning, so it doesn't really matter. The chances are it won't matter to all but a small handful of readers.

 

[Trionyx]

If your AF story doesn’t feature April the first as a major theme then you should have at least a dramatic and surprising reveal at the end. Subtlety for the AF contest will not go over well with some readers.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

If the 'trick' is that the main character's name is April and it's the first time she does something, some readers are satisfied with that, others not.

April must be one of the commonest names used on Lit for that reason.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

very.