Proposing a New Theme Contest

[Boxlicker101]

I propose a new theme contest to replace the current Earth Day contest. The name would be "Spring Fun" or something similar, and it would involve fun things to do during the period when a young man's (or a dirty old man's) fancy turns lightly to more of what he has been thinking about all year. Although Earth Day is not a very sexy occasion, stories about it would fit the new theme, so anything currently being written on the subject would not be wasted.

It would also include such things as Spring Break, baseball spring training, March Madness, college or high school proms and graduations, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, June weddings and anything else that happens between March and July. Remember, the Vernal Equinox, when summer starts is on June 21, so most of June is part of spring.

 

[TxRad]

Why not. Maybe it'll stop some of the bitching about Earth day.

 

[3113]

Well, Box, I actually agree. Especially as Earth Day would be included. It certainly gives the writer more leeway and more clarity as to the contest's theme. Nice idea. Have you sent a note to Laurel?

 

[Darkniciad]

Doesn't matter to me either way.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I don't participate in the contests, so I am not going to vote. I have suggested in the past, however, that the powers that be should create five or six new contest categories, and then rotate them from year to year just to freshen things up a little. Have the three contests with the lowest number of participants shelved for a year and three new contests substituted in their places. Just a thought.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Well, Box, I actually agree. Especially as Earth Day would be included. It certainly gives the writer more leeway and more clarity as to the contest's theme. Nice idea. Have you sent a note to Laurel?

Yes, I did, and she told me to post a thread like this to get feedback and votes on the idea.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I like anything that is more inclusive rather than less.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I like anything that is more inclusive rather than less.

Maybe you could write about the end of hibernation and what you do when you wake up.

 

[lovecraft68]

I like the idea, April Fool's Day would be a cool spring tradition that would fit in as well.

It also just makes sense as we already have summer/winter contests and Earth day IMO is pretty lame to base an entire contest around, but for those who like it, it will still be a part of things

 

[HeyAll]

I've always liked the idea of a Graduation themed contest for May.

 

[TE999]

Works for me. The Earth Day theme's too limiting for story ideas.

 

[PennLady]

I'm all for it. Sounds like it has a lot more possibilities.

 

[lovecraft68]

Just think of the mother and father days themes alone (and not just for incest, more can be done with those days than just that)

 

[3113]

I like the idea, April Fool's Day would be a cool spring tradition that would fit in as well.

True that! April Fool's would be the perfect "spring fun" story.

 

[electric1]

The Earth Day theme's too limiting for story ideas.

That's actually what I like about it. Anyone can write about having sex and set it in Spring. But making environmentalism sexy is a challenge. And that challenge is what motivates me.

April Fools Day would be interesting to see as well. But I wouldn't want to lose Earth Day. So much of what we do here celebrates hedonism, it's nice to see that inverted for one month. Earth Day contest pushes people to think about new ways of writing porn.

 

[lovecraft68]

That's actually what I like about it. Anyone can write about having sex and set it in Spring. But making environmentalism sexy is a challenge. And that challenge is what motivates me.

April Fools Day would be interesting to see as well. But I wouldn't want to lose Earth Day. So much of what we do here celebrates hedonism, it's nice to see that inverted for one month. Earth Day contest pushes people to think about new ways of writing porn.

Well it will still be a viable option, but something I would like to point out is an author shouldn't need a "limiting" challenge to be different.

I strive to put new twists and spins on all my stories, whether I succeed or not is subject to opinion, but I never lock in on "tropes"

For proof of that see my Halloween contest thread rant about "Oh, look another mistaken identity costume party incest story"

You can challenge yourself in any contest in any category anytime.

 

[electric1]

Well it will still be a viable option, but something I would like to point out is an author shouldn't need a "limiting" challenge to be different.

I strive to put new twists and spins on all my stories, whether I succeed or not is subject to opinion, but I never lock in on "tropes"

For proof of that see my Halloween contest thread rant about "Oh, look another mistaken identity costume party incest story"

You can challenge yourself in any contest in any category anytime.

But the idea of a contest, it seems to me, is to have several compete in overcoming the same challenge and let readers compare how well each contestant does in meeting that same challenge.

Robert Frost: "Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down."

 

[lovecraft68]

But the idea of a contest, it seems to me, is to have several compete in overcoming the same challenge and let readers compare how well each contestant does in meeting that same challenge.

Robert Frost: "Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down."

Some don't want a "challenge" some enjoy writing the same old same old and have fun with it

Also, one thing I've noticed and we've had threads here discussing it is that many lit readers want the same meal every day.

They like the same cliched story lines (whatever they may be in each category i.e. the "masked" relative in an a Halloween incest story) and actually seem a little put off when presented with something new.

Not that that should stop a writer from being different, but it amazes me how readers will eat up the same thing over and over again.

I've tried hard in all my contest entries to do something a little different in whatever category I chose

This last one I did a formulaic stroker and ended up placing. Case in point

 

[Boxlicker101]

There are usually over 100 entries in a theme contest. Readers might get tired of reading that many stories on the same subject.

 

[lovecraft68]

There are usually over 100 entries in a theme contest. Readers might get tired of reading that many stories on the same subject.

I'm thinking most people don't read them all, only the categories they're really into.

If you don't like incest you're not going to read it no matter what the theme. I think I read around 20 of the winter entries. Then again I limit myself so as not to lose too much time from my own work.

 

[damppanties]

Some don't want a "challenge" some enjoy writing the same old same old and have fun with it

Also, one thing I've noticed and we've had threads here discussing it is that many lit readers want the same meal every day.

They like the same cliched story lines (whatever they may be in each category i.e. the "masked" relative in an a Halloween incest story) and actually seem a little put off when presented with something new.

Not that that should stop a writer from being different, but it amazes me how readers will eat up the same thing over and over again.

I've tried hard in all my contest entries to do something a little different in whatever category I chose

This last one I did a formulaic stroker and ended up placing. Case in point

But the point of a contest is the challenge. If writers do not want to be challenged and write the same old, they simply need not enter the contest.

Stretching the current contest's boundaries to the point where pretty much anything set in the Spring would be eligible would be to take the challenge of the contest away, imo. "Such things as Spring Break, baseball spring training, March Madness, college or high school proms and graduations, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, June weddings and anything else that happens between March and July" is too broad. It would be simply a case of write some half-baked Spring thing and toss it into the basket. Making the contest more inclusive than less would be like saying that getting to the base camp of Mount Everest is the same as reaching the peak. No, everyone who participates is not a winner. Some things need to be challenging.

And I suppose that means my vote is in the minority.

 

[DG Hear]

I voted yes but:
I would like to see the theme narrowed down. Maybe fathers day one year, next year maybe graduation, the following something else. Just an opinion.
DG

 

[Neonurotic]

Great suggestion, Box. It opens the creative writing field and I think that's why Laurel and Manu has theme contests. I mean, how many stories can we read, let alone write about sexy recycling and planting trees before it's dick-in-the-dirt writer's block?

 

[glynndah]

I voted yes because Earth Day seems awfully restrictive. However, opening the contest up to everything "spring" does seem to go a bit too far in the other direction. Perhaps a rotating schedule of events; the vernal equinox one year, April Fools' Day the next, graduation another time, etc. Or maybe another topic altogether such as "Weddings" or "Sports".

A from the good little witch.

 

[3113]

I think we can and should split the difference here

"Such things as Spring Break, baseball spring training, March Madness, college or high school proms and graduations, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, June weddings and anything else that happens between March and July" is too broad.

I agree that this is too broad. I don't think Father's day or graduation really viable "Spring" themes (anything past May gets us into Summer IMHO). But I do think April Fool's, Vernal Equinox (including Easter egg hunts), Spring break and proms should be up there with Earth Day as viable options for the Spring-time-of-year-theme.

I mean, Halloween and Valentine's may each be only one day, but they're thematically broad in what can be done with them because they indicate a "seasonal" aspect--a scary time/trick-or-treat time of year with ghosts, goblins, pumpkins, etc; a romantic time of year with cupids and candy, poetry and heartbreak. Earth day just isn't quite the same. It does seem limiting rather than challenging, and too narrow for that time of year.

Spring should be, I think, on par with the Winter holiday contest which includes Santa and Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Thanksgiving and Kwanzaa. We don't consider this too much for Winter and ask that it be limited to Hanukkah, do we?

Why make the Spring contest only one day's worth of theme when the winter contest isn't? Let people write up Spring stories that represent more of spring than just Earth day.