The 2015 Literotica Awards Discussion Thread

[Laurel]

Please use this thread to discuss the nominees.

Please do not post in the voting threads themselves.

Thank you, and good luck to all!

 

[Dickeydoo]

my vote

I would like to vote for "Coming in First" in the incest category. Great story!!!!!

 

[MyrtleBeachFanatic]

vanishing votes

Has anyone else noticed votes disappearing in several categories?

 

[Ann1971]

I noticed that the votes were disappearing as well. what is going on?

 

[RejectReality]

The votes removed are probably from people trying to stuff the ballot box using multiple accounts, or otherwise voting multiple times.

 

[pocketbooklover]

re: votes being removed

Actually, it's nothing like that. Here are the emails that were exchanged between Laurel and me. (oldest is at the bottom)



I can fix it on this end. Could you link me to the poll(s) in which it's not letting you vote, and tell me which choice you wish to vote? And can you tell any others having trouble to PM me under their Lit usernames with the same information? Sorry for the extra trouble, and thank you!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pocketbooklover
Hi Laurel,

Thank you for answering my email. I tried voting again, as did several others, and it won't let us vote. When we click on the link, we get the voting results and it says 'you may not vote again'.

I even logged out of my account, rebooted the computer and logged back in with the same results.

Is there anything else we can do?

Thanks again,

Pocketbooklover




Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurel
Hello!

Thank you for the message, and I hope you are well.

Offsite promotion is not a problem - and we in fact encourage authors to let their fans know about hte awards. The story that was nominated by the readers for that award, South Mountain Pack Ch. 01, was submitted in 2013 and thus not eligible for this years' awards. I found the only chapter submitted in 2015 and substituted that, which removed the previous nominations.

Sorry for the confusion. We should've caught the nominating readers' errors before we posted. You can let your readers know they can vote on the new chapter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pocketbooklover
Hi Laurel,

I was wondering why some of the votes for me, Carlo Rossi of South Mountain Pack for Favorite Male Character, and South Mountain Pack for favorite story have disappeared.

I posted on my Pocketbooklover FB page and the South Mountain Pack series by Pocketbooklover fan page for people to come to Lit to vote.

Also JazCullen had a post for her readers to come here also to vote.

My Pocketbooklover FB page has almost 670 'likes', the South Mountain Pack series by pocketbooklover fan page has 377 'likes' and JazCullen has almost 2000. I also have a blog which has around 10,000 page views per month where I posted to come here to vote.


Thank you,

Pocketbooklover




So, as you can see there were no multiple votes by the same people, (ballot stuffing) or using of multiple accounts. Laurel said to have the people that voted send her a PM, (the only people that I know who voted are the admins for my blog and FB pages and I did let them know.) The rest of the voters, I have no way of knowing who they were, so basically those votes are lost forever. I noted the number of 'likes' on the my FB pages and JazCullens, to let her know that out of all of those readers, it wouldn't be unusual to have as many votes as I did.

I'm not sure why the votes weren't noted and when she made the change she didn't insert the proper number of votes.

 

[TxRad]

The reason she didn't transfer the votes is that the story they voted on and the one she substituted aren't the same.

But then again, I still don't understand how a chapter of anything can win a story contest.

 

[Devilius]

But then again, I still don't understand how a chapter of anything can win a story contest.

Exactly.

 

[pocketbooklover]

The reason she didn't transfer the votes is that the story they voted on and the one she substituted aren't the same.

But then again, I still don't understand how a chapter of anything can win a story contest.

If you go and look at what was nominated, all entries only stated 'South Mountain Pack'. No chapter number was given.

 

[TxRad]

If you go and look at what was nominated, all entries only stated 'South Mountain Pack'. No chapter number was given.

Go look at Laurel's reply to your message. She hunted up the chapter posted last year, not the first chapter that was posted in 2013 which is not eligible for the year end awards.

I still don't see how any chapter can win a story contest.

 

[pocketbooklover]

Mine is not the only story that was voted in that has chapters to it. CJT also has one.

 

[TxRad]

Mine is not the only story that was voted in that has chapters to it. CJT also has one.

I'm not singling you out. Probably 80% of the stories in this contest are single chapters. All those monthly winners which are single chapters to a complete story. How is a single chapter a story? A chapter is a chapter, not the whole story. Not to mention these long chapter stories have been pulling people in for years and years and years. Kind of unfair to whole stories don't ya think?

Not only is it unfair in the year end awards but on the top lists in any category, the favorites list, and everywhere else. Check out the top list. I don't care which one, the 30 day to the all time, all of them are nothing but chapters on top of chapters.

Then there is the problem of one author with several long chapter stories call all his friends and readers in to vote on another long chapter stories chapter. Kind of like stuffing the ballot box.

Want to see something interesting, go check out the last time they held this year end. One author with a very long chapter story pretty much won everything.

Maybe one day chapters won't be allowed to win everything. They were banned from the special contests for just that reason. One day hopefully, the whole story will have to be submitted before a story can win. You can vote on it but the score doesn't count anywhere until the last chapter is posted and then the whole thing is averaged for the final score.

Something for everyone to think about.

 

[sr71plt]

Right. One reason I give this whole contest a walk by. A chapter, ipso facto, isn't the story.

 

[TxRad]

What does the number of pages have to do with it? A chapter is not a story, it is part of a story. If it stands alone, that is nice but it is still a part of the whole not the whole story.

I write long stories and always have. My first was twenty chapters, 287 pages. Twenty chapters of one story. Sorry but the smoke and mirrors just don't wash. A chapter isn't a whole story and shouldn't be judged as such.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I'm the one who reported South Mountain Pack. When I did it, I thought I was doing you a favor. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt that you weren't aware that the chapter people were voting on was two years old.

You not only knew, you actively encouraged your readership to vote anyway. That’s shitty. What you did was shitty. You should have been the one to take ownership of your work and be respectful to the other applicants.

I hope you win, PBL. You clearly need the attention more than I do.

 

[pocketbooklover]

I'm the one who reported South Mountain Pack. When I did it, I thought I was doing you a favor. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt that you weren't aware that the chapter people were voting on was two years old.

You not only knew, you actively encouraged your readership to vote anyway. That’s shitty. What you did was shitty. You should have been the one to take ownership of your work and be respectful to the other applicants.

I hope you win, PBL. You clearly need the attention more than I do.

Actually, I didn't notice that it was Chapter 1 that was posted in the next round of the contest since 'South Mountain Pack' was nominated, not an individual chapter. I was well aware that only Chapter 16 was eligible since that was the only one posted within the calendar year.

Not sure why you are so upset about me encouraging people to vote. I encouraged the readers to come to Lit to vote in all the categories. I have a lot of readers who don't come to Lit on a regular basis. You have the opportunity to post the same message on your FB page and fanpage also. I encourage you to do it.

And I really don't need any more attention than what I currently get.

 

[asthecrowflies]

Actually, I didn't notice that it was Chapter 1 that was posted in the next round of the contest since 'South Mountain Pack' was nominated, not an individual chapter. I was well aware that only Chapter 16 was eligible since that was the only one posted within the calendar year.

Not sure why you are so upset about me encouraging people to vote. I encouraged the readers to come to Lit to vote in all the categories. I have a lot of readers who don't come to Lit on a regular basis. You have the opportunity to post the same message on your FB page and fanpage also. I encourage you to do it.

And I really don't need any more attention than what I currently get.

I'm pretty new to the boards, but not to the site. I've been reading here since 2011.

What I find unfair here is in looking at your body of work, you wrote one story in all of 2015 a chapter in the same story you have been writing for three years.

That makes you a candidate for influential author? One story in 2015?

It's your face book and Miss Cullen's FB friends that have you in for that and in for the running to win it.

This is the Literotica reader's choice awards, not the tell everyone you know on Facebook to come here and vote for me awards

Let's face it, people will follow the link and vote, they are not going to read your series and say hey, this is good, they are going to say Jazcullen one of the top ten all time authors on this site says vote and we're going to.

Yes, other authors are free to do this., but many don't bother, many are going to keep it to lit as it should be.

But I keep coming back to my first remark one story....you wrote ONE story all last year...it's a travesty you're nominated. Frankly, I think that's something the site owner should look at when putting these things through because that's whats not fair to the other authors nominated for best author and all the authors who missed out.

One story....makes influential author of the year? That's shameful. Shameful for you to gladly boast about it and seek votes and not a good look for the site that they don't look at things like this.

 

[partwolf]

I object.

I was one of the voters who had their votes "disappear" and have no recourse to vote again. The categories of "most influential writer" and "most literary genre transcending" do not relate to particular stories, they relate to AUTHORS. In this case, one I greatly respect and who has encouraged and influenced my own growth over the past year.

It saddens me that a contest that should be celebrating the talented authors and great works available on this site is sullied by such accusations and problems. It's MY vote, I really don't care what anyone else thinks about it, I just want my vote to be fairly counted like every other persons.

 

[sr71plt]

What does the number of pages have to do with it? A chapter is not a story, it is part of a story. If it stands alone, that is nice but it is still a part of the whole not the whole story.

Agree. Number of pages is irrelevant to the issue. It's whether it's a story or not. A chapter isn't a whole story, or it wouldn't be a chapter.

 

[iraqborg]

Some people have a lot of nerve

As one of the people that had their votes taken due to a system issue In a non specific nomination category I think some of you people replying are petty. As a close friend of multiple writers on this site how dare you berate people that you don't know or know what is happening in their lives. Jaz Cullen and pocketbooklover are good friends that support each other they also share a fan base so by praising one while insulting the other and their fans you are insulting the same people. I have been there when fans have said things to pbl or Jaz saying that pbl doesn't deserve to be in the same category and Jaz gets irate about that. We the fans votes are what matter the system put up the wrong story for the yearly but that is a computer problem that someone missed give the votes back and stop bashing Pbl and seeing that you are saying pbl writes "chapters" chapter 16 her one installment for the year of 15 was longer then most people's entire stories or published books so stop the whining about things you don't know anything about as some who have commented here I read your stuff but I'm considering removing you from my authors I read as you can not support a fellow author or her fans.

 

[TxRad]

I'm not sure who you are talking about but I have no problems with any of the authors. My problem is with chapters of a story, any story, being put up for something on a story site. A story site, not a chapter site, no matter how long the chapter is, it is still a chapter not the complete story.

 

[Devilius]

The entire Sci-Fi category is a joke:

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1286832

The least that for in for a story was chapter 6.

 

[lovecraft68]

The entire Sci-Fi category is a joke:

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1286832

The least that for in for a story was chapter 6.

No, this is the joke because it shows in one click the ridiculous advantage long series gain here

https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1881471&page=favorites

This series is entering its 4th year and has won five monthly contests so between $375-$750 has been won on this series.

One of the chapters is up for sci fi story of the year and the author is up for author of the year

Their entire body of work in 2015 was ten installments of the SAME series. She is running away with best author and best story thus far

So when the smoke settles this person will have 7 wins associated with this story and all 30+ chapters are in the top one hundred all time in the sci fi hall of fame.

If anyone can still deny an unfair advantage then they are simply lying. And no smoke and mirrors explanation is believable which only leaves the typical misdirect of 'well long single stories have an advantage too!' that is not an answer to this.

Why should this author ever stop this series? No reason at all.

I was going to sit out this argument because I just don't need the drama in my life at this time, but after realizing through another post that PBL's in the running for best author having written one story last year? I'm done with this.

Then the link I provided? 10 chapters of the same endless series gets you author of the year? Writing the same characters, the same settings the same here we go again over and over again makes you 'influential?'

It makes you creatively stagnant and lazy.

Now....before everyone jumps me on that...I'm speaking from experience. Check my link. I wrote a 44 chapter series here(was 49 at one point, I pulled the f chapter follow up)

It was far easier to keep writing the same series then branching off and writing new material. When you write a long series the characters become part of you, they are EASY with a capital E.

So easy that after four years I decided to revisit the characters in a short follow up series. I hadn't thought of them much in four years. I started typing and it was like slipping on my most comfortable running shoes. Effortless.

So I'm not belittling the authors or their writing,. what I am saying is winning 'influential author' based on being one hit wonders is weak.

It is a lot harder to write ten stand alone stories in several categories than it is to keep the same story going for ten installments. Each new story involves creating new characters, setting, dealing with different kinks and fan bases. It's work and having done both the long series and a boat load of stand alone stories I feel I can say that with something to back it up.

Look at the other three nominees.

Blackrandl1958 24 stories in 2015 including a 22 page story(for the person saying PBL"s 16 page story is longer than any other author's work) and it won a contest in novels novellas. They wrote in six categories, have a ton of H's won a contest.

That's author of the year material and they received my vote.

Yogakay-15 stories last year in ten categories and all very nice scores. That's creativity writing across the board as a new comer and doing it well.

Third...Me.

25 stories last year. including

A contest winner in Romance

A 22 page EH story that is up for EH story of the year and the MC is up for sexiest female.

A mature story that is up for mature story of the year.

OH, and nominated for influential author.

I don't care how this sounds , but to compare my 2015 resume-and the resume of the other nominees- to a person who wrote one story is a joke. I'll add there are authors out there far better than me in every way that were never even nominated so to see this pretty much sucks.

And I want to stress I don't mean any bad will towards PBL or especially Etaski who I enjoy in her rare posts to the boards, but its a flawed system. Its a contest that is tossed out there and never followed up on, nothing is considered its just there. Nothing will change.

This is the ultimate back slapping, high fiving, vote blocking popularity contest that has more to do with how many social media contacts you have as readers.

It also shows at the end how few readers vote and support their favorite authors. And that extends to every writer in every category here.

In general a pathetically small handful-that I do appreciate- will vote and again that goes for all authors here.

back to my original point if I any new author approached me and said they don't care about pushing themselves as a writer or trying new things or improving, that all they want is numbers and 'glory' as in top lists W's etc and they want my advice?

It's write a story that never ends.

 

[sr71plt]

Length wouldn't bother me in the regular contests if the contests were split into two sections--actual short stories and then these longer works. They aren't the same animal, and the trend here at Lit. is driving actual short stories toward extinction.

My contest entries have been lengthening as well--not to try to compete with the trend but because the disadvantage being put to the art of being both comprehensive and succinct, a hallmark of the short story in the mainstream, is given little regard here and I am letting that art go dormant in my Lit. writing. Flabby writing is rewarded here.

 

[ShawnSwift]

Moo - I'm a goat.