The Author's Hangout Valentine's Day 2012 Support Thread

[Darkniciad]

I'm just wondering how specific to Valentine's Day does a story have to be?
And the theme of romantic love is vague enough to probably cover thousands of stories on this website. I assume that some genres with romantic love would be expected to do better in a contest than others.
Not that I'd be expecting to get a top score, but if I do enter I'd like to submit something worth a decent look by those who vote.

The more directly you associate Valentine's Day, the less chance you have of someone popping you for being "off theme" and low-voting you.

The simplest way is to have something major happen on the day. A proposal, a reconcilliation, a realization... Have one of your biggest moments happen on the day. Maybe flash forward a year or two in the ending and have them get married/have a child or something on the day as well, just to wrap it all up in a nice pretty bow.

The story doesn't have to be overflowing with heart-shaped boxes, flowers, and cupids to be unquestionably on theme Just have the day play some sort of solid role.

 

[HeyAll]

I'm excited for this one. I've got 2 stories in the works which I think are delightful.

 

[oggbashan]

Scouries - Please Ignore

That is either:

1. Please ignore Scouries, Scouriesworld and his other alts, or
2. Scouries, please ignore this response to your post 17 in this thread for which I will not use the Quote function, because it just shows your rubbish to those who are sensible enough to have you on ignore.

Your suggestions:

1. Color, Pizazz, pictures?
Your posts look like a small child's first attempt with a printing outfit, or the worst excesses of a village printer trying hard to show how many fonts can be fitted on a single poster. This is the Authors' Hangout. We communicate with words and meaning, not screaming 'Look at ME!' like a two year old having a temper tantrum.

2. Reach Out to the Greats?
I know that many of the prolific writers on Literotica do not frequent the Authors' Hangout. I also know that writers are a minority among Literotica's members. Those who do come here can and sometimes do contribute to the support threads. All you do is complain that you can't win, or can't get the rules changed to suit your ego. I have always accepted that Literotica's contest rules are flawed and can lead to odd results (see 5 below).

3. Don't be afraid of change?
I've never be afraid of change, but the changes you continually agitate for are to bias the rules in your favour, or to allow you to cheat by using your multitude of alts.

4. Be active?
The support threads have always attracted more posts and more posters than any threads you have started. As long as the thread stays roughly on topic, why interfere with the interaction? I could have repeatedly responded to your bullshit but that just gives you the attention you keep screaming for.

5. Retire the Last Place (tm) Contest.
If you had read my contributions to the Winter Holiday Contest Support Thread you would have already noticed that I had said that the Winter Holiday 2011 was the last ever Last Place (tm) Contest. I only continued it in recent contests because I was asked to.

The purpose of Last Place (tm) Contests, apart from being a joke, was to highlight the contest entries that did not fare well under the contest rules, either because they were in unpopular categories, or were experimental, unusual or just badly titled. Many of the 'winners' of the Last Place (tm) Contests were good stories that just didn't appeal to the voters at the time.

The rules and the sweeps for the main Literotica themed contests seem obscure and the results can be unexpected but generally a story that has consistently scored high in the days before the final sweep will end up near the top of the final results.

The sweeps can have a more dramatic effect on stories that only have a few votes more than the minimum, turning them from a qualified entry to an unqualified one, or from a low scoring rating to a high one. A rating from low total number of votes is more easily changed by a 1 bomb or a 5 than a story with hundreds or over a thousand votes. Only to that extent do I agree with a small part of your rants - there ought to be some recognition of the number of votes a story receives in the decision on the winners. However there might need to be a handicap system, otherwise Incest would always win (which of course is what you want because you are a one-track writer).

The number of votes on contest entries has gradually increased over 2011, making the Last Place (tm) Contests more a decision on decimal points than on massive differences.

Unlike your fake contests where the rules and winners are decided and set by you, and entry is by your whim, the Last Place (tm) Contests were always open to anyone entering the main themed contests. They were also optional. Those who didn't want to claim the award could just say nothing. Those who are mentioned in your fake contests have no redress, no opt-out clause.

6. Has a Pauletta upset you even more than I have?

 

[lovecraft68]

Has a Pauletta upset you even more than I have?

I believe that Pauletta is probably Scouries mother's name. he obviously has an Oedipus complex and has a great desire for her. Therefore seeing her name in another erotic story conjures images in his mind of others having intercourse with his mother, when he truly wishes it was him doing so.

therefore I think all women should be named Pauletta in the Valentines contest

 

[Darkniciad]

The "Pauletta" is him turning on Boxlicker now that he thinks he's milked all the attention he can by riding on his coattails -- just like he does everyone else. It's the name of a character Box writes about.

I honestly don't know how you could handicap based upon vote totals. Incest and LW just get so many more votes on average than any other category that any handicap would favor them to the point that they'd always win.

The averages for the contests ( including those two categories ) are usually 250-300 votes or so. The average for incest alone is closer to 800 and rising. Unless the handicap per X votes was so small as to be pointless, such a vast difference would require most stories to have near perfect scores to have the slightest hope even with 100+ votes.

Maybe a handicap up to a certain vote total, after which everything is equal? A couple hundred votes? A math major could probably come up with a good formula. That sort of addresses the concern of people not participating because of a higher qualification bar, while still smoothing out the curve some.

Problem with that is that once you introduce any sort of formula, you're going to have far more people crying foul because they don't understand the math than we have right now pissed about the way things are. It could be fair as fair could be, but if the person who barely loses out can't do the math in his or her head, it looks fixed. Showing how it was calculated is likely to look like Greek to them, and even if they do understand, they're already pissed by that point and likely to say "I don't care! It's stupid!"

In the end, it's still an anonymous internet poll. No matter what controls you have in place, there's always somebody out there who can skew the results with enough time and effort. It then requires far more time and effort to detect and prevent on behalf of the website. At which point, another back door will be found, and the process starts all over.

 

[lovecraft68]

The "Pauletta" is him turning on Boxlicker now that he thinks he's milked all the attention he can by riding on his coattails -- just like he does everyone else. It's the name of a character Box writes about.

I honestly don't know how you could handicap based upon vote totals. Incest and LW just get so many more votes on average than any other category that any handicap would favor them to the point that they'd always win.

The averages for the contests ( including those two categories ) are usually 250-300 votes or so. The average for incest alone is closer to 800 and rising. Unless the handicap per X votes was so small as to be pointless, such a vast difference would require most stories to have near perfect scores to have the slightest hope even with 100+ votes.

Maybe a handicap up to a certain vote total, after which everything is equal? A couple hundred votes? A math major could probably come up with a good formula. That sort of addresses the concern of people not participating because of a higher qualification bar, while still smoothing out the curve some.

Problem with that is that once you introduce any sort of formula, you're going to have far more people crying foul because they don't understand the math than we have right now pissed about the way things are. It could be fair as fair could be, but if the person who barely loses out can't do the math in his or her head, it looks fixed. Showing how it was calculated is likely to look like Greek to them, and even if they do understand, they're already pissed by that point and likely to say "I don't care! It's stupid!"

In the end, it's still an anonymous internet poll. No matter what controls you have in place, there's always somebody out there who can skew the results with enough time and effort. It then requires far more time and effort to detect and prevent on behalf of the website. At which point, another back door will be found, and the process starts all over.

This is a rock and a hard place. How do you make it fair? Vote totals favor the categories you mentioned, but scoring seems skewed towards categories with low votes. Then again just as a couple of 5's can boost a story with only 50 votes 2-3 one bombs can crush it. But then the sweep eliminates the ones.

I think it evens out though because lets face it, although incest/LW is very high voted no other categories get trolled to that degree either. In fact I think that is an advantage I see for non human. It not only has a core loyal following that takes that oh so tough two seconds to click a vote, but it does not seemed to get trolled to heavily. I am a bit surprised by that. Fucking you sister will get you reviled, fucking a Minotaur won't. People never fail to confuse me.

I think and have suggested before, and of course I know it won;t work. Maybe you make contests so anonymous readers cannot vote. You have to be a member. might cut down on trolling, and certainly would cut down on "multiple voting"

 

[scouries]

Just for the sake of the few who don't have scouries and his alts on ignore …The one good thing about him is that his every post provides all the reasoning we need to suggest putting him on ignore

Try ignore; it's a wonderful thing… That's pretty much I why I put him on ignore

Well yeah, I could ignore him,

ScouriesWorld just went on my Iggy list

Please ignore Scouries, Scouriesworld and his other alts

Yes I believe this is a wise choice on all your parts. You’re all old school, you all have too much invested in the present system to ever work for meaningful change. My posts aren’t meant for old reactionaries, instead they’re meant to raise questions in the minds of people who still have open minds.

Change does come – even here. In fact there’s been an extraordinary amount of change on LITEROTICA over the last five years. And not surprisingly it’s the people who’ve agitated for change who’ve actually had the most influence on the changes L+M have adopted.

Just look at how authors now regard vote totals. How important they’ve become. I’m in the process of documenting the history of how vote totals have come from being a dismissed stat on LITEROTICA in 2005 to today where they’ve become preeminent. The history, already started, will be appearing in installments on the SCOURIES WORLD thread in the coming days…
​

 

[Darkniciad]

Yeah, it's been suggested many times over the years. I just don't see it happening because forcing a sign-up, even to vote, would discourage people.

It's an especially bad time to introduce something like that, because people seem to be taking increased advantage of the new/tweaked features to every author's benefit. That's momentum you don't want to put a roadblock in front of.

As has also been said many times before, the only real way to have a contest based on the story and not author/category bias is with a panel of judges and no identification of the author of the story ( other than the writing style that can give everyone away )

You'd also likely have to tighten the themes down to a very narrow margin, and restrict the categories, in order to find enough judges who wouldn't squick.

=========

PSA: Please don't quote the troll if you must respond to him. That defeats the purpose of wiping the muck he slings all over the forum away with the ignore feature, as it doesn't block quoted posts.

 

[scouries]

Your suggestions:

1. Color, Pizazz, pictures?
Your posts look like a small child's first attempt with a printing outfit, or the worst excesses of a village printer trying hard to show how many fonts can be fitted on a single poster. This is the Authors' Hangout. We communicate with words and meaning, not screaming 'Look at ME!' like a two year old having a temper tantrum.

This coming from the man wearing the crown in his avatar. This comment of yours simply reflects how outdated you’ve become. Your #1 posts on every support thread you ever started were dull, uninteresting posts that did nothing to encourage anyone passing by to stop in. Which was your point I guess. You only wanted your insider friends on the thread, not people who’d challenge your little clique.​

2. Reach Out to the Greats?
I know that many of the prolific writers on Literotica do not frequent the Authors' Hangout. I also know that writers are a minority among Literotica's members. Those who do come here can and sometimes do contribute to the support threads. All you do is complain that you can't win, or can't get the rules changed to suit your ego. I have always accepted that Literotica's contest rules are flawed and can lead to odd results (see 5 below).

Name calling but no answer to the charge. Did you reach out to the greats? Yes or no? We all know the answer to that one. You simply were afraid of the competition.​

3. Don't be afraid of change?
I've never be afraid of change, but the changes you continually agitate for are to bias the rules in your favour, or to allow you to cheat by using your multitude of alts.

What bullshit! What change did you ever advocate in your 10+ years of fawning lackeyism? Calling me names and making accusations won’t change the facts.

Did you believe it was correct to enter a story in a vote determined contest with the voting turned off? What did you ever do about it? Forcing all contestants to turn on the voting is a bias in my favor? Have you completely lost your senses?

Did you actively participate in the campaign to get chapters thrown out of the themed contests or did you let others do the heavy work? We all know the answer to that one.

Do you believe stories should be allowed to be edited mid stream and yet keep their pre edit votes?

Do you believe themes should be changed from time to time?

Lets face it oggy – you sat on the sidelines for years - afraid to say a word lest LAUREL punish you.​

4. Be active?
The support threads have always attracted more posts and more posters than any threads you have started. As long as the thread stays roughly on topic, why interfere with the interaction? I could have repeatedly responded to your bullshit but that just gives you the attention you keep screaming for.

Well of course your first sentence above in 4 is 100% wrong and you know it. Go check out the 1000+ vote club, the 100+ comment club, the SCOURIES WORLD threads.

And if you remember last year we put up the figures for views and posts for the last 3 or 4 years of oggman support threads and one thing became glaringly obvious – those threads I participated on had huge percentages more posts and views than those I didn’t participate on.​

5. Retire the Last Place (tm) Contest.
If you had read my contributions to the Winter Holiday Contest Support Thread you would have already noticed that I had said that the Winter Holiday 2011 was the last ever Last Place (tm) Contest. I only continued it in recent contests because I was asked to.

Unlike your fake contests where the rules and winners are decided and set by you, and entry is by your whim, the Last Place (tm) Contests were always open to anyone entering the main themed contests. They were also optional. Those who didn't want to claim the award could just say nothing. Those who are mentioned in your fake contests have no redress, no opt-out clause.

Well I’m glad you’ve finally conceded that the Last Place contest had outlived its usefulness.

But why the cheap shot at the ASSOCIATION of INDEPENDENT READERS and its contests? I understand that it scared you, that it challenged your primacy here. But it’s just a contest. It has rules (in fact clearer rules than the LITEROTICA contests as you all know). And each contest winners are decided by these rules.

Why A.I.R. scares you is that at the end of the day people look at the two lists of winners and can’t help but see that the A.I.R. contests have consistently produced winners who are so much more obviously the choice of our readers.

FYI: Pauletta is simply a representation for all the stories that are submitted to the themed contests that include unoriginal characters, locales, plots, etc., etc. Of which the db woody stories, the jaymans serials, and yes boxy’s transsexual outpourings are perfect exxamples of. But I must admit that outside of some of his survivalist submission tendencies old boxy’s not that bad a guy. Heck he is a top 100 most favorite author!​

 

[TxRad]

Poor scouries. The more he rants and raves, the more he sounds like an idiot.

In case there are any newbies around, he has nothing to do with Lit. He is an egomaniac that has delusions of grandeur. He claims to be the number 1 author on Lit but has never placed in any contests, monthly, special, or year end. He stuffs his comments with replies and alts and spends hours hitting the view button to drive those up and then brags about his number 1 status.

Yeah, he is one of the major reasons for the sweeps in the first place.

Rock on scouries, keep proving what an asshole and idiot you are. You do a much better job of outing yourself than anyone else ever could.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

I'm excited for this one... I've got about twenty stories that I can slap into Valentines day.
Now to get started. I'm sure I'll need the extra time.

P.S. Look how much nicer this thread is with the ignore feature.

 

[PennLady]

I'm excited for this one... I've got about twenty stories that I can slap into Valentines day.
Now to get started. I'm sure I'll need the extra time.

P.S. Look how much nicer this thread is with the ignore feature.

Ain't it though?

Wow... I don't even have one story. Guess I'll just be here to provide support.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

I can't decide what to do about this one. I have a 19,000 word monstrosity I started last January and abandoned in February; it was a train-wreck then, and after rereading it yesterday, I can safely say there were some explosive cars in that wreck.

Given my limited time, I can't decide if I should a) fix it up, or b) focus on less overwhelming story tasks.

I'd say I'm sitting at a ten percent chance of entering this one . . . but yay, PL, for starting the thread.

 

[DG Hear]

Don't have a clue as what to write. I'll see if something pops into this old head of mine in the next month or so. Once I get an idea I can write a story in a couple of days. That's probably why I don't win. LOL

 

[PennLady]

My problem is like to find a little different angle to approach things, and I think that may be hardest on Valentine's Day. It doesn't have quite the mythology surrounding it that Christmas does, so there are less options. Or I'm less creative. Although perhaps I shouldn't look so hard. Not sure last years' Val-Day story was quite what people wanted (but to be fair it was rushed and I entered very late, so maybe if I'd taken more time...).

 

[lovecraft68]

I have two ideas. One is group with what I think is a sexy premise. But it is group so how can a threesome really say love? Course this is literotica...

My other idea is mature. It would be the harder of the two to write, and the sex would not be as raunchy, but it would have a romantic spin on it, probably more fitting the theme.

I guess I'll think on both and see where the muse leads.

Thing is can I really have my name linked to anything romantic? I'll be thrown off all the incest fans fav pages, and the bdsm crowd will disown me!

 

[TxRad]

I have two ideas. One is group with what I think is a sexy premise. But it is group so how can a threesome really say love? Course this is literotica...

My other idea is mature. It would be the harder of the two to write, and the sex would not be as raunchy, but it would have a romantic spin on it, probably more fitting the theme.

I guess I'll think on both and see where the muse leads.

Thing is can I really have my name linked to anything romantic? I'll be thrown off all the incest fans fav pages, and the bdsm crowd will disown me!

So, write a Romantic, BDSM, incest story and make everyone happy.

 

[PennLady]

So, write a Romantic, BDSM, incest story and make everyone happy.

LOL Everyone? Or just you? That'd be quite a story, I must admit.

 

[sethp]

So, write a Romantic, BDSM, incest story and make everyone happy.

I tried that but then it turned into non consent/incest without the romance and everyone hated it except for one person! I don't even like it! lol

 

[TxRad]

LOL Everyone? Or just you? That'd be quite a story, I must admit.

That almost sounds like a challenge.

Romance and BDSM I have not problem with. Incest I've done but I just write it as I would anything else. It is fiction after all.

As for happy, I was referring to the readers and characters.

 

[PennLady]

That almost sounds like a challenge.

Romance and BDSM I have not problem with. Incest I've done but I just write it as I would anything else. It is fiction after all.

As for happy, I was referring to the readers and characters.

LOL No, no challenge. I don't write incest and don't know enough about BDSM to write anything credible there. But it sounded like an interesting mix, I must say.

Yes, must keep the characters happy. If not, they may not come back!

 

[TxRad]

LOL No, no challenge. I don't write incest and don't know enough about BDSM to write anything credible there. But it sounded like an interesting mix, I must say.

Yes, must keep the characters happy. If not, they may not come back!

Challenge or not, the seeds have been planted. Now to find the time for some serious writing.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

I picked up an Otis Redding CD the other day at Walmart, mostly because I like him and 'Love Man' was included.
Anyway, it ended up being a collection of love songs.... talk about something to give you inspiration.
Today the CD player in my car curiously got stuck on repeat during 'These Arms of Mine'.
Gave me a couple ideas...now finding time to write it would be the challenge.

 

[TxRad]

I picked up an Otis Redding CD the other day at Walmart, mostly because I like him and 'Love Man' was included.
Anyway, it ended up being a collection of love songs.... talk about something to give you inspiration.
Today the CD player in my car curiously got stuck on repeat during 'These Arms of Mine'.
Gave me a couple ideas...now finding time to write it would be the challenge.

What is this time, you speak of?

Happy writing EK.

 

[TxRad]

Da Bump

Too close to the bottom.

Butt then again.