The Earth Day 2011 Contest Support Thread

[sr71plt]

Thanks for replying. I agree with some of what you've said but not all, but seeing as I entered for the fun of coming up with a story for what I see as a wacky topic, I'm fine with the way it is.

I don't need a false-concept "contest" to be motivated to have fun writing/posting or searching for a wacky topic--or even posting on the theme of a "contest" during a "contest."

It's the hypocrisy and being played for a fool that I'm bypassing.

 

[PennLady]

I look upon these contests more as a challenge to inspire me, receive feedback and critiques, and a way to broaden my readership base. I'm not going to lie, little red "H"ot H's are pleasing to the eye. I also love the support and repoire that many of us have formed, especially among the AH.

I think I look at them in a similar vein. If you have an idea, it's fun if nothing else to join in and get the story up and get feedback.

I find the biggest block on the theme stories for me is trying to find a different angle. Christmas, for example -- just how many "finding the Christmas spirit" stories can you write? And kudos to those who find interesting ways around, under or through it. When I wrote my first Christmas story (Unexpected Gifts), I didn't get the idea until late in the contest. I'd dismissed a lot of stuff until I thought, hey, what about the reindeer. In my Halloween story (Ghosts of the Forum) I stayed totally away from witches, pumpkins, etc.

It can be hard to find a new angle, or a new twist on an old one.

 

[Owlwhisper]

.....

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

I don't need a false-concept "contest" to be motivated to have fun writing/posting or searching for a wacky topic--or even posting on the theme of a "contest" during a "contest."

It's the hypocrisy and being played for a fool that I'm bypassing.

Call me a sap or Pollyanna, but I don't think you can be played or made a fool of unless you allow yourself to be. And if you enter for the reasons Luna explains (which I think match my own motivations pretty well), then the actual contest outcome doesn't really matter that much.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't think you can be played or made a fool of unless you allow yourself to be.

Yep, precisely, that's why I usually bypass them.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Yep, precisely, that's why I usually bypass them.

Snort, yes, I did a terrible job wording that sentence.

<<<<< Sap. Pollyanna. Fool. Whatever.

 

[MarlowBunny]

I have ego in his game. I want some of those scarlet 'H's. I like the challenge of writing on a theme that stretches me, but most of all I wanted to expand my audience. I hoped some readers would find and like my other stories after liking my contest stories.

I did get 5 "favorite author" and 7 "favorite story" from the contest, but I was unrealistically hoping for hundreds of "favorite story" because I have something approaching 100,000 views across my three entires.

It is actually demoralizing that only 7 out of 100,000 liked my story enough to book mark it. 0.007 percent! Oops, only 6 because _I_ am one of the favorites. Sigh. What does it take to reach this audience?

 

[PennLady]

I have ego in his game. I want some of those scarlet 'H's. I like the challenge of writing on a theme that stretches me, but most of all I wanted to expand my audience. I hoped some readers would find and like my other stories after liking my contest stories.

I did get 5 "favorite author" and 7 "favorite story" from the contest, but I was unrealistically hoping for hundreds of "favorite story" because I have something approaching 100,000 views across my three entires.

It is actually demoralizing that only 7 out of 100,000 liked my story enough to book mark it. 0.007 percent! Oops, only 6 because _I_ am one of the favorites. Sigh. What does it take to reach this audience?

I'm with you on a couple of points. I like those H's as well, even though they don't mean anything except a number of random people decided they liked my story well enough to click stars. As I've said many times, this ain't no peer review. People will like you and follow you and then they will disappear into the ether and perhaps later will be replaced by others who in turn will fade away.

Percentages are low in terms of views/votes and even lower when it comes to comments. Nothing to do but shrug and move on.

And 100k views across three entries? Woof -- I'm not sure I have 100k across all the stories I have posted at the moment, which is probably around 20.

 

[MarlowBunny]

I exaggerated. it's 73,000 views across three stories. One is incest and has nearly 47,000 by itself.

 

[sr71plt]

And 100k views across three entries? Woof -- I'm not sure I have 100k across all the stories I have posted at the moment, which is probably around 20.

On the other hand, you're in the top 100 on the favorite authors list here, so don't expect too much sympathy.

 

[Owlwhisper]

.....

 

[sr71plt]

There's also "which audience is 'this' audience?"

 

[Darkniciad]

I get into the contests for the same reasons I've always said -- the added exposure my older work gets from new people seeing it because it's at the top of the New list, or on the contest page, which lengthens the time it's out there, somewhat.

I've picked up 4 new author favorites as Dark since my story posted, and it wasn't even the same pen name the story was in.

This contest in particular I consider a commitment I need to meet, because I've kept up the tradition for five years now. I have people who start emailing me around February, poking me to make sure I'm coming out with a new one.

If I don't post anything else all year, there will still probably be a new tale come out in the Earth Day contest. I enjoy the world I've cobbled together, and the characters that pop up every year to expand and continue it.

 

[PennLady]

On the other hand, you're in the top 100 on the favorite authors list here, so don't expect too much sympathy.

Not looking for sympathy, just trying to give a little perspective.

Am I really? Cool. I never look at those lists.

 

[estragon]

Not looking for sympathy, just trying to give a little perspective.

Am I really? Cool. I never look at those lists.

SA Penn Lady, you are so good. Of course you don't need to look at charts. Just write!

 

[PennLady]

SA Penn Lady, you are so good. Of course you don't need to look at charts. Just write!

estragon, you're a flatterer, thanks. Truth is I don't check the lists because I a) forget and b) often can't find them. Probably just as well.

 

[sr71plt]

estragon, you're a flatterer, thanks. Truth is I don't check the lists because I a) forget and b) often can't find them. Probably just as well.

#93 when I checked today. That's out of over 5,000 authors.

 

[scouries]

and moi?

LITEROTICA’S 5 FAVORITEST AUTHORS as of April 19th 2011

1.Slickman (2457)
2.Many Feathers (2435)
[size=+2]3.scouries (2225)
4.BarondeSade (2224)
5.alwayswantedto (2214)

And hey, guess what firebrain? They're all A.I.R. winners... you're now among the greats...​

[/size]

jrs esq

 

[scouries]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarlowBunny
I have ego in his game. I want some of those scarlet 'H's.

I did get 5 "favorite author" and 7 "favorite story" from the contest, but I was unrealistically hoping for hundreds of "favorite story" because I have something approaching 100,000 views across my three entires.

It is actually demoralizing that only 7 out of 100,000 liked my story enough to book mark it. 0.007 percent! Oops, only 6 because _I_ am one of the favorites. Sigh. What does it take to reach this audience?

At the risk of being haunted by the ghost of Asimov I suggest these three laws for being popular with the readers:

1. Never allow a reader to suffer boredom or sexual dysfunction because of what you write or fail to write.

2. Always write stories based on topics that the readers wish to read, unless your writing will conflict with rule 1.

3. Write what you want to write, so long as it doesn't conflict with either of the first two rules.

To which I must append:
4. Ignore advice from dumb-heads like myself who have no clue how to reach this audience.

Or you could just write good stories…

jrs esq

 

[Darkniciad]

46,318vi & 11fa = 0.02%

Physician, heal thyself!

 

[MarlowBunny]

The picture that scouries posted actually looks like be when I was 17. I think my package is bigger, and I never wore pink, or I would wonder even more were he got that picture!

 

[MarlowBunny]

The picture that scouries posted actually looks like be when I was 17. I think my package is bigger, and I never wore pink, or I would wonder even more were he got that picture!

I lied. I did wear pink.

 

[scouries]

i know you did!

And you darkboy understood why that decision was made. Quite simply, as all of us know, later chapters of stories have a huge advantage over new, totally original stories. You’ve gotten rid of the people who don’t like the story while building up a group of readers who like it very much.

And whether you call it a chapter or a serial or a stand alone story based on previous stories the advantage is the same. We all know it. In fact you conceded it when you posted that “fans” start emailing you early in the year asking about the cut and paste “sequel”. And then you email this small group of fans once its submitted and ask them to read and vote on it.

The QUEEN has allowed you to skirt the rule but you know in your heart of hearts that you’re cheating. And so does everyone else.

It’s time to man up darkboy. ​

jrs esq

darkboy's infamous trail of cheating - a true embarrassment to the site that's allowed him to post his stories:

Steward of the Wood 04/02/07
Daughter of the Wood 03/28/08
Forever of the Wood 04/08/09
Secret of the Wood 03/28/10
Kindred of the Wood 09/04/10
Heart of the Wood 04/12/11

 

[LunaEroticaMystica]

Goodnight and Goodluck everyone!

 

[Darkniciad]

And now, the actual last track before the winner announcement *laugh*

The story is pretty much the same as yesterday. The top didn't have much movement, other than some musical chairs. The bottom didn't move much at all. The middle did a lot of musical chairs, with a few dips and soars.

One story crept above the 25 vote barrier to qualify, while a second story had the voting turned off by the author, disqualifying it.

( I'm not including those two 0.00 scores in the average, and they're going to throw off the sweep totals, because they vanish from the toplist where I track this once voting is turned off )

The average score is 4.34 and the median 4.32

9,252 votes remain after sweeps, for an average of 127 and a median of 50

I've observed 1,961 swept votes, for an average of 27 and a median of 12

989,604 views on contest stories, with an average of 13,556 and a median of 7,220

Contest stories have accumulated 146 favorites and 602 comments.

Good luck to everyone, and do your best to endure the continued ( probably louder ) screaming of our resident troll. If you happen to place, you're sure to be a target, so give yourself some time to cool down if necessary before you reply

I also created this thread a while back, if you feel you must respond to something, but don't want to clutter up the contest support thread. Also available for complaining about anything to do with the contests.

I'll track at least once after the announcement, and I'll post a link to the track after the winners are announced.

For posterity: If I place today, scouries goes ballistic with the cheater/chapter/alien/category sour grapes. If not, he claims 'the Queen' has finally listened to his 'infinite wisdom' *rolls eyes* + going ballistic as above