The official Authors' Hangout Summer Lovin' 2022 Contest Support Thread

[oggbashan]

One of my original proposed stories for this contest, a short one, has just been submitted. Now to see if I can finish the third...

 

[RetroFan]

I wonder if there are a lot of stories submitted this year?

I've never entered the Summer Lovin' contest before, but I have entered plenty of other contests and events, and noticed that these stories were approved very quickly, usually by the next day. This one I submitted on Saturday morning (Australian time) and is still pending. I'm not overly concerned yet, but am starting to worry I might have done something wrong during the submission and it hasn't been identified as a contest entry.

 

[NotWise]

I wonder if there are a lot of stories submitted this year?

I've never entered the Summer Lovin' contest before, but I have entered plenty of other contests and events, and noticed that these stories were approved very quickly, usually by the next day. This one I submitted on Saturday morning (Australian time) and is still pending. I'm not overly concerned yet, but am starting to worry I might have done something wrong during the submission and it hasn't been identified as a contest entry.

As of this morning, there are ninety-four stories in the contest.

Laurel will sometimes go a day without publishing contest stories, which was the case this weekend. Your story will probably come out when she publishes another batch.

 

[Voboy]

As of this morning, there are ninety-four stories in the contest.

Laurel will sometimes go a day without publishing contest stories, which was the case this weekend. Your story will probably come out when she publishes another batch.

Yeah, she often takes weekends off. And this weekend is a holiday here in the States.

If the contest deadline is imminent, she will definitely move entries to the top of the pile, no matter what day of the week it is.

 

[KeithD]

As of this morning, there are ninety-four stories in the contest.

Laurel will sometimes go a day without publishing contest stories, which was the case this weekend. Your story will probably come out when she publishes another batch.

My last contest entry took two days to post.

 

[lovecraft68]

As of this morning, there are ninety-four stories in the contest.

If memory serves me Summer is often the biggest.


I think its telling how the contest with the least entries is April Fools and by admission of some people here its because its not that easy to come up with an idea.

So what we have are creative people who are all over It was hot, it was cold, its Halloween, Valentine's or Nude day where hey my characters are all naked at some point

But when you have to make a little more effort, crickets. It was the same for Earth Day even though I felt that had more leeway than April Fools.

If Laurel suggests a replacement for April Fools because of lower turnout I think it should just be Spring.

Or maybe Spring Break, "sexy college students do...." if that's not easy enough nothing is.

 

[NotWise]

If memory serves me Summer is often the biggest.


I think its telling how the contest with the least entries is April Fools and by admission of some people here its because its not that easy to come up with an idea.

So what we have are creative people who are all over It was hot, it was cold, its Halloween, Valentine's or Nude day where hey my characters are all naked at some point

But when you have to make a little more effort, crickets. It was the same for Earth Day even though I felt that had more leeway than April Fools.

If Laurel suggests a replacement for April Fools because of lower turnout I think it should just be Spring.

Or maybe Spring Break, "sexy college students do...." if that's not easy enough nothing is.

I finally finished the whole round of special contests last spring when I did my first April Fools entry. I liked my story and had a ball writing it. You'd think that being linked on the main page for something like a third of the year would give the contest page a lot of exposure, but the reader response was a little "meh."

The contest was kinda hard to write for, but it only takes one idea. On the other hand, I'm not sure the readers really like being fooled, and that's often what the contest stories do.

A generic "spring" contest similar to "summer lovin'" could be interesting: maypole dances, virgin sacrifices, fertility rites ... You know, all those things that happen every spring. There could be a pretty vast range of subjects, from Easter to Walpurgis Nacht to Geek Day and Spring Promenade.

Maybe Laurel would like something with a little narrower scope.

 

[RetroFan]

As of this morning, there are ninety-four stories in the contest.

Laurel will sometimes go a day without publishing contest stories, which was the case this weekend. Your story will probably come out when she publishes another batch.

I checked again this morning, and it's coming out today - 'Tonya, Tiffany & the Twins' in Incest Taboo.

I love the April Fool's Day Contest, I've entered it in the past two years, and I hope it isn't discontinued. The one I wrote in 2021 was based on an urban myth about a babysitter who doesn't know that the toilet seat has recently been varnished and gets stuck when she sits down on it; and the one I wrote for this year was a haunting sort of story about a young man who takes a young woman on a picnic on a rowboat, and both inexplicably lose five hours. This contest is good if you like to use your imagination.

 

[lovecraft68]

The contest was kinda hard to write for, but it only takes one idea. On the other hand, I'm not sure the readers really like being fooled, and that's often what the contest stories do.

Telling for the readers too, figuring things out is hard and being surprised I guess is kind of scary.
Reading is a gateway to things outside of your real life, writing is creating those things. Seems both have stagnated down to "But its not easy or predictable.

Reminds of when movies had ambiguous endings and people leaned towards whatever they felt and took the story in their own direction. Now there's you tubers making "ending explained" videos that people flock to because they can't figure out what an ending means.

Sad to think of where we'll be in another ten years (that is if we're not a cinder)

 

[oggbashan]

My first two have been published. Now to finish the third except for three days of medical appointments...

 

[burgwad]

Q: Have I shot myself in the foot by submitting a long story (82k words) with only a few days until the submission window closes?

Note, I'm not worried about winning any prizes or anything like that. I'm just worried that my baby won't even make it onto the Contest Entry list.

 

[KeithD]

Q: Have I shot myself in the foot by submitting a long story (82k words) with only a few days until the submission window closes?

Note, I'm not worried about winning any prizes or anything like that. I'm just worried that my baby won't even make it onto the Contest Entry list.

No. There's no real set pattern to how this works out.

 

[RetroFan]

My story 'Tonya, Tiffany & the Twins' is posted. I think I might have failed in my attempt to make the IT readers laugh given the low scores and negative comments so far.

 

[lovecraft68]

My story 'Tonya, Tiffany & the Twins' is posted. I think I might have failed in my attempt to make the IT readers laugh given the low scores and negative comments so far.

Like I was saying about the authors/readers lack of enthusiasm for anything that's not easy and predictable, I'll add that I've seen a lot of attempts to write a tongue in cheek(pun intended sometimes) story that's not meant to be taken seriously and the readers are to anal retentive or just plain dumb to get it. Seems like you're the latest example.

This is why they used to have laugh tracks in sit coms so people would know they were supposed to laugh, maybe we need some type of HTML that tells readers that.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Q: Have I shot myself in the foot by submitting a long story (82k words) with only a few days until the submission window closes?

Note, I'm not worried about winning any prizes or anything like that. I'm just worried that my baby won't even make it onto the Contest Entry list.

My 41K Summer Lovin entry , Just Roomies ,was just published today in Mature, and its getting read. As of 9:00pm over 10K reads so far. Now if I could just get the one bombers to back off and quit bombing it, I think it would do okay.

If you made sure to cut and paste the Summer Lovin 2022 message to the editor, they usually make sure that it makes it into the contest on time.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

My first two have been published. Now to finish the third except for three days of medical appointments...

Good luck with your treatments and your stories.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I wonder if there are a lot of stories submitted this year?

I've never entered the Summer Lovin' contest before, but I have entered plenty of other contests and events, and noticed that these stories wJustere approved very quickly, usually by the next day. This one I submitted on Saturday morning (Australian time) and is still pending. I'm not overly concerned yet, but am starting to worry I might have done something wrong during the submission and it hasn't been identified as a contest entry.

My latest - Just Roomies - was submitted on Friday, and was only published Tuesday, this morning. Could be because of the holiday, or they were just busy with lots of entires that it took so long.

 

[burgwad]

My 41K Summer Lovin entry , Just Roomies ,was just published today in Mature, and its getting read. As of 9:00pm over 10K reads so far. Now if I could just get the one bombers to back off and quit bombing it, I think it would do okay.

If you made sure to cut and paste the Summer Lovin 2022 message to the editor, they usually make sure that it makes it into the contest on time.

No. There's no real set pattern to how this works out.

Thanks to the both of you for replying!

@Smuttyandfun Btw, I felt obliged to read the first few paragraphs of Just Roomies, and dang, you're a terrific writer! I'll need to come back and finish reading when I get a little time.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Thanks to the both of you for replying!

@Smuttyandfun Btw, I felt obliged to read the first few paragraphs of Just Roomies, and dang, you're a terrific writer! I'll need to come back and finish reading when I get a little time.anks

Thanks. When I get a chance, I will look at yours too.

 

[RetroFan]

Like I was saying about the authors/readers lack of enthusiasm for anything that's not easy and predictable, I'll add that I've seen a lot of attempts to write a tongue in cheek(pun intended sometimes) story that's not meant to be taken seriously and the readers are to anal retentive or just plain dumb to get it. Seems like you're the latest example.

This is why they used to have laugh tracks in sit coms so people would know they were supposed to laugh, maybe we need some type of HTML that tells readers that.

Yes, it's strange how so many want the same thing all the time, and nothing different at all.

In my 'Tonya, Tiffany & the Twins' it's not sophisticated comedy at all, as noted in the introduction it's a slacker comedy with plenty of slapstick like movies from this genre that were popular in the 1980s, 1990s and into the 2000s. For example, the father accidentally bends over in front of a ram, which responds by butting him in the ass and sending him flying into a lake.

 

[Nellymcboatface]

Q: Have I shot myself in the foot by submitting a long story (82k words) with only a few days until the submission window closes?

Note, I'm not worried about winning any prizes or anything like that. I'm just worried that my baby won't even make it onto the Contest Entry list.

Ha ha.. I've just squeaked in with 65k words... with 3 days left, so like you, I'm on the edge of my seat.
Laurel has sorted out competition entries in 2 days before, so my fingers are crossed...

 

[burgwad]

Ha ha.. I've just squeaked in with 65k words... with 3 days left, so like you, I'm on the edge of my seat.
Laurel has sorted out competition entries in 2 days before, so my fingers are crossed...

Ooo get excited. Lit readers love long stories like ours. I'm already rocking a 1.0/5.0 stars, courtesy of Anon!

 

[oggbashan]

My third story isn't going to be finished in time for the contest. I have a medical appointment this afternoon followed by shopping and more shopping tomorrow.

I'll submit it as an ordinary story probably at the weekend or shortly afterwards.

 

[Nellymcboatface]

Ooo get excited. Lit readers love long stories like ours. I'm already rocking a 1.0/5.0 stars, courtesy of Anon!

I've not done too bad from my long stories...Although this one is longer than my 65k one last year...
Laurel published it early this morning and I'm running 4.0 with 8 votes,
Hey ho, that's the risk when pushing it so late...
I could have done with two more months to get it right (even then I'd be late and probably have errors...)
"Print and be damned".
At least we get in one last weekend of readers.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

burgwad and Nelly, long, late-breaking stories that are well written sometimes do well in these contests. One only has to have 25 votes to qualify (versus 50 in the monthly contest) so while the large number of words and story length may work against the number of views, those who read and actually finish the story are probably more likely to be invested in it and like it and actually vote.

Good luck to all.