Valentines Day Contest Support Thread 2025

[alohadave]

Serious question. And, no, this isn't a "humble brag" or "weird flex" or whatever people on Ticktock are saying. Anyone who has read my work can easily see that I have no idea what readers want, let alone the ability to tailor a story to that end. This is an honest and serious question. It may even be better as it's own thread...

Do a lot of people do this? Do people write their stories (especially ones for contests) with higher scores and pleasing others in mind?

Follow-up question:

If you do, could you please tell me how?

There are plenty of people who do write for ratings. And most of us that say we don't at least think about what readers want and expect in a story.

It's normal that we'd want our readers to enjoy what we are writing, but there are times that you write something just for yourself. Sometimes readers like it, sometimes not.

 

[ChloeTzang]

There are plenty of people who do write for ratings. And most of us that say we don't at least think about what readers want and expect in a story.

It's normal that we'd want our readers to enjoy what we are writing, but there are times that you write something just for yourself. Sometimes readers like it, sometimes not.

I do a bit of both. 99% of the time I write what I'd like to read (and if you've read my stories don't say it LOL), and it's nice that readers like what I write, but it doesn't really have much influence on what I write or how I write it. As for ratings, I don't write for ratings, altho I do like that little red H next to my stories and a little blue W is nice too. What I will do, for a competition, is sometimes write something that I know will appeal to readers but again, I don't worry about the ratings and I don't tailor my stories to that - altho I did write one for a competition (White Wedding) that was designed to hit every button a Loving Wives Troll might have and I was really trying for that lowest score. LOL.

 

[ChloeTzang]

The starting point.....



11.50am and one vote added. I doubt that as a sweep, just a troll coming in low....

 

[Duleigh]

Do people write their stories (especially ones for contests) with higher scores and pleasing others in mind?

I can't tell you what other writers do or think, all I can tell you is to write what you like. Write a story that you want to read and do the best job you can.
When that's done, then you can do what other writers do: wait for readers who like what you wrote it to come along and read it.

 

[ChloeTzang]

A comment on my five page entry which proves you can’t please everyone all the time:

“Very readable and enjoyable but a bit too long to keep my attention throughout.”

OMG ' "Too long..." and on 5 pages!!!!! That's one of my introductions. LOL

 

[Duleigh]

That's one of my introductions. LOL

I can't do a proper plot exposition in under 5 pages

 

[ChloeTzang]

I can't do a proper plot exposition in under 5 pages

That's the hard thing about shorts - sex, character development, backstory, plot, satisfactory ending. Good short stories are such a joy to read if they're done well.

Try this dude - IMHO he's South Africa's best short story writer. I can reread his stories again and again and he wraps so much into them

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

4.33 / 918

After some other ups and downs, this was back to 923 or so a couple of hours ago.

 

[Duleigh]

That's the hard thing about shorts - sex, character development, backstory, plot, satisfactory ending. Good short stories are such a joy to read if they're done well.

Try this dude - IMHO he's South Africa's best short story writer. I can reread his stories again and again and he wraps so much into them

View attachment 2492936

I'll give that a try. My long time favorite is Ambrose Bierce. He wrote during and after the civil war and one of his stories was made into a twilight zone episode almost 100 years after he wrote it (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)


But then, there's always Asimov, Bradbury, Clark, Heinlein...

 

[ChloeTzang]

I'll give that a try. My long time favorite is Ambrose Bierce. He wrote during and after the civil war and one of his stories was made into a twilight zone episode almost 100 years after he wrote it (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)
View attachment 2492938

But then, there's always Asimov, Bradbury, Clark, Heinlein...

Some of F Scott Fitzgerald's too. Berenice Bobs Her Hair has always stuck in my mind since the first time I read it.

Clark too - I got an A for a High School English writing assignment - we had to write a short story and I plagiarized Neutron Tide, except I called it "A Star-Mangled Spanner" - my English teacher was not into Sci-Fi, LOL, but she did recognize good writing. Arthur would have been proud!!!!!

 

[WittyUserName]

OMG ' "Too long..." and on 5 pages!!!!! That's one of my introductions. LOL

Too long at 5 pages? What in the world? My Summer Lovin' entry from last year was 31 pages!

 

[Duleigh]

Just lost one more vote, still no change to my score...

 

[sinfantasy]

The starting point.....

View attachment 2492897

11.50am and one vote added. I doubt that as a sweep, just a troll coming in low....
View attachment 2492943

And I thought I was the only one losing favorites

 

[ChloeTzang]

And I thought I was the only one losing favorites

Sweeps work in mysterious ways..... I have no idea how that work LOL

 

[sinfantasy]

Before


After



You gain some you lose some.... they indeed work in mysterious ways.

 

[ChloeTzang]

12.30 - a little cleanup - last minute troll bomb intercepted and destroyed....


12.50 - Trolls take a lot to kill...... or maybe it was gratuitous 5* votes being removed - some fans vote multiple times thinking it'll help. Who knows....


And there you have it, folks. Live action example of sweeps in action for a competition.......

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Without the various cleanups, I have to wonder how close to 1,000 votes it would have come. Certainly over 950. Maybe 975?

 

[TheLobster]

I lost 4 votes in the latest sweep and my story now looks like this:



Considering it's been languishing just above the Red H Waterline, that's... quite a jump

 

[ChloeTzang]

Without the various cleanups, I have to wonder how close to 1,000 votes it would have come. Certainly over 950. Maybe 975?

It won't take long to pass 1000 votes..... you get way more exposure thru these competitions, and readers do come back to them long after the fact

 

[ChloeTzang]

I lost 4 votes in the latest sweep and my story now looks like this:

Considering it's been languishing just above the Red H Waterline, that's... quite a jump

Yep - that's what happens when you have a low # of votes and the troll votes are removed. Congrats on the bounce

On the other hand, for those who are fairly new here, I wouldn't go posting your ratings like I'd done - the trolls read, and in the past some authors have been, let us say a little too competitive. Me, I have enough trolls it makes no difference to me LOL.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Congrats Rollinbones, Thangar and Voboy

 

[StillStunned]

Congratulations! And well done to all who entered, and to everyone who read and voted.

 

[Duleigh]

Congratulations To all!

 

[nicksouth]

Congrats Rollinbones, Thangar and Voboy

View attachment 2493024

Congratulations to the winners; this was a fun one!

EDIT: Mine is my highest-rated story, getting a decent spike upward in the last two days or so, but still not enough for the honors. Maybe one day.

 

[Duleigh]

Thank you all for making this a fun support thread to host, it was definately one of the best. Now I get to pick who gets to host it next year. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe...

Hey wait! Where did you all go?