The January 2024 Writing Contest is over. I had the distinct pleasure of being one of the two judges with Emma Anne Tate. We scored the stories independently. The following remarks are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Big Closet management, Emma Anne Tate, or Joannebarberella.
The vast majority of Big Closet authors are terrific storytellers with vivid imaginations. They are passionate about their beliefs and eager to please the readers.
Life is all about discovery and adaptation, according to this very good tale by Marissa Lynn. The world changes convulsively as the characters build cocoons and emerge as colorful butterflies.
The writing contest will accept entries as long as it is the fourteenth somewhere.
We opened the contest on Oz time and will close on New Zealand time.
For those in the States, there is a five-hour difference between Auckland time and Minneapolis time.
Before the contest started, Emma, Jo, and I posted sample stories. They did not qualify for awards because we are the sponsors. In my opinion, all three stories were exceptional. They should have been because they were mostly group efforts.
I didn't expect the quality of the stories to be as robust as it is. About thirty percent of the entries are top-tier. There haven't been any that I thought weren't readable.
The number of stories inspired by this contest is about what I expected, a total of one hundred and fifteen -- with less than a week to go.
You’ve written your story and now are faced with deciding whether or not to create a cover.
I’ve posted about one hundred and fifty stories on BC and have never created a cover. Mel and Erin have made covers for all of my Doppler Press books. I’ve often wondered what difference an attractive cover makes to BC readers.
This blog's views, thoughts, and opinions belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the management of Big Closet, the Writing Contest committee, or any other group or individual.
I have long contended that there is very little correlation between the number of kudos, hits, and comments received and the quality of the story.
Wow! We have received eighty-four entries for our contest.
Thank you.
We appreciate the effort it takes to produce a story for a contest. We also appreciate that all of you recognize that judging a contest like this is highly subjective and certainly not a science. All Emma and I can do is give this our best efforts, which I'm confident we're doing.
For most of the participants, the only compensation they will receive will be your kudos, comments, and reads. The following list might help you find a few more stories to read. The titles are a link.
Aylesea has written an above-average story that brings us inside the life of a depressed young lady. This story is a good example of what humor can add to any story.
Jo, Emma, and I love to write. We love to have our stories read and appreciated.
A primary goal of the current contest is to spur more people to read more stories. With that in mind, I've prepared remarks about fifteen stories entered in this contest. Eventually, I will post remarks about every story entered. Emma will be posting similar lists.
There’s about a month left to enter a story in the current writing contest. The more-than-expected number of stories have sparkled with quality. Of the sixty-one stories, I scored fifteen in the excellent category. There’s plenty of great reading to be had here.
Having trouble finding inspiration for a 2024 New Year's Writing Contest Story? Or maybe, for your second competition story. (There's no limit to the number of times you can enter, although you can only win one prize.)
By the end of today, the blog announcing the New Year’s Resolution Writing Contest will have received over three thousand hits. That level of activity has resulted in thirty-seven new stories published on BC.
We don’t have comparative statistics, but it appears the level of comment activity is up.
A new author is among those who have posted a story entry.
Given that the contest opened for submissions less than a week ago -- we’re pleased with the initial results.
Hi everyone! We’ve received several story submissions outside the contest’s 2,500 — 5,000-word limits. We recognize that different word-processing programs use unique word-counting rules. If you are wildly off, we’ll send you a PM and ask you to adjust your story to meet the contest parameters. Thanks!
Hi everyone! Jill here. Just thought we’d make things a bit more interesting for our 2024 New Year’s Writing Contest. Because, you know, it can always be even more interesting.
Judging fiction is subjective. . .based on personal feelings and opinions.
I have helped judge several Big Closet contests in the past. In those instances, I picked the top three or five stories.
For the current writing contest (entries to commence 1/1), I’ve been asked to assign a number between one and one hundred for each story. Emma Anne Tate will also assign a number between one and one hundred. We will not consult or know what each other has assigned for a “score.” The total of our scores will be the score for the story. Highest score wins.
A lot of fairly nonsensical things were stated by the Republican presidential candidates in last night’s debate. Some were hateful, that concerned our community.
Ask yourself -- if I tried to call up Big Closet on my computer and it was unavailable and appeared to be gone forever, what would I do?
If your answer is something along the lines of – that wouldn’t be a problem for me I would simply spend more time reading on _____ or writing stories for _____ -- then you are probably more of a taker than a giver in regard to this site – and that is understandable.
For me . . . the existence of BC is a huge part of my life. I give to BC to maintain that part of me.
The story was tagged “explicit content.” Beyond that, the story unfolded logically and gave plenty of notice to the reader that a rape would occur. Further, the story was written by an author who writes femdom stories and has published them here for two decades.
I wouldn’t have read the story if the controversy had not occurred and been chronicled in other blogs. I assume several other readers read the story for the same reason.
You've set an impossible bar for civility, creativity, and positive influence.
Your writing is amazing and makes us all pea-green with envy.
Your demeanor is above reproach. . .at least a foot above the highest reproach known to womankind.
But where you really have us all outdone is in your blogs that inspire people to do good things.
Your latest series of blogs about authors' favorite short stories is a prime example. (I hesitate to use the word "prime" because a coach out west might have that word legally restricted to his ego.)
The story involves a young man, in 1960, who is discovered by a Hollywood talent agent while washing cars. Of course, through a series of events the young man comes to question his/her gender identity. The story is populated with pop culture figures of that era.
As usual, it is my intent to give this book to Doppler Press. All proceeds will go to supporting this site. Rasufelle is already working on the cover art.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Time brings perspective. My writing process has remained consistent over the years. Once I have a decent manuscript, I set it aside to give me the perspective of a reader when I do a final edit.
In early May, things on BC seemingly became toxic for me. I had lost my rudder and needed a change in perspective. So – I took a time out.
Nothing about BC had changed to elicit the feelings I was experiencing. The fault rested with me.
Just over forty years ago I was sitting in a Palm Springs hotel bar when Reggie Jackson came in and sat on the stool next to me.
I asked Mr. October what time it was just so I could tell people Reggie had given me the time of day.
That was a good day for me.
So was today. Teflon Don finally was held accountable. All the Trump wannabees should have learned today that doubling down until you win or the clock runs out doesn't always work.
During my business career, I was mainly in marketing. Selling involves a lot of rejection. In order to make a sale you have to take a risk. The process involves a lot of very necessary motivational support. One of the ways I pushed myself was by keeping a myriad of statistics.
This habit has carried over into my writing. I have a massive spreadsheet that records statistics for my stories and books.
During the last three months, the over twenty books Doppler Press has published for me have received more total reviews than they received for the last over ten years.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
