Announcing our Island Getaway competition

Quote by Jen

Wrong answers only...

Shoelaces

🤣😘

Pigtails.

Corset

I’m just working on my entry for this and I have a question.

What is the site policy on character age? The characters in my story are all adults, but I want to include a flashback scene where one of them has their very first ever kiss or sexual experience, and I’m curious to know if there are limits on what age they need to be?

Quote by MrWrite
What is the site policy on character age?

All references to anything of a sexual or arousal nature must occur to characters 16 years or older. No exceptions.

Kimmi, I'm looking forward to your tantalizing tale of tentacles! I'm going a bit otherworldly too. And cold.

Quote by Sea48

Kimmi, I'm looking forward to your tantalizing tale of tentacles! I'm going a bit otherworldly too. And cold.

Ooooo cold? Interesting! I look forward to yours, too

Can I ask, my idea is set between 1945 and 1974. It's based on a real story from history. No-one living is involved. But does it count as historical? Thanks!

Quote by MC1982

Can I ask, my idea is set between 1945 and 1974. It's based on a real story from history. No-one living is involved. But does it count as historical? Thanks!

I dont see why not.. they teach the 1990s in A level history but you can choose whatever category you think it fits best

It's kind of scary to think of things that I was around for as "history" but truth is, history is about the past, period, not just the distant past. The forties through seventies definitely qualifies. I am sure that there are already historians studying the 00s, maybe even the 10s.

Quote by deviantsusie

I dont see why not.. they teach the 1990s in A level history but you can choose whatever category you think it fits best

Thank you🙂

Quote by KimmiBeGood

I love island settings and look forward to y’all’s entries! ❤️

I better sit this one out. My crazy mind went to “One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, Alien!” And you don’t wanna know what she does with her tentacle hair that moves like additional appendages!

Now, there’s a story I’d actually want to read 🥹

This ought to be fun. I have had a story about an island adventure rolling in my head that will fit here

Been back and forth with this. Many ideas failed in my head. Some I know would exceed 4K. Came up with a title after seeing a pic yesterday, male character motivation. The female character's motivation, and the story conflicts are what I find difficult to develop.

Writing is frustrating 😑.

Frustrating indeed Carlton. In 1961 Irving Stone published a novel called 'The Agony and the Ecstasy', about Michaelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. The title refers to the artist's struggle (the agony) to create something good and then the sheer joy (the ecstasy) of having succeeded. Most creators go through this, I know I do. I had to cut about 1K words from my final draft but I'm keeping that material for a sequel. I'm really glad that you decided to enter btw - you always come up with the goods.

Quote by CarltonStJames

Been back and forth with this. Many ideas failed in my head. Some I know would exceed 4K. Came up with a title after seeing a pic yesterday, male character motivation. The female character's motivation, and the story conflicts are what I find difficult to develop.

Writing is frustrating 😑.

You can do it, C! 😊

My entry :-)

https://www.lushstories.com/stories/straight-sex/temptation-island

I decided against mermaids. Too mundane. Inspired by a fellow lush members AI fuckup I instead went for impossibly shifting island goddess. Thought our collection of island stories needed some more creepy monsters.

https://www.lushstories.com/stories/monster-sex/the-cauldron-of-carnal-chaos-2

Quote by RowanThorn

I decided against mermaids. Too mundane. Inspired by a fellow lush members AI fuckup I instead went for impossibly shifting island goddess. Thought our collection of island stories needed some more creepy monsters.

https://www.lushstories.com/stories/monster-sex/the-cauldron-of-carnal-chaos-2

Indeed it did! Very imaginative and I enjoyed the ins and out of body parts. 😉

I have started writing four different stories (maybe five, I can't remember) and all of them go over word count. I may have to sit this one out if I can't get one of them to obey the 4k word rule lol Oh well. Maybe my default story length is migrating from 3k average to 6k word average or something? Guess that's what happens once you break the 10k barrier a few times? hard to go back to less words than that.

4000 words? No problem!

Looks at current word count : 7213

Edits..more edits...sections gutted....5621

More edits, remove another section...4836

Edit, reword things, look for brevity...4672

Be merciless, let go of treasured passages, drop subtext that gives the story meaning...4272.

4272 words...left with a story that no longer feels what it was meant to be, motivations are half-sketched, events don't happen naturally, only because they must...not sure if I can cut this down to 4271 words, much less 4000

Quote by GreyMatter

4000 words? No problem!

Looks at current word count : 7213

Edits..more edits...sections gutted....5621

More edits, remove another section...4836

Edit, reword things, look for brevity...4672

Be merciless, let go of treasured passages, drop subtext that gives the story meaning...4272.

4272 words...left with a story that no longer feels what it was meant to be, motivations are half-sketched, events don't happen naturally, only because they must...not sure if I can cut this down to 4271 words, much less 4000

Lush Gospel Truth #1 You'll get more readers at 4K than you will at 7+K.

Quote by Piquet

Lush Gospel Truth #1 You'll get more readers at 4K than you will at 7+K.

I don't doubt that, but it's already not the story I intended it to be. This is my first shot at writing pure fiction. All of my other stories are based on real-life experiences, so the stories come easily. They're also all part of either a 9 or 10 multipart story where each chapter averages about 5000 words. For me to tell a single story in just 4000...it's a challenge

Quote by GreyMatter

I don't doubt that, but it's already not the story I intended it to be. This is my first shot at writing pure true fiction. All of my other stories are based on real-life experiences, so the stories come easily. They're also all part of either a 9 or 10 multipart story where each chapter averages about 5000 words. For me to tell a single story in just 4000...it's a challenge

For me, artistic integrity is paramount. I once wrote a 10K story for the 'Noir' competition and it was rejected as not being noir enough. I was then advised to change it and re-submit it. But I just couldn't, the story was perfect as it was (imo) so I withdrew it from the competition and posted it anyway. Think of the competitions as a work assignment - the boss has given you a brief and it's your job to deliver, in time and on budget and hopefully you'll have fun along the way.

Quote by GreyMatter
4272 words...left with a story that no longer feels what it was meant to be, motivations are half-sketched, events don't happen naturally, only because they must...not sure if I can cut this down to 4271 words, much less 4000

I hear you. I wanted to go on and say heck with the contest. Then I finally just left it begging for a sequel after the contest.

Quote by GreyMatter

4000 words? No problem!

Looks at current word count : 7213

Edits..more edits...sections gutted....5621

More edits, remove another section...4836

Edit, reword things, look for brevity...4672

Be merciless, let go of treasured passages, drop subtext that gives the story meaning...4272.

4272 words...left with a story that no longer feels what it was meant to be, motivations are half-sketched, events don't happen naturally, only because they must...not sure if I can cut this down to 4271 words, much less 4000

I feel your pain! Same thing happened to me. I just published mine, but am not satisfied because I know what I cut. I think 4-5K limits are challenging. But challenges are fun and make us better, right?

Right? 😀

That 4000 Words limit needs some leeway of let's say 2000 Words, please😢

Quote by dannig

That 4000 Words limit needs some leeway of let's say 2000 Words, please😢

for you, we'll set it at 4001 words. use that extra word wisely.

Quote by sprite

for you, we'll set it at 4001 words. use that extra word wisely.

Hahahahah

My draft is finished at 4102. When I edit for logic and plot holes, stuff will probably be added, which increases the word count. Then I have to cut it to under 4000 words.

Writing is very irritating 🤬.