Very nice Grusha. Innovative and loaded with raw sensuality. Might have been a tad longer but I love reading work that allows my mind to ascend (or descend) to places where it is not normally apt to go. For that, I commend you.

Well done to everyone who entered this micro-competition, and well-deserved congratulations to the winners. Many thanks to the seven people who read my entry. btw, the original draft of the story still exists, locked away in a bank safety deposit box with strict instructions that it is not to be read by anyone until after the centenary of my death.... Happy Halloween!

Well-deserved congratulations to the winners and the runners-up, a huge well done to all who entered, and enormous thanks to all those wonderful Lushies who read the stories and left our authors likes and comments - you are the fuel that keeps our creative fires burning.

Quote by Lugnut1369

But....but....but.....It's my money, & I want it now. Time to get JG Wentworth on the phone.

😆 Like I'll actually even make the top 10 after having read all but three or so of the entries so far.

All but 3! Well done! It's still not too late to read mine and get your total up by one. Lol.

Midnight Satin | Lush Stories

Quote by wxt55uk

I was one of those scary, nasty, wicked, disturbed, (and especially) talented fuckers who have been asked by the moderators to change their story, which I have done. 😊 So the Frankenstein monster is in, and hanging 'censored' sausage is out... Apparently too graphic. 🙄

So, you might want to take another look at my revised effort on page 1... and either unlike it or, hopefully, keep the like.😊

No way! I had a severed sausage censored too. Great minds think alike my friend. Still, smutty standards must be maintained. 🧨

A few delectable demonic dames...

 Karl's Kama Sutra Klinic

- Poona, Queensland, Australia, 1970.

Swami Karl speaks to his class with authority,

“Now, men, ease your lingam gently into your partner’s yoni. Thrust with your eyes closed, contemplating her inner beauty and desirability.”

The bald-headed, venerable swami surveys each couple, nodding approvingly. Until he gets to the last couple, where he finds a woman with a yoni rimmed by gnashing fangs, her horrified lover looking on, his lingam limp.

 Serenely, he admonishes her,

“Kali!”

Quote by wxt55uk

There are 109 entries, which I suspect will increase by a few once the site is fully working again. I feel that is a good turnout for a competition, especially as you mention, maybe it's not a theme writers would necessarily choose. 😊

However, it is a very broad theme, and I can honestly say you could write an 'obsession' story about just about anything... which includes a Brussels sprout. To understand that, you need to have read the competition story entries. 🙄😉

So far, I have read 107 competition stories (yes, maybe I have too much free time), and in general, the standard of story and the writing to go with them is exceptionally high.

Well done, David. Your comments, likes, and encouragement keep us writing and are hugely appreciated by me, and I'm sure I speak for every author here.

Great idea Joe. Maybe point out on the banner that the competition has closed then encourage people to 'Read, Like and Comment.' And is it just me or are reader numbers down for this one?

It is with immense pleasure and considerable relief that I can announce that my competition entry is now posted. 'Midnight Satin' is inspired by the Hollywood musicals, romantic comedies, and war movies of the 1940s. It's light-hearted and a bit of fun. If you do read it, please leave a comment. All feedback is greatly appreciated. btw I've loved the other entries I've read so far. Kudos to you all.

Midnight Satin | Lush Stories

Quote by Stupalm

I'm somewhat new to the site and I've discovered that I really love writing stories as much as reading them.

What is the best way to promote my stories and build readership?

I create a wall post with a link for each new story, and also post a link in one of the groups I'm in.

What else can I do to pimp myself?

Generally speaking, your Lush friends will read your stories. In the many years I've been here I've noticed that like everywhere else, Lush is prone to following fashions - trends that come and go. You can find out what these are by following the competition results and the 'editors picks' list. Also, shorter stories tend to be read more than longer ones, multi-chapter stories are less likely to attract reads. It's a good idea to include a cover image , tags, and posts/updates on your profile page.

Euro-style group sex with double penetration, ATM, anal. BDSM but without too many props and gimmicks.

Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

My warmest congratulations to JP Sinister, Carlton and Jaymal. To all who participated, whether as writers, readers or both, well done and many thanks.

Alas! The competition closes

And ends as all good things must.

Farewell you balmy isles of roses,

Of palm trees, sun-drenched seas and lust.

The sucking, the fucking and the breeding

Of characters of all designs

Made for such salacious reading

With so many titillating lines!

But soft! Here come the heavy hitters -

This Colosseum's main event,

Their skill enough to give one jitters

And my poor, meagre skills lament.

All fellow contestants, t' is on thee

That I shower praises fulsomely.

A Crown Of Lilies | Lush Stories

Greetings all. I thought I too would get on the self-promotion band wagon and promote my entry, A Crown Of Lilies.

Just over a week in, I've had some lovely comments:

"I'm a romantic at heart and this was beautifully written." - Marisa

"You always write beautiful stories and this was no exception." - Naughty007

And from our own gorgeous Kimmi:

"Wonderful storytelling Piquet." - KimmiBeGood

I'm living proof of the old adage, 'You can take the boy out of the Mediterranean, but you can't take the Mediterranean out of the boy', but you'll just have to read the story to find out what happens. Many thanks all.

A Crown Of Lilies | Lush Stories

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

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.

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 deviantsusie

I'm setting mine on Skellig Michael, location for Luke Skywalker's hideaway planet in episode 7

The Force is definitely strong with this one.

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Island.

Alien.

Tentacle Hair.

Sex.

I got this

You had me at KimmiBeGood, Kimmi.

'orrible, 'orrible, 'orrible. I'm thinking Tahiti, returning Demon Queen, fulfilling ancient prophecies, zombie apocalypse, international swimsuit competition disrupted... Hot, horny archeology graduates have to save the day...

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!

I'm in love ! ...with or without tequila.

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Tasmania then ... you know what category I slyly have in mind. Of course there is the question of whether Australia is an island for the purposes of this competition so anything goes.

Ah yes Tasmania, the island notorious for its family dynamics. Q : How does a Tasmanian guy know that his mother is having her period? ...well, you've probably heard it. Go for it I say.

Quote by RowanThorn

<_<

>_>

Why is my mind immediately jumping to horror? Oh well, it is what it is. Probably some mermaids...

Absolutely. I'm all about thinking and writing outside the square these days, so mine definitely won't be about a group of horny Uni graduates in Bali in 2025.

Quote by KimmiBeGood

I have figured out we all love our own writing, else we wouldn’t write it. And none of us can be completely objective when analyzing what we write. To grow, a writer must be open to other’s critiques. And if one isn’t, the same prose is written again and again. And on here likes can be misleading as to the quality of a story. Many truly inspiring unique writings are overlooked by readers for various reasons in which RRs and EPs can help balance things out. You tried to help and it wasn’t acknowledged, so I wouldn’t waste my breath again. I’ve found very few who I think truly appreciate critiques, check their egos, and so I privately discuss or collab with those few.

Excellent point Kimmi. There's only one thing that I value more than a comment on one of my stories, and that's a constructive criticism. Over the years I've made an effort to politely offer my opinion and, sometimes give a little advice to other writers to help them improve. This is especially true with new or first-timers. I've mostly done this privately and generally, my efforts have been well received.

Quote by Zhai

I guess my story of a cheerleader getting off to listening to a nerdy dungeon master vividly describe his years-long high fantasy campaign, is right out

Plausibility is highly overrated in my opinion. Write what you like.

Quote by KimmiBeGood

I agree and also have no clue where to find poetry punctuation rules. Do you? I usually try to find a poem in a similar structure to mine and then copy punctuation. Ha! It’s the best I can figure out. Poetry is a strange animal to me.

I don’t really understand the rules of free verse either.

Good question Kimmi. The rules are the same as in prose. This still applies where you have a rhyme scheme; as in most songs where the lyrics rhyme. There has to be some sort of structure to ensure the lines make grammatical sense. Shakespeare mostly used free verse but made sure that each of his lines had an equal syllable count.

Now let's talk about poetry. I'm immediately turned off of poems without punctuation. In my opinion, a poem calling itself a 'love poem' or an 'erotic poem' still has to convey some sort of logical, coherent story and follow most of the conventions of English. That is hardly possible without any punctuation. Secondly, anyone writing in one of the classical forms of poetry needs to look up what these forms actually are - a sonnet and a haiku for instance, are structured forms. Think of the lyrics of your favourite song and you are closer to writing what in my opinion is good poetry.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

That was a one- or two-off event recently because a kind benefactor sponsored the top 10.

Ok, thanks WW 😉