2000 Summer Story Contest closing comments

Yes, at last.

Blare of bad 1970s funk music, lots of synthesized brass ... camera pans audience of people dressed peculiarly for the time of year....

After much deliberation, the reviewers are pleased to give you their comments, and some prizes - I regret, of no value whatsoever - awarded to stories that particularly took their fancy.

So, microwave some popcorn, pour some wine, and see what we had to say for ourselves.

The gelemna.org site, hosted by the admirable Don Croyle, features comments on all of the 562 stories submitted between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Yes, 562. It was a bumper crop this year.

To see the detailed comments - or to find out what was said about one of your own pieces - "Follow the links from:http://www.gelemna.org/nbt/index.html"

We owe Don Croyle a big "THANK YOU!!" for putting together such a professional-looking and feature-rich site.

A thank you to our reviewers is in order. They were full of ideas, uncomplaining, worked hard, didn't bicker, and got the job done with great smoothness. In no particular order, thanks to Pablo, Mija, Alex Birch, Bookbabe, Sparkster, Naomi Darvell, John Benson, Ajeannie, JJ-Brat and Marycatherine.

But first ...

A word about the review process, so you see where this all comes from.

The reviewers got to see stories as they flowed through SSS, but were assigned specific ones by a random process devised by Don, as in previous years. Each story was voted on once, with a rating of 1-5 being assigned. Towards the end of the contest, we communally looked at all the '4' and '5'-rated stories, with allowance for other memorable pieces being included, if a reviewer felt strongly about a story that had achieved a lower rating.

In most categories the voting was very, very tight, and we went back a second time and re-reviewed some of the leading stories, attempting to break the ties. In some cases, this wasn't possible.

Reviewers initialed their comments, so authors with gripes should talk to them directly!

This year, I didn't do any reviewing, but I'll make a few comments in passing here, as I go...

As a general comment, I think it might be wiser in future contests to skip "awards" in favor of commentary, or to have some kind of NG-based voting system for 'winners.'

And fewer categories! After eliminating or doubling up of some marginal categories, we ended up with 22, plus 'unclassified.' Mea Culpa.

So, going through the categories alphabetically:

AGEPLAY:

There were 19 entries here, rather slim considering how much the subject emerges on the group.

  1. Snugglebunny's Naughtiness Story - MrSpraycan
    {Yes, this is an amusing coincidence, I agree. I wrote this story as a satire on the form, but it is an 'ageplay' story. A near runner up was my "Reversing The Voodoo On J. Crew" which was an honest attempt to post a 'straight' ageplay story.)
  2. Why Me? - PeachesICU
    (A very honest fantasy, from a writer who really pulled the stops out this year).
  3. School's Out -- Sspark
    (A tremendous riff on the schoolgirl uniform theme by Sparks. Quite convincing.)

In this category, I was also personally impressed by "Mini Me" by Courtney, "Father's Day," by MrsMish, and "The Snallygaster" by BCCFafnir, which deserves a prize just for its title.

ASSSVILLE:

  1. A critique, Asssville Style - PeachesICU
    (Oddly, a story that doesn't name any Asssvillians, but does have a lot of dramatic tension).
  2. Spankers' Disability Insurance -- Kent L. Stoneking
    (An innocent little piece, done as a phone conversation).
  3. The Elephant In the Living Room - Starship
    (A fantasy inspired by a passing reference in a summer 'flamefest,' quite nicely realized).

I would have imagined this category would be more popular. But it wasn't. Other good entries, the reviewers agreed, included Y. Lee Coyote's "No Crime But Punishment" and Jen's "A Sunny Day In Asssville."

COLLABORATIONS:

  1. Ping Pong Paddled -- Jen & Quester
    (A nicely realized schoolkid, two-voice story)
  2. Baton Games -- Starship and Sspark
    (Similarly, a two-voicer, about drum majoretting. This woman likes her uniforms, I can tell.)

A third entry, "Swen & His Two Bitches" by Swen, MrsMish and Spark, seemed like a good piece to me. Or an Asssville story. There were no other entries, sadly.

DOMESTIC:

A big category, with 47 entries.

  1. Stepmother's Birthday - Zzadigski
    (In which a stepmom discovers a family 'tradition')
  2. The Blushing Bride -- marycatherine
    (A nice twist on a bridal shower)
  3. Guys In A Bar -- MrsMish
    (What it says, three guys talking. Great dialog)
  4. Until Death - Mija
    (Highly condensed tale of a family of primitives).

This category was even closer than it seems! Other stories that were highly rated - and which I liked - included: "Barbara's Side", "Integrity", "Enlightenment", "Paying The Penalties," and "Tennis Tantrum," all by CrimsonKid. "Dining On Diva" and "Spank King" by Courtney were also standouts. "A Calm Heart" by PeachesICU, "History does Not Repeat Itself" by Jewel, "On Your Belly...Now" by Kate438, and "Sauce For The Goose Is Sauce For The Gander" by Y. Lee Coyote, all scored highly, too.

EDGE:

  1. Bad Girl Time -- Kent L. Stoneking
    (An 'edgy' story, but of a different sort, concerning a kiddy spanking)
  2. Testimony -- Mija
    (A more classic 'edge' piece. Involving an avenging religious mother)

These two were very close. Also highly rated by the reviewers among the 26 entries were: "The Naive One" by Flogmaster, "Today", and "Brain Missing: Considered Unarmed & Foolish," "Of Consequence" and "Razor's Edge" all by Courtney. Two old-style edgers with high points were my "Stake Diane" and "Zen Contemplation."

F/F & LESBIAN:

  1. Clandestine Cybernaut -- Crimson Kid
    (Nice cyber spanking fantasy)
  2. I Hate To See Her Suffering - Therese
    (Clever soliloquy, from spanker's point of view)
  3. Rite of Puss-Age - Courtney
    (A very Courtney-like story, great fun, full of over-the-top dialog.)
  4. Guilt -- Frank Marsh
    (Clever psychological thriller)

This was a popular category, with 31 entries. Among others the reviewers rated highly were: "A Reading Lesson" by Flogmaster, "Heat" by beth83, "The Girls Upstairs" by PeachesICU, "Work Ethic" by Medici, and "Heavenly Fish & Thank You For Sharing" and "Mona & The Mexican Mudwrestling Challenge" by MrSpraycan.

FEMDOM:

  1. DumDeedleDeeDumDum - MrSpraycan
    (An English rocker in a New Orleans bar)
  2. Goodnight, My Love -- LadiKath
    (a very non-PC story of suspension bondage)

This was the category that no one else was going to win! <g> Also highly rated by reviewers were: "Ugliness At South Beach", "Hold Your Hand Out Naughty Boy," "I'd Have Settled For Sushi," "Maid Service At Venusberg," "Not Precisely Vanilla," "Seeking Completion" and "She Likes Complete Control," all by MrSpraycan. But then, there were a lot more they didn't like so much. Other players with high marks included: "Heat" by Beth83, "Kindness Of Strangers" by Courtney (which I found really good), "Reversal" by Spark, and "Testing" by Medici.

HISTORICAL:

  1. (tie) At Southwell's Barn - Lupercal
    and The Smile -- Alicia
    This was ridiculously close. "Barn" has great historical detail. "Smile" is a real surprise, and to my mind, A story you'll remember for a long while.

There were only 16 entries. History is hard! Others that scored highly included: "At The Hill Station" by MrSpraycan, and a pair by Flogmaster: "Culture Shock" and "The Drum Messenger).

HUMAN DRAMA:

  1. (tie) Interchangeable - Sspark
    and Wheel Of Misfortune -- Courtney
    Another close one, which we failed to resolve with a tiebreaker. "Interchangeable" is a soliloquy on how a master thinks of the narrator, and "Wheel" is a wonderfully demented skit on a gameshow.

Courtney also scored highly with other titles in this group: "Night Pangs," "Candy's Dandy, But...", "Escape Claws" and "Of Consequence." Alex Birch scored highly with "Amy's Bar," "The Hitchhiker," "Long Arm Of The Law" and "The Right Stuff," and "Alternative Realties" by MrsMish garnered praise.

HUMOR:

  1. Sweat Lodge Ruminations - MrSpraycan
    (A spoof of a long-running troll thread on SSS)
  2. Bright Red Bottom -- Kent. L. Stoneking
    (It's not what you think!)
  3. How To Torment A Top - Jen
    (short and snappy brat story)

This was a popular topic (26 entries), and Courtney posted some fine stories that scored highly: "Candy's Dandy, But..." "Contest," "Family Ties," "Flag On The Play," "In Tribute To SSC: Past, Present & Future," "Ya Want Fries With That?" and "Nervous Neely." Is she talented, or what?

Other high scorers were: "Just Desserts" by Alex Birch, "Payback" by Alicia, "SER" by Slave2Strict, "Undercover" by BCCFafnir and "Strip" by Sparkster. My "Broadway, The Hard Way" features some hidden Asssville puns, and also scored quite highly.

M/F:

  1. Eternity -- Frank Marsh
    (Very Twilight Zone, edgy piece)
  2. Taking Orders - Sspark
    (Great spoof on telephone solicitations)
  3. '8-Ball' -- James Hill
    (A great RL-sounding story about pool, etc.)

A buttnumbing 69 entries here! Also very highly ranked were: "Today" by Courtney, "Tomorrow" by marycatherine and "Secret Desires" by Peach. Flogmaster had another high-rated pair: "Loop" and "The Wedding". This is the category to check out first, IMO.

M/M:

  1. The Voyeur - Spark
    (Very good psychological explorations in this)
  2. Co-opting In The Computer Lab -- Y. Lee Coyote
    (A close second, and a neat turnabout story)

There were a mere 16 stories, but Y. Lee also scored highly with "If You Can't Do The Time, Don't Do The Crime" and "No Crime But Punishment."

MYTH/FANTASY:

  1. (tie) How To Go To Sleep -- Jojasa
    and Andromeda & Perseus Before They Were Stars - BCCFafnir
    (We just couldn't decide here. Jo's story is a classic, while Faf's is a witty take on the old myth.)
  2. Lizard Hands - Starship
    (Very classy story, inspired by some NG doings in June. A fake Indian myth that sounds, hmm, believable)
  3. The Penny -- Peach The Curse
    (Sort of a folk tale, but very clever)

19 entries here. Other ones the reviewers liked a lot included: "A Moving Tale" by Wooz, "Bad Moon Rising" by Kent L. Stoneking, "The Maiden & The Demon" by BCCFafnir. Overlooked in the rush, I think, was "La Llorona/Wailing Woman" by Mija, which really has class.

PARODY/SATIRE:

  1. Reduction Of Bouncability - CrimsonKid
    (A visit to A.A. Milne land. Extremely well played)
  2. Piglettio - MrSpraycan
    (A Verdi opera that never was, but should have been)
  3. Cockeyed Masochist -- Sspark
    (Song parody)

Out of 21 entries, song parodies ruled. Ones that the reviewers also liked a lot included: "My Grandfather's Strap" and "Bad Girl" by Don Landhill, and a really knockout trio by Louiza: "I'd Like To Teach The World To Spank," "Rainy Day Brats" and "Well-spanked Swollen Ass." Someday, we should collect all the song parodies and get 'em recorded...

POEMS:

  1. CP Haiku 1 - BCCFafnir
    (A runaway winner)
  2. Night Pangs - Courtney
    (This is so unlike Courtney's other work, and truly remarkable)
  3. Silly String Incident -- jj-brat
    (A bratty poem of great style)

There were 17 entries, but it was a walk for BCCFafnir, who haiku'd us twice more. Other high-rated 'pomes' included Starship's "Sixteen Buns," [really good!], and "If" by Kate438 [very short].

ROMANCE:

  1. The Masked Ball -- Alex Birch
    (Very classy, with a surprise twist)
  2. Reverie - bookbabe
    (A handspanking epic)
  3. Saving Herself - MrsMish
    (A neat, ambiguous story. You'll read it more than once.)
  4. One Man's View On Wife Spanking - Otkforu
    (A humorous piece, framed as a rant by a rather dim fellow. It works beautifully)

An impressive 53 entries here. Among others the judges got excited about were: "Secret Desires" by Peach The Curse, "The Key To Her Soul" by ajeannie, and "Brazos River Bottom" by MrSpraycan. There are a lot of very good entries in this section, as you'd imagine. Try it and see.

R/L:

  1. The Unlocked Door - PeachesICU
    (A nice, scary RL too)
  2. Writing To Randi -- DL2ndEditn
    (This leapt up the list in the voting process. Very good dialog)

There were 21 entries. Others that pulled a lot of votes included: "Solo Performance" by MrSpraycan, "Dearest Dom," by MariaB, "Just Sitting In The Chintz Chair, Thinking" and "Some Shower" by Peach The Curse (I liked these), "First Meeting" by Jen, "They Said" by the ubiquitous Courtney, "Testing" by Medici, "Tell Daddy" by Zprymantis, and "Marks" by Jojasa.

SCHOOL & PARENTAL:

  1. The note - Rosewood
    (A recently resurfaced author of great fame. And a classic story)
  2. (tie) Discovery -- Alex Birch
    and Babysitter Blues - Frank Marsh
    (Alex goes the wistful route with a story about finding an old letter, while Flogmaster pulls out all the stops for one of his conversational pieces)

A doorbuster, with 101 entries. Oh boy. But a lot of the volume came from several multi-parters by Flogmaster. Other stories that the reviewers appreciated included: "A Matter Of Honor" by BCCFafnir, Alex's "First Time", and "Inventions" and "Shadows" by Koalabear, plus "School Colors" by Fishing Girl.

SCI-FI:

  1. The Power Of Suggestion - CrimsonKid
    (A corny, but clever SF piece, with great humor worked into it)
  2. (tie) Salem Revisited -- Zzadigski
    and Amalthea 2 - Badwendy
    ('Salem' is alternate history, done well; 'Amalthea' is a fragment of something longer)

Only 14 entries here, surprisingly. To me the best was "Desperately Spanking Susan", by CrimsonKid. Other reviewers liked "Gateway" by Courtney, and my own "Girl From The Female Factory".

TV/MOVIE:

  1. True Life - CrimsonKid
  2. Red Or Green? CrimsonKid

Only seven entries here, and a walkover for CrimsonKid.

UNCLASSIFIED:

  1. (tie) Sex Slaves Of Master Chuck -- Scribbler
    and Communications Skills - Scribbler
    (Both very good pieces, from a new writer with great style).
  2. Museum Piece - Bird
    (Strange little piece, but very well written)

There were 24 entries, without author-generated category. Either 'can't be bothered,' or stories of a mysterious type that would be spoiled by categorization. The reviewers also liked: "A Spanking Hard Day" and "Rent Day - Another Reality" by Y.Lee Coyote, and "Sis Gets A Lickin" by Starship.

VERY SHORT:

  1. A Friday Evening's Unwinding -- J Jewel
  2. (tie) The Lighthouse -- BCCFafnir
    and Say Goodbye - marycatherine

We had 25 entries here. I won't list them. Since they take so little time to read, go check the rest for yourself!

And that was it.
So, what next?

SPECIAL AWARDS:

It's hard to pick writers out from such a crowd, but the reviewers felt it would be right to honor the following folk for special efforts.

COURTNEY: for an amazing spectrum of stories in so many categories. This is a writer who really tries hard, and is immensely popular with the NG. And some of the reviewers, too.

PEACHESICU: Another great 'try harder' stylist who pulled out all the stops this year.

Among the guys, CrimsonKid, Alex Birch and Y.Lee Coyote all piled on the stories, too. Honorable mentions, from me, here.

And we all agreed on SCRIBBLER62: Best 'new' writer, and we want more!

So, that's almost it for the year...

But... A Final round of "Odds & Sods" ...A former (anonymous) regular on the NG volunteered to hand out some whimsical awards as she went along, and give me the following list...

So, that's it for this year. I'm sure there'll be an SSC-2001. I'm sure I'll be writing for it, and hope all of you will consider participating, too. It's great fun, and a powerful unifying force for a NG that really needs one nowadays.

/Spray

Back to 2000 SSC archive