NS Fanfiction Awards 2009

[Julie]

Just to give a counter thought. It also means that all fics with more than three sex scenes can only be nominated in the NC-17 category (according to the board's rules) though they may have lots of elements that would lend themselves to other categories as well. Again just for example, Zannie's Irrevocable has lots of good suspense/mystery elements. While BlueSabby's Buyouts Hostile Takeovers and Matchmaking is decidely humor. While sex scenes play a role in both its not the only thing to recommend the stories, and I'm not sure limiting them to the NC-17 category and forcing them to be pitted against each other there is best way to recognize the best fic.

I think the nomination process with rounds would help to weed out fics which aren't necessarily nominated in the appropriate categories or are clearly being nominated across the board, though in my experience that doesn't happen. I'll also put out there. I think your two major problems with this decision are the general and the NC-17 category. General has a tendency to hold everything from the dark to the friendship to the adventure, to the deeply romantic. It's not particularly descriptive and its hard to judge a fic's accomplishments against that. (Keep in mind I understood there would be a best all-around category). And the NC-17 has the problem that its huge and again holds a massive cross-section of types by virtue of the forum's rules. I think there's a difference between a fic whose main focus is the sex (i.e. TAA's Deep in the Bottle) and a fic with sex in it (i.e. What You Don't Know) and I think the nominators can be trusted to make that distinction.

Just playing devil's advocate, so that we're thinking this all through.

I see the points you are making. It's a difficult decision...

[cypanache]

Just as a follow up. I know I'm hitting this issue hard, but as an author who sometimes thinks I probably shouldn't have put one my stories in the category its in, and wonders why other stories are in the category they're in. It makes me think about this.

What do you do about the additional categories that don't have a corresponding forum on the board? Does this mean we won't be recognizing A/Us (which I think would be a pity) and Adventure/Suspense stories? Or does it mean they'll be additional categories? If they are additional categories, then can stories which fall in those categories be nominated both in that categories and in the category for the forum in which they are classified? Or will the author be required to chose one nomination to put their story forward in (do they make that decision after the initial round of nominations or before)?

If we limit categories to the forum classification, then I think we should require authors to choose. To me it wouldn't necessarily seem fair to allow some stories to take noms in two categories simply because of what categories they happen to fall in while some can only take it in one.

[lexie]

Just to give a counter thought. It also means that all fics with more than three sex scenes can only be nominated in the NC-17 category (according to the board's rules) though they may have lots of elements that would lend themselves to other categories as well. Again just for example, Zannie's Irrevocable has lots of good suspense/mystery elements. While BlueSabby's Buyouts Hostile Takeovers and Matchmaking is decidely humor. While sex scenes play a role in both its not the only thing to recommend the stories, and I'm not sure limiting them to the NC-17 category and forcing them to be pitted against each other there is best way to recognize the best fic.

This is something that happens in every creative contest, I´m afraid. Take the Oscars, for instance, with their one-category "Best Film" as opposed to Best Drama and Best Comedy/Musical in the Globes, which I find fairer and still... not the fairest because they put oranges and apples together. It´s hard but understandable because of its practical reasons.

Now, what Cy says about the General fics is true. I myself have two of my works in that category, I regard them as dramatic mysteries and still love always turns up being the direction in which the story evolves. My decision to post them there was based mainly on the fact that I developed the attraction between the couple, and the getting closer kind of feeling and leave them at a point where there´s a clear hope of something more but the ending is open. Whereas I usually go for Romance if I take things further and they get together at the end of the story.

What Cy pointed out about the NC-17 category- which I confess not to visit a lot with the one exception of Zannie´s work- is a difficult one. It´s precisely because her stories aren´t all about the sex that I read them and yes, I´ve always thought of Irrevocable as a Drama/Mystery sort of story more than anything else.

[Julie]

A new suggestion has come up regarding the categories in the chatroom, join us there if you'd like!:

Instead of having forum specific categories, we'll go with other categories, such as those suggested by Cyp in post 14.

How does that sound?

For an example, instead of having a NC17 category, we can have a Best Sex Scene(s) category...

[MelBee1985]

Chatroom link: http://www.forums.naughty-seduction.net/chat.php

In case some people cannot find the link up on the screen

[Dannyblue]

I think a reader should be able to nominate a fic in whatever category they think it fits, even if they end up nominating it in two or three categories. For example, say I read a great crossover that was also a great romance. If I think that story is one of the best I've read in either category, I'd like to be able to nominate it in both. And, if the story actually wins in both, that just shows what an awesome story it is, which is what awards are all about.

I also agree that, during nominations, letting everyone nominate their dream list of nominees in each category will help with this issue. My five nominees for best crossover will be different from the next person's, or the next, which will ensure there's lots of variety. It will also increase the chances of having at least five nominations in each category. (Which I've seen turn out to be a problem in a lot of fic awards.)

(Of course, people doing the nominating should be free to pick only one story per category if they want.)

[lexie]

I think a reader should be able to nominate a fic in whatever category they think it fits, even if they end up nominating it in two or three categories. For example, say I read a great crossover that was also a great romance. If I think that story is one of the best I've read in either category, I'd like to be able to nominate it in both. And, if the story actually wins in both, that just shows what an awesome story it is, which is what awards are all about.

I also agree that, during nominations, letting everyone nominate their dream list of nominees in each category will help with this issue. My five nominees for best crossover will be different from the next person's, or the next, which will ensure there's lots of variety. It will also increase the chances of having at least five nominations in each category. (Which I've seen turn out to be a problem in a lot of fic awards.)

(Of course, people doing the nominating should be free to pick only one story per category if they want.)

I think you´ll be happy to know that what you suggest is what more less has been agreed in the chatroom. Julie should be posting news soon.

[Julie]

First post is updated with new information The new information is written in italics. Big thanks to those who were in the chatroom at the time for helping me sort this out

[lexie]

Who can be nominated?

Everyone who has ever published a fanfiction here on NS Forums and fanfictions posted here on NS Forums. Usually previous winners can't be entered, but seeing as I don't have on record the previous winners for the Fanfiction Award show, I'm allowing everyone to enter this year, even past winners (should anyone remember the previous winners...)

Hey, Julie! What about what we discussed with the girls to take into account just the fics posted after 2003- the last time a contest of this sort was organised?

ETA: It was great to be able to help.

[MelBee1985]

First post is updated with new information The new information is written in italics. Big thanks to those who were in the chatroom at the time for helping me sort this out

No prob Julie

It was a random meeting, but it has been apparently really helpful, hehe.