SSC'07 Rules

  1. SSC stories can be no longer than 500 words. (Headers, titles, author names, comments, copyright notices and such aren't included in this word count.) Stories need to be complete in and of themselves. The challenge here is to write self-contained stories of 500 words or fewer.
  2. Stories need to be about our topic of common interest (that's spanking in case you've been wondering) in some general sense.
  3. Stories shouldn't have been entered in an SSC before.
  4. This should go without saying, but SSC stories need to be posted to soc.sexuality.spanking. They must also be e-mailed to this address, which will make sure they get reviewed and archived: mijita (at) thetreehouse (dot) net.
  5. SSC stories are archived to the group's website. By entering a story in the SSC you're giving your permission for it to be included in the year's archive.
  6. Somewhere -- like the subject line, beginning or end of the story -- you need to tell us the category you want it in. Don't make us guess. We get all cranky when that happens.
  7. Entry limits. You may post up to three (3) stories in each category (except for the Gothic, Picture and Beginnings and Endings categories).
  8. Spanking should be taken seriously <g>. This contest shouldn't. The point here is to encourage original writing by lots of people, (especially those who haven't written stories about spanking before!), not to make anyone feel better or worse than someone else. If you find yourself feeling better or worse than another writer, take a deep breath, turn off your computer and go outside for a while. After all, it's summertime!!

Story Categories

Here are the categories for this year's contest. When you enter a story, choose the category that you'd like it to be entered in, and identify the category clearly somewhere in your post.

Gothic. A story making use of "the gothic" in some fashion. (No limit on entries.)

Adult. No one in the story is a child. (Up to three (3) entries per author.)

Beginnings and Endings. Beginnings - stories using a specific, given first sentence. Endings - stories using a specific, given last sentence. (One (1) entry per quotation per author.)

"Madam," said Manfred, "what business drew you hither?"

"Run!"

"It's wrong, I know it's wrong"

"I abandon you to your sorry fate"

"Dear lady, it breaks my heart to see you look so"

"What have you done, imprudent Woman!"

"I have a present for you." [added 7/9]

"The clock struck three." [added 7/9]

To keep the contest fresh we'll be adding new lines throughout the contest.

Child. At least one of the story's characters is under 18. (Up to three (3) entries per author.)

Edge. One cool thing about the SSC is that authors can push their own writing to the edges of their fantasies. Edge stories should be writing that, for whatever reason, is edgy to you. Please be sure to add an author's note explaining why this story is edgy for you. This note is required and does not count toward the word-limit. (Up to three (3) entries per author.)

Missing Scene / FanFiction. A missing scene from a book, TV show or film or a story making use of any fandom for its setting. You must include a note stating where this is from. Links to Wikis and the like are really helpful to the reviewers.

Not My Kink / Someone Else's Kink. A story in which the author writes about a (spanking-related) kink or orientation which they don't have. Authors must include a note describing why they chose to write about this kink, and how it relates to their own. (Such a note is not included in the word count.)

A variation on the category this year is "someone else's kink", where the author writes about the kink and/or orientation of another newsgroup member whose name should be included. Note that permission to write / post this story should be explicitly obtained beforehand. (Up to 3 entries per author.)

Object Fetish. A story whose central focus is an object / item. Up to three (3) entries per author.)

Picture. A story inspired by one of the following pictures. To keep the contest fresh we'll be adding new pictures throughout the contest. (One (1) entry per picture per author.)

collar desks
grille money
padlock plaid
chair girl
stairs table

How to Enter a Story

So, here's how to enter a story in the SSC:

  1. Write the story! (That's the hard part done.)
  2. Choose one category (from those shown above) to enter the story in, and mark the story clearly with the category you've chosen at either the beginning or end (use the end if you think the category would be a story spoiler). Don't enter the same story in multiple categories.
  3. Post the story to soc.sexuality.spanking. It helps to put 'SSC07' (without the quotes) at the start of the subject line.
  4. At the same time, submit the story to mijita (at) thetreehouse (dot) net. Note that a story isn't entered in the contest unless it is both posted and submitted.
  5. Get to work writing the next story!