I Write the Songs 2013

Hey everyone!

So here we are only about a month from the last regular Sookie book in the series.  I think we need one more round of stories, OUR WAY. I encourage everyone to write, read, review, or participate in some way.  I tried to keep it simple this time.

I feel a little behind and I'm definitely behind on my fanfiction reading.  Real life has roared in to center stage in a big way for me.  So not everything is quite updated here or on fanfiction.net.  But it almost is.

The timeline is correct.  Submissions start May 11 and go through July 14.  I always want to give you plenty of time.  And this way, it is just in time for my birthday,  so send me some stories.

Yes,  I am steadfast to my stubborn rule -- if Eric and Sookie are in a romantic pairing it is with each other.  I love the variety of great stories we have had.  But I do enjoy the sweet and fluffy HEAs SO much,  even if they aren't as creative as some of the judges might prefer.

Please start thinking of your ideas to write. I'll have everything completely updated very soon.

TGIF!   Thanks to everyone who has helped me so much in this contest over the years.  And a special thanks to Alison for the great theme idea.

Anne     (Northwoman)

And the Winners are.......

And the Winners are …….  all of us, getting these stories to read.

The banners were made by the fabulous DazedRose. She has been just awesome about making these (and working with a graphics challenged person like me).   She created a theme for the banners.

(Sorry in advance that my fonts in this post are all over the place.)

Judges  1^st place winner:  ‘Trigger Happy’   by Ooshka

Link to the story –  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8296023/1/

Trigger Happy by Lloyd Cole,   Youtube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAOQns1trm4

Author’s teaser- Eric Northman – bar-owner, husband, and father – is a man under pressure. And his night is about to get worse. Just how trigger happy is Victor Madden, anyway?.

Judges 2^nd place winner:   ‘Andrew in Drag’    by esquilo-negligenciadas 

Link to the story - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8330600/1/

Andrew in Drag by Magnetic Fields,  Youtube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VMwsK9Ses&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3DAndrew%2Bin%2Bdrag%2B%2Bmagnetic%2Bfields%26oq%3DAndrew%2Bin%2Bdrag%2B%2Bmagnetic%2Bfields%26gs_l%3Dyoutube-reduced.3..0l2.215022.225964.0.228643.31.13.0.18.18.0.121.1243.8j5.13.0...0.0...1ac.24ZKTj0J4AI&has_verified=1&has_verified=1

Author’s teaser - When his friend signs up for amateur drag night at a Bourbon Street club, Eric tags along for the entertainment value, but his evening (and his life) is quickly turned on its head as "Sookie" takes to the stage..

Virgin winner:  ‘Winds of Change’        by Alyanne1375

Link to the story-  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8266740/1/Winds_of_Change

Winds of Change by Scorpion ,  Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ 

Author’s teaser - Sookie has been struggling to make ends meet when Gran comes up with an idea that could change everything. AU

Multi-chapter Fic winner:  ‘Sempre Fi’      by InLoveWithEric

Link to the story-  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8320709/1/

Sempre Fi by Trace Adkins ,  Youtube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roKCUFeWFmQ

Author’s teaser -  Sookie has taken her job as the cheerleader for Jason's squad stationed in Afghanistan very serious over the last two years. What happens when they receive a new Staff Sergeant only eight months before they are due home? He is a hard to read, no nonsense Marine with no time for fun, games, women and anything else, well human. That is until he receives his "Welcome Package" from one of his men's sister. What will happen when that small gesture causes a chink in this man's armor? Will it help him be a better soldier or could having his mind on other things than his men put them all in danger. Follow these two as they learn about one another and fall in love while living life on two separate sides of the world. AH – NC-17 for later.

Public vote 1st place winner:   ‘Yellow Ledbetter’     by Evenflo78

Link to the story - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8329829/1/Yellow_Ledbetter

Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam,  Youtube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvBiy2KTsMw

Author’s  teaser - One truck driver, a flat tire, and a rain-drenched girl. Drifting hearts don't always have to be lonesome. AH/OOC

Public vote  2^nd place winner:  ‘Heart’s a Mess’       by Moxiemo

Link to the story-  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8301799/1/

Heart’s a Mess by Gotye  Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnXFJOXvL_A

Author’s teaser -   Trouble's brewing as vampires gear up to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Great Revelation. What will happen when Sookie runs into Eric at a meeting several years after he left for Oklahoma? "Canon" to follow Deadlocked.

Northwoman’s pick

This is a horrible task as there are so many stories I enjoyed, for different reasons, in diferent styles. I started with rereading some favorites and then selected one.

I also want to thank everyone who helped us so much; the authors, the judges, the readers, and awesome graphics from DazedRose.  I had help from many people who had previously hosted contests with information on hosting, and judging & scoring. I thank you all so much as it wouldn’t have been possible without you. 

Of course, it all started with an idea from my best buddy, Alison (Northman Maille) who had such a great concept with music..

I couldn’t just announce my host pick without acknowledging all my favorite stories from the contest.  There were so many good ones that I enjoyed so much.

My top favorites from the entries:

From top 10:  Yellow Ledbetter, Leave Me Alone, Heart’s a Mess, really they are all good.

And these stories, that I also loved,  were in the 11-17 range, so close to the top 10:

• Iron, a story where Eric and Sookie are together and I always think she should at least consider being turned.
• Undressed, where Eric is so adorably clueless which is totally out of character for him.
• Figure It Out, Sookie see the potential in Eric in so many ways.
• Semper Fi, which is an AH story with good character development and an interesting theme.

 I decided I couldn’t pick from the top 10 as they already earned recognition. I took a different approach and just picked something that was FUN and yanked at my heart.  I did this starting as a child and also as an adult.  The song will make it clear – LOVE the song - boats tied together, people drinking and swimming and grilling on the lake or river.  Sookie in an itty bitty bikini,  Eric with a bare chest - yum. So…  I chose … Redneck Yacht Club by InLoveWithEric.  

Anne’s pick:  ‘’Redneck Yacht Club’  by InLoveWithEric

Link to the story-  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8353513/1/

Redneck Yacht Club  by Craig Morgan,  Youtube link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI7Ghu1FpnQ

Author’s teaser: Eric has come to Bon Temps to go into business with his best friend from college, Alcide. Summer has just begun and he is initiated into what is fondly called by the locals, the "Redneck Yacht Club." But Eric gets a much bigger eye full then just some interesting characters and tricked out boats. A certain blond haired beauty might make this move the best decision Eric has ever made. M, AH.

Thanks again to everyone!!  Congratulations to the winners and all the wonderful authors who participated.

Judges' Top 10 - voting begins!

I originally put up the fanfiction site and this blog saying we would vote based on the judges' top 10 for the public's top 2 favorites.  We have 25 entries posted and judged.  It is about half of last time and a couple of weeks ago I changed my mind and thought we would only do the top 8.  Now having the results from the judges, the scores were a tie for 8 and 9.  I will say number 11 was only a fraction of a point from number 10, also 11 and 12 not far behind.  But I want everyone to READ all the entries and that is why I narrow it down to the judges' top scores.

I do this contest to encourage and support authors and to have more stories.  It is for FUN!  It won't be perfect because nothing is perfect.  It's as objective as it can be.  If it were totally objective, we wouldn't need judges, I would just have a computer do the scores or something.

These judges were tough, very critical compared to last time.   The bulk of the scores ended up in the 5s and 6s.  I translate those to a score out of 100 and the top story got a 70.   That is much lower than last time. The judges don't always like the happy stories I do, which is part of why I need a hosts' pick.  It never ceases to amaze and confuse me how one judges' favorite is another judges' lowest scoring story.

I have created a poll to see when might be a good time to run this contest next year when the last book comes out and another season of True Blood. Vote if you haven't
I Write the Songs 2013 poll

Here is the voting; please READ the entries. You may vote for your top 2 favorites. 
Top 10 - public vote for favorites - click on Vote now

So the poll will be up until August 8th at 6pm CST.     Winners will be announced August 10th!

Do you want more I Write the Songs?

I started this contest with my dear friend Alison, because we love fanfiction,  we love Eric and we love music.    We wanted to encourage and support authors and have more stories to read.  We did some things which were new at the time.  They were things I would want if I were an author.

• A long lead time
• A long submission period
• An inspiring theme
• Feedback from the judges
• Anonymous judging with public posting
• An organized contest with pimping, tools, etc.

Some things worked better than others, of course.  But please remember the purpose of the whole event  is fun and to encourage and support authors.  This year has been tough with the fandom less active and honestly,  these judges are tough.  Their average scores are lower overall than last time by 2-3 points,  so more 4s and 5s  with less 7s or 8s.  The scoring numbers are categorized by 1- poor, 3 - fair, 5 - average, 7- good, 9- excellent and 10 - outstanding.  I believe in a full range of scores and it makes sense to have mostly 5s, which are average.   I just like so many and tend to enjoy and love a wide range of stories.

So I am thinking about whether this contest will happen again.  Last year is the final Sookie Stackhouse book.  True Blood has also been renewed for next year.  I am hoping people will want to write their own version of the last book  or what happens after the last book,  or something all human and totally different.  

I love this fandom and hope it will not end with the end of the books or the show.  So I am asking you to tell me when you would most like the contest to run at least one more time.

Please vote in a poll to tell me the timing you prefer for another I Write the Songs.  You can choose more than one or enter your own suggestion.   Go to the poll

Everyone,  thank you again for all your help and support!

Anne

Other options for posting your stories

I have set up 3 collections for I Write the Songs at a fanfiction site called AO3  (Archive of Our Own).  While it has been around for a while, it’s recently come to the attention of many in the fanfiction world. It is still in its beta phase, but it looks promising. One advantage it has over fanfiction.net is, it has an Explicit rating, so posting smexy stories is within the site rules.

The collections I set up are:

I Write the Songs 2010 

I Write the Songs 2012

Sample Fics

Some of the sample fics and stories from 2010 are there. If any authors from either 2010 or 2012 want to post there and add into the collection, or the Sample Fics collection, let me know. The support is friendly and helpful; they said they would help me get invitations for the authors to get onto the site. They are trying to limit growth during the beta phase. So it might take a little effort, but I think it is worthwhile to try to develop this new site. I encourage you to follow I Write the Songs on AO3 as well as on ff.net. If you need an invitation, you can contact me through comments below or email at i.writethesongs.svm@gmail.com  or tweet me at @I_WritetheSongs.   Random-Fandom  also has some invites, email them at  fanfiction@random-fandom.net .  

So how does the multi-chapter fic option work?

We have a new contest option this year.   You can write a multi-chapter fanfic for the contest.  You just pick a song title and follow the other rules, except you need to write and post a minimum of 4 chapters of at least 1000 words each, during the contest.   Only the first chapter is sent to judging anonymously, but labeled as a multi-chapter fic, so the judges know there is more to come; it is not complete.

So who is going to try it out?  

If you have any questions about the contest, check the blog or profile,  or tweet @I_WritetheSongs or email me at i.writethesongs.svm@gmail.com.

Open for submissions!

We are open for submissions, now until July 15th!  Don't wait until the last minute and overload our wonderful judges.


There is lots of contest information available on the blog or Fanfiction profile 


Check the beta page, if you need a beta, we have a few volunteers.  Email me at i.writethesongs.svm@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer as a beta, or tweet me at @I_WritetheSongs.




We also have 3 wonderful promo fics:  


Blue Jean  by suki59 


Changes   by onefee27   (this is a multi-chapter fic)


Hole in the River   by Ooshka  




"Let's Get This Party Started"     Anne