I make this same mistake every January.
I outline my goals for the year. I make a plan how to achieve those goals. And then I manage to derail my good intentions by volunteering to judge a contest or THREE.
Yep, idiot in tow here.
The first batch of contest entries is only about 25 pages and a reasonable scoresheet. I've read and judged four of them and made profuse comments. All I have to do is tweak my comments (play nicey-nice) and add up their scores. The last entry, well, I don't know what's going to happen with that one.
Here's the sitch:
When I received the entries last Friday, I opened them up and scrolled past the scoresheet to the first page to see if I've read/judged/critiqued it before. All of them were fresh and new submissions that I'd never seen before. So when I started judging the entries, I simply read them the way my computer alphabetized them, unless the topic doesn't interest me, then I place it at the bottom of the list.
Excited that I was, a) on the last contest entry, b) that I didn't have any real clunkers in this batch, I opened the entry and scrolled through the pages. Why I did this, I don't know, but I'm so glad I did!
This entry was a mess, a HOT MESS--and it had nothing to do with the actual story content--font sizes were different, some sections were all CAPS, some sections were single spaced, and I have no idea what happened in other sections, except that the author's fingers typed off one key stroke. Yep, total gobble-de-gook. Originally, I thought, "Oh, I can simply reformat it." until weird section really jumped out at me.
Nope. Not happening. Not my job.
In all the years (12 of them) I've judged contests, I have NEVER seen one that looked like this!
It was the contest coordinator's job to check formatting, maybe she has a clean copy. I emailed her. Turns out, all she did was look at the first page, too.
Oops.
Usually the coordinator's are totally awesome blossom. I never have to do anything other than send my judged entries back, and they let me know if everything is hunky dory. This coordinator, though very nice, seems simply overwhelmed. I'm sure she works a 'real' full-time job outside of writing and helping with this contest, and this might be her first contest to coordinate, but she has forgotten to give me my judge number, and hasn't numbered any of the contest entries, along with the formatting issues on this entry.
Why are numbers this important?
To make it easy to keep track of HUNDREDS of judges and entries. When I co-coordinated RWI's (now obsolete) published author contest, I had pages of computerized excel sheets to keep track of everything. And I couldn't have done it without Susan Shay's help.
I'm just so glad that I decided to hop on these entries to get them judged within the first week of receiving them--I think the coordinator should be thankful, too. Many judges wait until the last minute to judge their entries. Can you imagine what the entrant would think if she got a frantic email during the last week of judging asking for a fresh copy? It wouldn't reflect very well on the contest, because this sort of thing tends to go viral through RWA loops.
--um, I'm not in RWA any longer and I don't expect anyone from this loop to tattle about this unnamed contest . . . GOT IT?
Once I get a clean copy, it will be a non-event. The other judges will also get a clean copy and life will go on. Crisis averted.
Anyone who volunteers to help with a contest is a saint. And unless you help, don't ever diss them. There is a LOT of time and commitment that happens around every single entry.
Today, I'll reread my comments, tally up my scores and send back the other entries. I'll judge the remaining one when I get it. But until then, I'll start reading the BOOKS I got in the mail for the second contest I volunteered to judge.
And then, I expect another packet contest entries to judge to arrive sometime next week.
Oh, and I still have 5000 words to write on MY story for this week. If I focus today, I might get a couple thousand written today.
Gotta go feed the dog, Peeps. Then it's time to go for a walk, tweak my contest entries and write my own story. Busy, busy, busy!
Later, Peeps!
Showing posts with label contest entries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest entries. Show all posts
2/7/13
4/20/11
How I judge contest entries
On Saturday, I received an email from the Daphne paranormal category coordinator. When I saw the subject line, RE: Judging, my first response was, "Uh-oh!"
Yeah, I tend to jump to the worst conclusions sometimes. I opened up the email and this is what it said:
Oh, okay--
I dun good. :-)
But I had to review my comments on the six entries to see what I had actually written. I judge so many contests every year that I don't think about the entries after I return them. I might check the titles if I happen to see a list of the contest finalists, but that's it.
I have to admit that I did a pretty decent job of judging this batch of entries. I approach judging contest entries a little bit differently than many writers.
A while back, there was a conversation on RWA's PRO loop about edits. Many people chimed in and said that they do the line edits first and then worry about the big stuff later.
HUH???
Why would you waste your time 'fixing' sentences if you don't address the big stuff first? That's insane!
Think about it for a second. Okay, that's enough thought.
--If you have a pacing issue and need to cut sentences, paragraphs, scenes or even CHAPTERS, what good does it do to make your verbs more active or place your comma in another spot? Been there done that with GNOME. It wasn't until my TENTH edit did I cut 7000 words (3 chapters) and rewrite chapter 1(1500 words) to fix the pacing.
--if your editor wants you to combine two characters into one. This changes the personality/internal conflict/motivation of the character. Did it with FAERIE and it DOES trickle down throughout the story.
--if you need to thread-in another plot line, or deepen the character's motivation, or whatever
If there's a bigger problem to address and it needs to be addressed BEFORE line edits.
Now, this is just my opinion, so take it or leave it.
Later, Peeps!
Yeah, I tend to jump to the worst conclusions sometimes. I opened up the email and this is what it said:
I just reviewed the entries you judged for the Daphne. I want to say what a great job you did.
Can you tell me a little about your writing background? I'm intrigued with your insightful comments.
Oh, okay--
I dun good. :-)
But I had to review my comments on the six entries to see what I had actually written. I judge so many contests every year that I don't think about the entries after I return them. I might check the titles if I happen to see a list of the contest finalists, but that's it.
I have to admit that I did a pretty decent job of judging this batch of entries. I approach judging contest entries a little bit differently than many writers.
- I open EVERY document hoping to be WOW'd. I totally understand agents/editors in this regard. I love, love, LOVE reading a story that might have craft issues, but speaks to the reader.
- I go with my gut instinct the first time I read the entry. Many judges will read the story and then go back to the entry and judge it. I find that this tends to result in nit-picking on my part, so I don't do it.
- I go with the BIG PICTURE items. When I first started writing I was asked to join a crit group--to be perfectly honest, I simply wasn't ready to join this group. Though I gathered a few nosebleeds while climbing the learning curve, I needed help with the 'big picture' stuff--pacing, emotion, dialogue, etc. Don't get me wrong, I loved and appreciated their patience! And boy did they have to be patient!
A while back, there was a conversation on RWA's PRO loop about edits. Many people chimed in and said that they do the line edits first and then worry about the big stuff later.
HUH???
Why would you waste your time 'fixing' sentences if you don't address the big stuff first? That's insane!
Think about it for a second. Okay, that's enough thought.
--If you have a pacing issue and need to cut sentences, paragraphs, scenes or even CHAPTERS, what good does it do to make your verbs more active or place your comma in another spot? Been there done that with GNOME. It wasn't until my TENTH edit did I cut 7000 words (3 chapters) and rewrite chapter 1(1500 words) to fix the pacing.
--if your editor wants you to combine two characters into one. This changes the personality/internal conflict/motivation of the character. Did it with FAERIE and it DOES trickle down throughout the story.
--if you need to thread-in another plot line, or deepen the character's motivation, or whatever
If there's a bigger problem to address and it needs to be addressed BEFORE line edits.
Now, this is just my opinion, so take it or leave it.
Later, Peeps!
7/27/09
My Contest Judge is an Idiot!
This topic comes up every couple of months on various loops across RWA land. I was going to respond to the topic on the loop, but thought, 'Hey, I don't have a topic for today. I'll use this one!'
Romance writers are lucky. They have a very large supportive organization that holds a National contest for published and unpublished writers, Rita's and Golden Heart. This contest idea has a trickle down effect, in which many RWA chapters also hold contests. These contests run the gamut from query letter to synopsis to first XX # of pages to steamy scenes--it is a romance contest so what else would you expect--to HEA ending.
RWA chapters win because contests make their chapter money, which is used for the benefit of the chapter: special speakers, retreats, conferences, etc. But their reputation is also at stake. If they get lousy judges, or have a lousy score sheet, or their final judges aren't impressive, they can take a financial hit. In today's electronic world, chapter's don't loose very much except in the area of making money. Virtually everyone working on the contest does it as a volunteer. There is nothing to mail unless the final judge insists upon paper submissions. And even with mailing 3-5 entries up to 30 pages each, how much does that really cost?? Not a huge amount, considering contests are charging $20-35 per contest entry. Pure gravy.
Today I'm going to concentrate on the judge's portion of the equation. I will be speaking as a judge, instead of as a contest entrant in response to some of the judge's comment. Of course, everything is subjective, including entrant interpretation of comments. And therein is the inherent problem.
--This is a subjective business. Tastes differ even within a genre.
--Judges HAVE to follow the score sheet instructions, though I've started fudging scores in the last couple of years. There is no sense in marking someone a 1 out of five, when a 3 will get the point across. There is no way an entry full of 3's will final in a contest. Along with the fact that giving someone 5's across the board won't guarantee a final. This has happened a few times. I've loved a story; it's very clean and ready to publish, BUT it doesn't even final. It's heart-breaking for a judge. When I come across an entry that I love, I sign it and put my email address down, hoping the entrant will add me to their newsletter mailing list. I WANT to see their book in print.
--Judges take their own personal experiences to the table, BUT my personal experiences may not be the same as the contest entrant's experiences with the same topic.
--For example: A writer friend (WF) wrote an obese character documenting her trials and tribulations. A judge took exception to this, complaining that the author had no idea what it was like to be obese. WF HAD been obese, but lost 100+ pounds and kept it off for 25 years. Just because the writer's experience doesn't match the judge's experience doesn't make it wrong--only different.
--another story: Susan Grant wrote her first book about an airline pilot making contact with an alien ship. The judge didn't think a pilot would do what that character did. What the writer didn't know was that Susan Grant was, and still is, a pilot. She flies the huge honkin' planes from the west coast to Asia and Australia. She knows EXACTLY how a pilot would act.
--another WF wrote about a journalist and got dinged in a contest, 'because journalists don't do that'. Guess what, kiddos? Yep. WF is a journalist.
--Judges unintentionally channel what they see on television and what they read into their opinions. We all know that TV messes things up. They film what makes good TV, not necessarily what is real. As a judge you should take everything with a grain of salt. The key is to temper your answer. And with luck, maybe the writer won't take offense to the criticism.
--it's all about word choice. When I pick up a vampire contest entry, but the vamp can walk around in sunlight, you'd better give me a valid reason. This doesn't mean tons of back story, but a reasonable explanation. I totally got sucked into the Blade movies. Wesley Snipes is a daywalker. How? Daily injections. Makes sense. No super-duper explanations. Just a sentence or actions within a scene will do it.
Judges do the best that they can. When they first start judging, they are pretty harsh in their comments because they don't know how to temper them. Speaking for myself, I saw a dramatic improvement in my own writing after I started judging.
Judging contests gives you perspective into what agents and editors see every day. There is a lot of stuff that is submitted that isn't ready for submission. As a judge it's your job to gently point out questionable areas.
But I will tell you this. Every judge has her pet peeves. Mine are horses. If you write something that doesn't make sense involving horses, I will say something in no uncertain terms. I still remember a contest entry, roughly the 1700's, where the wife of a Calvary officer was telling her husband how to ride his horse??? Come on! Yeah, I blew a gasket on that one. Pure common sense should have stopped that scene from being written.
Anyway, judges try their best when they judge a contest. As an entrant we should try to learn from the judges comments, apply what makes sense, and toss the rest.
Write on!
Romance writers are lucky. They have a very large supportive organization that holds a National contest for published and unpublished writers, Rita's and Golden Heart. This contest idea has a trickle down effect, in which many RWA chapters also hold contests. These contests run the gamut from query letter to synopsis to first XX # of pages to steamy scenes--it is a romance contest so what else would you expect--to HEA ending.
RWA chapters win because contests make their chapter money, which is used for the benefit of the chapter: special speakers, retreats, conferences, etc. But their reputation is also at stake. If they get lousy judges, or have a lousy score sheet, or their final judges aren't impressive, they can take a financial hit. In today's electronic world, chapter's don't loose very much except in the area of making money. Virtually everyone working on the contest does it as a volunteer. There is nothing to mail unless the final judge insists upon paper submissions. And even with mailing 3-5 entries up to 30 pages each, how much does that really cost?? Not a huge amount, considering contests are charging $20-35 per contest entry. Pure gravy.
Today I'm going to concentrate on the judge's portion of the equation. I will be speaking as a judge, instead of as a contest entrant in response to some of the judge's comment. Of course, everything is subjective, including entrant interpretation of comments. And therein is the inherent problem.
--This is a subjective business. Tastes differ even within a genre.
--Judges HAVE to follow the score sheet instructions, though I've started fudging scores in the last couple of years. There is no sense in marking someone a 1 out of five, when a 3 will get the point across. There is no way an entry full of 3's will final in a contest. Along with the fact that giving someone 5's across the board won't guarantee a final. This has happened a few times. I've loved a story; it's very clean and ready to publish, BUT it doesn't even final. It's heart-breaking for a judge. When I come across an entry that I love, I sign it and put my email address down, hoping the entrant will add me to their newsletter mailing list. I WANT to see their book in print.
--Judges take their own personal experiences to the table, BUT my personal experiences may not be the same as the contest entrant's experiences with the same topic.
--For example: A writer friend (WF) wrote an obese character documenting her trials and tribulations. A judge took exception to this, complaining that the author had no idea what it was like to be obese. WF HAD been obese, but lost 100+ pounds and kept it off for 25 years. Just because the writer's experience doesn't match the judge's experience doesn't make it wrong--only different.
--another story: Susan Grant wrote her first book about an airline pilot making contact with an alien ship. The judge didn't think a pilot would do what that character did. What the writer didn't know was that Susan Grant was, and still is, a pilot. She flies the huge honkin' planes from the west coast to Asia and Australia. She knows EXACTLY how a pilot would act.
--another WF wrote about a journalist and got dinged in a contest, 'because journalists don't do that'. Guess what, kiddos? Yep. WF is a journalist.
--Judges unintentionally channel what they see on television and what they read into their opinions. We all know that TV messes things up. They film what makes good TV, not necessarily what is real. As a judge you should take everything with a grain of salt. The key is to temper your answer. And with luck, maybe the writer won't take offense to the criticism.
--it's all about word choice. When I pick up a vampire contest entry, but the vamp can walk around in sunlight, you'd better give me a valid reason. This doesn't mean tons of back story, but a reasonable explanation. I totally got sucked into the Blade movies. Wesley Snipes is a daywalker. How? Daily injections. Makes sense. No super-duper explanations. Just a sentence or actions within a scene will do it.
Judges do the best that they can. When they first start judging, they are pretty harsh in their comments because they don't know how to temper them. Speaking for myself, I saw a dramatic improvement in my own writing after I started judging.
Judging contests gives you perspective into what agents and editors see every day. There is a lot of stuff that is submitted that isn't ready for submission. As a judge it's your job to gently point out questionable areas.
But I will tell you this. Every judge has her pet peeves. Mine are horses. If you write something that doesn't make sense involving horses, I will say something in no uncertain terms. I still remember a contest entry, roughly the 1700's, where the wife of a Calvary officer was telling her husband how to ride his horse??? Come on! Yeah, I blew a gasket on that one. Pure common sense should have stopped that scene from being written.
Anyway, judges try their best when they judge a contest. As an entrant we should try to learn from the judges comments, apply what makes sense, and toss the rest.
Write on!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)