The other side of the scoreWhat contest judges are thinkingAs a newbie to writing contests, I had no idea what contestjudges were thinking, why they seemed so harsh, or why, according to them, Ishould be encouraged by the red marks covering my beautiful manuscript. Ihad no idea the time, effort, and expertise that went into judging fiction, andat the time, I didn’t appreciate what I considered gratuitous violence appliedto my shining prose. Now, as both a published author and an experienced contestjudge, I have a better idea of what happens on the other side of thescore-sheet. But, because judging is an individual sport, I’ve enlisted thehelp of several of my writing buddies to get their take on contest judging andsome of the ‘why’ behind the scores.1. How does your experiencehaving participated in writing contests affect the way you judge writingcontest entries?
Glynna Kaye: Iknow what helped me most--SPECIFICS. A judge giving me a low score or ageneral negative comment with NO explanation about where inthe manuscript this "offense" occurred or how it might be fixed,well, that wasn't helpful at all. But if another judge actually pointedout the specific faux pas, where it occurred in amanuscript, and offered a "you might want to try..." suggestionof how to correct it, that was always appreciated. Ibelieve in finding genuine positives in any manuscript and bringing thoseto an author's attention, too. A few sincere words ofpraise from judges kept me going during discouraging times.Julie Lessman: Igo to GREAT LENGTHS to point out the good I see in an entry before I gentlypoint out what needs work.
Georgiana Daniels:After having entered contests, I know how anticipation and excitement can becrushed instantly upon seeing the scores and comments. That's why I try to wordmy comments so the entrant knows specifically how to fix whatever problem I'mpointing out. Also, I try to praise the good parts of their work. It'simportant to stay hopeful!
Myra Johnson: Onthe one hand, I try to be more sensitive about not crushing a budding writer'sdreams. On the other, I feel it's important to be honest about specific weakareas. It's important to do more than simply point out weakness, though. I tryto give constructive advice and examples. It's equally important to praisereally strong entries and encourage writers whose work is close to beingpublishable.THE TAKE AWAY:Contest judges are not trying to crush your dreams! They truly are trying to behonest and evaluate your work for the sole purpose of helping you reach thosedreams you’re striving for. The reason there are often a plethora of commentsis due to the fact that they want to give specific instruction that will beuseful.
2. What is the most commoncomment you find yourself making on entries?
Stephanie Morrill:POV is a big one. It's such a tricky thing to get the hang of. The other thingI often suggest is using more action or thought beats instead of dialogue tags.Janet Dean: Mymost frequent comments are usually about the need for characters to havestronger goals, motivations and conflicts. In historical entries, I often findwords that are not in usage at the time of the story.
Pam Hillman: Manytimes I suggest the author consider starting the story a bit later. Sometimesthere is a section a few pages in that grabs me, and that seems like the bestplace to start.
Sandra Leesmith:Show don't tell
THE TAKE AWAY: a) There are a lot of ‘big issues’that can make or break a contest entry. If you don’t know what Point of View,Show don’t Tell, or Goal, Motivation and Conflict are, find out before youspend your hard earned $ on contests.
b) Each judge might have adifferent area they point out, one that they might’ve struggled withthemselves, or one in which they are particularly strong. Pay attention to whateach judge says, even if they are the only one who pointed something out.
3. What is your favorite writing"how-to" book that you recommend in your comments on an entry?
For this one, I’m going to list the books in order ofpopularity amongst those polled.
Goal, Motivation &Conflict by Debra Dixon
Writing The BreakoutNovel by Donald Maass
Self Editing forFiction Writers by Browne and King
The Story Within byAlicia Rasley
From the Inside Out bySusan May Warren
Elements of Style byStrunk and White
Write Tight by WilliamBrohaugh
Plot and Structure,Revision and Editing, and The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
Bird by Bird by AnnLamott
On Writing by StephenKing
Webster’s CollegiateDictionary
The Hero’s Journey byVogler and Hauge
Seekerville Posts
And one judgerecommends reading great fiction above all else to learn how to write it.
THE TAKE AWAY: There are a lot of great how-to books available, andjudges are pretty savvy about matching up their recommendation to theparticular weakness they perceive in your entry. Start building yourwriting-craft library. A smart idea is to check with your local library,test-drive the recommended books, then choose which ones you want to purchase.
4. Doyou consider yourself to be a 'tough' judge or an 'easy' judge, and why?
TinaRadcliffe: A tough judge. Again,they paid money for that critique. If they don't grow from it then they justwasted a lot of cash that could have been spent on paper or toner.Mary Connealy: The better I think an entry is, the tougher I am. If you're clearly abeginner, I give broad, general suggestions—Learn what POV is. You're tellingwhen you should be showing. Back-story, cut it, it doesn't belong here—But in areally strong, polished entry I figure you can take it. I hope you've done alot of this and want straight talk, and I'm much more likely to be very directin my critique. But I will also say things like, 'I think this is great,remember that when I'm noting things I find that need attention. Take all mycomments with it in mind that I think you're really talented."
Missy Tippens:I probably lean more toward being an "easy" judge. Not because I golight on feedback, but because, overall, I tend to score higher than otherjudges.
JanetDean: I lean toward tough, but when I say tough, I don’t mean harsh. Tofinal in a contest and get work in front of an editor, writers should be ready.Judges don’t want to send an unprepared writer before an editor who mightassociate poor writing with the contestant’s name or see judging the contest asa waste of time.Georgiana Daniels: I'm one tough cookie when itcomes to judging because I figure the entrant really wants feedback to improvetheir work, not just affirmation. (That's what friends are for, not contests,lol.) That said, if there are too many issues with the entry, I'll only focuson the major ones rather than every single problem to avoid discouraging thewriter. I always try to find good things about the entry so the writer knowswhat their strengths are and how they can capitalize on them.
Julie Lessman: Tough in that I expect a lot.Easy in that I believe in a spoonful of sugar to get the medicine down.GlynnaKaye: I try to be a balanced and compassionate judge.Praise where praise is due and suggestions for improvement. If anentry appears to be written by a more seasoned writer, you can dig alittle deeper, get a little pickier, and help them bring theirmanuscript to an even higher level. With newbies, you're careful to"triage" only one or two of the most critical needs ofthe contest entry so you don't discourage them. I neverever want to crush a fledgling writer's spirit by overwhelming them.
AudraHarders: I know I’m not a tough judge because Iremember my feelings being decimated by judges who had no concept of respectingauthor integrity and creativity. Totally blunt and tactless to make theirpoints. I don’t think I’m too easy either because that doesn’t help anyone. Ilike to judge as if I’m a reader with the background knowledge of how to writea book. I make suggestions rather than telling someone they’re doing it wrong.To me, there’s nothing worse than a judge who wields their power like a razoredguillotine.
KeliGwyn: I like to think of myself as a fair judge,offering a balance of constructive criticism coupled with a generous helping ofencouragement. If I were pressed to choose one of your options, I'd go with"easy." I've had entries where I could have given a very low score,but I don't have it in me to crush someone by doling out a series of ones. Iprefer to use my comments to convey my suggestions for improvement and build upa writer rather than resorting to low scores alone to convey my impressions ofa writer's skill level. That's not to say I mislead an entrant by givinginflated scores. It's more that I realize a three or four out of ten can let awriter know I saw a major weakness in an area as well as a one but does so farless brutally.StephanieMorrill: Yikes, I don't know. Probably tough. Itypically judge YA, and I'm passionate about young adult novels. My goal is tobe honest but also encouraging.
Pam Hillman:Middle-of-the-road. If an entry is "almost there", I have no problemtelling an entrant that it's just a matter of time, the right story, the righteditor, because their work is ready. But I am careful with entries that need alot of work. Since contests are blind, I have no way of knowing if this mightbe the very first time an author has put their work out there for scrutiny. Iremember those early days when my heart pounded with dread and excitement whenI opened the results of a contest. I want to encourage someone, not crush theirdream.THE TAKE AWAY: Did you see how many judges consider themselves tobe ‘tough’ judges? The tougher the critique, the more value the entrantreceives for their money, the more honest feedback is given, and the morepotential the entrant has for growth. Even those judges who consider themselves‘easy’ make a point of giving plenty of feedback and encouragement.
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Again, for the sake ofspace, I’m going to summarize here.
1. Theshortest amount of time was twenty minutes for an entry that was reallystellar. 15 minutes to read about it and 5 minutes to gush about how wonderfulit was.
2. Theaverage was 45 mins. to an hour per entry.
3. Thelongest amount of time for a single entry was…HOURS! And several of thosepolled said it can take them hours to judge an entry.
THE TAKE AWAY: At an average of an hour per entry for purelyvolunteer work, the number of hours a judge spends on contest entries racks upin a hurry. Remember when you’re going over the judge’s comments, that they arevolunteering their expertise, that they took a considerable amount of time toread and understand your entry, and that they do it because they love writingand writers. They’re looking for a way to pay forward the help they receivedthrough contests, and that they truly want to be helpful.6. Do you have anything that you’d love to tell contestentrants?
Glynna Kaye: For me,entering unpubbed contests was the equivalent of an ongoing writingcourse using my own manuscripts as the training tools, the hands-on testingground. It wasn't all "theory" but application. I don't believe I'dbe published today if it hadn't been for some really awesome judges whoencouraged me and helped me learn the craft. I think the biggest thing toremember when entering contests is NOT to give up when you don't win, final, oreven get much in the way of positive scores and comments. In some ofmy earliest contests, my best scorewas for formatting!!!! So determine deep down inside: "I WILL NOT GIVE UP!"
Audra Harders: As an author who has spent a fortune enteringcontests, I believe every penny invested in the feedback and instruction Ireceived, well worth it. I know if it hadn’t been for contests, I never wouldhave matured as a writer or persevered to grasp the golden ring of publication.I learned to sense which judges had my best interests at heart--the judges thatencouraged as they pointed out flaws, the ones that explained why certaintechniques didn’t work. God bless each and every one of them.Myra Johnson: While contests canbe an excellent way to get feedback on your wip, don't use them as a substitutefor a skilled critique partner. Beginning writers would be wise to let theircritique groups help them decide when their work is contest-ready. Otherwise, alow score and negative comments could be devastating.
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Tina Radcliffe: I learned the most from contests when Ibecame a judge. Do yourself a favor. Volunteer to judge.
Stephanie Morrill:I would say keep in mind that it's one person's opinion. I've judged contestswhere pieces I loved didn't final, and where pieces I think need considerablework do.Also, my Genesis entry in 2007 did so-so, but the feedback inspired arewrite. And that rewrite hooked an agent, and that agent got me a contractwith Revell, and Me, Just Different released in the summer of2009. I had felt crushed when the manuscript hadn't finalled, but it still ledme to something bigger.
Janet Dean: I want to encourage writers, whether newbie orexperienced, once they’ve done their best to enter contests. You could finaland get your story in front of an editor or agent, everyone’s dream. But nomatter what happens, you’ll be putting your work out there for evaluation,something all writers must do if they want to sell. Judges will either give youinvaluable, consistent information that will improve your story or offerconflicting advice. Don’t let the latter upset you. Differing feedback is ateaching tool, too. Look at your story with both ideas in mind. Trust your gutand go with the suggestions that work for your story, your style. The harshtruth is that judging—and what editors love or don’t—is subjective. I’ve neverhad a mean-spirited judge, but if a judge tells you to forget writing and takeup knitting, that judge should be reported to the coordinator.
Sandra Leesmith: Writing and reading likes and tastes are sosubjective. What I might not like, someone else might love. So takeall comments with grain of salt and get more than one opinion. If morethan one judge makes the same comment then it is more than likely something youneed to focus on. But if comments are not consistent, then go with yourgut.Missy Tippens: I'd like to add that I think judging contests is agreat way to learn to write better! It's much easier to spot problems insomeone else's work. Then I take what I learn and apply it to my own writing.
Mary Connealy: I give a writer's contest credit for the fact that Iam published today. I believe in them and I also know they can really hurt andthey cost a fair amount of money, especially if you enter a lot of them. So Isalute anyone who has the guts to put their precious creation out into theworld to be critiqued. It's not easy. God bless you all.THE TAKE AWAY:
a) Theseladies are giving, conscientious, and learned judges who, I feel, typify thebreed.
b) Contestjudges are not out to maim your work or your hopes as a writer. They truly onlywant to be helpful, even if their advice might be difficult to swallow,especially at first.
c) Ihave some amazing friends to so generously give of their time to help me withthis post, and I’d like to thank all of them.
Question for you: What is the most helpful piece of advice you’vereceived on a contest entry? Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a copy of Erica's latest release Sagebrush Brides.
Is there something you’ve alwayswanted to ask a contest judge, but haven’t had the chance? Ask here and I’msure one or more of these fine ladies will be happy to answer you.
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Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing inMinnesota. She loves history and reading, and is blessed to be able to combinethe two by writing historical fiction set in the American West.Whenever she’s not following flights of fancy in her fictionalworld, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business,mother of two terrific teens, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate,and avid museum patron.FindMe On Facebook
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