commenting inside the scoresheet box

Why?

Seriously, why do judge get stuck in the scoresheet "rules" box? After all, they're generally writers who look for ways to get out of the box.

Hear's how one writer/judge feels:

If voice/style grabs me from the get-go, I will do everything in my power to give the highest score possible. BUT judges do have the drawback of following the written scoresheet 'rules'.

Do I fault her for thinking this? NO!!! I used to think that way.

But then one contest day I decided I was tired of the scoresheet "rules" box.

My comments and scores are mine to give. SO why shouldn't I give them my way, in my voice, in accordance to how I interpret the question in relation to each particular entry.

Not only that, but who says I have to follow the written scoresheet rules? (Let me add a disclaimer and say, WITHIN REASON.)

Let's get to some specifics.

I don't like questions on author's voice. Why? Well, voice is interperative. I don't think I spelled that right. Oh well. I might have. I generally always give a 5 on a voice question AS LONG AS the author's voice isn't so strong that it distracts from the story. What I evaluate is if theentrant's writing style/voice is "commercially appealing."

I love that phrase because one of my critique partners, Maggie Lynch, opening my eyes to viewing voice in that perspective. Yes, the voice may not be unique, but it is appealing.

While I'm not going to name names, I can think of many published authors (highly successful) who if their names weren't on the books, readers wouldn't be able to guess with a strong accuracy who wrote the book. And that's A-okay.

Now if the author does have a unique/fresh voice, I make sure to compliment that. Of the last 12 entries I've judged in the last week, none had a distinctive voice. Several had a fitting voice for a category novel. One had a discomforting omniscient voice. That didn't get a 5.

Another example is...well, we'll use Hero questions since that was mentioned by the gal who made the above bold comment. Why penalize the entrant for not having her hero in the entry?

I know, I know, I know, she should have read the scoresheet and seen that there were questions on the hero. Those ladies who've been my contest category coordinators when I judged (probably the last two or three years because that's about when I first stuck a foot outside the scoresheet "rules" box) may not like/have like it when I give/gave 5s on the hero question when no hero was in the entry.

Oh well. I figure if it bothers them enough, then can make a note not to let me judge again. I don't judge to impress coordinators. I also do know what it's like to be a contest entrant who yearns to feel that the judge was on her side even though the entry wasn't 5-quality written. Try to give the benefit of the doubt.

Hold your horses, though, for a second. Even though I'll give a 5 on an non-applicable question, I make a point to tell the entrant, "Dude, what were you thinking entering a contest with questions about a hero and your hero never showed up on theentry pages. Think, honey, think. I'm giving you 5s here, not because your hero deserves them, but because I'm not going to penalize you for not having your hero in the entry. Please, do yourself a favor and READ THE CONTEST SCORESHEET before you enter. Technically, you should get ZERO points in this section."

Okay, I phrase it a bit more politically correct than that.

Not so surprisingly, I'm actually more apt to do that if the entry was compelling. In a sense, if I didn't notice the absense of the hero, then in all reality, it's okay he wasn't in those early pages. Obviously, my feelings will change depending on the romance sub-genre.

Let me give you some examples. In Missy Tippins' short contemporary romance HER UNLIKELY FAMILY, the heroine "meets" the hero in the first line.

“If there was one thing Josie Miller knew, it was the smell of a rich man. And whoever just walked into the diner smelled like Fort Knox.”

So if the contest entry I'm judging is a short contemporary and the heroine hasn't somehow encountered the hero by the bottom of the second page, then I'm gonna know that entrant probably hasn't spent much time evaluating the expectations of that genre.

Just last night the entry I judged (a short contemp) didn't have the hero and heroine meeting until page 12. In a long contemp, a single-title, a chick-lit, that would/could be okay. Not so in a short contemp.

The key is you the judge going on a limb and deciding if a non-applicable question is worth, in a sense, ignoring.

Anyhoo, in the entries I finshed recently, the end had comments section. Asked about strengths and weaknessess. Or what the entrant did well and needs to work on. Wanna know what I answered?

"See comments and scores above."

I made a point to explain my score (2s, 3s, 4s, even a few 5s) so why waste more of my time to repeat everything. Just between you and me, I think contests put the Strengths/Weakness question on there because they want the entrants to have something good to cling to (Strengths). You know the scenario: Judge gives straight 3s with no comments. Well, now the judge pretty much is supposed to give some compliments and and explanation of her scores. Some do. Some don't.

FOR YOU WHO DON'T GIVE COMMENTS: Hello! 9 out of 10 contest entrants aren't going to find that helpful.

So, do I feel judges have to stay in the walls of the scoresheet?

YES! NO!

Your scores and comments should be flexible to adjust inaccordance to the particulars of each entry. After all, not all entries are alike.

One of my recent entries got an almost perfect score. Do I think the entry was near perfect? Nope. See, here's a dirty little secret.

Folks who judge and enter contests enough know that contests can be extremely competitive. Some contest require a certain % of a score (like 80%) to qualify for finaling because they don't want entries that really shouldn't be finaling to final because the category was low on entries. On the other hand, sometimes 1 point can make the difference between finaling and not.

In one of the categories of the Touched by Love last year, three entries finaled. Five (or maybe six) were within 5 points of the highest scoring entry. Can you imagine scoring a 94/100 and still not finaling?

For that one high-scoring entry I mentioned a few parargraphs up, I scored higher as to not risk my score keeping that entry from finaling because even though it had some questions that deserved a 4 instead of a 5, the story had the most compelling unpublished chapters that I have read in the last year. I LOVED THE HERO AND THE HEROINE. Great plot too.

Sometimes as a judge I wish for a simple scoresheet. Like this:

1) Is the entry compelling? Did you want to read more?
2) What areas do you feel need work to make the entry compelling?


Why just those questions? Well, as a contest entrant, that's basically what I want to know. Did you want to read more? If not, why?

Too bad I can't just post a couple scoresheets from these entries I just judged to "show" everyone how I *choose* which scoresheet rules to break and why. Oh well.

Like with writing "rules," the key is knowing why you are breaking them when you do.

Epiphany or Too Much Cold Medication?

Okay, I was supposed to go on a mission trip to KY with hubby and 80 other youth and adults, but I woke up Sunday with a horrid head cold.

Well, just so happens I have contest entries to judge.

I know, I know, who wants a tired, sick, drugged judge evaluating the merits of her story.

Life's too short to be picky, I always say.

Needless to say, I had 14 entries that I wanted to get judged before hubby and oldest son return on Friday.Yes, I know that's tomorrow.

A day or two ago, after judging three entries (two historical, one short contemp), I decided I needed a break from unpublished, issues-laden fiction. So I read an anthology and 1/2 of a historical. Finished the latter last night. Now I read them about a year ago. Enjoyed them then. Enjoyed them again. As I was reading a scene in the historical between the hero, heroine, and her brothers, I had my ephiany.

See, about a week or so or more ago, Laurie Alice Eakes read over my Victorian's openings chapters, primarily looking for historical issues. One thing she commented on is that the hero's pov, the narration of setting/sensory/character details and introspection wasn't as layered as in the heroine's scenes, although the latter could use a bit more too.

I understood what she was saying...mostly. But it didn't really click.

Well, it clicked causing my epiphany. In that historical, I noticed how well the author had used narration to make the story come to life.

The dialogue worked in cohesion with the narration instead of carrying the narration.

In all but one of the contest entries I judged over the last few days, the writers all were relying on the dialogue to carry the greater weight of the story. Consequently, the entries all felt like they needed another layer of setting/sensory/character details, as well as introspection.

Sometimes I think unpublished writers get too focused on "showing" and not"telling" that we forget we are telling a story. I wish I could post a couple excerpts from the contest entries to show you what I mean. This is why I say entering contests is fine, but you do yourself a better favor if when you enter (or not) you judge too.

So far today as I've been working on adding that extra layer of narration, I've learned that one of my secondary characters plays the violin. Stunned me. And he's okay with playing the violin because a man with a mermaid tattoo can pretty much do anything he wants.

Reading for fun...or Not!

I'm one of those who rarely could turn off her internal editor. I probably went on a three-year-stint without reading a single fiction novel because I couldn't stop evaluating what I disliked.

About a month or so ago, I read two Joy Fielding novels. I could not stop reading Charley's Web long enough to make my family dinner on time. They were not happy they had to wait to eat until I finished the book. Not sure why they didn't figure out they could fix their own food, but that's a post for another day.

As soon as I had a chance, I drove to the library and checked out Fielding book. Heartbreaker. I sooo did not want the killer to be who the killer was even though I knew the killer probabaly was who I thought the killer was. Now that most certainly is a post for another day.

Anyhoo, I have two books on my TBR pile: Jordan Dane's Evil without a Face and Judy Duarte's Mulberry Park. I've actually read a few pages from both and stopped myself becase I wanted to save them for when I had time to read uninterrupted. They're both cheesecake to me and I've only read the first few pages.

I. Love. Cheesecake.

On one of my writing lists, there's been some chatter about not being able to turn off that pesky internal editor. When I saw the initial post of that thread, I decided not to respond.

After all, everyone doesn't need to know my opinion on everything.

Not only that, but (keep this between us) some folks just aren't too tolerant of opinions differing from theirs.

As I was judging a contest entry, one part of my brain kept thinking about why I am saving those stories. Come on, I'm the type of gal to eat dessert before the main course (don't blame me, blame the hostess who put the dessert next to my water glass). After I filled out the scoresheet, I gave over the rest of my brain into thinking about this topic, and I wondered why my internal editor was totally off when I read the opening chapters of those books? Are they perfectly written? Don't ask me. I was enjoying the story too much to notice.

Seriously, I think my internal editor was off was because I decided before reading that I was going to enjoy the books.

I wanted to enjoy them.

I expect to enjoy them.

And I didn't google to see what other reviews wereof the novels, so I have no pre-conceived notions. The authors aren't my crit partners and don't write a blog with me, so I have no profit in liking them despite my internal editor.

I really believe I'm finally at a place in my life again when I can enjoy reading withOUT editing. In fact last night I read a historical anthology and 1/2 of a single-title historical and loved all of them. Why?

Hmm. Why why why?

Okay, I'm rather uncomfortable saying this, but life's too short to live in validation through self-perfectionism and the need to keep up that image in front of others. I think the reason I've struggled in my internal editor in the past is because part of me didn't want to enjoy the book.

Oh, gosh, here's the painful admission. *gulp*

Part of me wanted to find flaws in the book because in doing so I felt...well, smarter than that published author. I rock. I should be published and her/him not.

Dare I say that an internal editor not turning off is all about an ego trip.

Ouch.

I feel too utterly sick today to be going all psycho-analytical on myself. After all, my flaws are bad. I just didn't think they were that bad. Oh, well. I'll blame the TheraFlu and Aleve combination. For the last paragraph. Not for my flaws. They come natural...and many are quite adorable.

Look, I won't deny a crappily written book is always going to be a crappily written book. But a good majority of published novels just aren't crappily written books. If you want to find something wrong with ________, you'll find it because you're looking hard enough to.

Call me crazy, but isn't enjoyment often a choice.

Now I'm off to judge another contest entry. Got four done on Sunday, three on Monday, and four yesterday, although was was done at 3 this morning 'cause I woke up with a toothache from the sinus pressure in my head. (Hmm, is there sinus pressure anywhere else?) Needless to say, what entrant wouldn't want an achy, tired, drugged judge for her entry? Inquiring minds want to know: Did she score really high because the story was good or because I wasn't 100% my normal self?

Then again, maybe I'm nice when judging under the influence.

Anyhoo, I'm pre-deciding that my next entry is going to be fantastic. And if it's not, then the next one will, or the next one will, or the next...

Actually, no worries on that last next. Only 3 more entries and I'm D.O.N.E.