Monday, August 23, 2010

My Writing Life -- Judging contests

Writing is going well, Part 3 of Confrontations is blocked in though there are some changes to be made. Part one is reaching the tinker phase and I'm working on Part 2.

Now about contests. I seldom enter contests. The EPIC awards are the only one and this year I didn't have one to enter except for an anthology entered by my publisher. This year I can read and judge just for fun. I've judged this contest since the very first one. I judge three other contests. The second is one for young writers -- New Voices and it's a great one and I enjoy giving advice to budding writers. Then there's Hook Line and Sinker, the HVRWA contest. This is fun in another way and giving advice to adults who want to write. The fourth is the RITA contest. I've already signed up for next year.

Here's what I look for when I'm judging full books. Do I like the characters, is the plot solid and would I want to read this book again. Being a re-reader that's important to me. In the Hook, Line and Sinker, to me the most important part of the score comes when I decide if I really want to read more. In whole book contests one is always seeking a new author to try and contests are a good way of doing this.

2 comments:

  1. I've never judged a contest but I've entered many and I critique quite a bit. Judging the Hook, Line, & Sinker contest will be my first judging experience. I'm looking forward to it.

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  2. Sorry you missed our August meeting, Wendy. We went over the score sheet. But as a contest veteran, you should get the gist okay. And we'll probably have time for a refresher one of these months.

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