I just received the results for my book entry by email from a romance writer’s contest that shall remain nameless. I wanted to share the feedback on my work, because I am still scratching my head over it. I have found over time that people either really like my writing or they definitely don’t. So with that as a preamble, here are the results. Total score is out of 100 points.
Judge no. 1 –
Overall, your story has potential, I can envision the journey your hero is going to take, but I’m not certain of your heroine, and there is some revision needed. TOTAL SCORE: 56
Judge no. 2 –
Wow – an excellent fight sequence. Very good. This entry is almost at Very Good. It just needs to show the suspense/mystery sooner in the book. The descriptions and world-building were very good. Dialogue between the secondary characters at the work-yard was excellent. TOTAL SCORE: 89
Judge no. 3
Great job!(said 3 times) I really feel I know what’s driving the hero and heroine. Wonderful job with the balance of dialogue and the follow works great. Great job on showing the different personalities of the back ground players. Found them likeable and have a feeling the hero and heroine are going to be fun to read.Very Good! I would like to read more of this story. TOTAL SCORE: 98
Now, what should I take from this? Well, first of all, out comes the grain of salt. I think it proves my point – the reader either really likes my work, or they don’t. I think the second point would be, two out of three isn’t bad. Two of the judges liked what they saw.
Perhaps I’ll just hang my hopes on what Judge no 3 had to say and keep writing. What do you think?
Exactly. I think it’s personal preference, especially in the first round which uses published authors to judge. As long as you’re happy, that’s what counts the most, right? 🙂
Hi Jacquie, that seems to be the case. It’s still worth the effort to get feedback from others though, don’t you think?
Sylvie
I’ve received the same kind of confusing feedback in contests Sylvie (as have we all I think) and often find that the published judges are very harsh in their criticism, while the unpublished, (could we consider them educated readers?) seem to really like it. Consequently, I go with the middle road. Take the published judge’s comment with the aforementioned grain of salt, and the cheering judge’s comments with equal skepticism.
That said, contests can be a big help. Sometimes you hit a great judge (usually published) who have great comments ( I’m less concerned with the marks than the comments) and I feel free to use any of them that seem right. 🙂 In the end, you are the writer.
I agree, Judy. And the comments from all the judges proved helpful, more so from the first two who were being critical and therefore giving me more feedback. Sylvie
Sylvie, you said the answer yourself: “keep writing.”
What I’ve learned in this creative process is that whether you’re a published writer or about to be a published writer, feedback from various people will be varied. I’ll explain this way…
Recently, I was on a bus to work and saw a road construction truck on the adjacent lane. On the truck’s side, it had, “your road, your work.”
Saying I suppose, that his job is to fix my road so I have an enjoyable ride without my tire hitting a deep pot hole.
That idea captured my interest. Once I returned home, I added a similar saying to my website: “You book, your story.” Saying, I suppose, that I’m writing for the reader’s entertainment, and hope I don’t drop her into a pot hole before she reaches “The end.” 🙂
We’re all writing for our readers, who have varying ideas and life experiences that they will bring to any story they read. Our only job is to ensure we write the best story we can. Pay attention to craft, become aware of our weaknesses and deal with them, and treasure our strengths. Then let go and see whose imagination we capture. It won’t be everyone’s.
There’s bound to be someone who will sail past the beautifully repaired pot hole and say, I can’t believe they put a turning lane here. What were they thinking?
I had to smile at the ‘turning lane’ analogy. Thanks for the feeback. I won’t stop writing, just wait a few days, read the feedback again and decide what to take from it and what to leave behind. Best, Sylvie
I’ve always found contests to be helpful. Sometimes I didn’t like what the judges had to say but I either learned something about my writing or about myself as a writer (when I analyzed my reaction to those comments).
And as long as we are still learning, then that’s my positive takeaway. But then again maybe I have this “positive” view because as I write this comment it’s Friday and I have a drink in hand 🙂
You have the best ideas, Jacqui. I should get a drink in hand before I even read those judging comments. And yes, there’s something there to be learned for sure.
Thanks, Sylvie
I think your results are fantastic! Most of my favourite movies got bad reviews – I think it’s all a matter of personal preference. Look at it this way, you scored 81% ({56+89+98}/3). Looks like an A to me!
Hi Lara,
Great idea, thanks for the boost! I haven’t had letter grades for such a long time, it’s hard to get used to the idea again, But A sounds just fine. I can get used to that. :), as long as my readers are happy.
Take care, Sylvie