tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post5014745874123283935..comments2024-03-28T18:40:05.789-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: What Judging Taught Me by Carla DamronJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-78396186040176116892013-02-19T18:40:39.006-05:002013-02-19T18:40:39.006-05:00I was a reader for Poisoned Pen Press for two year...I was a reader for Poisoned Pen Press for two years until I decided I had learned as much as I could from the experience. I did need to answer questions about my reaction to the submission (either the first 30 pages or the entire manuscript), so I had to read the entire submission.<br /><br />I will say that I knew most rejections after reading only a page or two. My largest disappoint was a book I enjoyed all the way until the last couple of chapters. It was as if a second author had taken over, changed character traits midstream and parachuted in enough coincidences to choke the Nile.<br /><br />I also learned that others liked some things I didn’t much care for. However, none of the ones I thought poorly written were ever accepted by PPP—not because I had any power in the decision, but because others also found the writing flaws as well.<br /><br />So I think your advice is well considered. Write as well as you can, promote as well as you can; otherwise it’s out of your hands.<br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-66886933962411688302013-02-19T13:27:41.322-05:002013-02-19T13:27:41.322-05:00I've been on both sides too. I learned if the...I've been on both sides too. I learned if the judge or agent takes the time to comment you should feel proud of your work even if you don't win. Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-56393774547356185712013-02-19T13:14:26.821-05:002013-02-19T13:14:26.821-05:00Carla, I've been on both sides of this, and I&...Carla, I've been on both sides of this, and I'm not sure which is harder--being a contest judge or being the author submitting a manuscript. I do, however, know this much: when the planets are perfectly aligned and you get that phone call telling you you've won the contest, you don't care how hard it was for the judges to come to their decision. You're just happy to have to sparked their interest and gotten their vote.DebbyJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03325470774742194024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-31015729599631820052013-02-19T12:57:02.091-05:002013-02-19T12:57:02.091-05:00I was a Derringer judge last year, Carla, a very h...I was a Derringer judge last year, Carla, a very hard task. We were given a numbering system by category, but I felt it didn't cover everything that I judge a story by. For example, there was no category for backstory. One of the stories that won, I felt had too much unnecessary backstory--but there was no category for judging that aspect so I understood why it won, and it was a good story, but compared to others--not so much.<br /><br />What I learned was that the contest criteria didn't always coincide with my own. I wanted to be a good judge, but I also wanted to be true to myself.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-36574723156266602892013-02-19T12:01:40.944-05:002013-02-19T12:01:40.944-05:00Carla, I've judged multiple unpublished manusc...Carla, I've judged multiple unpublished manuscript contests. None of them mystery. But what I've learned is exactly what you learned. <br /><br />For example, I know all three of the writers (out of six) who opened their books with a character arriving in a new place thought they'd started their stories at exactly the right moment--and they may have--but when you see more than one, the perfect opening becomes an instant cliche, and you long for something MORE. Something OUTSTANDING to grab your interest. And what that is on any given day for any given person. . .varies. <br /><br />Agents and editors are doing the best they can, and so are we writers. We have to keep at it to reach the pinnacle. C. R. Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627499155109943973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-12687865419492662342013-02-19T11:29:51.268-05:002013-02-19T11:29:51.268-05:00You are so right, Gloria! Different eyes see diffe...You are so right, Gloria! Different eyes see different things.<br />carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15985823239660829148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-33727727918951896932013-02-19T10:02:39.117-05:002013-02-19T10:02:39.117-05:00Carla, I judged a North Carolina poetry contest in...Carla, I judged a North Carolina poetry contest in 2011. It wasn't nearly as hard as what you had to judge. I only judged the light verse category. Still, it was hard to pick the top three in order. It's so subjective. What appeals to one person won't to another.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.com