Writing Contest Score: The Results are In!

Hello all,

As you know, I didn't win the RWA Windy City Four Seasons Contest. However, I got some great feedback from the judges. They left me a ton of comments, but I won't bore you with the details. All three judges scored me in a number of categories. Here are the results:

Judges' Criteria:

Presentation: Formatted according to industry standards and contest requirement

Mechanics: Grammar, spelling, and punctuation meet industry standards

Hooks: Story opening grabs reader's attention with an interesting opening line or situation; starts at the correct place. Chapter ending makes the reader want to turn the page

Setting: Setting is clearly defined without extraneous detail; non-intrusive. Writer takes advantage of opportunities to ground reader by using the five senses and a sense of time and place

Characterization: Hero and/or Heroine display traits and flaws; character traits are shown rather than told. Goals and motivation create genuine conflict (not contrived), and secondary characters, if present, are necessary and non-intrusive

Plot: Plot is skillfully set up; believable (or reader is able to suspend disbelief). Plot, external conflict is realistic and not easily resolved because of misunderstanding. Sexual and/or dramatic tension is present or implicit.

Internal Conflict: What's at stake for the Hero and/or Heroine? Can the reader identify it?

Dialogue: Dialogue is balanced with narrative, is appropriate to the genre, moves the story forward, and sounds natural/realistic

Narrative: Narrative moves the story forward. Background information is presented at appropriate time and in character viewpoint rather than author--intrusive. Point-of-view is clear and transitions are smooth and unobtrusive.

Pacing: The entry flows well through the chapter, and every scene is essential to the story.

Overall Impression: Story has potential; reader wants to know what happens next. Writing is vivid, evocative, and appropriate to the genre. Writer uses humor and/or drama effectively. Writer is a "storyteller."

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There was another category (not mentioned above) that was a tie-breaker in case I placed. The category was "Rate how likely you would be to read this whole manuscript." I received a 9 from Judge 2 and a 10 from Judges 1 and 3. I'm extremely proud of myself considering most of the contestants and judges are published authors! I'd say I handled myself pretty well! And the best news is that I made a ton of edits to fix many of these problems before I sent it to my final editor.

Anyway, I'm so excited for NaNoWriMo in 8 days, in which I'll be working on re-writing my first book, The Sons of Luther. Wish me luck!

Onward and Upward,