Why oh why is there always ONE???

I got my results back from the Rita Contest for Petticoat Ranch.
In case no one noticed…I’m not a finalist.
I noticed.
The Rita results aren’t too bad. Not good enough to finish in the top 25%, but still, on a scale of one to ten, mostly sevens through nines and … of course it never fails does it in any contest?

One five.
Since the Rita is a nice contest, the five was dropped and the final score was an average of the other scores so I’ve got no room to whine.


So this post is NOT about whining. And don't you dare say it is or I'm gonna tell my MOMMY on you!!!



But I guess what I wonder about it why does that always happen? I can see, if I don’t think a manuscript I’m judging is finalist material, give it low enough scores to keep it out of the race, but what’s with those occasional scores that really lower the boom on you?

My beloved ONE in the Golden Heart for Petticoat Ranch, a year or so before I sold it.

The creepy TWOs some of us get.

What is the judge thinking? What honestly, are they trying to say?

Hey, not only to you stink, but you REEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now what’s the point of that, huh?

I can remember one entry I read once (Ruthy knows which one I mean) which was, based on the partial I read and the synopsis, from beginning to end, a string of really icky, pseudo-rape, semipublic, sexual encounters. That's the closest I could come to discerning a plot. Ummm I don't believe a Seeker wrote it but if they did, no one is admitting it.

It wasn’t even well done, none of the basics were there. Head hopping, long, unbroken string of telling, sub-characters apparently brought in simply to…ummmm… “BE together” if you know what I mean.

Now, possible, this author might have needed a really bad score, the kind of score that says, “Seriously, have you looked into flipping burgers? Because they’re always hiring.”

But for the most part I try to be kind. I try to remember it could be a beginner. I'm dealing with a human being, with dreams and perhaps a leading from God, and more over, maybe a stay-at-home mom who is trying to make some money so she can KEEP being a stay-at-home mom.

They don’t really need a low score, just low enough not to final.

And sure, maybe five isn’t that low. But why is there always one? One that drags you down?
Reading is personal taste. I know. I read widely but I probably shouldn’t be judging sci-fi, it’s not my genre and I may not be a good judge of what is well done.
Still, I think I know good writing in any form.
I’m personally a Romantic suspense fan, which makes me a great match for Debby Guisti’s books. I write and love historical romance so Julie Lessman's books are pure fun for me and I cant' wait for Janet Dean's Courting Miss Adelaide. I’ve loved some Chick Lit, Camy’s are terrific. I read a lot of sweet romances. Missy Tippen’s and Cheryl Wyatt’s books are wonderful and I have a subscription to Heartsong Presents and read most of them. I love the cozy mysteries I now get in the mail from Heartsong Presents Mysteries.

I have loved some well-done YA books, like the Cedar River Daydreams Books by Judy Baer, even fantasy holds my attention when it’s excellent like Donita K. Paul's DragonSpell.

So I believe I know good writing, which means it’s no excuse to read my historical western, romantic comedy with suspense elements and drop a bomb on it just because it’s not your genre.

So what makes a judge do that?

I suspect gremlins.

Which would make a good topic for a sci-fi YA, sweet romantic suspense told in a chick lit style. Which is possible what I’ll write next.

So what do you think? I mean, I’ve had days I was very tired of judging. I’ve said a few things in judging comments I later regret and which I now see were more laziness on my part that of any use to an aspiring author. Still, I try to keep my scores in a 'you're not a finalist but I'm not a sadist' zone.
When I used to review books…well, let’s just say, not everyone writes a book that sings exactly. My first experience with a self-published Christian novel containing pre-marital sex and an occasional F-Bomb come to mind. I may had come down pretty hard on that book.

How about you? Have you ever judged harshly. We’ve all BEEN judged harshly, but have you ever doled it out. Maybe regretted it later?

What ARE those low scores about?

Hard truth? Not my genre? Exhaustion?

PMS?