Average Rating for Romance Contest Entries?

Hi Aileen,
I got scores back from a contest I entered recently... Two were quite good (245/250 and 229/250), and one was lousy (144/250) from a judge who went on an evangelical rant about my rather-messed-up MC's drinking/sexual habits (was rather comical actually.) I'm not sure that helps, but should give you some idea. I vaguely remember reading another woman's post on a different site who was crushed when she got 39/200 in a different contest.

Can you read all the entries before scoring them? Place them in a rough order for yourself? From my professor days, your overall average score isn't so much important as internal consistency. Others with more experience may have more to offer

eta: Forget what I said there, I didn't realize you're only judging one entry. Which honestly, seems weird. They're going to get very subjective results that way, moreso than usual.

Having run two RWA contests in the past, over several years, I can say that they probably didn't offer the information because the information is so different year to year because the quality of the entries vary so greatly year to year, as does the competencies of the judges.

Honestly, I'm rather stunned that someone would want that prior to the final calculations (which I did provide that for judges in my thank-you's). I would have never occurred to me that one year's contest stats would or should have any influence over another year's contest where the judges are concerned. As the coordinator, I reviewed such stats with the chapter leaders to assess if there were problems with a judge, but that was the extent we ever used them for.

Having been a judge for many other RWA chapter contests, I can say that I've never been supplied with the information prior to judging either, which is probably why it never occurred to me to offer it.

Does that make sense?

Don't sweat it.

I think with most contests, they offer a little rubric, like 5 means perfect, completely ready for publication, and 4 means needs a little work, just minor difficulties, and 3 means average, etc.

Go with what your instincts tell you. Judging is highly SUBJECTIVE. That's why it's not uncommon to get two good scores and one not-so-good score. That's why, if you enter a contest, you have to carefully weight the comments, etc.

I do like it when, after the contest is over, I get sent a sheet that shows the contest entry numbers and all the scores -- that way I can see if I judged an entry significantly differently than the other judges. I don't often have that happen.

I don't generally sign my name to an entry I've judged. It's not because I don't stand behind what I've said, it's because some people can be crazy. <G> It's too easy today for someone to take out their frustration on a published author in the very public venue of the internet.

I do, however, sometimes sign entries that I've totally LOVED. I figure they won't be mad at me. <G>

I judged an entry last year that I gave an almost perfect score. It was AMAZING. I told that writer that I wanted her to tell me when she sells it so I can read the rest of the story. It was THAT good. I love to find those gems!

Anyway, don't sweat being too much higher or lower. Just go with your gut. We all score/react differently. It's just part of how it goes.

Susan G.

raburrell said:

I vaguely remember reading another woman's post on a different site who was crushed when she got 39/200 in a different contest.

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Wow. That's cruel. I'm a pretty "tough" scorer, but I would never degrade someone like that. That's just crushing. I very, very rarely ever give a 1 on a subheading.

The point is to try to help the writer learn skills, not crush them into the ground. Oy.

Susan G.

^ agreed, I thought it was cruel as well, especially since it was clear the person was a new writer. To the person's credit, she got over it and kept writing. (I got a few 1's from the lady I mentioned above too, but didn't take it personally, since compared to the other two scores, it was pretty clear she was judging something other than my writing )

Aileen, if you've taken the time to write 1.5 pages of commentary, I think that's perhaps more helpful to the writer than whatever subjective score you give her. Go with your gut

I will confess to being a contest diva in my unpubbed days. Now, I judge contests including my local chapter's summer contest. Here's how I approach judging...

I'm a teacher in my "real life," so I judge like I teach. I try to compliment a writer on what she does well while offering constructive criticism on what can be improved. I apply the scores relying heavily on the way they're defined on the scoresheet. I've been known to give a lot of "mercy" 3s so that I don't crush some new writer's motivation, and I always give a lot of feedback on anything I score that low -- just like I've been known to give a lot of "mercy" Cs to my students. I want the author to learn and improve. That's what I think my main help to an entrant is -- giving her something to help her grow as a writer.

Aileen Harkwood said:

I can't believe that judge who gave a 39/200. Good grief! Why would someone do that? I mean, unless the submission was written in crayon and the writer couldn't spell c-a-t?

My goal is not to crush but to encourage.

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You're on the right track.

A 39? That judge shouldn't be allowed to judge more contests. Unless there are MAJOR errors, that's entirely uncalled for.

Just wondering what the contest is? I have the darndest time finding these.

I've judged in multiple contests, both RWA and ACFW sponsored, and I hate to admit it, but I've read entries that I couldn't score much higher than a 39. They were not contest ready, is about all there is to be said about them. One I recall had every cliche, every error, POV violations, bad grammar, dicey punctuation, multiple speakers in a single paragraph so you couldn't tell what the attribution was...you name it. I'm not sure I even remember them all. Much as I wanted to say SOMETHING positive, I don't remember being able to. The most I could've said was that the writer had the germ of a good story here...if that.

It was acutely painful to read. Almost as bad as reading my own 1980s first drafts...