tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post8535250249041868279..comments2023-10-17T07:07:09.072-07:00Comments on Conversations With Dead People: RWA Contests: SubjectivitySusanna Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16149293228696867804noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post-27747965924964899192006-12-20T18:26:00.000-08:002006-12-20T18:26:00.000-08:00Oh, it sounds like the problem is the scoresheet! ...Oh, it sounds like the problem is the scoresheet! I've not been involved with these types of comp, but did run a set of judged fanfiction awards for a couple of years, and it's <i>so</i> important to make sure that judges are at least doing their best to judge intrinsic quality, not whether they personally liked it.<br /><br />Trouble is, some amateur judges are always going to struggle on that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post-36199167170285293252006-12-20T15:47:00.000-08:002006-12-20T15:47:00.000-08:00Oh, I totally agree that there ARE objective crite...Oh, I totally agree that there ARE objective criteria for writing quality, in openings and elsewhere--they're just hard to completely pick apart from one's subjective reaction. And most of these contests, for all they encourage judges to be objective, have some subjective questions on their scoresheets. To name two I've seen, "Is the hero an appealing character? Do you wish you were his heroine?" is inherently subjective. "Do you want to read more of this book?" Hella subjective. I try to bring as much objectivity as I can to those questions--I mean, I'm not going to say, "I don't want to read the rest of your book because I never read pirate heroes"--but it's hard to keep my tastes out of it completely.Susanna Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149293228696867804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post-86479903348417783222006-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:002006-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:00There are writers in RWA who turn into contest jun...<i>There are writers in RWA who turn into contest junkies, polishing and re-polishing their opening 25-50 pages without giving the same attention to the rest of their book, and sometimes without even finishing it.</i><br /><br />Yes, that's clearly suboptimal.<br /><br /><i>What constitutes a good opening is largely subjective.</i><br /><br />I'd say partly subjective; I think it's got to:<br /><br />(1) try to grab the reader, in particular the reader who will enjoy the rest of the novel;<br />(2) showcase a prose style that's inviting and perhaps even arresting, and also an indication of what's to come;<br />(3) introduce at least one of the major characters (and for a romance probably both heroine & hero) and make the reader care about their fate (either positively or negatively).<br /><br />Obviously readers will differ on to what extent these aims are achieved by a given opening, but I think the majority of fiction would need broadly to follow those guides. Also, I think they are reasonably objective, in that they judge the story on its merits rather than imposing an artificial requirement for a hot relationship, a cold relationship, or whatever.<br /><br />Espresso AddictAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post-42983483485038581082006-12-20T12:43:00.000-08:002006-12-20T12:43:00.000-08:00The first n pages are a decent test, given that ma...<i>The first n pages are a decent test, given that many people do pick up books based on their reaction just to the opening few pages in the bookshop.</i><br /><br />I agree, with the following caveats:<br /><br />1. There are writers in RWA who turn into contest junkies, polishing and re-polishing their opening 25-50 pages without giving the same attention to the rest of their book, and sometimes without even finishing it.<br /><br />2. What constitutes a good opening is largely subjective. E.g. I think the "Goldilocks feedback" I got doesn't mean I have a bad story, nor that the readers who didn't like it are bad judges--it's just a difference in taste and values.Susanna Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149293228696867804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353129101527546927.post-235689568590385702006-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:002006-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:00The first n pages are a decent test, given that ma...The first <i>n</i> pages are a decent test, given that many people do pick up books based on their reaction just to the opening few pages in the bookshop.<br /><br />Espresso AddictAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com