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The Other
Sid e of the Pen.
TI was fascinated with the idea of the writers and many of them devoted readers of erotic romance choosing the winners of the Erotic Pen Writing Contest. I decided to satisfy my own curiosity and ask these fantastic writers what the Other Side Of The Pen was like.
Denise A. Agnew - www.deniseagnew.com
What part of the judging process challenged you the most?
I think the most challenging part was reminding myself that even if a particular story wasn't to my reading taste, that it might be to someone else. I had to judge based on what I believe is good writing, but also to give slack for the topic/theme/plot even if it didn't appeal to me.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The simple thrill of reading a new story. :)
Rachel Carrington - www.dawnrachel.com
What part of the judging process challenged you the most?
Writing the comments, partially because I don't like to write anything negative about an aspiring author, especially one who tries their best and wants to learn. Entering contests are a way to learn so, for me, wrapping my words so that they didn't cripple an author's muse was challenging.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Reading new voices and seeing what kind of talent tomorrow will bring.
Delilah Devlin - www.delilahdevlin.com
What part of the judging process challenged you the most?
READING SO MANY ENTRIES! I hate to say it, but I didn't get to all of them that were sent to me. But it speaks well for JERR that they have such a large and talented audience!
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Reading the entries I had the time for. I should be very, very worried about the level of competition these writers are going to give me! :)
Cathryn Fox - www.cathrynfox.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The biggest challenge for me was filling out the judging sheet. First of all it takes a great amount of courage to enter a contest and put your work out there to be scrutinized. I wanted to make sure I worded my comments in a constructive way so that the author would walk away feeling good about their contest experience and with newfound knowledge to help them get published. I also wanted to help boost confidence and focus on what was done well, not just what was done wrong.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
I loved it when I got so excited about an entry I couldn't stop reading long enough to make notes or fill in the judging sheet. Just knowing I helped discover new talent is such a great feeling. And believe me, there was some great talent in this contest. Those writers made it hard to pick just one!
Madison Hayes - www.madison-hayes.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
All of the entries were incredibly good. It was difficult not to give them all perfect scores. I really had to search for places to knock off a point or two. Every entrant can feel very proud of themselves and their work.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
I seldom have time to read, so I really enjoyed reading these snippets which represented the very best of these stories. Some of the premises were absolutely brilliant and I hope to finish many of these stories one day when they are published...as I am certain they will be.
Ann Jacobs - www.annjacobs.us
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The biggest challenge is to assign numeric values to the different elements of an entry without letting my overall impression of the entry unduly influence how I rate any particular element of it.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
I enjoy picking up an entry, realizing this one may be an incredibly wonderful story that will capture the hearts of readers all over the world. Judging each new entry is much like opening a present, not having any idea what a treasure you may find.
Ashley Ladd - www.ashleyladd.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
How to be constructively helpful without hurting the author's feelings. I've been a judge and a critique partner for many years, so this should be a no brainer, but it's still difficult. Some writers accept constructive help well and others don't. Without knowing the writers, it's a real tippy-toe balancing act to be helpful without hurting any feelings.
Even though I think I have a pretty tough writing skin after being in this biz for a number of years, and I always think I'm prepared to read the judge's comments, I've run into the occasional judge's remark that has floored me. I'd never want to hurt anyone else's feelings. In particular, I pray I'd never turn anyone away from writing or submitting again.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
I loved discovering fantastic new voices and great stories. I love to be part of someone's road to publication (I hope). It's always a thrill, and such an honor, to help other authors along the road to becoming published, to reaching their dream.
I hated it when the stories ended, however, in the middle. I hope I get the opportunity to finish reading the entries (as in here's hoping they get published soon), as I'm hanging on a cliff.
More than one of the stories I judged were superb. I think I gave at least one perfect score and a couple of nearly perfect scores. Excellent writers submitted their work and want to be part of our Ellora's Cave family, and I'll be honored should they become part of our little family.
Comment: Thank you for giving me the honor to participate in your contest and see what wonderful new talent is stepping up to the plate.
Titania Ladlry - www.TitaniaLadleyRomance.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
In many of the entries, I became lost in the wonderful stories and forgot
I wore that judge hat. Several times I had to remind myself to get back to work.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Giving advice and lending constructive criticism...and, of course, praising the many talents I saw!
B.J McCall - www.bjmccall.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Scoring. Deciding which of the ten stories was best in each category and knowing, from experience, each writer had put time, effort and part of themselves in their story.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Reading the stories. From contemporary to sci-fi, the entries were great.
Liddy Midnight - www.liddymidnight.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Scoring! For some entries, it's a no-brainer. For others, the promising ones that are on the verge of being good if not great, are the worst to try to put a number on. I judge quite a few contests every year and the entries that vex me the most are those whose authors are just not quite there yet. I know they will be, if they keep working at perfecting their craft, but it's frustrating not to be able to give individual encouragement to some writers. Perseverance and humility pay off. Remember, most of us who are published haven't quit learning!
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Learning. I learn something from almost every entry I judge, both what not to do and how others accomplish things I need to better in my own writing. Often it's easier to make connections while reading others' works. I can pick out what works, internalize the technique or method, shape it for my purposes and style, and then apply it to my own prose. Do you see a common thread here? LOL! I always learn from reading other authors' published works, too.
Alicia Sparks - www.aliciasparks.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The hardest part of the judging for me was finding a way to criticize constructively. When you work with en editor, you develop a relationship and know your limitations and they know their limitations. By that, I mean, we know how "honest" we can be with one another without hurting anyone's feelings. I didn't only read these as entries, I read them as someone's hopes for a future in the business. So, I wanted to give an honest opinion while still being helpful and not destroying their natural talent, which all the entrants had.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
I loved reading these wonderful, fresh ideas! So many of them grabbed me from page one. It was nice to see that. Also, I loved that I could actually point out the things that I do wrong in manuscripts. I don't often see it in my own work, so it was nice to know that I can actually tell when there is a Point of View shift or a problem with consistent eye color!
Jan Springer - www.janspringer.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
While I am judging and I see a writer making a mistake(s) in his or her delivery of a story it reminds me of myself when I first started out. I was hungry for any information that would help me improve my writing and so I am very eager to give out advice. So when I don't give high marks in a certain area the challenge for me is to be extra careful in my wording in order to give constructive criticism so I can get my point across to him or her without hurting the writer's feelings. The last thing I ever want to do is to discourage a writer from following her dreams.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Seeing a wonderful story unfolding as I read it is what I love the most about judging. It's like receiving a gift and gives me an unbelievably happy rush to offer a writer some positive feedback about her work.
Cricket Starr - www.cricketstarr.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Coming up with a way to quantify my opinion of an entry is the most difficult part of any contest. You never like to disappoint someone with a low score, but the judging is intended to show where problems exist and where to improve. It is necessary to put a number in so the entry can be scored in relation to the other works, but I at least, never find it easy to do. Whenever I give a less than stellar score, I always give information to tell the author why I'm doing so.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
In every contest it is a sheer joy when you get to read a really great story, and there were several entries in this contest that fit that description. I love reading material that has that fresh quality and shows such promise.
Ruby Storm - www.rubystorm.net
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The most challenging part of the judging process was responding to what I personally felt were writing errors, whether it was a POV mistake, punctuation, beginning hook, or story flow. I strove continually to stifle my own voice and read objectively as I felt an editor might. The stories were all wonderful. The errors I came across were mistakes I made myself when I first began writing. It's so difficult for an author to see the problems because they are so close to their own story. That's why it is so imperative to find a critique partner when entering a contest. I've got my fingers crossed that each entrant will look at their evaluation sheets positively, keep an open mind and use any and all suggestions for the next time. I commend each one of them for opening themselves up and giving the contest a shot. Don't give up!!!
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
Ah, when a particular story leapt off the page and hooked me good! I got so excited. Of course, I hope all the stories I read will eventually be published. Looks to me like I'll have some heavy-duty reading to complete. There is some wonderful talent out there that really needs to be showcased. Thank you, JERR, for giving me the opportunity to judge some very fine work!
Tawny Taylor - www.tawnytaylor.com
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
The most challenging part for me was knowing that each and every one of the entries were sent in by hopeful authors who want to be published, authors who are looking for that lucky break, a foot in the door, much like I did not so long ago. And as I read the entries, I couldn't help thinking that my scores could make an opportunity happen for them or slam the door in their faces. That's nothing to take lightly. I've entered contests in the past and have received nasty criticisms and rotten scores that did nothing but hurt my feelings and frustrated me. With those experiences still fresh in my memory, I wanted to make sure I scored an entry fairly but also offered some helpful, carefully worded suggestions on how it might be improved.
What part of the judging process did you love the most?
While judging this contest I had the opportunity to read some absolutely wonderful entries. I was hooked! And I hope to see many of them appear on the Coming Soon page at Ellora's Cave in the near future. There is some amazing talent out there, just waiting to be discovered. Authors--you read the rules. Even if you didn't win, if you received an average of eight or higher, submit those stories!
The Coordinators and Reviewers of Just Erotic Romance Reviews wish to thank all the authors for their time and wish them all success in the future.
© Julia Esparza - July 3, 2005 Issue of the Just Erotic Romance Review Newsletter
