The Dark Side of the Contest

A friend of mine was excited recently. She got her very first contest scores back. She'd done pretty well. But she was puzzled.

There were two judges who loved her writing. They praised her characterization, her voice, her use of pov--just about everything. They made long comments and critiques. They even let her know about their own background as published or unpublished authors.

And then...there was The Third Judge.

The Third Judge (known as 163) didn't like anything. She gave minimal scores on everything, but--cryptically--made no notes or critiques indicating why. She left no information as to her published status. 163 was a Black Hole of Judging, sucking the life out of the entry without giving anything back.

Have you experienced The Third Judge?

I have. I've entered a myriad of contests. I've finalled in most of them (tooting my own horn here--take that, you evil judge). Yet, there has always--always--been that Third Judge. The Evil one. The Dark One.

Darth Judge.

Her sole purpose is to drag you down into the dark side of the contest. She wants to destroy all the goodness and light you feel about your writing. She wants you to succumb.

She gives you nothing but despair. And, a lower percentile. The most she'll offer is a 5 out of a possible 10. BUT, she won't tell you why. This is part of her plan. She makes you wonder, makes you question yourself, and your own abilities.

I'm almost positive that this judge is the same one for all contests. She is neither published nor unpublished. She is just...a judge. She sits at a desk, (probably a shiny black one), and daily destroys the dreams of the hopeful writer with the swipe of her pen. She does nothing else. And it brings her pleasure.

The only thing I could offer my friend was this--when you enter a contest, be prepared for Darth Judge. Accept her scores but don't wonder why she gave them. It is what she does. She tells you not why she doesn't like your writing. The reason, I'm sure, is because SHE CANNOT WRITE. All she can do is be The Judge (and think she can write).

And that's the weapon we writers have against Darth Judge and her dark scores. We have the ability to create worlds with our words. Yes, she can try to destroy them but--we are stronger. We are creative. We are vibrant.

Besides, we outnumber her and could pummel her little vicious ass if we bothered to find out where she lives. Probably some trailer park.

Pay attention, 163. We're on to you!