Judge Training 101

THE GE SCORE SHEET

Our score sheets have been added to the END of the entry. Each entry has ONE file per judge. 

ENTRY NUMBER: CS #___     JUDGE NUMBER:  JCS # 21   SCORE:   ________ / 100

MANUSCRIPT TITLE:   EVER AFTER

APPEARS ONLY ON Category Series Score Sheets

TARGETED Publisher or Series:  _______

---The entry form allows the contestant to name a publisher or specific series. If they provided the information, it will be provided here.

             

APPEARS ONLY ON FF&P Score Sheets

SELECT ONE: Alternate Earth, Dystopian, Fantasy, Futuristic, Time Travel, Paranormal  or _____       

--- The entry form allows the contestant to designate what sub-genre they are targeting. If the information was provided, only one of the above will be in red or highlighted yellow.

The top portion of the score sheet will be completed by the coordinator with the exception of the score which should be completed by the judge. You will notice that the Entry #, the manuscript title, and the Judge # are what make up the file name:

        CS03-EverAfter-JCS21.rtf

PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAMES.

PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAMES.

PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAMES.

The Contemporary Series MAY or MAY NOT have a particular targeted line. This information is provided to help guide comments, but is NOT required. The SPECIALIZED category may have a specific sub-genre listed to help guide your comments, but this information was NOT required.

Formatting may have shifted in file transfer. DO NOT deduct for formatting.

The Great Expectations contest does not deduct for formatting. Each manuscript was verified prior to being sent to judges.

Scoring:

           5 -- Outstanding, suitable for submission

           4 -- Very Good, needs some tweaking      2 -- Has potential, needs work

           3 -- Good, problem areas noted               1 -- Needs major revision 

SCORING

Please keep the following in mind:

Keep scores pure. Marking off for pacing problems on both the pacing question and plot question is a double whammy. If an entry has a grammar issue (for instance, using a semi-colon consistently, but improperly) throughout, do not continue to deduct points for one mistake.

USING ALL THE SCORES: 
Feel free to use the full range of the possible scores: 1 through 5.

5 -- Outstanding, suitable for submission

   The manuscript does not have to be perfect to receive a 5.
   Even well-rounded authors love to hear what they did correctly.

4 -- Very Good, needs some tweaking

   A section of the manuscript needs fine-tuning.

3 -- Good, problem areas noted

   More than one section or problem needs revisions.

2 -- Has potential, needs work

   Please give constructive comments and examples.

1 -- Needs major revision

   Please give constructive comments and examples.

As in every contest with judges, when giving a score of one, two or three, please try to point out specific areas on the manuscript you are referring to. And also how the author may improve these areas in regards to this specific manuscript or overall in their writing. AND be nice, not harsh. 

Don’t leave the contestant wondering why.

As in every contest, when giving a score of one, two or three, please try to point out specific areas on the manuscript you are referring to. And also how the author may improve these areas in regards to this specific manuscript or overall in their writing.

Harsh is different than critical. Whether a beginning writer or a very seasoned one, contestants entered the Great Expectations for your opinion of their writing, but expect a professional view. Don’t leave the contestant wondering why you were critical.

If you don’t have any resources for tips, check out the Writing Tips in our judge training material, RWA®’s webpage, the webpages of your favorite author or contact the coordinator.

Still need help? Send the coordinator an email. As always, if you have questions relating specifically to an entry, contact the category coordinator or GEcoordinator@ntrwa.org. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most of the opinions on judging and interpreting the questions’ intent are my own words. I’ve been in the business over 15 years and have spoken to many authors, gathering information. A lot of the time when a question is asked, I go to authors who publish in that genre for advice. Please use your own expertise and experience, but keep our humble interpretations in mind.

~Thanks, Angi Morgan

AngiMorganAuthor.com

Contributions and edits by Fenley Grant.

Additional help tips for judging all entries are available through our judge training on the blog.