Sorry, but unless I know the credentials of the people judging my work, I can't place any value on the judgements they make.
I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at this one. I suppose that makes everyone's Kerths completely worthless.
A friend of mine won a RITA award last year (google it if you want to know what it is). That is done anonymously by published authors, some of whom are more published and more in-the-know about writing than others. I doubt seriously that Linda's gonna send her statuette back.
Also, I just got through judging a preliminary round of the Golden Heart (you can google that too). Because RWA is such a close-knit group, it's common to receive an entry that you recognize or from someone you may know. If it's from your absolute bestest buddy, you probably would have trouble being objective (or at least you'd worry that others would question your objectivity). But I got an entry from someone I know casually and felt able to judge it fairly. One section in my judge's packet stood out to me.
Because each judge is as different as each entry, we rely on your skill as a writer, your dedication as a reader and your professionalism as a member of RWA to evaluate each entry in a fair and consistent manner. Your scores should genuinely reflect where, IN YOUR OPINION, this entry lies in the pursuit of "excellence in romantic fiction."
I donned my cloak of professionalism and trudged onward.
Congrats Laura on your writing. I entered my first contest last year and had to PAY about $25 or $30 to do it! Heck, this one is free. What a deal! It's been so long since I looked at my own stuff I can't remember what might be eligible to enter and what's not.
