Lynn, that's fascinating! Thanks for being good enough to show us your scorecard; I'm not sure I'd have wanted to bare my poor results like this. I might actually have wanted to crawl into a corner and hide - and I'm
not a newbie writer! Maybe the judges are kinder with new writers?
The comments you quoted really interested me, because they're such a good demonstration of how tastes in fanfic can be so different - and subjective - between different people. You might love a fic I hate, and vice versa.
One judge said “I did not care for Lois’ characterization at all. She was too b**chy and uptight. Clark came across as wimpy and uptight.”
Um... did s/he read the same story I and everyone else who's posted here did?
I am seriously baffled by this!
On the other hand, there's this:
Another judge, however, was kind enough to offer some positive feedback: "This is very good characterization of both Lois and Clark. I particularly like the way the author shows that Lois is pushy instead of telling the reader so."
Absolutely - I agree entirely.
I guess this is what makes judging literary contests of any kind incredibly difficult. I've read a few accounts by Booker judges, for example, describing huge disagreements on the shortlist. Books one judge adored don't even make it to the longlist. Books some judges hate make it onto the shortlist. I think now I understand the long delay between the submission deadline and the announcement of results - these comments suggest that there might have been some fun discussions among the panel!
Wendy
