Bless your Golden Heart

The official comment period for RWA's Rita and Golden Heart Awards has begun. They're looking into changing the contest.

Personally, I like the GH.

Okay, I'm a three-time finalist. I'm biased, I know. But I entered for two years before I first finaled -- and have the threes and fives to prove it. I wasn't ready. My work wasn't ready. Those consistent hard scores let me see that.

But then came the year I got a nine and a two in the mix. People always tell you that's the sign of a "strong voice" in your writing. You simply aren't going to make everyone love your work, but some will hate it. Is one judge's nine another judge's two, though? Is there really a way to standardize scores in such a subjective industry contest?

I'm not sure.

What I do know is that to final, there has to be a certain magic that five judges all can see. It's hard to final. Heck, it's hard to get any five people to agree on anything in life. So, I treat my finals as a minor miracle. They certainly have improved my confidence that I am going to make it writing.

And, a little cherry on the cake of last week -- the mysterious final judge/editor requested one of my fulls (along with two other finalists' work). I'm thinking it must be pretty competitive in YA this year. And hooray for that! Makes me want to work even harder. :)