Frustration with contests

*This was originally posted to my private website, but moved here after I started this blog.

Writing contests are frustrating.

Last year I entered a best love scene contest, and while I didn’t final, I did well. Two of the judges really liked my entry, giving it perfect and near-perfect scores. The third judge apparently didn’t connect with it, giving it a score that is equivalent to a 75 percent (or solid C).

I looked at the comments from the judges, made a few changes and entered it in a best scene contest later in the year. I won that contest and had excellent feedback.

So, this year, when the deadline for the love scene contest rolled around again, I decided to enter my improved love scene, knowing I did well last year and thinking I might do better this year. Alas, that was not to be.

Too bad, because it was an opportunity to get my writing in front of three excellent editors. But contests are subjective in nature. You never know how it will go.

Now I eagerly await my score sheets back, so I can see just what went wrong. Was I again “so close”? Did I again “not connect” with a judge or did they truly find significant flaws?