Am I Really Qualified?

So it’s been awhile since I judged in any contests, probably about six months. I am almost finished with entries for a local contest and I am more concerned about my ability to judge than the actual entries. Two were actually great and I gave the entries/writers high ratings. One I felt was iffy only because he/she didn’t really explain some of the feelings and emotions that surfaced during the story.


Actually, I think they told what was happening more than showing what was happening.

Please note the below information is not from a entry. I made it up myself to use as an example.

Example:

Okay: He touched the edges of her fingers with his.

Better: His lean fingers reached out for hers as if it were his sole lifeline, the soothing touch of her supple skin the one thing that could bring him back from the bottomless waters.

(Okay, probably a little overboard, but I am writing this on the fly.)


I have had training through more than one organization. BUT: I am not published. I am not PRO (yet). I have only placed in one contest. (I have an editing background, but I really try to put that on the backburner when I am reading contest entries.)

Am I Qualified to Do This? I hope so. I try to be as fair as possible with entries. No one will ever get a 1 or 2 from me unless the story is really, really, REALLY bad and I have to kick in my editor brain to make sense of what I am reading.

Am I Qualified? Me wonders.

BKB :-)