Contests

So I was talking with some folks about contests and how challenging they are. There are several pitfalls to them that I can see:

1. The judge doesn't like your writing style, even though it's perfectly publishable, and docks points for it.
2. Judge has a misconception about something and docks points for something that's really OK. For instance: info dumps. If you read pubbed authors, there's ALWAYS an info dump or two somewhere, just gracefully handled in small bits woven into the story. But then you get a judge that thinks info dumps in any form are bad and docks you points "just because", which isn't really fair.
3. Some people love you, some people hate you, so you get the extremes in scores which middles you out so you don't even final.
4. Some judges are just plain mean and don't critique with graceful language and are even sometimes harsh, crushing the hearts of budding writers everywhere.

On the bright side, if you get a judge that takes the time to give you ample, constructive feedback, it can be very helpful. Of course you can also get that for free from a critique group. :-)

Also on the bright side, if you happen to actually final or win a contest, then you have something to advertise which can be very helpful when querying people.

So I guess bottom line is: take contests with a grain of salt and don't let it drive you crazy. Or at least any crazier than you already are. HA.