Judging Others' Stories

 by Sybil Johnson

Sorry for the late posting. I've been so busy getting ready for Malice Domestic that I completely forgot it was my turn to post. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm moderating a panel at the convention so I've been busy reading books by the panelists and coming up with questions.

I found Steve’s post on judging a short story contest interesting. Doing something like that does take up a lot of time. I’m not super comfortable judging other peoples’ works. I know what I like and what I don’t like. To a certain extent you have to set all that aside when you’re judging for awards.

I've been a judge for an award that I will not name for a few years now. It’s my way of giving back to the mystery community that’s given me so much over the years. It's been interesting. I've read books that I wouldn't normally read and enjoyed them. I’ve read others that I haven’t cared for. 

The hardest thing for me to do is forget about my likes and dislikes and judge the book on its merits. There are certain crimes that I don't like to read about and, under normal circumstances, I’d put the book down and move onto something else. You can’t really do that when you’re judging for an award. 

Judging criteria includes things about the beginning of the book, the characters, the mechanics like grammar, the setting and dialogue, the plot and pacing and the voice. Lots of stuff to think about. I usually take notes as I go along.

Judging is tough. It takes a lot of time. But I also pick up ideas along the way on how to make my own stories better. 

Malice Domestic: If you’re at Malice, I’m moderating MUSEUM MACGUFFINS: Art & Artifacts in Mysteries. On the panel are Lynda Allen, D.R. Ransdell, Lane Stone and Jeff Tanner. It’s Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Should be fun and interesting. And I should be completely adjusted to the 3 hour time zone difference by then!