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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Reviewing Your Reviews: How to Absorb Feedback from Writing Contests

Judging contests isn't easy. This year, I judged the Genesis for the first time. I was impressed with how the contest administration tried to even the judging field by sending out a lot of information ahead of time about what was expected of us. (The document was 12 pages long, people.)

If you read my post on Monday, then you might have more of an idea of how I tried to judge. I hoped entrants participated to learn and grow as a writer, so I wrote a lot of comments throughout each of the 7 entries I judged. I feel if a writer is going to put their stuff out there to be judged, then they need to get the biggest bang for their diminished-creativity buck.  In contrast, I know of writers who received no comments in the body of their submission and only general impressions. The learning is greatly diminished when this happens, and that's the real focus of a contest in my book.

But no matter what kind of feedback you received, you can review what was said through a lens that will do you the most benefit.

In theory, anyone judging a contest should be further along in the writing journey in general than those entering contests. When a person with greater authority or knowledge tells a novice what they should do, the feedback is more than likely evaluation, which tends to be viewed as controlling. which reduces creativity and writing for the joy of it.

If the feedback is presented in such a way, though, that it's more informative, trying to help the novice achieve their goals, then it's viewed as empowering rather than controlling. Research done on empowering feedback indicates very little, if any, impact on creativity.

Also, feedback that focuses on the work itself rather than the writer is going to cause less harm in the long run. For example, a judge who wrote, "The way that the spiritual element is manipulated in this story keeps the readers engaged" is praising the work. A judge who writes, "The way you subtly use the spiritual element to keep the reader engaged shows your talent as a writer" is praising the writer. Research shows that the first will be received better and will have less of an effect on future creativity, even though both comments were positive.

Feedback that is more specific is better to help the entrant develop skills than more general observations. Focused comments are usually interpreted as more informative rather than evaluative, and thus more likely to be seen as empowering than controlling.

So go through your comments. Did your judge come off as a know-it-all? Were your talents as a writer in question or was it just your work being judged? Were comments more specific or general?
Depending upon the answer to these questions, you should be able to determine which comments were meant to control and which were meant to empower, and what you should do with both.

Let's Analyze: Who else thinks I need to to do a preparatory class for contest judges? :)

Comments (13)

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Debra E Marvin's avatar

Debra E Marvin · 672 weeks ago

This really caught my eye today, Jeannie. I will say that after a few years of contest participation, the ups and downs don't affect me as much. I had a 98 and a 50 which proves subjectivity. But I recall that first year when I tried to fix/change everything to each judge's comments and edits only to find opposing views, and for me a major crimp on my confidence and creativity. Today I'll go through the remarks and study them closer. Thanks for the great post.
1 reply · active 672 weeks ago
Isn't that the most frustrating? The high scores and low scores...on the same manuscript at the same time? My first contest was the Genesis in 2009, and that's what happened to me. Happened again this year...but I was wiser in what feedback I took. Hope this lens helps you filter the comments, too. Thanks for popping by.
No, you need to do a preparatory class for critique partners! ^_^

Seriously, I'm pretty tough when it comes to comments, but I remember one critique partner who just crippled my confidence, and reading this now, I can see why. It wasn't that the comments were that nasty, but the phrasing of them just made me feel like I'd never get this writing thing right. It's both scary and amazing how much we as writers can affect each other with how we chose to leave feedback.
1 reply · active 672 weeks ago
You know, I could pitch that to some of these writing organizations....great idea. Thanks!
uh-oh. LOL! I never examine whether I'm praising the work or writer, but with critique I do try to make it work-focused (don't use You, etc). This is definitely an interesting post with points I hadn't thought of before!
1 reply · active 672 weeks ago
Your conscientiousness is to be commended, Jessica! A lot of people don't even think about it that far. :)
Great post, Jeannie - and YEAH - do that class. I'd take it :)
I love your view points on critique, especially the importance of sharing information as opposed to giving an evaluation. It makes perfect sense that information sharing would lead to an empowerment whereas evaluations could easily lead to feeling controlled.

If I were to enter a contest, I'd hope for someone like you as a judge!
2 replies · active 672 weeks ago
Wow, thanks! Did you enter Contemporary Fiction with the Genesis? You might have gotten me!
Yw, Jeannie. My wip is not ready this year. Hoping for next year. It is contemporary fiction, though. Now that I know what kind of reviewer you are i think i would like to hire you to help me edit... when i am ready. Also interested in getting Jason, my mc, back on the couch. Just gotta finish that first draft. Lol. I will dkeep you in mind.
With every manuscript, I think there are two basic sides. First, what the writer intends to do with the work. Second, how the reader receives it. If the intention and the reception are not the same, the writer then has to figure out if the problem is at the reader's end or at the writer's end. Theoretically, if it's at the reader's end, then it is subjective, and if it is at the writer's end, then it is objective. (Again, theoretically, because it's fixable.) I don't know that this makes a writer's struggle to communicate LESS personal when receiving feedback on her "labor of love."
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I have to look at this question from two perspectives--as a critiquer/judge, and as a writer receiving feedback. I've learned never to open feedback without prayer. I must be submitted to the possibility of improvement as well as safely shielded by love before I can even think about what someone else thinks about my work. When giving feedback, though, I have to consider those two sides of intent and reception. A writer SHOULD raise questions in the reader's mind--it keeps the reader engaged. If the questions I have as a reader or a judge are not the questions the writer is answering, Houston, we have a problem.
All that to say, sometimes a judge will take off points for being left hanging. That's subjective. Sometimes a judge will take off points for being left in the woods with the wolves. That's objective. Fix it. :)
Wow… Sounds like a lot went into that judging.

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