And Now I Know
I didn't win the fiction writing contest nor place within the top 25. All I know is that I was somewhere in the top 100, out of the original pool of 300+, but I don't know if I was 26 or 100. In the grand scheme, I suppose that isn't too important. What I really find exciting is the critique I received in my inbox today.
My writing was judged on three areas and could receive a rating of 1-5 in each, with 5 being the highest score. My story earned a score of 13 out of 15, with 5's in the Subject and Content areas and a 3 in the Technical area.
I wasn't sure what to expect, having never been critiqued before, but I like what I received. The reviewer highlighted words and phrases within my story (different colors used for different examples of problems) and then below explained what the issue was and how I could improve.
Some of the positive comments were: There were no grammar or punctuation errors and no clichés. The story had a nice plot/point with subtle conflict and tension and it was 'compelling.' The things that could be improved were: The passive voice was used too frequently, two sentences were 'clunky' or hard to read smoothly, and there was one place I used an adjective when a descriptive phrase would have been better.
The final comments were: "I really like the way you started this story! They say time heals, but when you don’t know how much time has passed, that makes it interesting. You did a good job of letting the reader know what happened through the replay in her mind, and a great job in having the main character come to the realization that she wouldn’t have gone. Just work on keeping the story in the active tense! Thank you for sharing with us!"
Sounds like it wasn't too bad, right?
I am anxious to find another contest to enter and see how well I can apply what I learned from this one to make an even better story. Hopefully it will have a critique offering as well and I can continue to learn and grow and hone this craft I love so dearly. I am looking forward to trying.
critique, fiction, goals, writing in About Writing 
Reader Comments (4)
Not too bad? It sounds like it was really good! I'm so glad you did this...now you can take the critique and move forward and improve and you can win the next contest! Way to go Debra!
Those are really good, useful comments. Congratulations on doing so well!
that's great... congrats on the placement and good critiques! very helpful.
I've always wanted to enter and get overwhelmed when I look.... where did you find this one (if you don't mind me asking.)
Wow, that sounds like a really positive review! :) Sooo... do we get to sneak a peak at this story, now that the contest is over??? :)