*Yawn*

I was up late last night, later than usual anyway, because we had a wrap-up meeting to discuss our chapter's contest. The turn-out was heartening. We had the largest group ever and it gives me hope. Our chapter's contest is pretty amazing - we had 15 agent/editor requests come from it last year - one resulted in a sale and one resulted in someone signing with an agent. That's pretty awesome, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, the contest is also our only fundraiser for the chapter so it's truly an important event. Of course, like most chapter-related things, volunteers can be hard to come by. What does your chapter do to encourage volunteers? I'd love any tips or ideas you'd like to share. And if you're interested in being a judge for this contest, let me know! We always need more of those.

Observations of a Contest Judge

I've recently judged about 15-16 contest entries in a very short period of time. Like hours. I did this to help with my chapter's contest because we're getting close to announcing the finalists and there were many entries (thanks to a change we overlooked) that needed discrepancy judging.

One thing I learned reading so many entries in such a short time is that the good ones stand out early. You don't need to read to page 18 to know if it's got potential or not. Sometimes page 4 or 5, but usually by page 1, 1 1/2 maybe, you pretty much have a feel for whether or not someone can tell a story that will keep you reading.

Out of those entries I read, there was really only one that I could imagine myself curled up with on a rainy day. Am I a hard judge? Yes, because I judge against my own standards for my own writing, and those are very high, let me tell you.

Still, I enjoy the judging process. It shows me a slice of what's being done out there in Writerland. What themes are popular, what historical time periods are still holding interest, what paranormal elements show up time and time again.

Now, however, I must read something already published, because reading only the first chapters of 15 books can give a person a real need for closure. What are you reading right now?