Golden Heart scores were sent to entrants this week.
All of my writing loops are full of posts lamenting the inconsistency in Golden Heart scores. That doesn’t surprise me because judging writing is so subjective. Some judges don’t appreciate a strong voice or an inventive storyline. Some cannot stomach first person or don’t like POV shifts, etc… And to be perfectly frank, some judges feel the pinch of jealousy when reading work that might be stronger than their own. Several writers are licking their wounds and grumbling about the nature of judging in the contest. I suppose I could gripe as well. After all, I didn’t final. But I choose to take another tack.
Let me preface this by saying the only scores I have received are for Murphy’s Law, and I might well still be entirely peeved by the scores I get for The Reluctant Amazon. But for now, I am taking the glass half full mind set. It’s better for my blood pressure. 
Murphy’s Law fared much better than I expected, considering the beginning is highlighting a hero much in need of salvation. While he’s not a villain by any stretch, he is a bit of a spoiled and conceited ass. In contests, the story has done very well, hitting the finals most of the times I entered it. The times it didn’t final were almost always because the judge didn’t like Seth. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the story starts with a quote about redemption so the reader/judge knows the story arc will include “saving” Seth Remington.
Needless to say, I expected the same sort of judging in Golden Heart. I was surprised. I received a perfect score from one judge and most of the rest were very high. I was well above the cut-off for the top quarter, and I imagine the number put me much closer to finaling than I had anticipated. So I am content. And at this point, I don’t intend to enter the Golden Heart again.
Hopefully because I will be eligible for the Rita instead. 