BMG

One thing I’ve learned through the school of hard knocks is that everyone has an opinion and that it’s all subjective. I was looking over some contest feedback I received and wondered does it help? Do writers crave everyone’s opinion or do writers put up with it as the consequence of submitting to a contest?

The judges want to be helpful, they excitedly give you scores, with a flurry of their pens they make comments on your manuscript and try with all their heart to make you a better writer. I wonder if I am.

Do comments like ‘she has very little personality’, or ‘the story itself is intriguing’, or a 1 score on the question - ‘Are the relationship and conflict components of the story properly balanced’, help me become a better writer? I really don’t know. I have to ask myself how I feel about these helpful strangers.

Are these helpful strangers giving me the tools to be a success? Are they helping themselves by judging the mechanics of my work? Or are they wanna be school teachers with a red pen stash, secreted away in their closets? What does their comments/feedback mean to me? Am I overwhelmed, or happy for the feedback, or just angry that my baby isn’t perfect?

At the end of the day, helpful strangers or not, I know love to write. So I’ll keep submitting to contests and marking one goal as being done. I’ll give thanks for the judges who want me to be a better writer (I hope). And remember that scores and comments from judges are not the enemy with a red pen. And, I laugh along the way.

Isabella

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Jax and the Corporate Giant

This was my month to write a fairytale for Romantic Times. Several of the faeries from the Faery Court Ball are involved. Mine is entitled: Jax and the Corporate Giant. The link is above and I’d love for you to stop by. I’ve noticed it’s difficult to get people to comment there. And to make matters worse…I offered a contest to those who comment. I have a feeling I may be begging before this month ends.

Brit Blaise
Slayers Inc - Vampires and Werewolves - Amber Quill - October bestseller list
A Lady’s Lessons - Historical faerys and fallen angels - Sept.
Galaxy Gone Wild - Amber Quill - July bestseller list
Cave Creek Cowboy Kama - Just Released!
Jax and the Corporate Giant - Just Released! - RT Website
Cave Creek Cowboy Menage - Coming Jan
The Blood Club - Coming Jan
www.britblaise.com

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Corey is here visiting from AZ and we’ve been on the go. The service we’ve been getting sucks. My family says I’m a jinx. It started on Saturday after picking up Corey at the airport we brought him to Hamburger in Paradise. When the waiter delivered our drinks, he spilled an entire glass of Coke on Corey…mostly on his leather jacket.

While it wasn’t nice, our good moods weren’t spoiled and we felt sorry for the waiter, so no complaints. Then when our food was delivered, Corey’s didn’t come and the waiter didn’t offer an explanation. At the time, I thought his lack of communication spelled trouble, but he was already humiliated, so we waited patiently…and waited…

Finally, I’d had enough and told the manager.  I’m not allowed to complain in front of my family.  I promise my head doesn’t start spinning on my neck, but my family thinks it does. While they were all happy we were given a free meal…none of them like to speak up.

Of course, my husband, Mike used the occasion to regale his son and daughter with my conduct with the phone guy.  I only pointed out it isn’t wise to ask someone if they qualify for the senior discount when they don’t and won’t for a while. It’s like asking a fat woman if she’d pregnant. The phone guy asked Mike if he was 65, and damn! I didn’t like it.  I’m not even ready to be married to an old cuss. I told the guy it was uncool to ask that and then he felt he had to defend his actions and made it worse. The guy wouldn’t shut his mouth.  Of course, my husband feels sorry for him and I should have ignored him. Maybe so.  But maybe, if my head really did spin on my neck, my family would leave me alone when I speak up.

 Besides, my hamburger was uneatable pink inside and I only complained to them. However, my family assured me it was my fault for saying medium-well. By this time, they’d cowed me into submission.

Today, it happened again…bad service. We went to Bob Evans and ordered drinks and food at the same time, per our server’s request. Twenty-five minutes later we still didn’t have drinks or food.  I asked another server to tell our server to bring our drinks.  You would have thought I’d done the unthinkable by my son and daughter’s reactions. But they shut up when they saw him standing at a computer where he could see us, but didn’t budge. Five minutes later…no drinks. This time Corey suggested leaving and I applauded him. Tiffany was harder to convince, but we had two wee-ones with us who had long tired of the crayons.Of course, as we were leaving the manager wanted to know what was going on.  And I had to tell her. Didn’t I? 

This is one of the things I miss most about the BMG’s. If they have bad service or inadequate food, they say so. Especially if the butterscotch martinis aren’t up to par.  So what do you do when the service is bad?