Art:Author's Author Deathmatch/Judges

This is the judges' copy of the Author's Author Deathmatch instructions. If you just want the plain instructions, please go here instead.

Judging

The judging console we're using for Shorts is a simple interface: you'll be presented with an entry, a dropdown box with the numbers 0-5, and a comments box. Use the numbers to select your rating, and if the muse strikes you, leave a few comments. Your comments will be viewable to the entrant after the fact, so be nice! (Your identity will remain secret, however.)

If you want to preview a few entries to give you an idea of what you can expect in terms of general quality, there's a link in the judge menu (the same one that has the judging console listed) that lets you view 10 random entries. Refresh it for another set.

What to look for

Spelling/grammar is vaguely important in this round, but I'm going to allow entrants to correct technical errors in work they take over, so is not a huge concern. Please do not dock more than 2 points for spelling/grammar errors, unless they make the text unreadable, in which case feel free to tear it to shreds.

Nanofiction

• Does it tell a story?
  • Plot?
  • Setting(s)?
  • Characters?
• Is it funny/sad/otherwise amusing, or does it just kind of exist?

Bulwer-Lyttony

• Does it have multiple sentences? (If it has multiple sentences, it's not Bulwer-Lyttony, and should therefore be given a mark of zero regardless of actual quality.)
• Does it make me want to continue reading? Does it entice me?
• Can this be developed into a larger story? Does it lead into a wide open field of possibilities, or do you foresee difficulty stretching this into a short story?

What if?

What if the author's name is on the entry/in the title?

That's the author's choice. Assess it anyway. Remember, you're allowed to know who the author is, if you can deduce it by your own means, or they somehow tell you. I just won't disclose it, but they're totally free to waive their own privacy.

What if an entry is mis-labelled?

If an entry says Nanofiction but reads like Bulwer-Lyttony (or vice-versa), assess it as what JudgeBot says it is instead of what it appears to be. Don't bend over backwards to help people who didn't follow the instructions; odds are they won't find it any easier to do so in subsequent rounds.

What if an entry is inappropriate/gibberish?

I have skimmed the entries and yanked out any obvious booches ("gsertgetrgstrrhsr", "hi lol", "Testing", etc.), but I haven't read all of them in-depth, so something bad might seep through. If you run across an entry that should be yanked out of the judging loop, click the red flag icon next to the submit button and I'll see the situation gets resolved.

What if an entry seems to be poetry?

Assess it as prose. This is a prose competition. If the poetry stands as prose, then congratulations. If not, maybe they should have written prose. /em shrugs