𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫: Ash | _Ash_es 
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐞: Alba | oraclesighter 

─⁠──⁠───⁠─ ･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ ─⁠─⁠──⁠──⁠─

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Since I’ve just recently joined the Mellonia community a few months ago, the Brumous awards was my first opportunity to be a judge and to truly be able to determine which story was best suited for first to third place, specifically for “best blurb.” So as you can see, I’m not that experienced, but I took the knowledge I have from critiquing and reviewing stories in the past, and think I did a pretty decent job at judging (or so I hope).

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲?
I always focus more on the story itself, never the authors, really. What they’ve managed to create, along with the quality of their writing, that’s what truly matters.
I believe this is what makes it fair for every author’s story I judge, that I take a look at what the author has nailed and what they may need to improve on. I analyze their stories from a neutral standpoint and with the intention to be a guide, never to bring anybody down or say that their story is bad. But if there are parts that don’t make the cut, whether it’s the dialogue, a character’s behavior, awkward sentences or anything concerning writing, or really anything at all, I will always comment on it to get the author’s awareness on it so they know what to fix. And I’m certain it’s the same in every other judge’s eyes.
I always try my best to write the most in-depth feedback on what the author did well and what could have been done better so that the author understands why they got the place they got, whether first or last, and so they see where I’m coming from and how they can improve their writing.
I believe all judges should explain, not only their opinion on the story along with a quick review of it, they should also include as to why they took the decisions they did and, as I mentioned, give feedback on how they can improve their skills.
And at the end of the day, whether the writers believe it was unfair or not, it’s all up to them to decide whether they want to improve on their craft and take my advice. But my goal is to acknowledge the stories’ mistakes and achievements and to give recognition to the stories who deserve it

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁?
Fortunately, so far I haven’t actually had any conflicts with judging. I mean, I’m still pretty new at this so there was no issue at the last awards.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲?
My biggest motivation to being a judge is, along with helping authors open their eyes and see their story for what it is, what it’s achieved and how it can become even better, it’s also so I can learn to become a better critic myself and understand what makes a story good. I’m not just doing other writers a favor, but I’m also doing myself a huge favor by learning how to observe, offer constructive criticism, and interpret works by other people and bring that knowledge with me when editing my own writing.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲?
Observant, broad-minded, empathic (with the characters and their experiences), realistic, and lastly patient.
I am observant because I am always able to spot grammatical mistakes, including interpreting references, and hidden metaphors and messages.
Broad-minded since I love reading about other people's perspectives. and ideas, willing to step into the main characters shoes to truly understand them and the story.
Empathic, as I said, because I can easily sympathize with the characters and their situations, especially when they’re well-written.
Realistic because, although the work I judge is fiction, there are situations that happen to people in their every-day life, and that can range from quite literally anything—from traveling or making friends, to heartbreaks and emotional conflicts. And that will obviously appear in numerous stories, but it has to be written realistically, considering numerous factors such as the characters’ personalities and how they confront things, as well as the scenario and how accurately it is portrayed. (Research and getting insight on real peoples’ experiences on the situation or topic you’re writing is super important, and if you’re a writer, you must NEVER forget that!)
And, of course, I can’t forget being patient. I need to be understanding and patient with the authors and the mistakes they make. Not everyone is born knowing everything, including authors (and despite being a judge, I myself still have a lot to learn). They have to learn how to improve through learning from their mistakes and focus on their craft, and although it may be a long road, I promise that nothing is impossible, and I truly mean it. With practice and feedback on your writing, that’s the best way a writer can improve.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻? 𝗪𝗵𝘆?
Although I prefer doing things by myself, I am open to collaborating with others and learning how to work in a group. Specifically while judging, I think it’s an interesting idea and I’d love to see how two different perspectives of two judges impact the end result.
It could help improve communication skills for both judges, as well as result in a fair and balanced result, perhaps even more balanced than the result of one judge alone. So as I said, while I prefer to work alone, for numerous reasons like not getting in disagreements with another judge, I am open to working together with other judges and in bigger groups.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
I am always keen on searching for new stories, something fresh and exciting filled with emotions and twists. Of course, there will most likely never be something COMPLETELY new, since there may be characteristics or premises similar to stories already made. But what makes it new and fresh is when authors choose to take an idea, no matter how many times it’s been used, and transform it into something different, add a twist.
Take a romance story, but add thriller and add horror themes to it. That may be something that is not seen as much in romance novels, but it’s new, it’s fresh and intriguing. Because it’s not been seen much, and that’s what makes it compelling to read. But this does not only apply to romance, it applies to all genres. I’m pretty certain every reader is as eager to find something unique and new to read, just as much as I, as a judge, am.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
Sigh… This is a hard question. I’d say the best part about being a judge is being able to read so many different stories and come across different ideas, so many different perspectives and stories these authors want to share with the world. I can learn a lot from these stories, helping me to expand my perspectives and understanding of certain situations and aspects the story may touch up on.
And the worst part about being a judge… Well, there’s nothing bad I find about being a judge. I genuinely love literature and all things concerning writing. There’s  nothing about it that could possibly ever upset me. And even though determining how many points and what score to give to each author sometimes, it’s nothing I can’t figure out how to do justly and reasonably.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲?
I’d say I’m a neutral judge. I’m not harsh, but I am straightforward with my feedback, that I will say. However, I do try and consider the author’s emotions while writing my advice, so I always try to put my words in ways that are actually helpful and not pure criticism.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲?
As I said before, I love reading and coming across so many different stories written by such gifted writers that deserve recognition for what they do, so it’s truly one of the best things in my life. And being able to offer these authors recognition for their hard work, it’s the best feeling ever. I may sound a bit dramatic with this, but that’s just how I am. I love being able to help other writers improve and expand my horizons when it comes to literature, so I’m eternally grateful for being a part of the Mellonia community and being able to provide my services to them.