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Judging

toothlighttoothlight
edited December 2014 in Writing
I nearly kicked the telly last night, watching ITV news. The North West had a competition for children to write a Christmas story, and the winner's was made into a cartoon; brilliant. Then we met the judge!
It was that well known, talented, children's writer....Frank Lampard, he who admitted in an interview "wrote a few words" of his books. Another bloody insult to REAL writers

Comments

  • Phots MollPhots Moll
    It sounds more like an opportunity than an insult to me.
  • JohnnywriterJohnnywriter
    I don't see a problem with this. I would imagine the opportunity to have Frank Lampard read and judge your story is way more motivational than an author the kids may not have heard of.

    It's all about getting children writing - that's what matters after all.
  • toothlighttoothlight
    So we are saying that we have no problem with our competition entries being judged by a co-called celeb who had their book written by a ghost writer. I would never enter such a competition.
  • LizLiz
    Art critics are rarely, if ever, painters themselves. Anyone can judge a good story. So why not someone the children admire? And if someone the children admire has 'written' a story, however little they contributed, all to the good.
  • Phots MollPhots Moll
    No, I don't have a problem with a celebrity judging this or any other competition. I wouldn't have a problem with a well respected writer being the judge, or a publisher, an editor, a check-out assistant or ... well you get the picture.

    If the competition wasn't judged fairly, or cheated the entrants out of their rights or failed to deliver the prize, that would be a problem.

  • toothlighttoothlight
    But I bet you'd be somewhat annoyed if you saw the celeb give a story first, you nowt, and on reading the winning entry thought a) it was bad, and b) far inferior to yours
  • snailmalesnailmale
    I thought we were talking about a kids writing contest here, toothlight, not open to adults. I'd have thought having Lampard as a judge might encourage entries.
    You seem to have it in for poor old Frank. I think Mrs Bear runs an on-line agony column if you need support.
  • Phots MollPhots Moll
    But I bet you'd be somewhat annoyed if you saw the celeb give a story first, you nowt, and on reading the winning entry thought a) it was bad, and b) far inferior to yours
    If I thought the contest had been judged unfairly then yes, I'd be somewhat annoyed. Whether or not the judge was a 'celeb' wouldn't matter though, it would be the unfairness which annoyed me.

    Do you feel this particular competition was judged unfairly?
  • toothlighttoothlight
    @snailmale: Yes, I do have it in for 'poor old Frank' (£200,000 a week), and others like another children's 'author' Gerry Haliwell. I couldn't give a damn if they do get kids reading, they are still frauds and an insult to REAL writers who have spent years working on their craft. @Phots Moll:I would have been far happier if someone like Michael Morpurgo, who I admire, had been asked
  • JohnnywriterJohnnywriter
    I would have been far happier if someone like Michael Morpurgo, who I admire, had been asked
    I've never heard of him, I doubt many children would have either. Would the competition yield as many entries with such a judge? These competitions are a catalyst to get children reading and writing, surely this outweighs the qualifications of the judge?

    I don't like Frank Lampard either, by the way, he deserted West Ham years ago and I've never forgiven him, but I digress.

    I think it's good to see someone using their power as a role model for something so worthwhile.

    *Pleased he managed to write that without any 'to be frank' or 'frankly' puns*
  • LizLiz
    edited December 2014
    If you are a child, you will have heard of Michael Morpurgo OBE, FRSL, FKC. He's written well over 100 books, including Private Peaceful. Picture books and children novels. also a playwright and poet. Very good books, often about animals. He also runs a farm which takes in children from cities who have never had the chance to be somewhere green.
  • NefertariNefertari
    War Horse!!!!!!!
  • Mrs BearMrs Bear
    Exactly, Nefertari!
  • LizLiz
    Yes. And War Horse.
  • danfangodanfango
    Surely the main criteria for judging a short story competition is the ability to read? Being a writer will probably give some useful insights but it's in no way essential.

    Besides, I'm sure there are at least several Premiership footballers who could handle something as advanced as reading a short story written by a child.
  • snailmalesnailmale
    You have to accept 'celeb' authors as a fact of life, toothlight. They are never going to go away. Giving way to apoplexy will achieve nothing and probably make you poorly.

    Just ignore the things you cannot change and enjoy your own writing.
  • datco2014datco2014
    It is not worth getting upset by this - Initially when I was struggling to find anyone to read my efforts let alone publish them the 'celebrity writers' used to irk me no end. What qualified them to get publishing contracts when many of them can't even spell sinopsas...synosies...synposiss - anyway you get my meaning...

    Then I realised that most of them use ghost-writers even on their own self-indulgent autobiographies so I suppose there is some consolation in that at least some writer somewhere is earning a crust from this.

    We live in a society that celebrates the celebrity, most people would rather read about what Katy Price-Jordan and Ant&Dec-Kardashian had for breakfast than about anything important and meaningful. We are spoon fed this rubbish 24/7 by the modern media and that's the problem the news feed is now 24/7 - they need to fill the space and it's easier to fill it with celebrity 'stories' than anything else.

    Unfortunately we now have the pages of our newspapers crammed with the pictures and antics of a load of talentless wannabbees - most of whom appear on some reality TV show and suddenly think they are actors and stars.

    So despite my rant I've kind of made my peace with it - they get published because - a publisher knows if they can get Karen or Billy from TOWIE to put their name to some trash they will sell stacks of them in WH Smith & Waterstones etc - it's a sad state of affairs which makes it even harder for anyone now trying to forge a bona-fide writing career.

    Maybe I should audition for something meaningless and crap that might just get my name well-known enough to shift some books - if you can't beat them....



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