No, I’m afraid I didn’t win. There were thousands of entries and only a few awards. Yet, I didn’t come away with nothing. Each entrant received feedback on various aspects, where a score of 1 represented “needs improvement,” and a score of 5 represented “outstanding.” Also, Writers Digest provided commentary from the judge to whom the book was assigned. See scores and commentary below for my memoir ENJOYING THE RIDE: Two Generations of Tragedy and Triumph.

Scoring

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5

Production Quality and Cover Design: 5

Plot and Story Appeal: 5

Character Appeal and Development: 5

Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary

We’re presented right away with a withering look from the author’s father as we’re led into their battles of wills, generating a negative tone which we attach to the father. We get to know the author through his tactics of outsmarting and outlasting, creating a tension-filled opening tone.

Excellent leap to the author’s child POV on page 9. We get a sense of universal worries about ‘will I still get my bath?’ veers into fascinating questions such as ‘will the phone still ring?’ Such is the inner world of a child who worries, but also of a child whose logic structure would bring him here anyway. Very well done. That’s some masterful character creation.

This formation leads us to the medical journey of his MS, shadowed by his mother’s path through diagnosis and treatment. We have much to feel here, and author paces out those long waits for results, the questioning, the imagination and denial. Very nice cadence in this ‘finding out’ segment. Nothing is rushed, and we’re affected by the rhythm of the testing/waiting/knowledge era. Well done.

Excellent use of dialogue, which author has the great instinct to build for characters with closer relationships and those brittle medical treatment relationships. Author layers the nuances of dialogue scenes, movement and – fabulously! – rising and falling hopes and emotions. Some gorgeous phrasing throughout, such as’ she had gotten everything out of her broken body…’ Readers who are currently watching the demise of a loved one, or freshly in the grief stages, or well into grieving, will grab onto this line for its golden insight. It’s quite beautiful, quite insightful and quite healing. Here, we’re invited deeper into the work the author has done in his own healing. Excellent work. Endless layers of meaning, impression, and resonant voice.

My Takeaway 

Authors can drive themselves crazy chasing affirmation. It’s irresistible. But very few books enjoy universal appeal. I’ve had plenty of disappointments, but I’ve received more acclaim than I ever imagined I would.

More importantly, I’ve come to understand how many people I’ve affected by telling my story. Although it feels nice to receive positive feedback from an organization such as Writers Digest, I need to keep in mind the most important metric — how many people I’ve helped.