What have I been up to?

I've been MIA for a long while, so I figured I owed you a rundown. Since my last post, it's been more of the same: school, work, writing and hanging out with friends. Somewhere in there, I made time to refinish my table (again). Now, I'm ankle deep in contest judging. The Linda Howard Contest is in full swing and I have been reading and re-reading entries. This contest is awesome because they actually want the judges to offer input rather than simply assigning a score and moving to the next piece. I won't say which category I'm judging, but I will say it is one I'm keenly interested in.

Getting in on this side of contests is important to me because I not only get to see what fellow writers are up to, but I gain perspective on my own work. Before I write a comment, I put myself in the writer's shoes. How would I receive a comment posed in such a manner? Am I trying to play God? Is my response related to jealousy? Judge doesn't mean unchecked power; it means responsibility. Probably a naive sentiment, but true for me nonetheless. Seeing these entries has made me want to give my newer works a go through the contest circuit. Maybe this year I have a chance.