[MR] A&S issue

[Stefan li Rous]

Lady Marsali Johnston said:
<<< Have been told (anonymously, of course -- they didn't have the  
intestinal fortitude to sign their name to it!) that my work 'sucked'  
and I was wasting the time of the judges entering it into competition.  
 >>>

Was this what the individual actually said? Unless they were referring  
to period bellows or drinking straws (yes, I have info on both in the  
Florilegium :-) ) such comments are not only rude, but non-useable. So  
they should be ignored as best you can. Judges volunteer to do that  
job. You are not 'wasting their time' if you are entering in good  
faith, no matter how good or bad your entry is.

<<< That I had 'too much documentation,' or 'not enough  
documentation' (from the same piece!) >>>

Those kinds of comments are personal opinion and are quite possible to  
get, unless the particular contest has specific rules on the amount of  
documentation that should be entered. Understand that, and consider  
who the comments are coming from. If possible, see if you can get  
further comments on this from other judges/experts even if they didn't  
judge your entry, and draw what you can from it.

I probably have at least half a dozen to a dozen articles in the  
Florilegium on writing good A&S documentation, and they don't all  
agree on all such details.

<<< After awhile, it's not fun any more. ?Since I do my work for my  
own enjoyment, I no longer feel the need to be 'judged' on it. ?Which  
is why I don't bother with the A&S competitions. >>>

Agreed. That is why many kingdoms (and events such as Gulf Wars) have  
A&S displays to go along with all the A&S competitions. Hopefully  
these allow you to show off your work, show others what can be done  
and teach without the pressure and non-periodness of modern A&S  
contests.

Stefan

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****