I received a request to judge two entries for a contest that somehow didn’t receive critiques from the judge who scored them. I agreed and now I can see why one of them didn’t get critiqued. I won’t say it is horrible. I wouldn’t say that about anyone’s writing. But there is a big difference between a beginning writer and a seasoned writer. This story had the elements needed, but I discovered that the story should have started somewhere else. Maybe later in the story than presented. Because the one thing any writer, beginner or advanced, needs to do is hook the reader. And maybe the first judge didn’t have time to deal with it. So now it is my job to be constructive, but positive so I do not crush this writers spirit.