Beauty in the Broken was as rigorous as any contest could be, yet as open as an open secret. It was a journey and everything about it was art. The judging process too was fun, so the top stories deserved to be where they were.

The eBook is attached, but first, imagine yourself as being a final stage judge. Go through the rules below:

Dear Judges,
If I expected the results Today, 4 Days Later I would still find the compilation to be
A Mosaic of Shards, almost there, but never there. That is how difficult this task is,
so let us add a few more days. No one wants to learn How To Die On A Tuesday
because there is Beauty in Brokenness if we keep Staying Positive.
My grandpa was a sailor, he was absolutely In Love With Marines. We loved his
tablet though, but as kids, we wrongly called it Pa’s Alphabet, and on it we played
games like The Little Butterfly. He is no more though; he went too Early To Sleep
in death; he was not that old.
If only life were an art, perhaps I would learn this Japanese thing, I mean Kintsugi,
or maybe a bit of painting, so I can coat Hues On A Portrait. Life isn’t all art though
and I wonder if life is Of A Stale Place And Alluring Flavour, a mixture of fragrance
and odours.
All the same, when someone asked me about the judging process, I told them you bear
the burden. “It is My Party, Their Pining” I had said.
I have created a piece from pieces of the captions of the entries you will assess. It
highlights the various angles from which the contestants approached the theme and
how through the previous stages, those judges agreed that justice was done to the
the theme in each of these stories.
The above-stated rule is golden: “We are focused on creativity” at this stage…
or should we call it finesse?
DO NOT USE A BLUE PENCIL
Writing is the art of painting words on a canvas of space. As you know, some
‘mistakes’ may be intended, so don’t miss-take them. If in doubt, ask and we will be
glad to assist.
WATCH OUT FOR TIED KNOTS
If you believed the story of my grandpa being a sailor, you are several nautical miles
away from the truth. I love tied knots though. Look out for the best way entries
married their chosen captions to their writings and the central theme. This is not
bigamy though.
GREY IS NOT A BAD COLOUR
Grey makes you work hard to separate black from white. Some stories are like that.
Try to understand the stories. Ask for help with some words not found in the
dictionary, they may have deeper meanings than you think.
“TO BE A GOOD WRITER, YOU MUST BE A GOOD READER”

• Ellah Wakatamah Affrey (Zimbabwean Writer)

I do not totally agree with her but partially do. If you write for just yourself, then you
are confined. The entries you chose must be relatable, that is why you do not know
who the contestants are so that you do not assume their personalities and try to see
why their stories were the way you saw them. You were chosen because you are an
excellent reader… and you write too sometimes, but above all, you could make the
big choices.
MASQUERADES ARE SPIRITS, REMAIN ONE
I grew up believing masquerades were spirits because they are masked. You are a
‘spirit’ in this sense, remain one and treat the entries with confidentiality. There is
something about masquerades and carefulness and expressways I hear in a song.
DON’T FOLLOW YOUR HEART, FOLLOW YOUR MIND
Some writers can write and get to your heart. It could be because of your personal
experience or the experiences of a loved one, but do not judge by emotions.
DON’T FOLLOW YOUR MIND, FOLLOW YOUR HEART
Lastly, we have tried to cut you down to size by reducing the power you have. You
are five (two males, two females and the third will prefer not to say. No, not that, just
choice.) and there is a confined range of marks you can give as indicated in the
attached Excel sheet. This will help reduce the weighting effects of your emotions.
If two entries are inseparable in your ranking, give them a joint score, but the next
position will be vacant. For instance, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd , 5th, etc.
Many thanks for many things.
They are waiting, and so are we.
Yours pen-fully,
Me and
Beauty in the Broken Contest Team