The Shining Star Awards

Comments + Rubrics

In this chapter, you will find the different rubrics for poetry and fiction, as well as more information on what type of feedback you should be leaving if you're confused.

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FICTION RUBRIC

This is the rubric for all genres that aren't poetry. There are eight subsections in this rubric, totaling 100 points. A description of each is provided below, in case you aren't sure. Feel free to comment on these things throughout—also the stuff under "Helpful Feedback" and "More Commenting Help"—but remember to save your overall thoughts on all of this in your overall thoughts that will be PMed to us, a decent-sized paragraph. Please also only send scores via PM, not in the book. 

TITLE (5 POINTS)
- This should be fairly obvious, but the title is one of the first things a reader notices. Does the title fit the story? Is it too cliche and common? In other words, can you find the story easily if you search it up, or are there too many stories with the same title? Does it use correct punctuation and grammar?

COVER (5 POINTS)
- Many people do judge a book by its cover, so the cover is extremely important for first impressions. Is it well-made? Is there too much happening on the cover, or is it too simple? Does it go with the story? Is it very common and cliche?

BLURB (5 POINTS)
- The blurb is the first taste of the story before you actually start reading. The best blurbs reveal a little about the story and the characters, just enough to hook you without revealing too much information. Does it reveal too much or too little? Is it hooking you and bringing you into the story?

ORIGINALITY (10 POINTS)
- Stories need to be original, or else there's no reason to read them. What makes this story stand out? Are the characters original? What about the plot? Has the writer made the story their own? Are the details specific and fresh?

GRAMMAR (15 POINTS)
-  While grammar seems to be pretty small, it can affect the story heavily. Is the story easy to read, or is it riddled with too many errors? Think about punctuation, word choice, spelling, and overall grammar usage in this category.

PLOT/STRUCTURE (20 POINTS)
- Stories need a story! Every story has a plot that unfolds. How are you, as the reader, experiencing the plot in the story? Is the writer setting up the plot points effectively? Is the pacing well done? Does the plot match the genre? If it's a thriller, you want a sense of what the mystery is and who the main players of the story are. If it's a romcom, you want to see the love interests meet in a cute way! What is happening in the chapters you're reading, and does it feel like enough plot for those chapters? Or is the story meandering?

CHARACTER (20 POINTS)
- Character is the most important part of any story. The plot can be exciting, the story can be original, the writing style can be beautiful, but if the character is not engaging, a reader will often lose interest. Do you, as the reader, have a good sense of who they are? Are they flawed and grounded and real, or are they too perfect? Are they likable or not, and is that a good or bad thing? Do you feel connected to them, or do you feel like you don't know them well enough? Do they have wants and desires?

WRITING STYLE/VOICE (20 POINTS)
- Every story and writer has its own voice. That said, there is a certain level of style necessary to make for an engaging and interesting read. Is the writing easy to read, or clunky? Does the reader have enough description so you can picture everything clearly? Or is way too much description that distracts from the story? It's important to make sure to show more than tell. Is the reader showing us things through the scenes and interactions between characters? Or are they just telling us all in exposition? Is there too much exposition or too little? Does the writing style match the genre?