Creative writing students will recognize rubrics from class. These are what your instructors use as a guide to marking fiction. Since fiction is notoriously difficult to mark, a rubric can at least standardize the process and take some of the emotion out of evaluating fiction. Rubrics are used every day in a classroom setting.
But fiction created for class is not the only fiction and needs a fair evaluation. Novels must be both evaluated and scored before you even think of submitting it to anyone. Whether you seek out a traditional publisher or decide to self-publish, a manuscript that hasn't been evaluated is not ready for the public eye. Not even the eyes of an editor, and certainly not the eyes of a publisher.
But how do you go about scoring your novel? Well, you use a rubric very much like a classroom instructor would. But novels are longer and more involved than the short stories most instructors have you write, so they require a slightly different rubric. Use the questions and guidelines below to help you score your novel. Or, even better, have someone you trust score it for you. But not just anyone. Your cousin who's never read anything except comic books? Probably not a good choice. If you've written a fantasy novel but your mother has only ever read romance, she's probably not the right person either. You need someone who can offer constructive feedback and has knowledge of the genre. If you can't find someone who fits this description, score the book yourself.
Novel-Writing Rubric
Score each question according to the following guidelines by giving it a number from 1 to 5.
- Not present
- Present but not addressed
- Addressed but needs additional detail or clarity
- Well done, but needs a little polishing
- Excellent and vividly written
- Does the novel show instead of tell by engaging the five senses?
- Are descriptions powerful and vivid but delivered in short bursts?
- Have you avoided cliches except where appropriate to the story and the character?
- Is the setting appropriate to the characters and the genre of the novel?
- Is the time frame both clear and appropriate to your novel?
- Does the chronology of the novel make sense to the reader?
- Is your protagonist clearly established early on?
- Is your antagonist a worthy adversary?
- Do all your main characters behave consistently and have believable motives?
- Are physical descriptions conveyed clearly without overburdening the reader with description?
- Do your characters express their personalities through actions and words (avoiding large blocks of exposition)?
- Is your point of view consistent and does it fit with the novel?
- Do your main characters make up most of the scenes in the book?
- Do your minor characters have consistent personalities?
- Are minor characters developed enough to be believable?
- Do your minor characters stay in the background except when they're actually a part of the action (they shouldn't take over a scene)?
- Does the plot flow smoothly and consistently from beginning to end?
- Do any subplots detract from the main plot of the novel?
- Is the conflict appropriate and believable?
- Does the conflict engage readers?
- Does the beginning of the book grab readers and encourage them to keep reading?
- Does the rising action of your plot lead naturally to the final crisis?
- Is the final crisis believable?
- Are all plots and subplots wrapped up by the end of the novel?
- Is there an underlying theme of your novel?
- Does your novel have a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end?
- Do the plot, characters, and setting interact to make the entire story more believable?
Remember to be honest when evaluating your own book. It's not easy to be critical, but the entire process will only make your novel stronger.
