What makes a good (satisfying
Genre Fiction – Plot Focused Rubric
The short story will:
| |Exceptional |Good |Needs Improvement |
|Have a Logical Flow |Easy to follow; flashbacks and |Still easy to follow; flashbacks |Hard to follow in spots; flashbacks|
| |foreshadowing make sense; key |and foreshadowing make sense with |and foreshadowing cause unnecessary|
| |events are logical and well – |maybe a few points of confusion; |confusion; key events may seem |
| |explained; story starts crisply, |key events are logical and |illogical or inadequately |
| |builds to a climax & ends |adequately explained; story starts |explained; story may start too |
| |powerfully |crisply, builds to a climax & ends |slowly, fail to build to a |
| | |well |satisfying climax &/or ends weakly |
|Reveal a “good” theme |Very meaningful; well-developed |Satisfactorily meaningful; |Somewhat meaningful but perhaps a |
| |throughout the story; not too |consistently developed throughout |bit too sophomoric; may be |
| |obvious but discernable to the |the story; may be a bit too obvious|inconsistently developed throughout|
| |intelligent reader |or not entirely discernable to the |the story; likely a bit too obvious|
| | |intelligent reader |or not entirely discernable to the |
| | | |intelligent reader |
|Build suspense with unresolved |Compels the reader want to read on;|Invites the reader want to read on;|Discourages the reader from reading|
|questions |fascination level is high – reader |fascination level is satisfying – |on; fascination level is low – |
| |is intrigued |reader is interested |reader loses interest |
|Create empathy with character(s) |Character(s) is powerfully |Character(s) is generally |Character(s) has limited empathetic|
| |empathetic; we care about what |empathetic; we care about what |qualities; we don’t care much about|
| |happens to him/her; he/she seems |happens to him/her; he/she seems |what happens to him/her; he/she |
| |real to us |fairly real to us |seems cardboard, stereotyped, or |
| | | |uninteresting |
|Fit the genre satisfactorily |Short story clearly and deftly fits|Short story clearly fits into its |Short story seems general with |
| |into its genre in terms of plot, |genre in terms of plot, setting, |limited attention paid to its |
| |setting, tone, vocabulary, imagery,|tone, vocabulary, imagery, etc. |genre’s plot, setting, tone, |
| |etc. | |vocabulary, imagery, etc. |
|Mechanically sound, especially in |Very few common errors, esp. |Very few common errors, esp. |Noticeable common errors, esp. |
|avoiding verb tense shifts |unneeded tense shifts. |unneeded tense shifts |unneeded tense shifts |
|May have any of the following; “A” |*Irony *Action/adventure *Unexpected twists |
|stories will certainly have at |*Vivid, varied imagery *Precise, Vivid Diction (Vocabulary) |
|least 3 of these: |*Avoids inappropriate point of view shifts *Strong dialogue |
| |*Avoids wordiness & unnecessary detail |
Overall Grade:______ of 100
Genre Fiction – Plot Focused Peer Reading Guide
*To receive full credit, the peer reader must support their opinion, both positive and negative.
Author:________________________________
Peer Reader:____________________________
1. Logical Flow (Plot)
a. Is the story easy to follow?
b. Do any flashbacks and foreshadowing make sense?
c. Are the key events logical and well–explained?
d. Does the story start crisply, builds to a climax, & end powerfully?
2. Theme Revelation
a. Is the theme meaningful?
b. Is the theme well-developed throughout the story?
c. Is the theme discernable to the intelligent reader but not too obvious?
3. Suspense Building
a. Does the story compels the reader want to read on?
b. Is the fascination level high? Is the reader intrigued?
4. Character Empathy
a. Is the reader able to empathize with the character(s)? Do you care about what happens to him/her?
b. Does the character seem real to you?
5. Genre Authenticity
Does the story fit into its genre in terms of plot, setting, tone, vocabulary, imagery, etc?
6. Mechanical Accuracy and Precision
a. Circle any errors you find in the story. List the types of errors here.
b. Double check the story for verb tense shifts – be sure to clearly mark them on the writing itself.
7. Value Added Qualities
Use the checklist below to tell the author what exceptional qualities you find in his/her story. Use the space to the right to give them additional advice or comments
_____ *Irony
_____ *Action/adventure
_____ *Unexpected twists
_____ *Vivid, varied imagery
_____ *Precise, Vivid Diction (Vocabulary)
_____ *Strong dialogue
_____ * Avoids wordiness & unnecessary detail
_____ * Avoids inappropriate point of view shifts
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