About My Ratings

You are probably here because I rated and reviewed one of your pieces and want to know why I gave you the rating I did.

When I rate an item, I rate each component separately, then combine the ratings for the final "stars."

Plot:
Did it grab my attention? Did it hold my attention? Was I left confused or bored anywhere? Was it unique? Cliché-ish?

Setting:
Could I see and feel the setting? Did the characters interact with the setting? Was it appropriate to the story?

Characters:
Were the characters well developed? Believable? Did I connect with them?

Spelling and Grammar:
Were there spelling and grammar errors?

Pacing:
Did the piece "flow"? Did the sequence feel natural? Or rushed? Or Dragging?

Each area will earn between 1 (needs improvement) and 5 (perfect) points. I then average the points for your star rating. Roughly you can count on:

Five Stars

You wrote a perfect piece. It grabbed and held my attention. There were no grammatical or spelling errors.

Four Stars
You wrote a very good piece. There were some spelling and/or grammar errors. At times I was confused or did not connect with you. A little more work and you will have an excellent piece.

Three Stars
You wrote an average piece. I notice the beginning of a plot and character development, but didn't connect with the work. I also noticed several spelling or grammatical errors. Take a good look at it. It may take a couple revisions - good writing always does. You have the makings of an excellent piece of work.

Two Stars
This piece has potential, but needs a lot of work. Take a good look at your spelling (I like to type in Word with Spell Check on, then copy/paste into WDC). Review grammar rules. Work on plot and character development. It will take some work, but you can make this into a great piece.

One Star
You are not a failure - and neither is the piece you submitted, but you have a lot of work to do. I've given you a detailed review on your piece. If you have any questions about anything, email me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

No matter what rating I gave you, please email me once you have rewritten your item. I would love to re-rate it.