PRESENTATION: The
entry is presented professionally, using 1” margins, double-spacing, and plain
font. Grammar, spelling, and
punctuation are correct.
Comments:
Score: ________
OPENING HOOK: The
story opens with a hook that grabs your attention and pulls you in. The
beginning tension and/or conflict is clear or hinted at.
Comments:
Score: ________
CHARACTERS: The
protagonist(s) is/are likeable or at least intriguing. Their emotions and
actions/reactions are realistically motivated. Characterization is shown well
through actions, dialogue, mannerisms, etc. Dialogue sounds realistic and
natural.
Comments:
Score: ________
WRITING STYLE: The
writing is tight with no unnecessary verbiage or extraneous information. There
is a good balance of narrative and dialogue. Background information is used to
move the story forward either through characterization or plot. Point of view
is clear and there is no head-hopping. The writing ‘shows’ more than it ‘tells’.
Multiple senses are incorporated throughout the story—taste, smell, touch,
sight, and sound. The story is well-paced.
Comments:
Score: ________
ROMANCE: If the
hero and heroine have met within the submitted pages, the tension or chemistry
between them could lead to a believable romance. If the hero and heroine have
not yet met, there is still a hint of a romance in the future.
Comments:
Score: ________
CONTEMPORARY-
Contemporary romance
novels is a wide range of settings and novels, but should be free of paranormal
elements. The author brings you into the setting of the here and now. You find
yourself rooted in the here and now without nostalgia. The author use the
setting and traits of modern life pull you into the story. The voice is contemporary.
You feel you are in the town or family. They use modern technology like Facebook
or apps on the tablets.
Comments:
Score: ________
GENERAL IMPRESSION: The
story entices you to keep reading.
Comments:
Score: ________