Dramatic Goal Clarity
Goal main character pursues must be specific and clear
The five levels
Each anchor describes what separates one level from the next — not a general description of quality. This is the text the evaluator itself reads.
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Level 1 Below Standard
No clear goal, story without direction
Example We don't know what character wants to achieve
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Level 2 Approaching
Goal exists but not clearly defined
Example We notice character wants something but don't know exactly what
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Level 3 At Standard
Clear goal shaping story direction
Example Reader knows what character wants and follows their pursuit
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Level 4 Above Standard
Goal carrying two layers: external and internal
Example Pursues external goal and discovers internal need along the way
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Level 5 Exemplary
Goal representing deep human need viewers identify with
Example Reader identifies with character's goal
Where does your own work sit on these levels?
Submit one work to be read against this criterion alone: your position across the five levels, why you are not higher and why not lower, three literal quotes from your own work, and one exercise with its success check. Your first card is free.
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Read my work by this criterionOther criteria in the same art
Building story according to: setup, confrontation, resolution
The five levels →Separating what the character outwardly pursues (want) from what they inwardly need, and the tension between them.
The five levels →Building main character with motivations, problems, and transformation
The five levels →Creating anticipation making reader want to know what happens
The five levels →Building external and internal conflicts that intertwine to enrich the drama
The five levels →Moments that shift the story's course and raise its stakes irreversibly
The five levels →The ending's ability to close the story and leave a lasting impression
The five levels →Does each scene turn a dramatic value (+ to − or vice versa)? A scene that changes nothing is a dead scene.
The five levels →