The Rubric Bank — with all five levels

The text's ability to flow without stumbling, with sentence length variation that serves meaning

Using the five senses to bring the scene vividly to the reader

Reader's ability to visualize the scene without confusion or contradiction

Ability to show emotions through actions and details rather than direct statement

Absence of clichés and canned expressions, presence of authentic language

Strength of opening sentence in engaging reader, and impact of closing in lingering

Consistency of central theme without unjustified digressions

The writer's distinctive fingerprint making their text unlike anyone else's

Reader's sense that writer writes from real experience or feeling

Correctness of grammar, spelling, and punctuation serving rhythm

Constructing the scene like a building: setup, tension, climax, resolution

Consistency and harmony of narrator's viewpoint, using it to serve meaning

Conscious movement between times, using flashback and other techniques

Short sentence's ability to carry deep multi-layered meaning

Dialogue that reveals character and advances plot simultaneously

Using symbols and intertextuality to add extra meaning layers

Consciously speeding and slowing text according to scene demands

Character's convincing growth or transformation across the text

Creating and managing anticipation and emotional investment in character's fate

Ending text in a way that seals meaning without closing all questions