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The Rubric Bank

26 precise criteria your work is measured against — transparent, no black box.

All arts Scenic WritingConceptual PhotographyDrawing & PaintingActing & RecitationVisual DesignScreenplay & StoryMusic & RhythmCrafts

Scenic Writing 26 criteria

WRT-B-01 Expression Beginner
Rhythm & Flow

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

WRT-B-02 Observation Beginner
Sensory Description

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

WRT-B-03 Expression Beginner
Mental Image Clarity

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

WRT-B-04 Expression Beginner
Emotion Showing

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

WRT-B-05 Taste Beginner
Expression Authenticity

Absence of clichés and canned expressions, presence of authentic language

WRT-B-06 Construction Beginner
Opening & Closing

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

WRT-B-07 Construction Beginner
Thematic Focus

Consistency of central theme without unjustified digressions

WRT-B-08 Taste Beginner
Writer's Voice

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

WRT-B-09 Expression Beginner
Emotional Authenticity

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

WRT-B-10 Construction Beginner
Language Discipline

Correctness of grammar, spelling, and punctuation serving rhythm

WRT-M-01 Construction Intermediate
Scene Architecture

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

WRT-M-02 Construction Intermediate
Point of View Control

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

WRT-M-03 Construction Intermediate
Narrative Time Usage

Conscious movement between times, using flashback and other techniques

WRT-M-04 Expression Intermediate
Meaning Density

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

WRT-M-05 Construction Intermediate
Functional Dialogue

Dialogue that reveals character and advances plot simultaneously

WRT-M-06 Imagination Intermediate
Symbolism & Suggestion

Using symbols and intertextuality to add extra meaning layers

WRT-M-07 Construction Intermediate
Overall Pace Control

Consciously speeding and slowing text according to scene demands

WRT-M-08 Imagination Intermediate
Character Development

Character's convincing growth or transformation across the text

WRT-M-09 Construction Intermediate
Dramatic Tension

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

WRT-M-10 Taste Intermediate
Open Ending

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

WRT-A-01 Imagination Advanced
Coherent Image System

Building a web of metaphors belonging to one semantic field that constructs the text's overall meaning, not scattered clashing images.

WRT-A-02 Taste Advanced
Functional Rhyme & Parallelism

Using Arabic rhythm (rhymed prose, parallelism) to serve effect and meaning, not affectation that weighs the text down.

WRT-A-03 Construction Advanced
Scene-Arc Structure

Building the scene as a complete arc: an opening posing a question, development, and a close answering it with a turn.

WRT-A-04 Development Advanced
Narrative Distance Control

Managing the narrator's closeness to and distance from the character deliberately to serve emotion and meaning.

WRT-A-05 Construction Advanced
Reveal & Withhold Timing

Managing what the reader knows and when: when to reveal information and when to withhold it to build suspense and effect.

WRT-A-06 Consistency Advanced
Cross-Work Voice Consistency

Consistency of the writer's stylistic fingerprint (voice) and its conscious evolution across a body of work, not a single piece.