Spangle here! So, I thought I would give you Bronies a better idea of what all those "rating thingies" mean at the end of each of my reviews before I release my next volley of reviews. Kind of clear up the mud, in a manner of speaking.
*Note: Other staff may not have the same review standards...so don't assume they do.
Breakdown after the break! Breaker, breaker. Break it down...I'll stop now.
A good place to start is with the rating numbers themselves. I'll start from the top:
5: Excellent. Really, I couldn't have asked for more. Have an internet.
4: Good. Some room for improvement, but still a damn fine job. Keep at it!
3: Average. It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bad either. Needs bacon.
2: Poor. Not the worst out there, but not close to good either. Don't quit your day job.
1: Terrible. Chances are it wasn't even in an actual language half the time. The only win is the level of fail.
0: Yes, there's a zero. So bad, I can't think of a term. If I could unread it, I would. Where's my mind bleach?
With the numbering system out of the way, time to cover the categories I guess. Standard order:
Originality: The uniqueness of the story. Yeah, I'm not much of a fan of this category because it's basically limited by my experience/exposure. That, and it has to be taken with a grain of salt because all of the fanfics are based off the same show to a varying degree. Don't even get me started if the fanfic is a crossover. My way of solve the problem? I look at what is unique rather than what is similar.
Composition: The quality of the writing. It comes down to this: does the story flow and transition well between scenes? Are the sentences easily understood and written in such a way that capture the reader's attention? These are what I look for. Sure, grammar has some impact on this, but it's certainly not the defining factor. I like the stories I read to allow me to follow them with ease, not make me try to figure out what is happening every other paragraph.
Characters: The quality of the characters in the story. If it's a character from the show, I look for how much they act like themselves. I mean, really, if you put Twilight in your story but she doesn't act at all like herself, then why not just make her a completely new character? If it's an OC (Original Character), then I try to measure how well you have developed the character. Are they consistent? Do they have dreams, motivations, feelings, backstory? Basically, I look to see if they are a fully thought out character or just some cardboard cutout without any real substance.
Imagery: How vivid of a picture the story paints. Can I imagine the world being created or the scene unfolding? Or am I left blind to the events taking place? Don't just tell the reader what is happening. Show them. Paint a landscape with the words and let me immerse myself in the story. To be honest, I have quite the active imagination, so as long as I am given at least something to work with, I can usually picture the events in the story quite well.
Plot: The story being told. Is it predictable? Does it make sense? I look for a story that has a logical progression that makes sense within the universe it has created. Not only that, while I appreciate the art of foreshadowing, you probably shouldn't use it to indicate how a conflict in the story will be resolved. It robs the reader of the thrill and suspense they would have otherwise enjoyed. Even worse is if you don't try to foreshadow but your plot is just plain predictable because it follows very obvious or well known patterns (which will probably lose you originality points).
Relatability: How our readers can relate to the story. The most common use for this category will be how well Military Bronies can draw connections between their military lives and the military aspect of the story. This is why I often eliminate this category if the story has no military theme. The other use will be how well can a Brony relate to this story, either through references to things in the Brony community/fandom or through common trials of Bronydom, such as the first time you told your friends or family. I may choose to combine these two uses from time to time, but this category is certainly unique from the others in its use.
I hope this was insightful! Now you should have a better idea of what those seemingly random numbers mean at the end of my reviews! Now brace yourselves, more reviews are coming.
SEMPER FILLY!
