The Good, The Bad, and The Toilet Paper

Black Diamonds’ Synopsis Contest Scoresheet

Title of Entry:  __________________________________________________

Category: _____Published   _____ Unpublished

Entry #:  ________      Judge #: _______        Total Score:  _________

Judge Instructions:  (1) Score the entry.  (2) Provide comments either on the score sheet or on the entry – required if any element scores a 3 or lower.

Scoring:           Range: From 1 to 5.  Total possible score is 103.

5 = Polished enough to send to an agent. 

4 = Needs a minor tune-up, but quite good overall. 

3 = Off to a good start, but needs more work.  Concentrate on problem areas.

2 = Major revision needed. 

1= Back to the drawing board… but remember, writing is a skill and it can take time to learn to write a synopsis.

Please note, if you recognize the author and cannot be impartial, please contact the contest coordinator immediately.

Please ignore your own genre/content preferences and judge solely on the effectiveness of the synopsis. If you cannot, then please contact the coordinator immediately.

Professional Impact Category:

_____ 1.  Is the entry cleanly formatted, with a readable font, reasonable margins?

_____ 2.  Are the mechanics of the entry, spelling, grammar, and punctuation professional?

_____ Subtotal (Max points: 10)

Comments  ______________________________________________________________________

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Character:

_____ 1.  Are the hero/heroine/protagonist clearly identified? 

_____ 2.  Are the h/H external goal(s) apparent?

_____ 3.  Are the h/H internal goal(s) apparent?

_____ 4.  Is the h/H conflict apparent and well motivated?

_____ 5.  Are the h/H character arcs complete and do they show development?

_____ Subtotal (Max points: 25)

Comments  ______________________________________________________________________

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Plot:

_____ 1.  Is the conflict apparent and well motivated?

_____ 2.  Are the external and internal conflicts/obstacles identified?

_____ 3.  Is there a resolution for the characters and for the plot?

_____ 4.  Is the pacing appropriate to the story? 

_____ 5.  Does the plot flow in a logical and believable order from one plot point to the next?

_____ Subtotal (Max points: 25)

Comments  ______________________________________________________________________

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Setting:

_____ 1.  Do you have a sense of the setting of the story?

_____ 2.  Is the amount of information on setting appropriate?

_____ Subtotal (Max points: 10)

Essentials: (Double point category, please SCORE from 1 to 10)

(1-10) _____  1.  Does the synopsis read smoothly, without choppiness, vagueness, clutter, or missing story elements?

(1-10) _____ 2. Do you get a strong sense of the author’s voice?

(1-10) _____ 3. Does the synopsis make you want to read more of this story?

_____ Subtotal (Max points: 30)

Comments  ______________________________________________________________________

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Total Points: _____ _____ (Max points: 100)

Other Comments:

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Judge Information:

Judge’s name (optional):  ______________________________________________________________________

Are you: ____ unpublished                 ____RWA – PRO        _____ published