REVIEW SHOP (CLOSED FOR CATCH UP)

Judging Criteria

Like I said, I'm a strict judge, so I have strict guidelines.
These are the elements of your story in which I will judge in your book.

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A story is like a tree. Some are beautiful, while others are not, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As a result, a tree that seems unappealing to me may be the most beautiful one you've seen in your life. Books are similar. Every book has its own audience, and it is your job as an author to reach and find them. However, before you search for your audience and before a tree becomes an actual tree, you both start as a sapling. The criteria explained in this part will show you how to make your sapling a tree.

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Theme [/5]
Every tree grows from a seed, and every book grows from its idea—its theme.
What are you trying to tell your readers? Why did you create this story? What is the moral of your story?

Even though you write fanfiction, every story should have a theme that is present throughout. A theme binds all the parts of your story together and adds a pretty, little bow to it. It creates a bond between the reader and the characters and gives a base for them to sympathize.

The theme is connected to everything, compels the reader to read, and acts as the soul of your story. It shouldn't be directly stated, so as I read through your story, I should feel it.

Title [/3]
A name holds meaning, and a title does too. The title is the name of your story, so it has to represent it in some way. Is your title just an obscure word from a different language because why not? Or does it have a connection to the story and it's plot?

The title is the first little impression of the contents of your story, so whatever the case is, the title must be catchy and must relate to the story in some way.

Cover [/3]
"Don't judge a book by its cover" is a good moral, but people naturally gravitate towards beauty. Therefore, the cover of your book is relevant. The questions you should ask yourself are: does the cover relate to the story, is the cover appealing, can you see the title and author (the most important aspect), and will people stop scrolling through all those stories on Wattpad to look at yours.

You can also express the story through its style and artistic nature, such as the lighting, colors, font, style, etc. . . . I know not all of us are artists, so I'm going to make this simple. The cover should be an eye-stopper because it is the first impression of the quality of the story, so this is how you can earn your points:

1 point: It's a cover.
2 points: It's a cover and it caught my attention.
3 points: It's a cover, it caught my attention, its related to the story, and its art.

It's not as hard as it seems to get those points, so don't worry.

Description [/5]
In Wattpad, the common pattern is a short description that tells you nothing about the plot, but listen here. If the cover is the first impression of the quality of your story, the description is the first impression of the contents of your story.

After reading your description, I should be able to write a makeshift logline of your plot. What is a logline? It is a one-sentence summary of your plot that should catch people's attention and induce interest.

A description is a longer logline that creates a contract between the author and reader. When a reader reads your description, you are promising that something amazing is waiting for them when they click that Read button. If you make a promise and you keep it, then the reader will read your story. Simple contract.