Story Circle

by, for, and about women

Memoir

by

Sarton Women's Book Awards: Rubrics: Memoir

Sarton Women's Book Award logo

  • Story/Theme
  • The storyline of a strong memoir is usually organized around a central theme. For instance, the story might deal with major health issues, catastrophic loss, complex family relationships, professional challenges, discrimination and/or exclusion, friendship, etc. a life-changing series of experiences. It may be told in a narrative or as a series of essays, thematically linked.
0-3 Points

  • Theme (overall organizing topic or focus) is lacking, undeveloped, or weak
  • Beginning slow, doesn't pull the reader in; unsatisfactory conclusion
  • Story poorly developed or confusing (unmotivated jumps in time, unclear sequence of events)
  • Story unfolds slowly, inadequately, or with too many distracting side-stories, making it difficult for the reader to stay engaged
  • If essays, the pieces are not well developed and/or thematically linked.
4-7 Points

  • Story theme is suggested but not fully developed.
  • Beginning adequate; conclusion fairly satisfying
  • Story fairly easy to follow, even if complex (flashbacks, etc)
  • Story is developed in a way that moderately engages and somewhat holds the reader's attention.
  • If essays, the pieces are developed and there is a strong thematic link.
8-10 Points

  • Story has a strong, impactful, significant theme that is developed throughout the book.
  • Story begins and ends strongly.
  • Story is developed in a clear, compelling way that fully engages the reader's attention from beginning to end ("I couldn't put it down!")
  • If essays, the pieces are developed into a compelling, thematically-powerful story.
  • Story/Theme Bonus Points
  • Does this memoir tackle a challenging, controversial, problematic, significant and/or timely theme? If so, please tell us about it in one or two sentences and (if you like) add 1-5 bonus points. If not, go on to the next category.

 

  • Memoirist's Relationship to Her Story
0-3 Points

  • Memoirist tells her story with little or no attempt at authorial introspection ("what/when/where/who" without the "why")
  • Story has little emotional impact on the reader
  • Story has little significance beyond its events and characters
4-7 Points

  • Memoirist occasionally reflects on the "why" of her story and grows somewhat in her understanding of her life experiences
  • Story has some emotional impact on the reader
8-10 Points

  • Memoirist engages in relevant, meaningful introspection throughout
  • Memoirist demonstrates a clear, complex, and mature understanding of her life experiences
  • Story makes a deep emotional impact on the reader
  • Narrative Voice (The "I" of the Story), Tone
0-3 Points

  • Narrative voice shifting, uncontrolled
  • Voice dull, featureless, or timid
  • Tone insensitive, disrespectful, preachy, or lecture-like
  • Tone inconsistent with seriousness or lightness of the story
4-7 Points

  • Narrative voice fairly consistent
  • Voice rather interesting and somewhat engaging
  • Tone generally consistent with the storyline
8-10 Points

  • Narrative voice highly consistent throughout
  • Voice fresh, engaging, and distinct
  • Tone always consistent with the mood of the story
  • Characters
0-3 Points

  • Characters not well developed, without complexity, stereotyped
  • Characters' actions not well motivated, not very believable
  • Characters' speech and/or dialogue stilted, awkward, not very interesting
4-7 Points

  • Characters fairly well developed; fair complexity, minimal stereotyping
  • Characters' actions fairly well motivated, generally believable
  • Characters' speech and/or dialogue fairly natural, interesting
8-10 Points

  • Characters richly developed; striking character complexity; no stereotyping
  • Characters' actions well motivated and believable
  • Characters' speech and/or dialogue natural, engaging
  • Settings, Sense of Place
0-3 Points

  • Settings are uninteresting. Story might happen anywhere
  • Settings described inaccurately, insufficiently, or in clichés
  • Story establishes little sense of place
4-7 Points

  • Settings are fairly interesting and specific to the story
  • Settings described with some clichés, with fair accuracy
  • Story establishes an adequate sense of place
8-10 Points

  • Settings fully and vividly described and are an integral part of the story
  • Settings described accurately and without clichés
  • Story establishes a strong, compelling sense of place
  • Language, Imagery, Style
0-3 Points

  • Word choices often seem wrong, inappropriate, or out of synch with the story
  • Profanity (if any) is not well motivated or is inappropriate to the character using it
  • Imagery is clichéd or confused
  • Writing style is bland, undistinguished
4-7 Points

  • Word choices generally seem right, appropriate
  • Profanity (if any) is fairly well motivated and generally appropriate to the character using it
  • Imagery is sometimes clichéd but generally effective
  • Writing style is occasionally engaging, interesting
8-10 Points

  • Word choices are appropriate and often striking
  • Profanity (if any) is well motivated and entirely appropriate to the character using it
  • Imagery is vivid, fresh, striking
  • Writing style is frequently engaging, compelling
  • Language Conventions, Structure
0-3 Points

  • Distracting errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation
  • Sentence, paragraph, and/or chapter structure overly simple or overly complex
4-7 Points

  • Some distracting errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation
  • Sentence, paragraph, and/or chapter structure generally acceptable
8-10 points

  • Almost no errors of grammar, spelling, punctuation
  • Sentence, paragraph, and/or chapter structure artful
  • Presentation
0-3 Points

  • Unattractive cover art and book design
  • Interior layout design features (if any) distracting, unattractive, inadequate, unhelpful (Do not subtract points for widows and orphans.)*
  • Font and typesetting difficult to read or distracting
  • Illustrations and/or photographs (if any) of poor quality, not identified, or irrelevant to text
  • Citations (if used) confusing, unconventional, incomplete; or missing and needed**
4-7 Points

  • Adequate cover art and book design
  • Interior layout design features (if any) fairly adequate, usually helpful
  • Font and typesetting adequate
  • Illustrations and/or photographs (if any) of moderate clarity, generally identified, and usually relevant to text
  • Citations (if used) generally adequate**
8-10 Points

  • Attractive, appropriate, compelling cover art and design
  • Interior layout design features (if any) striking, unusually helpful
  • Font and typesetting clear, well-chosen
  • Illustrations (if any) appropriate, clear, fully identified
  • Citations (if used) clear, effective**
  • If you are evaluating an eBook, consider the presentation that appears in your eReader. Subtract 1-5 points if the format presented reading problems, did not flow as expected, or interfered with your experience of the story.
  • *In typesetting, widows and orphans are lines at the beginning or end of a paragraph, which are left dangling at the top or bottom of a column, separated from the rest of the paragraph.
  • **Citations might include endnotes, an author's note, glossary, research sources, bibliography, or other supplemental information.

 

  • Gratuitous violence and sexuality
  • In some stories, violence and sexually explicit materials are necessary elements; in others they are used gratuitously and distract from the story. If you feel that this book contains distractingly gratuitous, offensive material, subtract points according to the following scales.
  • -0-3: some gratuitous, offensive violence / explicit material
  • -4-7: much gratuitous, offensive violence / explicit material
  • -8-10: too much gratuitous, offensive violence / explicit material
  • Bonus Points (1-5)
  • Does this memoir stand out in a way you have not been able to acknowledge using the standards above? Is there something exceptional or original that was not accommodated in our categories?