Peer review can feel scary because you may feel uncomfortable sharing your writing at first, but remember that each writer is working toward the same goal:
It reassures you that even though sharing your writing can feel intimidating, everyone involved is working toward improving together. As the reader they can let you know if your writing is lacking something.
Editing and proofreading can work well with a partner. You can offer to be another pair of eyes for peers in exchange for them doing the same for you.
sharing your work with a partner gives you a fresh perspective that can catch mistakes you might miss on your own.
One of the main reasons that you are likely to make mistakes is that your mind and fingers are not always moving along at the same speed nor are they necessarily in sync.
The fingers may move faster than the mind, leading to typing errors.
Make sure the reader knows your position on the issue
The reader shouldn’t have to guess what position the paper is taking.
One sign of a weak thesis is if the statement does not make a concise claim, or if the claim is already proven true from its factual contents.
It emphasizes that a strong thesis should take a position rather than repeat information that’s already obviously true.
Try summarizing every paragraph into one sentence each, then put them all together to see if your introduction covers each point
By summarizing each paragraph into one sentence and comparing those summaries to your introduction, you can see if your intro clearly previews all the main points.
When you look over the draft of your paper, the first part you should focus on is your introduction. Whether it is one paragraph or an entire chapter, the purpose of the introduction is to grab your reader’s attention while simultaneously giving a preview of the information that will be included in the following paragraphs.
The first section you should evaluate because it sets the tone for the entire paper.
Stick with your claim in your topic sentence, and let the rest of the paragraph address the evidence and offer examples
The rest of the paragraph should use evidence and examples to support that claim rather than drifting into unrelated ideas.
Once you have your evidence organized, and the evidence relates to the points you have outlined for yourself, you have the scaffolding that you need to begin constructing strong body paragraphs. Now it’s time to begin constructing the building blocks that will help you create strong and developed body paragraphs.
It emphasizes that planning ahead gives you a solid foundation, so your paragraphs stay focused and well developed.
Once you have the structure of your paper figured out, and the main idea you will support, you can start with the introduction and conclusion.
writing the introduction and conclusion go hand in hand when writing the story because now you just need to focus on the body paragraphs to go with the ending sentences.
Later, when you draft paragraphs in the next stage of the writing process, you will add support to create “flesh” and “muscle” for your assignment. The outline will utilize the ideas you developed during the prewriting process.
I like the metaphor used to describe the final touches of the writing process.
For example, when telling a story, it may be important to first describe the backstory
This can help the reader foreshadow what will happen or it will make more sense once the reader reaches the part after the back story
But only when you start to organize your ideas will you be able to translate your raw insights into a form that will communicate meaning to your audience.
organizing your ideas helps make your writing clearer and it keeps your ideas organized so the story flows better
That universal experience, what reading and writing means for you, personally, getting down to that level of personal experience actually makes your writing more appealing and universal to the reader.
This passage explains that when you write from your own personal experiences with reading and writing, your story becomes more engaging. By being specific and honest about what literacy means to you, your writing actually connects with more readers.
Regardless of your structure, whether you tell your story chronologically or non-chronologically, you will definitely need transitional words and phrases to guide the reader through time.
This passage says that no matter how you organize your story, you need transitions to help the reader follow the shifts in time.
Because literacy narratives and memoirs often deal with events that happened early on in your life, you may be wondering, “But what if I don’t remember all the details?” That’s okay! Chances are that you won’t remember every word you spoke or what the weather was like, but it is important that you tell the emotional truth.
This passage says it’s normal not to remember every detail from early life events. What matters most in a literacy narrative is being honest about how the moment felt and why it mattered, not recalling exact words or perfect descriptions.
To create an idea map, start with your general topic in a circle in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then write specific ideas around it and use lines or arrows to connect them together. Add and cluster as many ideas as you can.
creating a map or a "web" can help organize your ideas and make the construction of the writing easier.
In everyday situations, you pose these kinds of questions to obtain more information. Who will be my partner for the project? When is the next meeting? Why is my car making that odd noise? Even the title of this chapter begins with the question “How do I begin?”
Asking these questions can make the writing process easier when beginning so that everything flows smoothly.
When selecting a topic, you may also want to consider something that interests you or something based on your own life and personal experiences. Even everyday observations can lead to interesting topics. After writers think about their experiences and observations, they often take notes on paper to better develop their thoughts. These notes help writers discover what they have to say about their topic.
This highlights how writers use notes to sort through their thoughts, which helps them figure out what they really want to say. The idea is that paying attention to your own life can lead to meaningful and engaging writing.