Rough Draft Workshop

ROUGH DRAFT WORKSHOP GUIDELINES

DIRECTIONS: Take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on this assignment. Make sure to write about 3-5 sentences in response to each section; you should be addressing all questions within a given section with specific answers. “The essay looks organized to me,” is NOT a specific answer—for example, if the essay is that organized, then you should be able to tell me what specifically is so organized about it.

Questions:

1) Does the writer introduce their topic clearly and succinctly, providing the necessary historical, cultural, and other background information to contextualize their topic? Give one or two suggestions for improvement in this area (do not skip).

2) Please note any places in the essay where further clarifying details could be added. Is the writer clear about how the teenage girl's body is "hell"? Do they share enough of the plot from both stories so that the reader is not confused? Who are the characters involved, how are they defined, etc? Make sure historical context information is also provided.

3) Is the writer incorporating research from an outside source into the essay? If so, do they use proper MLA formatting? 

4) Does the writer have plenty of strong quotes and examples from the two stories in the essay, that they then analyze? They should! (Quotes, paraphrases, and summaries are needed for a successful paper).

5) Does the writer have sufficient analysis for their quotations and examples? Remember, analysis is even more important than the quote itself. Make sure the writer is not simply explaining the quote in a summarizing fashion, but connecting it to its larger significance.

6) Is the essay organized? Do the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Give at least one suggestion for improving the organization of the essay (do not skip). Chronological order is often a good order to use.

7) Do the "horrors" or "fears" that the essay analyzes connect to specific cultural and historical situations and contexts? Remember, this is really important in terms of creating a successful essay. You don't want to simply discuss generalized fears or issues--you need to be able to tie them to a social-political-historical context.