ENGL 0099 Learning Support English
Writing helps to develop our thinking because it allows us to revisit our first thoughts. Through writing, we can re-see, reshape, and refine those thoughts. When writing is thought of as a process of dialogue between the writer and the emerging text, it means that we shift from being writers to being readers of our own drafts. As readers, we should always question our own draft(s).
Initial Questions
Pull back from your paper. Ask yourself:
Ø What else can I say?
Ø What can I add here?
Ø Will this make sense?
Ø Is this what really happened?
Ø What questions will my readers or teacher ask?
Questions About Information
Ø Do I have enough information?
Ø What's the strongest or most exciting part of the piece and how can I build on it?
Ø Have I answered the “who, what, when, where, why, and how?”
Ø Have I described the scene and people with enough detail that a reader can see, feel, smell, touch, and taste what's happening?
Ø Is there any part that might confuse a reader? Have I explained each part well enough that a reader will know what I mean?
Ø Does this piece need conversation (internal or external)?
Ø Do I have too much information?
Ø What parts aren't needed--don't add to my point or story? Can I delete them?
Ø What is each section of this paper really about, if I had to sum it up in a sentence?
Ø Are there parts that are about something else? Can I cut them?
Ø Is there too much conversation?
Ø Are there too many fussy little details?
Ø Have I explained too much?
Questions About Introduction
Ø Does my introduction bring my reader right into my piece, right into the action?
Ø Do I need to add some background information so the reader will understand the subject?
Ø
Do I have too much background
information such that my reader will be confused about what the subject
specifically is?
Questions About Conclusions
Ø Do I clearly restate my thesis idea?
Ø Does my conclusion leave my reader eager to reread the piece?
Ø Does my conclusion provide a clear and complete summary of my main points?
Ø How do I want the reader to feel at the end of the piece? Does this conclusion do it?
Ø What do I want my reader to know at the end of the piece? Does this conclusion do it?
Questions About Titles
Ø Does my title fit what the piece is about?
Ø Is my title a "grabber"? Would it make a reader want to read my piece?
Questions About Style
Ø Have I cluttered my piece with unnecessary adjectives and adverbs?
Ø Have I said something more than once?
Ø Have I used any word(s) too often?
Ø Are any sentences too long and tangled?
Ø Are any sentences too brief and choppy?
Ø Have I paragraphed correctly with only one clear, specific topic covered in each paragraph?
Ø Have I broken the flow of my paper by paragraphing too often?
Ø Do I avoid using first person point of view (“I” or “me”)?
Ø Have I replaced all "you" phrases with another noun like "students" or “one?”
Ø Does the main verb tense stay the same--present (it's happening now) or past (it happened before)?