Writer's Name ____________________ Readers' Names: ___________________________
ALL READERS: You may have to write on the back of the page if you're the 3rd, 4th, 5th ... reader.]
I. AS you read, ANNOTATE the essay (write in the margins) as follows:
II. AFTER you've read, answer the following questions IN WRITING:
A. Writer's question: (writer, what would you most like to know about your paper?)
B. A good narrative essay does more than tell a good story. There is usually a purpose beyond simply telling a story, a narrative point. The writer should be trying to convince readers of something that the writer believes is important. Does the writer do this? Explain.
C. Where is sentence structure monotonous? How would combining sentences, mixing sentence type, and alternating sentence length help?
D. Where could dialogue effectively convey character and propel the story forward?
E. Where are there inappropriate shifts in point of view or verb tense?
F. Which sentences would benefit from sensory details (description)?
G. Where do vigorous verbs convey action? Where could active verbs ("Many of us made the same error") replace passive ones ("The same error was made by many of us")? Where could dull to be verbs ("The room was dark") be converted to more dynamic forms ("The room darkened")?
H. Is there anything that doesn't belong in the essay, that doesn't support the main idea?
I. Does the essay have an attention-getting intro? Does it have a satisfactory conclusion? How could either the intro or the conclusion be improved?
J. Does the paper have a good title? If not, suggest an alternative. If the paper doesn't have a title, suggest one!
K. What did you like best about this essay?
L. What was the weakest part of the essay?
After peer revision, you should write in your journal. Read peer revision responses to YOUR essay; then respond to the following questions.
Don't forget to date your journal entry; label the entry Peer Revision 1.2.
Return to the Composition 101 page.