Assignment: Drafting, Evaluation, and Revision
Use your proposal and outline to write a rough draft of your essay. When you're finished, evaluate your own work and get some feedback on your work.
Directions
• Write a rough draft
• Review and redraft
• Submit your redraft to SmartThinking or Campus Writing Center. Please remember that SmartThinking takes 24-48 hours to respond. The link to SmartThinking is on the left hand navigation bar. Writing Center is immediate feedback.
• Once you receive your edit from SmartThinking or the Writing Center, submit it to me.
Tips
Answer the following questions to evaluate your own essay. Use the same list of questions to gather feedback from Smarthinking and/or the Writing Center. Use your feedback to make any improvements you want to your essay. You will have next week to continue drafting and revising for final changes before you turn in your final essay.
• Does the essay have a purpose? Why should anyone read this? What do they gain?
• How does the essay's opening capture the audience's interest? Does it indicate why this matters? How else might it begin?
• Is the subject described in enough detail for the intended audience? Is there any other information readers might need to understand the point?
• What insights has the author gained from the essay? Are they stated explicitly? Is it likely that readers will accept the conclusions?
• Is the point of the essay clear? Has it been stated in a thesis sentence?
• Is there sufficient evidence to support the essay's point? What evidence could be added?
• What is the tone of the essay? Does it suit the essay's point? Is it appropriate for the audience and purpose?
• Is the essay effectively designed?
• Is the essay effectively organized? Are there adequate transitions between ideas?
• Is the style of this essay appropriate for the audience and purpose? Are the word choices and sentence structure appropriate?
• Is the conclusion forceful and memorable? How else could the essay end?
• Does the essay's title make clear the topic and encourage readers to be interested in reading?