your papers, here are a few things to double-check:

• Is it properly headed?
• Does your Works Cited page contain the proper information?
• Do you have more than one block quotation (for this assignment you shouldn’t need any)?
  • Remember that you are explaining the text to your audience; large quotations mean your readers have to dig through the to find the relevant information. Do them a favor: cut the information down to only the necessary bits and integrate them with your explanations

If your paper does not meet these requirements, check the links above for more information or go to the OWL at Purdue and dig around.

We decided on this schedule for next week. Note that I have made some changes in order to provide you adequate time to edit and research your topics.

Monday and Tuesday: Presentation of individual arguments

You will each have a few minutes to present your argument and any relevant support. As a class, we will point you in the direction of other helpful information or counterarguments.

Bring your research journal (including an outline of your argument) and sources to class.

Wednesday: Review of rhetorical techniques and editing

We will review the rhetorical techniques we’ve been discussing. I will then illustrate the use of these techniques on examples from your arguments.

I will also give you an overview of what to look for when editing a peer’s paper. We will go over constructive criticism, editing symbols, and what to focus on for this type of writing.

Bring your updated outline, research journal, and sources to class

Thursday: Peer review of arguments

You will each read two rough drafts, using the information from Wednesday as a guide. I will be circulating to answer questions and give advice. I’ll look over the edits at home, and return them Friday.

Bring the rough draft of your argument and your outline, research journal, and sources to class.

Friday: One-on-one discussion and revision

I will spend a few minutes with each of you to answer any last questions and go over the edited draft. While I am working with individual students, the rest will look over the edited drafts and begin the final draft. If there is space, we may work in the computer lab downstairs.

Bring all of your research materials and a copy of your rough draft (on a flash drive or email it to yourself).

Monday (10/12): Presentation of final drafts and discussion

We will have a short dance party in honor of our success, and bask in the glory of a job well done. We’ll discuss the issue, content in the understanding that we can all have a thoughtful conversation about this issue.

Bring your final draft stapled with the outline and rough draft.

Tuesday (10/13): Introduction to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Project C

We will begin an in-depth study of this turning point in our nation’s history by discussing what we know about the protests in Birmingham during 1962. I’ll review best annotation practices, then give you a copy of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”—one of the greatest rhetorical works ever written. You should read and annotate it over the break.

Wednesday (10/14): PSAT!

I’ll be so lonely…

I came across Bad Idea magazine in Barnes & Noble the other day while looking for the latest printing of The Believer (music issue with CD!).  These things happen, mags are potato chips, etc….

This feature from Bad Idea‘s website illustrates the editing process undertaken before an article is printed.  Check out the deletions from first and fourth paragraphs: It is a very short piece, but strong because the editor removes the initial pathos-laden information, allowing the reader to ease into the story and the rising action. The details of Marko’s life are only hinted at in the beginning, as the author mentions he "fled to Belgrade," "had run out of money," and now "packs as adroitly as a refugee."  These small details pique the reader’s curiosity but do not deliver enough information to satisfy.

The climax ("’For me, I felt happy about 9/11’") and the surrounding buildup is left mostly intact, with one important exception: the editor’s command of "Show, don’t tell." If there is only one mantra you remember in your studies as a creative writer, make it this one. These asides and clarifications have the effect of pulling the reader from actively imagining and engaging with the scene to passively accepting information. In this case, it’s as if the author is presenting a good movie, but pausing every so often to talk about what is going on.

All writing is about communication; creative writing (even creative nonfiction) is about communicating an experience.  If your reader feels what you feel, sees what you see, then you’ve done your job as a writer.  If your reader senses your presence in the experience, you have "broken the fourth wall" (to borrow a phrase from theatre) and the connection is lost. As soon as you speak to your reader instead of about the story, you have taken away his or her chance to actively reflect (which is the very thing that makes reading fun and engaging).  This is the challenge for all you creative writers: tell your story, let the audience make of it what they will.