This is Revision Week.

• First, read the information on revision on pages 40-48 in Writing about Literature.
• Then, read Chapter 3 ("The Rewriting Process" on pages 33-54 in Literature and the Writing Process).
  • Study this chapter and know it well.
  • Be sure your paper looks like the example on pages 51-54 in Literature and the Writing Process
• If you try to take short cuts in this course, you will not do well. There is much here that you can use to help you revise your writing.
• Now, use the revisions checklists below (both "major revision checklist" and "lower-order checklist") to help you revise your first draft.
  
  You must e-mail me the final draft of your "Miss Brill" character sketch by Friday, February 20 (assignment 5).

Major Revisions Checklist

You should answer "yes" to all of these. If not, you must make changes accordingly.

• Does your essay have a specfic thesis that expresses the writer's opinion?
• Is this thesis at the end of the first paragraph?
• Do your paragraphs begin with topic sentences that express ideas related to the thesis?
• Do you adequately support the topic sentences with factual details?
• Do you use brief quotations from the text to add specificity to his or her writing?
• Do the topic sentences clearly relate to the overall thesis?
• Do you use transitions or transitional phrases to move the reader from point to point?

Lower-Order Revisions

Go to these two links and compare the information and lists to the drafts you are revising. Circle or mark any words or problems you see.

• Use the Revision Checklist to make changes to your first draft.
• Use the Wordiness Page to eliminate unnecessary words from your writing.
• Use the Specifics Page to make your word choice more specific.
• Use the Quotations Page for information about integrating quotations into your own writing
• Compare your text with the Words to Avoid Page

Remember, I want you to write a paper that characterizes Miss Brill and that doesn't simply tell me what happens in the story (which is merely summary).

Syllabus