P2: I, Writer

(Bonus -- if you'd like to start working ahead, consult this handout on preferring vivid "showing" to unnecessary "telling".)

Note: Writing prompts are not like questions on a quiz, where you are expected to answer each one, in order.  Use the following prompts to guide your thinking, responding to whichever ones spark the most promising ideas.  When you sort through your ideas and actually start writing, come up with your own controlling idea, illustrated with good examples, in order to express an important point about yourself as a writer.

Writing Prompts

• Who are you, as a writer?
• What do you you write, for whom, and why?
• When, where, and how do you write?
• What have you written that made you proud? Embarrassed? Bored?
• Do you have a strong physical or emotional reaction when you think of the words "college writing"?

Self-Revision Checklist:
Before you submit your paragraph, ask yourself these questions:

• Does your submission begin with your best idea, or does it begin with a tentative answer to "Who are you as a writer," and then continue in order, with brief answers to each prompt? (Remember, the prompts are just suggestions -- please don't submit short answers to each prompt.)
  
• Is the first two-thirds of the paragraph just filler ("Some people like to talk about X, while other people like to talk about Y.  I am here to ask a question about the completely unrelated topic Z.")? (If your first significant thought comes at about the 2/3 point, cut that filler and start over again with that strong thought in the thesis position.)
• Are you puffing up your language in an effort to boost the word count, or maybe to sound more intelligent?  (Writing "at this point in time" instead of "now," or "utilize" instead of "use"?)
• Have you illustrated your main idea with vivid details that teach me something I don't already know about you?

Evaluation

This assignment is a starting point. It's purpose is to help us identify your strengths and weaknesses. It's also an opportunity for you to get to know my evaluation methods.

There is no single "correct" way to answer this essay. Every answer, even the very good ones, can be improved. Even if I make detailed comments and offer many specific suggestions, that doesn't mean you've done anything "wrong."

I will provide feedback according to the same rubric for P1. You can use it to avoid losing points for some common newbie mistakes -- such as submitting several short paragraphs instead of a single 200-word paragraph, submitting too many words (in the hopes that you'll get extra points), omitting an important detail such as your name, or forgetting to supply a meaningful title.