English 1A
Writers Workshop
Tuesday 5/19, 8-10 am

The final exam for this class will be a Writer's Workshop, where students will analyze and comment upon each other's work.

Purpose:
To respond to the work of a fellow writer, to engage critical thinking and composition skills in that response, to synthesize concepts learned in the course of the semester, to prepare for the work to be done in English 1B.

Extra Credit Opportunity:
If you wish, you can get 20 points extra credit for submitting your narrative essay (or some other piece of creative writing - a short story, 4-5 poems, a chapter from a novel, or an act from a play). The submissions should be no less than four pages long.
Extra Credit submissions are due on Tuesday, May 12.
All submissions will be posted in the class website in preparation for the Writer's Workshop, which will take place on Tuesday, May 19 from 8-10 am in our normal room.

Instructions:

•  Read four of the pieces posted in the website, beginning on Wednesday, May 13. You may choose which four you read and respond to. As you read, note specific places in the text that interest you for whatever reason - passages or phrases that impressed you, characters that you reacted strongly to, questions that arise for you, and areas where you were confused.
• Write the author a four paragraph letter, addressing these four areas.
  • Paragraph 1: What is at the heart of this piece? What is the author trying to show? What are the central themes of the piece, and what might have been the author’s intent as he/she wrote?
  • Paragraph 2: What are the strengths of the piece? Give specific examples of where you thought piece was working well. Where is the language particularly clear or vivid? Is there a certain character that you really liked or thought was particularly well-drawn?
  • Paragraph 3:What suggestions can you give to the author if he/she were to go back and work on the piece some more? Are there areas that are confusing, either in language or in plot development? Do you see any gaps in the text that make it unclear?Are there areas where the author veers off into irrelevant material?
  • Paragraph 4: What questions do you have for the author? It might be about the piece itself, (i.e. “What inspired this piece?” “Why did this character do this particular thing?” “What do you plan to do with this piece?”) or about the author’s writing process or history (i.e. “How long have you been writing?” “Where do you get your motivation to write?” etc.
• Make two copies of your feedback - one for me, and one for the author of the piece.
• Discuss the piece in person on Tuessday, 5/19. Be prepared to say a few words from your written feedback.
• Rejoice in your newfound freedom from English 1A!Woohoo!

Authors:

You will read and analyze the stories of the other folks on the list, and for your own story, please write a paragraph or two answering the following questions. 

• What was the most challenging part about writing this narrative? What was frustrating about the process?
• What was the most rewarding part of writing the story? What was the most fun part?
• What do you feel are the strengths of the piece? What parts are you most proud of?
• What parts of the story are you still unsatisfied with?
• What specific questions do you have for the class as they read and analyze your work?  Are there areas that you’d particularly like for them to look at or notice?