Questions to Ask Yourself During Drafting

Drafting & Revision Writing Questions

Questions to Ask Yourself During Drafting

What is my purpose for writing?
Who is my audience, and how will I adjust my message to them?What will my audience want to know about my topic?
What should my tone be?
Is there a subject? Does it say anything? Is it worth saying?
Is it focused? Does it stay on message?
How can I best arrange my information? (organization)
What are my main ideas?
What details can I use to support my main ideas?
How can I develop my thoughts?
Am I documenting my sources along the way? (citation)
What will make a good lead?
What will make a strong conclusion?
What will make for natural, logical transitions?

Revision Plan & Questions

Read the piece silently.
Read the piece aloud. Reading it aloud can highlight the flow and rhythm of the words.
Consider the whole piece first:
What are its strengths?
What parts do you like the best?
What are its weaknesses?
How can the weaknesses be improved?
What can be added?
What can be eliminated?
Next, focus on the paragraphs.
Are they well organized?
Does each have a main idea that is supported by details?
Do the paragraphs follow each other logically?
Are the transitions between them smooth?
Now consider the sentences.
Do they follow each other logically?
Are they clear?
Is there variety?
Focus on the phrases and words.
Which should be changed?
Which examples of clutter, filler, and redundancy could be removed?

*See the DRAFT handout for an alternative approach and further suggestions for focused revision.

Peer Group Guidelines

The purpose of your peer group is for the members to help each other improve their writing. This is done by a writer reading his or her work and having the group members respond to it. Each member should have a chance to share something, even if it is only a description of an idea for writing. To help your group work successfully, you must follow these rules:

Be a good listener and reader. Remain quiet when others are reading, and concentrate on their words.
Be polite and kind. Soft eyes.
Remain focused on the writing.
Always find something positive in every paper.
Always find something that can be improved. Suggest; do not criticize or mock.
Try to offer specific comments. Examples:
Give what you think the main idea or theme was.
Tell what you thought was the best part of the paper and why.
Tell the author what details seemed particularly interesting.
Tell what you would like to see expanded.
Tell the author about any parts you found confusing or redundant.
Suggest specific ways to solve problems in the writing, especially any the writer brings up.
Ask specific questions. It’s better to ask questions that get the writer thinking about his or her own piece. See the questions listed below for possible examples.

Writing Conference Questions

As part of the revision process, you must ask yourself questions. Here are some example questions. You may be assigned certain questions to respond to; they may also be used by teachers and students during conferences.

This list of questions provides good cold starts that lead to productive conferencing, but the best questions pay attention to the text and author, responding with further questions. Subsequent inquiries and follow through questions benefit the writer. A reader that asks the author genuine questions that he or she needs answered is best.

How’s it coming?
What are you working on today?
How can I help you? OR What part do you want help with?
What did you learn from this piece of writing?
What do you intend to do in the next draft?
What surprised you in the draft?
Where is the piece of writing taking you?
What do you like best in the piece of writing? OR What things do you like about this piece?
What are the two strongest parts of this piece?
What is the most effective sentence?
What is one spot you would like to see vivified – brought to life and given energy?
What do I/you want to know more about?
What is the main point, main idea, theme, or message?
What are some details?
What suggestions can I offer?
Is any part of this confusing?
What can be eliminated without losing the author’s intention? (words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs)
What do you think readers will need in order to feel the impact?
Where did [this thought] come from, and is there anything else there?
What questions do you have of me?

Example Writing “Problems” turned into Helpful Questions

When reading another writer’s work, be kind and helpful. So when you find an issue in a classmate’s writing, it is better to turn your potential criticism into a question that drives the writer into useful reflection, leading in a helpful direction. Here are some suggestions:

Issue Encountered / Conference Approach Questions
The writing is unfocused: it covers many ideas, themes, days, events, etc. /

What’s the most important thing you’re trying to say?
What is this piece of writing really about?
Do you have more than one point or story here?
What parts are about something else? Can these be cut?
Which example or illustration is the best one?
What’s your favorite part? How can you build on it?
How can you cut to the chase?

There is not enough information. /

I don’t understand X. Put your draft aside and tell me about it. [You take notes while they tell you about it. Ask more questions and discuss afterward].
What else do you know about this topic? How could you find out more?
You wrote X. Here’s what I see or think when I hear X. Is that what you mean?
What parts need to be explained better so a reader can see or understand them? [Mark each with an *].
Is the pace too fast here? Can you slow it down and expand the information in this part?
Where and when did this happen? Who are these people? Where could you embed the contextual information?

Something is missing: The writing is a list of events, a list of facts, or it is all plot. There’s no reflection, no voice, or no character for a reader to engage with. /

Why is X significant to you or others? Why does it matter?
What do you think about X?
How did you feel when X happened?
Can you put an * at every point in the draft where you could engage a reader by describing your thoughts and feelings, or the characters?

Weak Lead: Arm’s length, no direction, front loaded, boring, or formulaic. /

Does this lead bring a reader right into the writing – right into the event, the idea, the life of the character?
Would this lead invite a reader to continue reading?
Your lead makes me feel X. Is that what you intended?
Where does the writing really begin, really get going? Can you cut everything before that?
On another sheet of paper can you rough out one or two new leads? [Review after time].

Weak Conclusion: Sudden, drags on, lack of closure, or formulaic. /

How do you want a reader to think and feel at the end? Will this conclusion do it?
I’m confused at the end; I’m left wondering about X. How can you clear this up?
The conclusion left me a feeling of X. Is this how you want me to feel?
The conclusion left me thinking X. Is this the impression you intend?
Where does the piece of writing really end? Can you delete the rest of the draft and stop here?
On another sheet of paper can you rough out one or two new conclusions? [Review after time].

There is little to no dialogue in this narrative. /

Did people talk here? Can you quote the words they said – let your reader hear how they spoke and use dialogue to reveal what they’re like and how they feel?

The writer’s purpose is unclear. /

Why are you writing about this? What makes this a subject you want to write about?
Do you know what you’re talking about here?
Do you want to move on to a topic you know more about, care more about?