Topic 5.2: Reading Like a Writer During Peer Review
Topic 5.2: Reading Like a Writer During Peer Review
You are about to work in groups of three or four again for the purpose of building your writing community and revising your Descriptive Essay Drafts. You will want to take what you have learned in "How to Read Like a Writer" and work toward reading your peers' essays as a writer would (since you all are writers, of course, it only makes sense).
Bunn talks about reading a text first for contextual evidence (purpose and audience). While it may seem obvious that the audience for the Descriptive Essay is the class and instructor, it is possible that someone may intend to use this essay for additional audiences—a college literary magazine, newspaper, or personal blog perhaps.
Another factor to consider is genre. Your assignment was to write a descriptive essay, so the genre is pre-determined for you, but consider how the essay demonstrates descriptive conventions, structure, and style. If the essay has allowed another genre (the narrative essay, for example) take control of the essay, let your peer know and point to areas where the description dovetails into storytelling.
You can survey an essay fairly quickly for context and genre. You will spend more time working through the essay for language, structure, clarity, and evidence. Make sure you take the time to work on these other elements thoroughly. Your peer review assignment will guide you with questions in all of these areas. Remember to keep in mind the following advice from Bunn: "Deciding whether you liked or disliked something is only about you; considering whether a technique is appropriate or effective lets you contemplate what the author might have been trying to do and to decide whether a majority of readers would find the move successful" (81).
Assignments
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