WoRking WiTh FinAl dRAFTs 305Reading as a Writer- What is taylor’s thesis or argument?
- How well does she help you follow the logic of her argument with
transitions? - How effectively does she distinguish between her ideas and the ideas she
summarizes, paraphrases, or quotes? - to what extent are you persuaded by her argument?
- What should taylor do next?
WoRking With FinAL dRAFts
■ understand the Writer’s Responsibilities
Your final draft should require editing, not revising. At this stage, read-
ers should focus on errors in style and grammar in the text, not on the
substance of your work. Here, too, indicate your main concerns in a cover
letter (Figure 10.6).■ understand the Reader’s Responsibilities
Once a writer’s ideas are developed and in place, readers should turn their
attention to the bottom level of the composition pyramid, to matters of
style and grammar. At this stage, details are important: Is this the best
word to use? Would this sentence be easier to follow if it was broken into
two sentences? Which spelling is correct — Freedman or Friedman? Are
citations handled consistently? should this question mark precede or fol-
low the quotation mark? the grammatically correct reader evaluates and
makes judgments about the writer’s work. this reader may simply indicate
with a mark of some sort that there’s a problem in a sentence or para-
graph, or may even correct the writer’s work. Figure 10.7 is a list of ques-
tions a reader should ask of a final draft.- What is your unique perspective on your issue?
- to what extent do the words and phrases you use reflect who you
believe your readers are? - does your style of citation reflect accepted conventions for academic
writing? - What do you think is working best?
- What specific aspect of the essay are you least satisfied with at this
time?
FIGURE 10.6 the Writer’s Cover Letter: Final drafts10_GRE_60141_Ch10_286_312.indd 305 11/3/14 8:13 AM