Session 9: Revising to Control Tone and Emotion Concept: Revising and Editing a Memoir

Teaching Point Copy in NB: Memoirists revise for emblematic details, word choice, and stylistic decisions that portray the tone and emotional territory of the memoir.

Model Memoir: Word Choice Let’s take a look at JoAnn Beard’s “In the Current” What WORD CHOICE do you notice? What VERBS does she use in the selection? What is her emotion or the “truth” in this memoir? How do her words show us this?

My Turn…Be My Reviewer! Let’s take a look at my memoir that I decided to move forward with for my Project Folder – using the Elmo What verbs do I use? Nouns? What emotion am I trying to convey? What should I add in? Delete? WHY????

Your Turn – Independent Practice Mini-Task: Self-assess your draft looking first for strengths. Then look for spots to add and delete to clarify and strength the tone and control the emotional territory of the memoir. Add detail and show me emotion!! WORK on WORD CHOICE/VERB CHOICE I will come around to conference with you during this time!

Reflection Reflection #8: Self-assessing Are you too critical? Date and label this reflection on a fresh page: Reflection #8: Self-assessing Are you too critical? Are you too easy on yourself? How do you know when your self- assessment is “just right?” How is the memoir unit going for you? Do you like it or dislike it and why Answer all of the bullet points!

Homework Make revisions to your draft based on today’s work with word choice – nouns and verbs Make clear choices on additions and deletions! BRING FOUR COPIES of your memoir to the class on Monday 9/30, send me your paper in an email, or see me by 7:40 a.m. to make copies! (1 for you, 3 for response group members)