1. ENGLISH 8 HARMONY MIDDLE SCHOOL Writing Highlights

2. Revision You have been asked to revise your writing. Writing can best be revised when we have specific goals that we are looking for. That helps us go from looking at the whole piece and not knowing where to start, to having some specific direction. The following are some of the mini-lessons you received. You can draw from that material for your goals.

3. Good writers Vary sentence structure  Use short, simple sentences  Use commas and semi-colons to create complex sentences  Use parenthetical asides  Use dashes when appropriate Make the writing come alive for your reader!

4. Good writers Include internal dialogue with their characters  Internal dialogue reflects what characters are really thinking and feeling  Can show disagreement to what they say out loud  Help us as readers feel like we are experiencing the same thing

5. Good writers Create external dialogue between characters  Moves the story forward  Adds to character  Adds to plot As good writers, we avoid “cereal” conversations.

6. Good writers Balance direct / indirect characterization  Readers like to discover things about characters as much as they like to be told.  Experiment with converting your direct characterization (“She was tall”) to indirect (“I had to look up to make eye contact.”)

7. Good writers Use good word choice  It’s not always about the big words... It is about using words that catch our attention.  Example: describing a coconut as “stubborn”  Avoid words that are generic and common such as: things, good, or like

8. Good writers Layer conflict  Characters are working out an internal conflict as well as an external conflict (like two sides of the same coin)  Use internal dialogue to discuss this internal conflict  Adds depth to your writing

9. Good writers Try to have a cohesive ending to their story  Circular  Epiphany  Resolution

10. Good Writers Get details from the world around them  Adopt details about characters from the people you know  Steal details of things that have happened to you to make your interactions seem real

11. Good Writers Support their ideas with facts and evidence  You help make your point just by the information that you select  You can’t just repeat the information.... You have to analyze it!

12. So what? As you are choosing your piece to revise, you also need to pick goals to approach within your writing. You should have 2. If you want a goal that isn’t on the list we just presented, you must first ask us for permission.

13. Revision Take your writing piece and start making changes according to your two goals... As well as anything else you see. To recap, you can:  Conference with others  Google Share  Sloppy Copy – see next page

14. Example of “Sloppy Copy”