What is the NING all about?

Early Desert Bloom in March

Your Ning group is the official writing response group for the narrative.  We will be working on revising the narratives from now until the end of the class.

You have two official roles as a response group member.  

First, you are a writer who is coming to the group for guidance and advise about your writing.  You, however, are still in absolute control of you own work.

1. Ask the group for SPECIFIC suggests on your paper so that they will feel free to comment.  
2. If there are aspects of your paper which you do NOT want comments on, indicate  you are satisfied or “finished” with that particular item or section.  
3. Ask for clarification if you do not understand the response. 
4. Acknowledge the comments made by others if they ask questions.

Secondly, you are a responder for each member of your group.

1. Read and respond directly to any questions the writer asks,  
2. Make your comments specific and indicate paragraph/ sentences that you are referring to. 
3. Remember to be constructive, not destructive, but also feel obliged to help make the paper even better than it is.   
4. Make your comments include suggests and questions, not just praise .

 Use the following questions I use with my college students as a guide.

• What parts of the paper did you find confusing or hard to understand and why? 
• Is there anything you would cut or add? Why? 
• What is the most important part of this paper and why? 
• What sentences sound awkward or seem odd? 
• What emotions do you think the writer is trying to convey with the narrative?  Does it work?
• Where does he/she seem to be saying/explaining too little? Too much?

Response hint:  Sometimes response is best posed as in questions.  Rather than saying "you should add more detail to the description of your friend"  ask "could you paint a clear picture of your friend in the first section when you introduce him to the reader?"  This is a concrete suggestion and more specific.