Really Responding - Rocio Nicot

1.     This text surprises me because it sheds a light on what it’s like to be the audience – what to look for when reviewing someone else’s work. This gives an idea as to what errors to look for, and how not to approach a situation where a writer will ultimately feel discouraged by his/her work.

2.     In a way, the checklist offered before reading the paper is the very similar to the mental checklist done while writing – with questions such as: “is this paper supposed to be a personal essay? A report? An analysis? An argument?” This goes hand in hand with knowing your audience while writing, and being the one to give some sort of revision means that you also need to know your place as a reader. This text also gives a lot of tips on how to approach revising a paper, and in a way gives a better understanding to how one should read and revise their own writing. Punctuation and grammatical errors aren’t always the primary problem and can be dealt with at a later time – this thought alone is one I struggle with every time I write.

3.     I have done many peer reviews in the past and I tend to focus on the smaller issues with an essay, because I am worried of how the writer might take my criticism on their actual ideas or points. With less emphasis on the smaller issues, more thought can be put into the overall idea of an essay, the purpose of the writing and what message the writer is trying get across.