Ask Yourself Some Questions

When I took writing classes with David Franke, he would tell his students to take the papers they were turning in, go to the back page, and answer some questions.

What is the best part of this paper? What's the worst part? What did you learn from writing this? If you could rewrite or revise this paper, what would you do differently?

This is perhaps one of the most beneficial lessons I learned from Dr. Franke. It forced us to analyze our own work. We had to critique ourselves, both positively and negatively. We had to figure out what we actually did to create our papers. We had to think about what our goals were, how well we achieved them, and how we could do better.

Frankly, this is a process that should never end. Any writer, after every draft they write, should ask themselves these questions. Although it is difficult to be your own critic (whether you are too lax or too harsh), it is usually true that you are more familiar with your work, style, and capability than any other person you know. And even if you try to hide or to deny it, you always know when something is wrong and when something is right.

If you don't believe me, then have somebody else critique your writing. If they criticize a part you know is bad, you will agree with them. If they criticize something you know is wonderful, you will fight them. Trust me, you always know the truth, even if you aren't willing to hear it.