What is a Draft? What is Expected for the Writing Workshop on Revision?
Although teachers always talk about writing "drafts," we don't always tell you what we expect from a draft or admit that there are many different kinds of draft. Sometimes we assume that each draft is simply more "correct" than the one before, with the final version being as perfect as possible. Drafts are probably better understood as a series of attempts to explain your understanding of a subject, with each draft helping you understand your idea a bit better and explain it a bit more clearly to an audience. Although it is sometimes the case that we are simply doing a better and better job of communicating our ideas as we move from one draft to the next, the fact is that as we write we also discover new ideas so that the paper sometimes alters—and improves—not just in how you say things but also in what you have to say.
So what kind of a draft am I asking for in this assignment? There are two different approaches that are both useful; pick the one that best suits your needs and interests.
OPTION ONE:
You can submit what you regard as a preliminary version of your final paper by offering an opening, a thesis statement, some main points developed with the use of explanations and evidence, and a conclusion.
If you write this kind of draft, we can use class time to talk about such things as what arguments are clear and unclear, what points need more explanation or evidence, and whether the paper seems to communicate your ideas in a coherent and persuasive fashion. We could make suggestions about how to revise your thesis, organization, and/or conclusion.
You can write this kind of draft if the objective that concerns you the most is fine-tuning your writing by learning about how to manage the forms and structures of essays.
OPTION TWO:
You can write an exploratory draft in which you provide a kind of informal log describing your mind in the process of responding to the text(s) and question(s). In other words, instead of presenting a final argument, describe the kinds of reactions you have as you read the texts, the things you notice, the things that puzzle you, the hunches and hypotheses you have, and so forth. Be as detailed as possible without worrying at all about putting this into any kind of structure or even about expressing it in a clear way. Go ahead and cite the lines that you find yourself coming back to or that drive you crazy. Also, push your head, heart, and imagination to respond as fully as possible. PLAY with the text and let your thoughts run free.
If you write an exploratory draft, we will spend our time in class helping you find the "gold" in your pan. What ideas are worth pursuing? Which ideas could be combined to form a really exciting interpretation?
You should write this kind of draft if the goal to which you are most committed to is discovering how to find truth and depth for your writing.
No matter which option you choose, the main things we need to hear about in your draft are your interpretations and the quotations from the text that connect with those thoughts. Don't worry about secondary sources from critics—your goal should be to produce your own "reading" (i.e. interpretation) of the material.