Suzanne Warren sewarren@pugetsound.edu 11/2015
1
SSI 176a American Autobiography from Franklin to Facebook
Reflection on Essay 2
Studies show that reflecting on your writing process can greatly aid you in becoming a
better writer. Write a letter to me in which you explore how writing this paper was for
you (300+ words).
1. Describe your writing process, including prewriting, thesis workshop, drafting, peer
workshop, and revision. Discuss your conference with me and any Writing Center visits,
if applicable. Feel free to be honest—this is confidential.
2. What did you do successfully? What did you better in this paper than in previous
papers, either in this or other classes?
3. What did you struggle with? If you had an extra day to work on the paper, what would
you work on?
Your letter also provides context as I read your essay and valuable information as I shape
the course and plan the next workshop.
Adapted from Elizabeth G. Allan and Dana Lynn Driscoll, “The Three-fold Benefit of Reflective Writing:
Improving Program Assessment, Student Learning, and Faculty Professional Development.” Assessing
Writing 21 (2014) 37-55.
ENGL 342 Literary Genre: The Short Story Cycle
Flash Fiction Story Cycle and Writing Reflection
Length: Each story: 2-3 pages (600-900 words). Reflection: 3-4 pages (900-1200 words).
Write a story cycle: “a literary work in which autonomous short stories are interrelated in
a coherent whole text.” The unifying element may be setting, individual or collective
protagonist, theme, object, or something else entirely. Aim to make the three individual
stories function as both stand-alone stories and as parts of a greater whole. Feel free to
adapt the prompts below as you wish.
In your writing reflection, situate your story cycle in the context of the course readings
thus far (Mann, Anderson, Kennedy, Updike, Austin, Brooks, Nagel, Danticat, Cisneros,
and/or Johnson, etc). Discuss your influences, your aims, and your writing process.
Which writers were your models, and why? How did the form shape the content, and the
content shape the form? What aspects of your story cycle do you count as successes, and
what did you struggle with?