LOVE REVIEWS LESSON 2 DTs

Lesson Two: Discussion Topics

1.Analyze the following passage:

"John saw Maria coming his way. And he panicked. John ducked into the store. And hid in the bathroom."

Take note of the grammar errors within the passage and write a short review about it. Ask yourself "Why?" as you review to ensure that you go into detail why you feel there is a mistake and how the writer can fix it. Elaborate your comment and include what you feel the hypothetical writer of this passage may need to hear in order to better understand where the mistake is and how to avoid it in the future.

This is an intriguing set of facts. The way you have written it includes some grammatical mistakes, which if fixed, will make this statement fit an unclear hole in your story. I would like to see you make some corrections in your punctuation, as well, to enable the passage to read more smoothly. I have made the corrections and would like you to take a look at them to see if they say what you mean to say.I have highlighted them in blue to make it easier to see them:

John saw Maria coming his way, and he panicked. He ducked into the store and hid in the store's bathroom

Try this with the rest of your thoughts to see if it works. This is how I interpreted what you were saying!/


2.Analyze the following passage:

"Kayla was a normal seventeen year old girl who lived on a normal street. Each day she would wake up at exactly the same time, brush her teeth and hair, and then get dressed. But this morning was not like all the other mornings. This morning there was something missing. When Kayla bounded down the stairs to eat breakfast, there was a man in a black suit standing at the bottom of the stairs."

Talk about the beginning of the passage, explain whether you felt the passage is a good starting point for a novel or a bad one. Remember your other questions and what we discussed in this lesson. Use the "Why and how?" method if you feel it is necessary. Feel free to branch off into discussions about other plot elements too. Keep in mind that there may be more you can discuss in this passage outside of plot elements. Keep your eyes peeled for grammar issues as well. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to interpret this passage, there is only your opinion of it!

This is an interesting beginning passage to what promises to be a great charater-driven scene! To make it more effective, "normal" needs to be defined with specific examples The use of the word "missing" is not an appropriate word choice; I would recommend explaining what is out of place with a word other than missing.


3. What are some ways you can determine whether a writer's mistake is a typo or genuine confusion?

It is usually possible to determine if the mistake is typo by studying it in the context of the surrounding words.

4. What elements should a story's plot contain to make it successful?

5. If you came across a story containing a major plot hole, how might you phrase your suggestions so they can easily understand the problem and fix it?

It is not required that you respond to all of the topic questions. However, it is required that you participate in the discussion and give your fellow learners a response to at least one or two of the discussion topics. Remember, you must post your discussions in the "Love Reviews Assignment Forum" under the topic I've created called: "Lesson Two Discussions".

How This Lesson Will be Graded:

Requested Completion Date: January 22nd, 2010 at 11:59pm EST.
Although you will not lose marks for handing in late assignments, I strongly recommend all learners complete their assignments on time in order to receive the maximum amount of feedback for their work. You can only hurt yourself if you let yourself fall behind. Please keep up and do not wait until the last possible minute to finish your assignments! At this time I would also like to reiterate that you are required to complete the assignments given in this course in order to pass.