Expectations:

Work with others as much as you like, in person, by phone or email, in revising your manuscripts or helping others with theirs.

Minimal requirements:

• For the poetry or fiction assignment that a student is not presenting to class, that assignment must be edited and revised through a draft exchange involving an Author and two Reviewers. (At least one reviewer must be a fellow student in our course.)
   

• Purpose: to help you revise your manuscript and to provide content for the “Revision Account” required in your poetry or fiction submission.
   

• For the manuscript s/he is not presenting to the whole class, the Author gives at least two reviewers (students and outsiders) one or more manuscripts for review.
   

• The Author may explain contexts and ask for specific help.
   

• Reviewers read your manuscript, evaluate it, ask questions, and make suggestions
   

• The Author may respond to reviewers with comments about changes and revised manuscript. (This cycle may be repeated as often as profitable.)
   

• Or the Author may simply absorb the first round of suggestions and explain how they were incorporated in the “Revision Account” that accompanies the submission.

Justification for draft exchanges:

• Critiquing either a poetry or a fiction manuscript outside of class frees up time that would be taken if each student read both a poetry and fiction manuscript.
   

• Email draft exchanges provide an exercise in non-classroom, self-directed sharing and editing of creative writing. Creative writers not enrolled in classes often participate in such exchanges, formally or informally.

Who can be your outside reviewers?

• At least one of your reviewers must be a student in our class. If you have difficulties arranging this, confer with instructor.
   

• Your other reviewer(s) may be friends, relatives, mentors, whoever you're comfortable with--but try to recruit someone with plenty to offer.