As you review your draft, think about how you can bring your observations to life by placing the people and events involved with your subject at the center of your essay. Have you done more than simply summarize your points? Will adding details help your readers better understand and connect to your subject? Can you make your points more effectively by quoting dialogue among the characters in your story? Can you illustrate key ideas by showing characters in action?

After reviewing your essay, ask yourself how you might polish and edit it so that your readers will find it easy to read (see Chapter 20).

Finally, if you’ve drawn on ideas, information, or examples from written works such as essays or stories or cultural productions such as movies or concerts, make sure that you’ve documented those sources in the body of your essay and in a works cited or references list.

For guidelines on the MLA and APA documentation systems, see Chapters 21 and 22.