This document provides reminders and solutions for common errors seen in literacy narrative drafts. It addresses issues with dialogue format, lack of specific stories and details, references to the essay itself, and inappropriate addressing of the reader. For dialogue, it cannot be altered or explained within quotation marks and must fit seamlessly into the narrative. For details, vague hypothetical situations are less effective than real examples. References to "this essay" or the assignment should be avoided. The tone when addressing the reader should be respectful and avoid assumptions about what the reader knows.

1. Literacy Narrative Drafts
Recurring Errors and Reminders/Solutions

2. Error 1: Dialogue Format
 Reminder: Dialogue quotes exactly what
someone said and can’t be altered or
explained within the quotation marks.
“Holy s*&%!” he said. (No, he didn’t,
unless he said “Holy ess-asterisk-
ampersand percentage!”)
He said, “IDK (I don’t know), wyd (what
you doing?)” (Don’t translate within the
dialogue itself—that comes later.)

3. Error 1: Dialogue Format
Dialogue also has to fit seamlessly into
your essay.
“Our conversation went like this:” is
awkward.
Yesterday, my niece came over. While
sitting on the porch, she looked at me
and said, “Why sky blue?”

4. Error 1: Dialogue Format
 Solution: Instructional video will be
added to D2L over weekend—check
for it! (Everybody needs different
help.)

5. Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details

 Reminder: A narrative consists of a story
(or stories) to demonstrate your claim—
not hypothetical or general situations.
 Vague examples of how you might or
would speak to certain people aren’t as
effective as specific situations in which
you did speak that way.
 You may need only one story per type of
English you speak—you don’t have to
follow the typical support/example body
paragraph structure in this genre.

6. Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details

Avoid: When speaking to my friends, I
say “sup?” but I would say something
more like “How are you doing?” if
speaking to my boss.
Say: Last week, after we finished a
killer chemistry test, my friend Jess
said, “That was whack.”

7. Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details

Solution: A sample essay with
instructor comments will be available on
D2L shortly—check for it!

8. Error 3: References to Essay
 “In this essay I will discuss…”
 “As this essay has demonstrated…”
 “I’m writing this paper for English
class…”
 “For this assignment, I am required to
discuss three Englishes I speak…”
Don’t refer to your own essay in the
essay—it isn’t appropriate for academic
writing.

9. Error 4: Addressing Reader
Acceptable:
 Have you ever considered…
 You may find yourself changing words
depending on your audience…
Inappropriate/Unacceptable:
 “As you can clearly see…”
 “Now you know…”
 “That sounds weird to you…”