English 121

• Read the the Final Essay assignment instructions in Week Five (your draft is due in Week Three, and the Final Essay is due in Week Five).
• Review the Instructor Guidance for this week.
• Read Chapter 4 of Essentials of College Writing, paying close attention to the techniques for generating ideas.
• Review the Grading Rubric for this discussion.

• Think about which techniques might be more helpful for you when choosing topics.
• Start brainstorming three to five ideas for your personal essay.

• Provide your three to five ideas (in list format) for your Final Essay.
• Write a paragraph explaining how you used the techniques in Chapter 4 to come up with those ideas.
• Share what you think the key elements of a narrative are (i.e., what makes a good story work).

Your initial post must be 200 to 300 words in length and posted by Day 3. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite any references as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

• Explain which of your classmates’ ideas for a personal essay seem more intriguing and why.
• Compare the techniques your classmates used to develop their ideas in comparison to the techniques you chose.
• Explain why you chose the techniques you did and whether you will try your classmates’ techniques in the future.

Response posts must be 125 to 200 words in length for each. If you have questions about how to participate in discussions, consult “About Discussions” under the Course Home menu. You are not required to support your claims with additional scholarly sources; however, should you decide to use additional sources, make sure you properly cite any references. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s Citation and Reference Guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for guidelines on citing sources in APA style.