How can writing workshops or peer review sessions help you improve a draft of something you've written? They give you a chance to find our how your draft actually affects readers.
They allow you to replace parts of your draft with ideas from other writers.
They demonstrate what a great writer you are, so that you want to keep writing.
They show you how to change the main point or message of your draft.

What caused the american civil war? there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense. one of the main quarrels was about taxes paid on goods brought into this country from foreign countries. this tax was called a tariff. southerners felt these tariffs were unfair and aimed toward them because they imported a wider variety of goods than most northern people. taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. an awkward economic structure allowed states and private transportation companies to do this, which also affected southern banks that found themselves paying higher interest rates on loans made with banks in the north. the situation grew worse after several “panics,” including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. southern financiers found themselves burdened with high payments just to save northern banks that had suffered financial losses through poor investment. which sentence from the selection states a major detail that supports the main idea? a there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. b taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. c the situation grew worse after several "panics," including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. d this tax was called a tariff. e between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense.

Read this excerpt from “what i hope to leave behind.” for a number of years it took so much vitality to keep the home going, and that home represented so many different kinds of activities, that none of us had any urge to go outside of this sphere. if “what i hope to leave behind” was the subject of a class discussion, why might paraphrasing this sentence be ? you could analyze the key themes while also staying true to the original language. you could summarize the key ideas, which would shorten the length of the excerpt. you could use your own ideas and concepts, which would add important information. you could rephrase it in your own words, which might clarify the meaning of the excerpt.

Hyperbole in the book messenger by lois lowry