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Is your essay great?

The criteria below will help you decide. And, as with all the resources on my website, these are not the only qualities of a great essay—these are just a few qualities that I have observed in essays that I find to be great.

How might you use these criteria? Read your essay aloud, or have someone else read it aloud, then ask these questions:

Core Values (aka Information). Can you name at least 4-5 of the author’s core values? Do you detect a variety of values, or do the values repeat?
- Examples of NOT varied values: hard work, determination, perseverance
- Examples of more varied values: autonomy, resourcefulness, healthy boundaries, diversity
Vulnerability. Does the essay sound like it’s mostly analytical or like it’s coming from a deeper, more vulnerable place?
- Another way of asking this: Does it sound like the author wrote it using mostly his or her head (intellect) or his or her heart and gut?
- After reading the essay, do you know more about the author AND feel closer to him or her?
“So what” moments (aka Important & interesting connections). Can you identify at least 3-5 “so what” moments of insight in the essay?
- Are these moments kind of predictable, or are they truly illuminating?
Craft. Do the ideas in the essay connect in a way that is logical, but not too obvious (aka boring)?
- Can you tell that the essay represents a series of carefully considered choices and that the author spent a lot of time revising the essay over the course of several drafts?
- Is it interesting and succinct throughout? If not, where do you lose interest?
- Where could words be cut or which part isn’t revealing as much as it could be?