A document could even elicit both reactions. For example, I still have the first "full book" I ever finished in its original, badly formatted form. I'm talking weird paragraphs, arbitrary chapter cutoffs, and a title page in which I give away the entire plot of the story.
I wrote this story in fourth grade. It's 12 pages single-spaced (with a lot of random blank space all over the place), and centers around my favorite TY Beanie Baby at the time, a husky named Nanook. He leads all of my Beanie Babies in a daring attempt to rid my house of burglars while my family is out of town. It's pretty exciting.
I remember that I brought it in to my fourth grade class and showed it to my teacher. When I asked her if there was anything I could do to make it better, all I remember her telling me is that it had too much dialogue, and that good writers avoided using dialogue when they could. I carried that with me for a while, and I only recently learned that dialogue isn't inherently bad. Interesting how one comment on your writing can affect you for so long.
I'll leave you with an unedited tidbit of this stunning masterpiece.
Nook didn’t answer; he did not feel like talking to anybody right then. So Gobbles went to tell Blackie, then there was a sudden crash just outside the door! All of the Beanie Babies hid at a place where nobody could fit. Not even a baby, all of the Beanie Babies heard something, they heard a mumble of voices that didn’t sound like any of Anna’s or any of her family. Gobbles, (Always the bravest.) Sneaked out of his hiding place and went to the door and slid under it. He didn’t see the men right away. So he went into the living room and that is where he saw the men looking at the couch. One man looked his way. He ducked just in time for him not to see him. “That was close.”
He went back and told the others what he saw. “I think we have to go out and try to stop them from taking the couch. Nook, do you want us to get those guys from taking our couch?” Gobbles asked.
“You are in control now, they listen more to you than to me. Go if you want to, I am not going. It is fine with me if you want to do it. Just do it without me.” Nook said.
“You’re still the leader Nook, they listen to you than they listen to me. They know that I am not the leader.” Gobbles said.
Everyone nodded. “But they didn’t listen to me right then when I said something. They were too busy playing with their new friend that not one of them talked to me. No one even looked in my direction.” Nook said.
“That is because we couldn’t hear you. Now, can we go and get those strange guys that busted into our house?” Gobbles asked.
Ignoring Gobbles’ question he said, “You wanted to play instead of look for Anna. You don’t like me.” Said Nook.
“Can we?”
“And you-“
“Can we?”
“Did something”
“CAN WE GO AND GET THOSE GUYS THAT ARE TRYING TO STEAL OUR COUCH OR ARE WE GOING TO LET THEM TEAR IT DOOOOOOWWWNNN?” “G-g-go and g-g-get them.” Said Nook scared to death. “WELL THEN LEEAAD UUSSS!!!!!” Said Gobbles, angry. “I don’t want to. I will watch you.” Said Nook. “OK. Since you are the leader, I have to obey you.” Said Gobbles cooling down a little bit, “At least you want to watch us.”
So they slid under the door. They went where they could see the two men that broke into their house. They were looking at the left side of the couch. “I wonder why they are doing this.” Said Gobbles. “They must be crazy and smart guys—really crazy.” All of a sudden one of the men looked in their direction. He told his partner to do something. Then he raced to the Beanies and picked Gobbles up. “Help!” cried Gobbles. “Get me out of here!”
Of course Nook heard and saw all of it and ran up to the man that had Gobbles. “I am changing my mind Nook. Run while you can! He is really dangerous! He squeezes us to death. You will be like a crumpled up paper bag if you get caught. Run! Run for your little Beanie lives!”
“No Gobbles. I will not let you down! I am going to save you! Anybody going to be with me?”
Nook said. He turned around to the shaky group of Beanie Babies. Everybody slightly nodded then they shook their heads. They said“ We are just going to watch.”
Nook went up to the man. Then when Nook started to say something the same man grabbed Nook in the same hand so now they were both trapped. “See? I said you should have ran instead of saving me!” Said Gobbles.
“I won’t let any of my friends be killed by one man. We will get out of this. I promise.” Said Nook.
Then Nook suddenly bit the man’s hand as hard as he could, but the man’s skin was so tough it didn’t even have tooth marks where he bit it. He was sure he was looking in the right place. He did it again and again and again until his teeth hurt. The he thought he felt that his teeth were getting sharper and his claws were getting sharper. It seemed now that he looked meaner but he was still nice to Gobbles. Then he bit into the man’s hand one more time and this time he was sure he had hurt the man badly. He didn’t mean to but he did it. The man dropped Gobbles and ran around the house with his face red-hot trying to hold his screams.