As I was grading your "Author and Me" questions, I began to detect a pattern: there was often a lack of attention toward meaning/significance for the work as a whole. Remember, the goal of AM questions is to unpack an unwritten idea that often helps us see the bigger picture of the story more clearly. As a result, we have to think about the whole story and what it's trying to do or communicate when answering these questions--we are making meaning with the text! So to make sure you're on track while responding to an AM question, ask yourself, "so what?" (which, in effect, challenges you to seek the significance or the value of your ideas to the text). In other words, how do your ideas extend our understanding of the text: the characters, setting, themes (a message or observation about the human condition).
For example, if you ask, "Why does the author describe the air as poisonous?" an undeveloped response would include that the author is trying to create a spooky atmosphere. While that may be true, you should be challenging yourself to determine why a spooky atmosphere even matters in the first place.
A better response would look at the word choice of "poisonous" and how this word specifically relates to the events that follow. So, it is not simply a mood creating device, but it develops the idea that the environment of this story has a profound effect on the mind and body of a person.
This type of thinking won't happen automatically, but you must continue to think about what you're writing to sharpen your ability to write in creative and critical ways
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