1. Arrange a time to meet one-on-one with me. Flex works; after school works - let me know what works for you, and we will make it happen.
2. Arrange a time to meet one-on-one with me. (Just in case you didn't hear me the first time.)
3. Examine your storyline. Is it falling apart in the text (i.e. the story itself is boring or unrelatable) or in the subtext (i.e. there isn't any real meaning behind it). Isolating where the issue is will help you figure out the strategies that will help fix it. If it's the text that needs work, try playing around with concrete storytelling tools like imagery, detail, syntax, and pacing. If it's the subtext that's lacking, work on adding or evolving your abstract elements (metaphor, symbolism, theme, etc.).
4. Revisit your topic. I know, believe me, how demoralizing it is to have to start over. It absolutely blows. But none of that changes the fact that sometimes that's what needs to happen. A bad topic will yield a bad essay 11 out of 10 times, no matter how you play it.
What if my essay is trash?