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The Writing Process:
REVISING
- Writing a good multi-paragraph
paper is a complex task requiring hard work. It is a truly gifted
writer, indeed, who is so fluent and organized that he or she can
accomplished all of these tasks at one sitting.
- For most writers, preparing a
first draft and then returning later to revise and edit it are
essential stages in the writing process.
- When revising, look at the "big
picture."
- Here
are some questions to keep in mind when revising the content of your
paper:
- What did you want to do in
this draft? Did you accomplish that goal?
- Is the paper unified? Does it
develop a clearly stated thesis which provides a clear focus for
the supporting paragraphs? Is each supporting paragraph itself
unified, and does it adequately support the topic idea?
- Is the paper coherent? Does it
maintain a consistent point of view and effectively mix key word
repetition and the use of pronoun substitutes? Is the logical
scheme of the paper and its component paragraphs clear and
understandable? Have you made good use of transitional words and
sentences?
- Is the paper adequately
developed? Have you included sufficient
details/examples/illustrations/reasons? Have you defined any
vague or ambiguous words? Have you explained any processes in a
logical, sequential order? Are your comparisons and contrasts
sharp and vivid?
- Is the paper interesting? Does
the introduction grab the reader's attention and arouse
interest? Have you sustained that interest, and then satisfied
it with a good conclusion?
- What changes do you want to
make in your next draft?
- Most writers find it helpful to
allow some time to pass between writing the first draft and starting
revision. You are much more likely to notice your own gaps,
inconsistencies and errors if you return to your original draft
"fresh." Plan to do your writing assignments far enough in advance
of their due dates to allow not only for revising and editing, but
also for "cooling off" periods between. Ideally, these cooling off
periods should be at least overnight.
- Depending on your writing skills,
you may discover the need to revise more than once. For example, you
may revise once for content, once for audience, and once for
purpose. Because multiple revisions can be complicated, you should
make a plan for revision, deciding in advance what you will look at
when revising and it what order you will do your revisions. Work on
the more difficult problems in your paper first, and you may find
that some of the smaller problems will take care of themselves.
After each revision, see how it affects the whole paper; making one
revision early in the paper may solve a few problems later on. Most
importantly, rely on your intuition – if something seems out of
place, it probably is.
- Through practice, you will
discover how often you need to revise. With further practice, you
may actually find that your revisions become less and less extensive
– and therefore less frequent – because you are becoming a more
skillful writer. That's good!
LINKS to Related External
Sources:
 
     
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