Revision / Rewriting

From the Research:

"Revision":

Revision = Re-Vision = Re-Viewing = Re-Seeing ... which includes ...

Re-Thinking

Re-Writing

Shifting from a Writer to a Reader:

Many of us resist global revisions because we find it difficult to distance ourselves from a draft. We tend to review our work from our own, not from our audience's, perspective.

We often have trouble seeing what we’ve actually written. It is hard to distance ourselves from our own writing. Instead, we see what we intended to write (our brain thinks something is there when it actually is not).

Shift from writer to reader. Put yourself in the place of your reader. Consider your readers' expectations and needs.

"Write like a reader. Read like a writer."

"Read like a writer. Write like a reader."

"D.A.R.K." = "Don't assume the reader knows."

Seek out knowledgeable readers who will respond with HONESTY and CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.

Allow time between each revising session. Schedule more than one revising session.

Three “Levels” of Rewriting / Revision:

Revising                        (Panoramic or Wide-Angle Lens)                     (Global)

Editing                          (Normal Lens)                                                   (Local)

Proofreading                (Zoom Lens)                                                      (Micro)

Note: I recommend that you begin with global issues first, then move on to local issues, and end with micro issues. This way you will not waste time fixing very small things that later might be cut, moved, or reworded.

Make Global Revisions First

Revision Includes

• Adding material to the text.

• Deleting material from the text.

• Rearranging material within the text.

• Rewriting or rephrasing or rewording material within the text.

Think Big!

• Revisions address the larger elements of writing

• Revisions affect chunks of text longer than a sentence -- the whole essay, then paragraph by paragraph

• Revisions are frequently quite dramatic:

  • whole paragraphs might be dropped

  • whole paragraphs might be added

  • material in 2 or more paragraphs might be condensed into 1 paragraph

  • material in 1 paragraph might be expanded into 2 or more paragraphs

  • entire sections might be rearranged

  • individual paragraphs might be rearranged

  • portions of content might be completely rewritten

  • thesis statement might be refined or completely rewritten

Checklist for Global Revision

• Purpose and Audience

• Overall Strategy

• Focus and Thesis ("Unity")

  • Essay-level -- the thesis / central idea -- Is there a thesis statement for the entire essay? Does it control and unify the entire essay?

  • Paragraph-level -- topic sentences / main points -- does each paragraph have a topic sentence?

• Organization and Paragraphing -- the clear and logical structure / arrangement of the main ideas (the body paragraphs)

• Coherence ("Flow")

  • Essay-level -- the “transitions” or "flow" between paragraphs

  • Paragraph-level -- the "transitions" or "flow" within each paragraph

• Content and Development -- the support / evidence -- there is adequate and relevant support in each paragraph -- specifics vs. generalities -- details, examples, and explanations

• Point of View -- 1st person (I, we) vs. 2nd person (you) vs. 3rd person (he, she, they, it) -- consistency!

• Tone -- the “attitude” of the writer toward the subject -- often revealed in the writer's choice of words

• Format -- the “look” of the document