Writing Process: Revision

What Is Revising? A helpful way to think of revision is by breaking up the word: re-visioning. That is, to re-see you writing, to look at it with new eyes. Goal: – to re-examine what you’ve written in your first draft, – to align the draft with your purpose for writing, – and to ensure that your ideas can be clearly understood by a reader.

Areas for Revision Overall Structure – Does my essay accomplish its goals? – Does the essay flow logically, or do I need to rearrange? Paragraphs – Does each point flow logically? Have I used transitions to indicate this logical flow? Sentences – Do I vary sentence structure? Do the sentences highlight key terms? Words – Is my word choice precise and concrete?

Overall Structure One of the best ways to re-vision your essay’s structure is by using an informal outline Revision Strategy: – Write your thesis statement at the top of a page. – Beneath the thesis, include the topic sentences from each of your paragraphs. – Make sure the essay’s movement makes sense, and is where you want it to go. (Often, this strategy will highlight areas you need to rearrange, add, or even delete. And because you are trying to convey complex ideas, logical structure is of utmost importance as you revise.)

For Example: Thesis: During the past fifty years, movie stars have often tried to change the direction of America’s politics. Topic Sentences: 1.During World War II, stars sold liberty bonds to support the country’s war effort. 2.Many Stars refused to cooperate with the blacklisting of their colleagues in the 1950s. 3.Some stars were actively involved in protests against the Vietnam War. 4.More recently, stars have appeared in Congress criticizing the lack of legislative help for struggling farmers.

Paragraphs Think of paragraphs as mini-essays. Like the essay as a whole, a paragraph contains a thesis (topic sentence) and supporting points. Pay close attention to how each sentences relate to each other. Use transition words to indicate these relationships. – (Words such as both, all, similarly, moreover, and, too, although, but, however, yet, nevertheless, for example, because, etc. serve as signposts for the reader.)

A Few Types of Relationships Comparison Contrast Example Cause and Effect

Can You Identify the Relationships? 1.Ralph was a bright, highly motivated, and successful student. On the other hand, though, he was unable to excel in any sport. Contrast 2.When individuals communicate, they are more likely to solve their problems. Similarly, countries can best solve their problems through communication. Comparison

One More… More drivers take to the road in July and August, when families traditionally go on vacation. As a result, oil companies raise the price of gasoline during the summer months. Cause/Effect

Sentences Make sure sentences flow into each other. One way to ensure this is by sticking with key words from sentence to sentence, helping guide the reader along. Keep in mind the structure of the sentences, too. Avoid beginning sentences the same way every time. – How might you revise the following sentences? We went to the mountains on vacation. We slept in a tent. We went swimming every day.

Words Make sure each word conveys the exact meaning you intend. For our purposes, particularity and precision are always the better choice. Avoid too much repetition.

Following S.E.E. in Revision Using the S.E.E. method as a guide can aid in revision Often, drafts contain statements that remain unexplained and underdeveloped A good place to start revising is searching for areas which lack supporting details or elaboration Identify areas in the following passages which lack sufficient elaboration