Revision

Overview on Revision

Adapted from The Concise Guide to Writing
The goal of revision is simple: to make your essay more accurately express what is on your mind to another person. You’ll find that even though you’ve spent hours planning and writing a first (or second, or third) draft, your essay will still need work if your goal is (as it should be) to fully communicate your ideas. You have two choices: 1) give up and watch reruns of Happy Days, or 2) roll up your sleeves and get to work. Surprisingly, experienced writers know that good writing takes many drafts, and thus know that the real writing doesn’t begin until the first drafts are out of the way. Then they discover ways to delete, move, rephrase, and add material in order to say what they want to say more clearly and thoughtfully.

While a first draft (or zero draft) is a time for low expectations, when you shift from drafting to revision, the times change: it’s now time for high expectations. Don’t be satisfied with what’s written: keep pushing yourself to make it more interesting and more specific. In fact, I’ve found that the students who are sure that “this is the best paper I’ve written” often need more work on their essays, while the students who aren’t fully satisfied with their work often do well.

What these latter students have is a positive attitude towards writing. They realize that essays aren’t “born” (i.e. written in one or two sittings), but are “made” by attention to details. This positive attitude is crucial when you look in despair at your first draft and think “Uh oh!” Don't just give up if you think most of your essay isn't any good (most writers feel this way). The key is to divide the work into a series of steps: start with just your organization, then rest, then work on individual paragraphs, one at a time. This makes the revision process seem less onerous -- it may even make it fun.

View the Draft Objectively
To revise, you must read your draft objectively, to see if it actually says what you intended it to say. If you can, put the draft aside for a day or two. Getting critical comments from another reader (get them to answer the specific revision questions in the textbook instead of just reading it and then asking “well, whadda’ think?”) can also help you to view the draft more objectively.  

Reconsider Your Purpose and Audience
Take another look at the assignment and its directions. Are you fulfilling the purpose? Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Does your purpose still seem appropriate for these particular readers? How could you modify the essay to make it more effective? Consider each problem and possible solution in light of your overall writing strategy.

Revise in Stages
After your organization is clear, focus on one paragraph at a time, make sure it is focuses on one topic and logically moves from sentence to sentence. Now’s the time to add those descriptive details that help the reader “see” your point.

Look at Big Problems First
Organize, organize, organize. Identify major problems that keep the draft from achieving its purpose. Does the essay have a clear thesis, clear divisions, and clear topic sentences? Are the ideas interesting and well developed? Does the essay have all the features that readers will expect?

Focus Next on Clarity and Coherence
Consider the beginning. How well does it prepare readers for the essay? Look at each section of the essay in turn. Do the paragraphs proceed in a logical order? Are there appropriate transitions to help readers follow from one point to the next? Are generalizations firmly and explicitly connected to specific details, examples, or supporting evidence?

Save Stylistic Changes and Grammatical Corrections for Last
Do not focus on word choice or sentence structure until you are generally satisfied with what you have written. Then carefully consider your style and diction. Focus primarily on key terms to be sure they are appropriate and well defined.

Basic Revision Plan

  1. Outline what you’ve already written
  2. Revise introduction and title (see our handbook and suggestions on the course site for specifics on each of these)
  3. Revise context/overview
  4. For each body paragraph:
    1. Define any specific terms
    2. Provide more specific examples/details to help readers “see” what you’re talking about
    3. Clarify argument with explanations of examples. Try making analogies/comparisons to “real life” and/or historical/current events. You need to let the reader “see” your thoughts and logic. Without this
    4. Smooth out transitions between sentences using repetition and transition words.
    5. Smooth out transitions between paragraphs using repetition and transition words
    6. Repeat step 4 several times
  5. Revise conclusion