Revision Exercises
We all know it is important to revise our writing, if we want to improve it; however, when you are looking at your work, it is not always easy to know how. In this section, some tried and true methods are outlined:
Divide and Conquer
Sometimes when you get a paper back from your instructor, you might be so overwhelmed by the sheer number of comments and corrections that you don’t know where to begin. No one can learn everything at once, so what is important is to prioritize your problems and tackle one issue at a time. For example,
Content
Ask yourself these questions about your draft:
- Can I identify my thesis?
- Does each paragraph in my essay relate directly to my thesis?
- Do I explain everything, or do I assume that my readers know more than they do?
- Does every sentence in every paragraph clearly relate to the one before it?
- Does every paragraph clearly relate to the one before it?
- Do I include specific examples to support every claim I make?
- Is my essay interesting?
- Would someone reading my essay recognize my personality in my writing?
Based on your answer to these questions, determine what part of your content is weakest, and start with that.
Correctness
Even if your essay contains 20 errors, by grouping the errors, you will probably discover that you are making 4 or 5 errors consistently. That’s not so bad. Choose the error you make most often, and start by correcting it. Let the others slide this time if you need to. How do you this?
- Make an appointment with your instructor before your paper is due and ask him or her to help you to identify and categorize all the errors in your draft. If you can’t meet with your instructor, make an appointment with a lab tutor.
- Review the errors you identified in your handbook, starting with the one you make the most. Focus on only two or three problems per draft. You will gradually tackle them all over the course of the semester.
Form a Writing Group
It is very difficult to revise your own work. After all, you have invested a lot of time and effort into those words. They best way to get an honest opinion is to have fresh, unbiased eyes look at your work. How can you do this?
- Ask a group of your friends from your composition class to meet with you outside class time.
- Ask a group of your friends who are interested in writing or taking writing classes, to meet outside of class.
- Arrange for your writing group to meet in the writing lab and schedule a tutor to meet with you. This way you can maximize your efforts.
