Revision Tips

Today's Topic: Revision Tips 

This is a bit of a long one, folks, but I think it will prove useful. 

Remember: Writing is a Process 

It's important to keep in mind that writing is a process, not just an end product.  Talk to any widely published writer and s/he will tell you that multiple revisions are a regular part of the writing process.  Almost no one produces perfect first drafts.  Writing is a thinking process; through multiple revisions our work develops and deepens, and the final product often ends up miles away from the original idea. 

It's important to learn some tricks and techniques to help you take a logical, reasoned approach to revision.  

Tip #1: Set Aside Separate Revisions for Different Purposes 

Many writers make the mistake of focusing only on grammar and punctuation when they revise their work.  Grammar and style are certainly important, but I would advise you not to worry much about them at first.  The early stages of the writing process should be focused on content--critical thinking, development of ideas, and organization:

• Make sure your paper has a clear controlling idea (often referred to as a thesis or purpose statement).
  
  • Make sure every section in the paper relates back to that controlling idea, and make sure that relationship is always clear to the reader.
  • If a paragraph or section does NOT clearly relate to your controlling idea, then you need to either revise it so that it does, or cut it out.
    
• Use topic sentences and transitions to guide your reader logically from idea to idea.
• Make sure your paper has a logical flow from paragraph to paragraph, section to 
  section. Don't be afraid to experiment with drastic changes in organization!
  
  I like to tackle grammar, punctuation, and formatting separately from everything else, when I'm reaching the end of my writing process for a particular piece.  If you try to pay attention to everything at once--grammar, style, formatting, organization, development of ideas, etc.--you will almost certainly miss something important. 

Tip #2: Take a Break, and Read Aloud

If at all possible, try to get some distance from your work before you revise it.  We can get so close to our own writing that we can't see it clearly; it's like that old saying, "can't see the forest for the trees."  If you take some time away from your paper--at least a day or two--you will be more likely to catch problems.

I also strongly recommend reading your work aloud, especially when you're at the stage where you're proofreading for grammar mistakes and typos.  When we read silently, we actually do not read every word.  We think we do, but really we're just getting the gist.  Reading aloud forces you to slow down and hear how your sentences hang together.  You might not know the specific grammar rule that you're breaking, but you will know that the sentence doesn't sound right.  You will be far more likely to catch problems with sentence structure if you read out loud.

Tip #3: Use Reverse Outlining

When I taught writing classes, the reverse outline was probably the technique about which I got the best feedback from my students.  It has also been very popular with my students here at the CON.  This technique is especially useful if you are concerned that:

• Your paper might not have a clear focus
• Your paper might veer off-topic at times
• You might have some problems with organization
• Your ideas might not be well-developed
• Your arguments might need additional support

To make a reverse outline:

• Go through your draft, paragraph by paragraph.
  
• On a fresh sheet of paper, list the main point/idea in each paragraph.
• Use hierarchical (sometimes called subordinating) structure to indicate which are main ideas and which are supporting details (like I'm doing here). 
  
  • You can do this with Roman and Arabic numerals, or with bullet points.

If you are thorough, you will end up with a detailed map of your paper.  Done well, the reverse outline will show you:

• If you are trying to tackle too many topics
• If your paragraphs/sections lack unity and coherence (sentences in the paragraph do not all relate)
• If some paragraphs/sections are out of place
  
• If you need more evidence to support your assertions
• If you need more analysis, more development of ideas

Reverse outlines can also help you to write your topic sentences, and/or to help you figure out what the main focus of your paper should be.  The outline will make main points clear, and help you see the relationship of each paragraph/section to your overall thesis.


Tip #4: Use Color Coding


This technique is most useful for writers who want to make sure that they are not relying too heavily on factual information, without sufficient analysis and development of ideas.  You'll need three highlighters or colored pencils (or you can use the highlighter pen function in Microsoft Word). 


*Use one color to highlight general assertions.

• Typically, these include your thesis statement, topic sentences, main ideas.

*Use color #2 to highlight the specific evidence you provide for each assertion. 

• Quotations
• Paraphrased or summarized material
• Statistics
• Examples

*Use color #3 to highlight analysis of your evidence.

• In general, it's a good idea to have about as much analysis as you do evidence (this may be less true for certain types of papers, such as reports of research studies which will rely heavily on data--but even those papers require discussion sections).
• If your paper lacks analysis, it will read like a summary of facts; it will lack any point of view.
• Analysis is where we begin to address the "so what" question.  Why is this important?  What are the implications of all this--for practice, for further research, etc.?  What do you want your reader to take away when s/he finishes reading your paper? 

I hope these revision tips will be helpful to you.  I'm always happy to help if you'd like me to demonstrate how to use any of these techniques.  Happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW